1 THE CAPTAIN [ 1 OF the KANSAS I By LOUIS TRACY. ? ^ Author of "Th# Wings of the Morning." "The Pillar of Light." Etc. f + ? < ? < COPYRIGHT. 11100. BY EDWARD J. CLODE ? * _t CHAPTEIt XII. THE captain vat enthusiastic; when Ik* heard of Elsie's Idea! for (lie protection of tin* ujal'i deck?"au excellent notion," In* termed it, but lie scouted tin; migjiin tlon that she should undertake I lie work herself. "You little know what hauling taut heavy canvas means," he said when they met at lunch. "It would tear tlx* skin off your handH. No, Miss Max well; we can put our Chileans on lo that Job. 1 have Konicthluif lietter for you to do. Can you map?" "I have copied heaps of plans for my father," she told him. "Excellent! At no i today 1 tool; un observation, so I Intend to devote an hour to revising tile chart. Will you help? Joey In In the Hclieme al ready. Then the admiralty will grace fully acknowledge the survey supplied by Miss Elsli Maxwell, Captain Ar thur Courlcuay and Joey, otherwise known as 'tho pup.' " Ills allusion to the dog by name re called "Jose the Winebag," but Elsie thought she would retain that tiny scrap of detective Information for the present. So she simply said: "You will explain to lue my part of the undertaking, of course'/" "Certainly. You must lirst correct the index error. Then you subtract the dii> aiul the refraction in altitude, take the sun's Kcmiillametcr from the nautical almanac anil add the parallax. I>o you follow me?" "1'erfectly. It sounds the eastent thing. Itut I don't wish to hear the remarks of the admiralty when they Bee the result." "1 am Interested In navigation to the slight extent possible to a mere yachtsintin. May I Join you?" Inter posed Cbristobal. "Oh, yes!" said the captain offhand euiy. Elsie repressed (he smile on her 111<h Did the worthy doctor four develop ment If this harmless mapiuaklng progressed lu his a 1 we nee? She im njoined, too, that ('ourtenay's acqui escence lu Chrlstobal's desire to 1h? present was not wholly lu accordance with his Innermost wish. She prompt ly crushed that dangerous fancy. The captain was ouly seeking for some ex cuse to take her away from the rough work of rigging the extra awnings. How odd that the other thought should have cropped up first! "You still think the Kansas will win clear of her (JltUeiltles?" she said rather hurriedly. "After all, the ship's safety Is essential to your survey." "Every hour strengthens my opln ion," was the confident reply. "Suare? Bays that there is a reasonable chance of occasional brief spells of flue weath er at this period of the year. At any rate, the gale may not be absolutely continuous, and Walker Is assured that he can patch up the engines for halt speed, (liven a calm day?a day like this, for instance we can reach th?i strait in a few hours." "And the Indians?" "I leave them out of my reckoning. What else can 1 do?" "Kill 'em." said Tolletnache. Courtenay glanced sharply at his fel low countryman. lie disliked these references to the Alaeulof bogy In Elsie's presence. "We have dynamite aboard," said Tolletnache. "Why not construct a couple of infernal machines which could be fired by pulling a string and let them drift toward the canoes when the Indians are near enough?" "It Is worth trying." was Courte nay's brief comment, though he saw later that Tollemache's suggestion was a very u; ful one. Elsie's lirsl ta i. was to prepare a largL- scale drawing of the southern par of llauover Island as set forth in admirably chart No. 1 '7 (sheet 2 Patagonia), which Is the only (rust worthy re-uril available for shipmas ters u.-iiiir tlie outer passage between tlie gulf of l'enas ami the strait of Ma gellan. it was a simple matter to till in the few contours given. The neigh boring small Islands were shown in reasonable detail, but the whole west ern count of Hanover Island itself ton sisted of a dotted line and a solitary peak. Stokes mountain, the height of which could lie estimated and its po sition triangulated from the sea. Eveu Coticet>clou strait, on the north, and the San Bias channel, on the south, were marked in those significant dot ted lines. The coast was practically unknown to civilized man. It was borne In on the girl while shs worked that the chief marvel In liet present condition was the triumph of science over nature in Its most hostile Hiood. The Kansas boasted all the comforts and luxuries of a well equip ped hotel. Seated at the same table as herself was a skillful sailor, using logarithms, secants and cosecants, |K> lar distances and hour angles as if he were in some university class room. She stole a glance at Oonrtenay. He wus so keenly engaged on t>> business iu luind. so bent on ai-hie- ii * aecijrac} to his Op-res. tha' e ed herself for her ! . e. 1 . si. wondered it he ever gave a thought to that prom ised wife of his, who must sooir suffer the agony of knowing that the Kansas was overdue. .Elsie was sufficiently well amuaint ?m1 with shipping to realize tlu" sensa llou