"You might as well ask if I was lost," Mr. Powell rejoined so testily as
to surprise me. "You see me here,--don't you."
He was quite huffy, but noticing my wondering stare he smoothed his
ruffled plumes. And in a musing tone.
"Yes. Good men go out as if there was no use for them in the world. It
seems as if there were things that, as the Turks say, are written. Or
else fate has a try and sometimes misses its mark. You remember that
close shave we had of being run down at night, I told you of, my first
voyage with them. This go it was just at dawn. A flat calm and a fog
thick enough to slice with a knife. Only there were no explosives on
board. I was on deck and I remember the cursed, murderous thing looming
up alongside and Captain Anthony (we were both on deck) calling out,
"Good God! What's this! Shout for all hands, Powell, to save
themselves. There's no dynamite on board now. I am going to get the
wife! . . " I yelled, all the watch on deck yelled. Crash!"
Mr. Powell gasped at the recollection. "It was a Belgian Green Star
liner, the Westland," he went on, "commanded by one of those stop-for-
nothing skippers. Flaherty was his name and I hope he will die without
absolution. She cut half through the old Ferndale and after the blow
there was a silence like death. Next I heard the captain back on deck
shouting, "Set your engines slow ahead," and a howl of "Yes, yes,"
answering him from her forecastle; and then a whole crowd of people up
there began making a row in the fog. They were throwing ropes down to us
in dozens, I must say. I and the captain fastened one of them under Mrs.
Anthony's arms: I remember she had a sort of dim smile on her face."
"Haul up carefully," I shouted to the people on the steamer's deck.
"You've got a woman on that line."
The captain saw her landed up there safe. And then we made a rush round
our decks to see no one was left behind. As we got back the captain
says: "Here she's gone at last, Powell; the dear old thing! Run down at
sea."
"Indeed she is gone," I said. "But it might have been worse. Shin up
this rope, sir, for God's sake. I will steady it for you."