Newspapers / The Waynesville Mountaineer (Waynesville, … / Oct. 24, 1940, edition 1 / Page 3
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cnAY, OCTOBER 21, 1940 THE WAYNES VILLE MOUNTAINEER Pae S 'CARIBBEAN LOOT" By WHITMAN CHAMBERS Lain CHAPTER VIII v unV in the mud. efl Vnife out of " Its 5 Si aver and struggled ftTTwasin atterdark F.tht black ooze had been J5b an extent that K absolutely opaque, gebeensundmgin.sea Actively I leached fo. my and hut off my air 80 ifwuld 1 n for th native I Thert was oo slignwt fjun that which came over r . tmm tne vvdid- iLLoae barking oHon, the . , the ucck, ana valve wide, I inhaled a dozen deep lungsful and allowed the foul air in the suit to clear. Then I shut off the air and listened. No sound save the swift pound ing of my heart and the faint noise from the deck above. The water was still thing. I'm going to finish it. It's I my light ana L u see it tnrough in my own way. That's all now. Got i Co have air." I opened ray valve. I heard Hoffman s protesting voice, but hu words were lost in the roar of air in my ears. I smiled, despite the situation it was a good thing Dick Hoffman was my friend; superior officers may be defied, but not often with impuiiny. With my legs wide apart, my left hand stretched out like a I 26-Ounce Baby Doing Fine inky black andfi'nter on uard ray riKht d.rawD. gave no indication of clearing. I DacK p g nome my Knue' 1 realized that we were in a virtual ' WBlted in the ioky darkness. I pocket on the floor of the sea, pro-' had Dot shlfted my PBition ince from nhutc.- .nt - 1 1 first gained my feet after that tected from whatever slight cur rent there were by the deck and the superstructure, which rose on three sides of us. It might be hours before the plunge down the deck. And I had no intention of moving, for I knew that when finally we came in con tact, as inevitably we must, the Sivou Dick," I spoke softly, j knew from experience now parried in the water. Wre got diver sown, Wt I know it!" I answered &y. "I just tangled witn Htfu .... . a maw Caueht wm trying y w r. -liol tnum the deck fje. ne t"" the mod. l,erd Hoffman curse and L order. Then, "I'm wsna- , armed boat crew over w jdirto. I've already ordered U, to haul up his man. Are lines clear! doubt it. You might give a A ee." little pause. "We're pulling." . 11 1 11 il. ...A.. Ki ra. I rouea an "s j, the deck from the top rail I'M heto but foul on some- r - , fiot to have air now. see a i minute. didn't open my air valve at i I waited for several min Inerv nerve on edge, strain- for the slightest souna max Ml betray the position of the to diver. Then 1 near a lami,, mi inaudible sauash as a foot water cleared sufficiently for us to aavanwge.wouw ne witn tne man see one another. Hnum of nlavino.1 wa hide and seek in the darkness, within the "w!d' death the stake, I didn't like it a little bit. Again I heard that faint squish as a foot was lifted from the mud. It came now, from a little to my right. I knew the other man was searching for me, moving blindly through the water, ready at the instant of contact to slash open my suit. Well, two could play at that game. I was about to turn on my air when I heard a call from Hoff man, "Leslie, RayJ My boat crew just signaled back that the other diver's lines are fouled. They or dered Huertas to pull him up and when he refused they grabbed the life line and tried to haul him themselves. The line is fouled, all right." "Fair enough," I said. "So are mine. That makes us even," "Are you crazy, Ray? Listen, guy! My men' have just signaled asking if they should cut the other diver's air line. How about it? If you say the word " "No!" I answered shortly. "But Lord, man! We haven't another rig. We can't send down a man to help you. If that diver milled out of the mud. The bd came from in front of me cuts- weld not have traveled far. I "No! Let us alone, l . rouse to flipped my knife tightly and allow you to murder the man by u mv arm Dnoninir tnv oir CUttir nis air line, ne situ leu wns KU Uj ...... " f O " " Christmas Greeting Cards WITH NAME IMPRINTED Mor$l 25 for $1 12 for And as high as $34.75 per 100 Prices Include Imprint Also a Shipment of Godeys and French Floral Prints The Aiken Gift Shop Possibly 10 minutes passed. They seemed as many hours to me. From time to time I shut off my air and listened for the other diver. I heard nothing further, no slight. est sound that would betray the Andegoyan's position. "He's decided to play a waiting game," I reflected. "Fair enough! I can wait as long as he can." The minutes dragged slowly by. Once or twice Hoffman tried to persuade me to allow his men to cut the native's air line. Each