tliat would he created by tlie first cablegram from Coruuel announcing the nonappearance of tlie iteamer In the xtrait. The Valparaiso newspa per* would lie full of surmises an to the vernier* fate. They would publish full details of the valuable cargo and would give a list of the passengers and otticers. Ah! Ventana would learn then, If he had not heard It earlier, that she was on board. And he alone would understand the true reason of her flight from Chile. Her cheeks flushed, and she applied herself more closely to the chart she was copying. She had left a good deal unsaid in her brief statement that morning. How 1 strange, how utterly unexpected, it was that Veutnnu's name should fall from Courteuay's lips?Courtenay of all men living! And what did Isobel mean during that last dreadful scene ' ere she was carried away to the boat by screaming In her frenzy that Ven tana had taken "an ample vengeance?" Vengeance for what? llad the half breed dared to make the same pro posal to the rU'h and highly placed Isobel Itarlng that he did not scruple to put before the needy governess? Surely that was Impossible. There were limits even to his audacity? "Well, how Is my chief hydrogra pher progressing?" Court* nay's cheery voice banished the unwelcome specter of Ventana. Klsle started "I do lielleve you were day dream ing," said the captain, with a surpris ed smile. "A penny for your thoughts." "I don't think you can pay me," she retorted, hoping to cover her confusion. "Won't you accept Chilean curren cy r "Not on the high seas." "But you are on dry land. Please make a dot on your man at 51 degrees 14 minute* 1) seconds south mid 74 de grees 59 minutes seconds west. Tliat Is the present position of the ship. Let lue pin this compass card on the ta ble. Use the parallel ruler, regard each Inch as a mile, and I'll do the rest by guesswork." Courteuay took his binoculars and went on to the bridge. He called out the apparent distance of each land mark he could distinguish, described It and gave its true bearing. In the result Klsle found she bad prepared a clear and fairly accurate chart of the bay and its headlands, while the po sition of the distant range of moun tains was marked with tolerable preci sion. Rut Courteuay was far from liclng satisfied. "If I had a base line or even a fresh set of points taken higher up the Inlet I could Improve on my part of (lie sur vey," lie said. "Yours Is admirable, Miss Maxwell, Of course I know you are an artist, but mapping is a thing apart. That Is first rate." "Perhaps you may lie able to secure fresh data when the Kansas puts to j sea again," said Ohristobal. I "If I am conning the wheel I must leave the chartnmklng entirely to my assistant," replied the captain lightly. / / m\ firtt Uiik vii) to prepare a l<?ry< *0111?' ?.'r<i I' hig. "But I do mean to |>eop u little farthei Into our estuary. Before the sliii sails I may have another spare hour t> devote to It." "In what way?" asked Elsie. "By utilising the canoe. A mile 01 so higher up the channel 1 should I* clear of the bluff which hides Ottei creek. I Imagine it will in' posslbli then to see the full extent of the bay I must get you to sound Snare* us U the lay of the land." "I hope you will do nothing of tin sort." protested Elsie earnestly. "Why? Do you think the canoe nn safe?" "No. no; not that. But those waltlni Indian". They might see you." "Oh. the Indians again! I shall rui no risk of thut sort. It would Indeei be the Irony of fate if the Kausa slipped her cable and left the sklppe behind." "Huh?no fear! She'd follow ymi ilk J Joey. I was tell in" Miss MaxweM what ' a Iti'ky follow j ou are. Ile.sUlis, if | ynii wont I'd I* In oo:rmaud, au' you | huow what would U:>i>l>?*u tUeu. If all ?-!s" f. I'd, tIn* I !?>-<..ill' tul) would ' turn turtle In the ; I." To emphasise 'il remarks Boyle lili-tv a big smoke ?<i u:id shot wv eral smaller rings through IL l.i-ie felt Chrlstohal's crlucal eye 011 her. She was shading the outlines of the map aud trusted that her head wa? lent milllclently to hide the telltale color whli h lea|>ed to her 'face. It'it Courtenay wished to hear more of t'lis. "I hojie you d > not credit everything my chief oiheer says ab.jjit me." he said. glancing over her shoulder at the draw lug. "nor about himself," he ud 1 ed, as she was too busy to ly >k up. "To ray knowledge he has refused the com mand of two ships since we Isith Join ed the Kansas." "Iiouie orders!" cried Boyle, who was certainly lieyon 1 himself. Proba lily he missed his regular vocal exer cise owing to lack of a crew. "My missus says to i::o: 'You just stick to Captain Courtenay, young feller-me lad. He's one of the Ket-rlch-<|ui't sort. T'raps you'll learn from him how to dodge hoard of trade Inquiries.' You stand 0:1 what I toid you, Ml-s Maxwell. You retneinlier?commodore? Iluh:" Courtenay glanced at the chrono in ter. "I must I e off." he announced. "Tolle mache may need some help with his bomlw, and those Chileans reptile looking