Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 169: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

oY Haw hentua Daniel The second engineer had finished his inspection of the engines, and was watching the steady rise of pressure in the steam-gages on the big boilers, un- der which the stokers were stirring up GAN wiped the sweat from his fore- head with a muscular forearm. He stood for a moment gazing at the glaring blaze of one of his furnaces and mumbled something to himself. Then he turned and resumed his toil. “IT ain’t got any nerve,” he muttered as he swung his filled scoop up to the furnace door, scattering the coal over the fire.. ‘I ain’t got any nerve.” He shoveled fiercely for a minute and slammed the door. Then he straightened up and leaned against his shovel. ‘“‘ And everybody on the ship knows it, too,” he added. A vivid picture of the shameful scene of an hour before came to him. Why had he not fought when Fisher gave him the lie before the others on the pier? “ That’s it,” he mumbled; ‘I ain’t got any nerve.” He paused and narrowed his eyes. “ But I'll show ’em yet.” Egan was one of a dozen stokers on the Ardmore, a small, dirty British steam- er loading at a dock in Brooklyn for Liverpool. Already the ship was filled until the little white circle placed by Lloyd’s on her streaked side was splashed by every wave. The big tarpaulins were being unrolled. over the hatches by a group of deck- hands, and a man was taking down the metal disks that kept the rats from journeying over the cables that led to the pier. the. fires. start to sea. The stokers not on duty had been given the day ashore, and had taken ad- vantage of it in the old-fashioned sailor They were all but ready to way. Every one of them had returned with more stimulants under his belt than were good for him. Egan had been with the bunch, but had taken less than the others—not be- cause he wanted less, but because he knew that if he took any more before going to work in the overheated stoke- hole it would go to his head, and he would have to be carried out. That might lose him his berth. The rough crowd had made a day of it, a day to remember. ‘They spent all of their money and most of their energy. They were peaceable enough until their feet touched the splintered planks of the pier. Then they could not resist a little rough play before going’ aboard. They pushed each other awkwardly about as they trouped gaily down the pier. In the horse-play Egan was shoved forcibly, and fell over a cable that lay Stretched across his path. He hurt him- self just enough to make him angry. 5II MICLOOOK C© inn