time I cur jy refused and turned on my air to cut off further conver sation. An hour passed, an hour with every nerve on edge, every muscle tense and straining. Then I noted that a faint light was beginning to penetrate my face place. The slowly moving currents on the floor of the sea were at work. The roiled water was gradually clear ing. Another hour possibly less, and we would be able to see each oiher. I was fully conscious of my dan ger, and thinking about it wasn't pleasant. If, when the water clear ed, I chanced to have my back to the nativewell, it would be just too bad. However, I reflected erim'.y. if the situation happened to be reversed, it would be too bad for the native. Unless the Andegoyan's air line was cut and I knew Hoffman would not cut i: without my or derthere wa no way of avoid irg a fight. Neither of us could e cape to thf surface without la fa u-iou'.v c'imbing up on deck and ; e'ea "ing'." V fouled lines, and u ;.:ui ui us dared make the first move. Thua the situation while the sluggish tide moved about the foundered ship and cMured the mud-ly water V with exasperating, nerve-rackirg slowness. The light that penetrated from above grew The 12-inch ruler Indicates the six of 2 -months-old Virginia Rom Burgess, "toy baby" of New York V Bellevue Hospital The Infant weighed one pound ten ounces at birth and was given only one ehanee Ina thousand of lunrlTing, but now weighe three ponnde two onneea, and ia believed oat ox danger. F. D.Rs Train Halted; Package Put Under Bridge WASHINGTON President Roosevelt's special train rolled into Union Station after a 40-minute delay attributed by Secretary Stephen .Early to the discoverey of a package which turned out to be empty under a trestle on the i v line oi travel. The train was halted about half way between Albany and Pough keepsie, on a return run to Wash ington. Early said the package was only a cheap empty jewel case which a man spotted by a track walker apparently had tried to hide. v Early said the man. who was not caught, was observed well before the train was due at the trestle and that the trackwalker had "done an excellent piece of detective work." Leads U. S. Eagles been I i A trnnKr ' I Though the depth hud not I could see my outstretched arm, gieat, I knew I should take a full weary now and cramped. My hour s decompression alter sucn Btrainimr eves peered this way and dive. tha .trivino- for a fflimDse of the That part of the diver's routjrc native. My heart throbbed under has always -irksd meand I'm not the tension of waiting. Hot blood alone and as I hung suspended poured through my veins and I Het ueiow tne sunace, ana ex felt exhilarated, eager, like a well- j ercised my anus and u gs to drive trained and confident boxer wait-' the nc.rogeii out of my blood, I Hih mssur felt, that never beMre in my nie 1 v .... . . fr.iy i m . , , ' i s Aim vw ver fllf 1. B ' ' i 'tii ftv ttv?i - IF' I Rom.. .i "v B TILT-FRONT CABlHnVg (1 t J I No need to move unMM M JPT. I .1 vases or other Trt 1 1 nii f 3 -1H J decorstions to 11 - ' I "to "ft f each phono- 11 PHILCO I oTt'lfli gt'ph. Simply II AQ8P I II ilWTfWn-: ward, place rec- II I'M wBi &ih rds. p" p li CI llJr JJjJJ 4 back and enjoy II UESS2 them, uniy it Vj3JT1' Pnilco has itj ij Ui AMAZING new Pnilco Photo V Electric Radio-Phonograph re produces records through reflections of a Floating Jewel on a Photo Electric Cell ! No needles to change ! Favorite records last 10 times longer. And for the first time you hei. faithful reproduction of ALL the beauty in the record ! Only the 1941 Philco Photo-EIectric Radio-Phonograph has it! And new, exclusive radio inven tions, too! Gets Europe 5 times easier, stronger, dearer . . . gives clorious new tone on American sta- &. f. ii :ti:. J ONLY l29 35 tions-Come m tot a thriUin dcm Philco Home Retordmg Unit avaL equipment at moderate extra cost gakkett Furniture co. STREET I WAYNESVILLE ing for the gong does queer things to a man. j There is no accounting for 'the vagaries of current at the bottom of the sea. Possibly the tide changed. Possibly the Juarto or the Whipple turned over her en gines to Bhift her position slightly.' Whatever the cause, the sluggis l current that moved through that pocket in the sea was suddenly in creased. ; One minute I could see my out stretched arm only dimly. The next minute, the current was sweeping away the mist of silt like a sudden gust of wind clears away the smoke above an anchored ship. I leaned forward on my toes, knife ready, every sense alert. The light grew brighter. The last of the roily water was swept away. And then, not 10 feet away, 1 made out the form of the othei diver. We ?aw one another at the sanu ins '.ant. Knives outthrust, we. lurched forward. We moved not as two fighters might leap toward each other in a prize ring, but slowly and ponderously, hampere 1 by our inflated suits, our weighted shoes, our heavy belts. The native struck first, -.lunging 'ike a fencer holds a foil. I must have moved instinctively; 1 know I didn't have time to think, to riv -on that I could not parry such a thrust. I dropped to my knees mid caught the blow on my met il breastplate. My own knife swung upward l.v h short arc. I felt and. 