after." < hristoi .il, too. <[Uitted the chart room to visit his patients. He had said very little while he sat there, and Elsie did not know whether to laugh or cry at the tragic comedy of her environ ment. She was only certain of one thing?she would like to box Boyle's ears. She was completely at a loss to account for his persistent efforts to drag In reference) to their prior con venation. She dared not catechise him. That would lie piling up more difficulties for the future. But what possessed liiiu to blurt out such em barrassing details In the presence of the two men whom she most wished to remain in Ignorance of them? She peeped at Boyle sideways. His eyes were closed, the cigar was be tween his teeth, and he had a broad grin on his face. She could not guess that the ouce taciturn chief officer of the Kansas was saying to himself: "My godfather, how Bills glared! There will lie trouble on this ship about a woman before long or I'm a Dutchman. An' didn't the skipper rise at the tly too! Huh!" A little later as Elsie passed along the promenade deck she saw Courte nay, Tollemache and Walker deep in consultation. They were arranging a percussion fuse of fulminating mer cury. While she was watching them Walker dropped a broken furnace bar on top of a small package placed on an Iron block. Instantly there was a shnrt report, and Joey, who was an Interested observer, jumped several feet. The men laughed, and she heard Courteuay say: "That is the right proportion of ful minate. Now, Tollemache, I'll help you to tlx them. We do not know the moment those reptiles may choose to attack." So the captain did not leave the Ala culof mi o ice altogether out of count. Something rose in her throat, some wave of emotion which threatened her splendid serenity. She ran rather than walked to her cabin, flung herself on the bed and soblied piteously. It had to come, this tempest^of tears. When desperate odds demanded unflinching courage she faced them dry eyed, with steadfast heart. But today in the bright sunshine and apparent security of the ship sinister death shadows tor tured her into rebellion. She did not stop to ask herself why she wept. Be ing a woman, she yielded to the gust, and when it had ended, with the sud denness of a summer shower, she Hinil ed through the vanishing tears. Iler first concern was that none should be aware of tier weakness. "How stupid of me!" she murmured. "What would the men think if they knew I broke down in this fashion.'' Slu* looked lii it mirror. In the clour light without nny one could see she had iK'en crying, and there was so much work to lie done that she did not wish to remain iu her stateroom until nil tokens of the storm had passe'., j She searched for a powder pnff and was nt a loss to discover its where-1 abouts until she recollected thai the doctor had borrowed it for tin- use of a man ollglitly scalded when his own supply of antiseptic powder was ex hausted. So she went Into Isohe'.'s room, entering It for the first ttiue since the Kansas struck on the shoal. The two cabins communicated, as Mr. Ilarlng had gone to the expense of hav ing a door brokeu through the parti tion for the girls' use during the voy age. i If Elsie had not already given way to tears she must have faltered now nt f the sight of her friend's belongings > strewed In confusion over the tloor. , chairs, dressing tal>le and l>od. Isoliel possessed a gold mounted dressing < aso the size of an ordinary portmanteau. ? It held au assortment of pretty and . mostly useless knlckknacks. and they f had nil lieeu tumbled out in a frantic . hurry. At first Elsie flinched from fur ther scrutiny, but common sense told ) her that this despondent mood must be fought. She drop|ted to her knees. > found a mother-of-penri p o dor box and picked up other scattered articles and replaced them in the drerslng case. To accomplish 1'iia It na< n-oo.' t ?a ry to rearrange various trays iri.l drawers. I'ortrnits of girl friends, in , eluding her own. and of men unknown 1 to her, letters, memoranda anil other s doeuments were thrown nlsnit In i::s t order. All tli?'s?? she put buck It their receptacles, wo:i 'erlnT the wh'le wh it (i motive had led Isobel to make such a frviir.led Ufari-h for S'>::ie : 1. 't Hi 11 kin- cumt not u Jul ? l;ut iw -*M4? of the remaining articles. Yet who could account for the frenzy of that terrible hour when the c:.ptai I announced the ship's dimmer'; Kven (,'ourteuay himself. she renieuiU-red, hud emptied a Iim ker la a rapid hunt for the dot's coat. I<ut he had laugh ingly explained his haste later when tone chance reference was made to his soaked garments. Anything was explicable In the light of panic. She gathered up a skirt and some blouses, locked the dressing case, put th" key in her purse and quitted the room with a heavy heart, for the handling of her friend's treasures had brought sail memories. I'ussing into the deck corridor, she heard the captain'* voice, apparently at a considerable distance. Two hun dred yards away from the ship Cour tenay and Tollemache were anchoring a flat framework built of spare hatch es and secured by wooden crosspieces. On it stood the tlrst of the infernal inn chines. The raft floated level with the water, so Its only conspicuous tit I ISS 1 Chief Officer Boyle. ting was a small spar and a block, to which a line and au Iron bar were at tached. The men looked strange iu her eyes at that distance. In the uiar velously clear light she could see their features distinctly, and when Courte nay shouted to a sailor to haul in the slack of the line she caught a trumpet like ring that recalled the scene in the salon when he held back the mob of stewards. His athletic figure, silhou etted against the shimmering green of the water, was instinct witti graceful strength. He looked a boru leader of men, and, as though to mark his quick ness of observation, no sooner had Elsie glanced over the side of the ship than he waved a hand to her. She sighed. A bitter thought peeped up 111 her that he was perhaps a trifle careless in showing her these little at tentions. She wished he would speak to her of that other girl who awaited him in England. A pleasant state of confidence would be established then. These secret twitches of sentiment were irritating. She walked aft to obtain a nearer view of the operations. The sailors had already shut In a large portion of the promenade deck with canvas, and she noticed that loopholes were pro vided every ten feet or so to permit the effective use of the defenders' firearms. Thus at each step she was reminded of the precarious hold she had on life, and she was positively frightened when some mad Impulse surged through her whole being, bidding her imperiously to abandon her ultra con scientious loyalty to a woman she had never seen. Why struggle against cir cumstance? If death were so near, what ditl she gain by prudery? For an instant she stood aghast at the revelation which had come to her. She was in love with Courtenay. She was ready to die by his side, fearless and joyous, if only he would put his arms around her and tell her that she | was dear to him. Ah, the fierce delight of that first silent surrender! Her heart beat as it had never pulsed be fore, even under the stress of the storm or the suddeu terror of the night attack. Her eyes shone, and her breath came laboriously t>etween parted lips. Golden dreams coursed through her bralu. She was thrilled with un unutterable longing. Then her swimming eyes rested on a group of men standing on the poop. Amoug them was Chrlstobnl, Interest ed, like the rest, in the floating of the mine. And forthwith Elsie fell from the clouds and was brought back, shudderiug. to cold reason again. She was sick at heart. She hated herself for her self abasement. She must giro her with sackcloth and mourn, and the fight must be fought now without parley or hesitation unless the sweet ness were to go forth from life forevei and all things turn to ashes in hei mouth. So, marshaling the best qualities ol her womanhood, she quelled the tur moil in her breast, forced herself t. Join the men on the after deck an<' said when the smiling Spaniard turned to receive her: "Where do they mean to put the sec oud contrivance?" "About there," he said. Indicating I point on the surface of the bay east ?? ?rd of the canoe. Ills right arm wai extended, and he placed his left hnni on her shoulder. Courtenay, hallln) Walker, saw the two leaning over t':< rails lu that attitude. Perhaps one o tha two t that Courtenay v.oul* ?eii them. Elsie, k? part of her pun- 1 Irluufut. <111 (brisk iwaf, tfeMgfe 1 the touch of Chrlstobal'a liuu<l oiada ? her fl.-r.li creep. But Joey, whose mind was singularly free from complexities, leu|K?i! up at her. He wanted lilsle to tell him what Coiirtenay whs Joint; out there, bo far away from the uhlp. She stoo|x-d and picked him up. Chris-1 tolml had no excuse for a second ca ress. "Bark, Joey," she whispered, "bark aud call your master. If anything hap pens to him, you and 1 shall never see England again. Aud 1 am longing for home today." CHAPTER XIII. CHRISTMAS day arrived and maintained Its kindly repute by finding affairs on board the Kansas changed for the better. j Mr. Boyle was so far recovered that , he could walk. He even took command | of two watches In the twenty-four i hours, but was forbidden to exert him- ' self lest the wound in his back should' reopen. Several Injured sailors and fire men were convalescent. The two most serious cases were out of danger. Frascuelo, hardy as a w eed, dared the I risk of using his damaged leg and sur vived, though his progress along the deck was painful. Nevertheless on ' Christmas morning he presented hiih self before the captain and asked leave to abandon his present quarters. He felt lonely in the forecastle and wish ed to Iterth with the other Chileans In the neighborhood of the salon. Al though his luck was bad in some re spects. the coal trimmer was endowed with the nine lives of