'heard tin rin of heavy canvas. Then, with the muddy darkness closing in on me, I droppw! my knife and caught ihe Andfeoyan's right hand wiili both hands. Our helmets were touching now, and I could hear the native curs ing. I knew that, although my knife had not even pricked to tlie open from could never Caii the fUi lace alive. ni prv. t . 11.. Tl.- ..;.r- nous a:r wouia -escajie. . . iiie juv-.-sure-of the fea, no longer equal ized by the pressure within his -uit, would force the upper pari of 'lis body into his breastplate and helmet. Divers-- call it a "snueez'v' It isn't a plea-ant thing to think about. I hung to the native's writ grimly, holding his knife away from my own suit, ' waiting for that terrific pressure of nearly 50 pounds to the square inch to do its work. I had not long to wait. The man's struggles became more and more feeble. At last they ceased altogether. Dropping the lifeless arm, t re laxed against the perpendicular deck while I got my breath. I was completely exhausted, more from nervous strain than from physical exertion. I barely had the strength to reach up and close my air valve and call to the deck. Hoffman was still at the phones. "Ray! Are you all right?" he shouted anxiously." "Yes, I'm all right. Ill be coin ing up as soon as I clear my lines." "Is it all over!" "Yes. It's all over. IH let you know when I want a pull." I turned on my air again. Cau tiously inflating my suit until I was almost light enough to float. I pulled myself up the steep deck by my own life line. Soon above the area of murky water, I saw that both kit lines and those of the na tive diver's had fouled on a cargo winch. I cleared all four lines without much difficulty and asked for a pull to 40 feet. I had been down, Hoffman told me, for more than two hours. had I so longed to see the sun and to breath a good lungful of air untainted by the oil of the compres sor. I had no desire to come down with the bends, however, so I stayed the full hour at 40 feet. When I was finally hauled aboard the Whipple, I was worn out and irascible, Dick Hoffman had the good sense not to ask me questions and, after my uit was stripped off, I went down to the wardroom and had a cup of coffee and a good shot of whiskey. Half an hour later whe I came up on deck, feel ing considerably better, I saw that the Juarto had hauled up her hook and was steaming toward Cainiofa.i "Did they get the body?" I, asked. ; Dick nodded in silence. "Well, that's that." I irrowled "I guess we might as well go on I with the job. Have you a diver you can fend down if we blow open the f-afe?" i "I've got RiU Jensen, gun-erV male firft. He woiked on tne S I job, you known." "Yes. A good m:n. W, ', -'i - pose you close the cu; r.;'i u - ,l b.my her open. I'll !e ' ' . ' tion to Jenson. He shouldn't have much trouble getting into that room. Then I'm aroinor to turn in for an hour or so. I'm fagged out." I went to sleep in the commard ant's cabin. It was just dusk when Huffman came in and woke me. "Well, old socks," Dick grinned, "Jenson brought up two of your precious bars of bullion." I swung to my feet, feeling im measurably better after my sleep. "Good stuff! Where are they! Let's see 'em." uui, on me waruroom tame. Come on." We went to the wardroom. Two canvas sacks lay on the table. hefted one of them. "Boy, they're certainly heavy!" "Ever see gold that wasn't?" Hoffman grinned. I looked at him sharply. "I wonder." ' I fumbled with the drawstring at the top of the bag. It came unfastened and I jerked the sack off the bar. The "gold bullion" was dull gray. "Well, I'll be hanged!" Dick Hoffman cried, "It's lead!" ,1 1... v I .mt- !& t An all-American Eagle Sr,u:.'ront of thirty-four Americans, ra.-.; from crop dusters to society i;.;- boys, is ready to take the air fur England under command of Wil liam E. G. Taylor, 35, a first lieu tenant in the U. S. Marine Cor Reserve. . 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The Waynesville Mountaineer (Waynesville, N.C.)
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Oct. 24, 1940, edition 1
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