a cat, for there could l>e no manner of doubt that he dragged himself aft just In time to avoid being killed. Yet never was day less ominous In appearance. The breezy, sunlit morn ing brought no hint of coming tragedy. I The line weather which had prevailed | since the Kansas drifted Into the estu ; ary seemed to become more settled as I the month wore. Suarez said it was I unprecedented. Hut the miner from Argentina never wavered in his belief that the Indians would soon muster every adult for an assault on the ship. The elements might waver, but not the hate of the savage. From the rising of the sun to . the going down thereof Suarez was ever on the alert. Every other person on the ship held the opinion that the Alaculofs would attack by night if they were not afraid to at tempt the enterprise at ail. So Suarez slept soundly while bis companions were on the qui vive for a call to repel i boarders. Were It not for the strain induced by the silent menace of their savage neighbors the small company suffered no ill from their prolonged stay in this peaceful anchorage. There was work in plenty for all hands. Walker was re-enforced by a trio of firemen whose technical knowledge, slight as it was, proved useful when he began to fit and connect the dis abled machinery. For the rest, the | promenade deck was walled with strong canvas, while Courtenay and Tollemache gave undivided attention i to the fashioning of several other float I ing bombs which could be exploded ' from the ship. They also provided , flexible steam pipes in places where a rush might be made if the Indians once secured a footing on the deck, fore or aft. Steam was kept up constantly In : the donkey boiler not alone for the electric light and the dally working of the pumps, as the Kansas had not blundered over the shoal without straining some of her plates, but for use against the naked bodies of their possible assailants. When day followed day without any ' sign of hostility not a man on board save Suarez and Tollemache paid i much real heed to the shoreward perii. ; Walker, with his hammers and cold ; chisels, screw jacks and wrenches, was j the center of interest. And Walker's 1 swarthy visage wore a permanent grin, j which presaged well for the fulfillment of his promise. Elsie devoted herself to the hospital. She was thus brought more in contact with Christobal than with any of the others. Nor did he make this close ac quaintance irksome to her. Always suave and charming in manner, he exerted himself to be entertaining. Though she knew full well that if the Kansas reached the open sea again he would ask her to marry him, he was evidently content to deny himself the privileges of courtship until a prop I er time and season. She was far too wise to appear to avoid Courtenay. Indeed, she was stu ; dlously agreeable to him when they ' met. She adopted the safe role of I good fellowship, flattering herself that j her own folly would shrink to nothing ness under the hourly castigation thus inflicted. After the midday meal on Christmas 1 day?a sumptuous repast, for the due preparation of which Elsie had come to the Chilean cook's assistance in the | matter of the plum pudding?Suarez 1 suddenly reported that a new column of smoke was rising from Guanaco i hill, a crag dominating the eastern side of the bay. lie was unable to at tribute any special significance to the signal on that particular place. Dur ing his five years with the Alaculof j tribe he had never seen a fire lighted ! there before. That in itself was a fact sinister and alarming. Suarez had sufficient tact not to make this statement publicly. He told Chris tobal, and the doctor passed on the In formation to the captain. Both men ' went to the |?>op with their glasses and -! carefully examined the coast line. I Courtenay was the first to break an i oppressive silence, anil his low pitched -I voice announced stirring tidings. a "Do you see those canoes yonder?" 1 he said. "There were three under the It trees before Suarei discovered the smoke on Cuanaeo. Now I fancy 1 l can make out nearly a dozen. Though they are not launched, they have beec i Selling the Goods You Want! We now sell Hardware, Mill Sup plies, Paints, Coffins and other undertakers goods. If you are going to build and need anything In the way of building material, we think we can iuit you. Flooring. Ceiling, Weath er-boarding, moldings, Mantels, Win low and door frames, Doors, Shinglea Laths and brick. We sell Paroid, S'eponset and other prepared roof ng, screen doors and windows. CALL TO SEE US. John I. Barnes & Bro. , Clayton. iY C. Tobacco Flues Do you want the best flues? If you do get them from S. B. Johnson the* old reliable flue maker. He has been making them 15 years. If you need flues bring or send your order and he will make you the best flues at lowest prices. If you need roofing I have the best at very low prices S. B. Johnson, Smithdeld, N. C. We Can Do Your Work!! 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