OUR SHORT STORY.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 45, 19 January 1912, Page 9

OUR SHORT STORY.

A Bottom Dog.

By ERNEST WHITTAKER

Tlirob! thi-olj! throb! v\ 11 the day and night unceasingly, like tlio heart beats of some mighty giant, the engines of the Great Leviathan vibrated t<l in massive, hulk of, iron.

Throb!, ihrob! throb! The engineers and greasers, drenched in sweat, hurried about amongst tho glistening steel, feeding the thirsty giant at a hundred mouths, .that gaped incessantly. The chief engineer was wrathful. Ho- was exceedingly stout, and crossing , tho equatorial line is trying to tho best of tempers, without provocative addition. After exhausting his vocabulary and vituperative embellishments on all and sundry within roach of his voice, lie disappeared iii the lower depths to give even more violent expression to his feelings. He stood in a narrow coufined area, whore attending the boiler fires were several halfnaked men, down whose bodies rh« sweat threaded canal like courses through the coal dust, that clung to their flesh, one half-naked wretch, writhing in whimpering agony, with his hands pressed upon his ' stomach. "What the hell's to do with .you:*" houted the engineer. "Xo wonder t.he bleeding engines stopped! Get hold of your gory shovel and slip into it., and no gory nonsense I"

"For Christ's sake leave him alone! He's doing liis bit on liis own," s«iid another of the men, as lie opened liis mate's fires, and shovelled in the coal.

"I'jook hero. Bond; I want none of your slack," said tin . Mutineer. Koiid striglitoiiod himself up. Tsill, muscular and strong* like a Greek statue, he-surveyed the engineer.

"1 ain't offering any," ii© said; "Thp man's ill; yon can sop for yourself." . • . -

"Yes, I'll soon see,' , said the other, striding wrathi'ully towards the sick man. "Come on heriy' ho said. "Graft, or get out!" Ho pulled the sick man to his feet, who staggered , ,, and fell over against the boiler plates.

Tho next moment Bond , thrust the engineer roughly aside, and caught hold of his mate. The engineer seized a crow-bar, and a scuff lo ensued, and tempers were lost. Tho result was Hond was put in cells for several days, and the feeling was mutinous amongst tho firemen."lVo> men out" meant six hour shifts. Scth Bond, in liis roll's solitude, thought tilings over. "I'll .stiffen him," he said maliciously, alluding to the chief engineer. He clenched his fist and his muscles lightened.

Throl)! throb! throb! His beating lionrt kept time to tlio beats of tho online. He found a tattered Book upon the floor, and amiiv.-d hiiiisolf spoiling liis way through it. Folded between its he found .1 tract with a picture upon tlio i'lont Tt was a picture of a wean- i.eld ]aliorer passing out at tlio looker. It was scarcely a man. Seth iiond livottod his eyes, upon it, exp-eetinp; the great gaunt spectre would drop up'in all fours, and crawl put to him, like a doy seeking compassion. "The man with the lioe!" Ho road. H<- spelled out tho poem word by word, siiid tried to understand its liionniiiL'. in tin* thing upon tlin front resembled himself. How often, witii an ache in his bark, ho had assumed tho very poso, the veriest or' dumb <]ngs. Ho was released that clay, and took up his dirties at tinboiler tin-s, and the chief Milium , >lmvitt>(l hi abu.sfl at a safe distance, [v tlio i'o'c'.slo tSot.li Bond led his mates thoughts into unexplored regions, so far as they were concerned. He tired their onthusiasni. There avito wider areas for men to live and work in than t'ocVlos and stoke lxilos. "(let out of it," lio said. At the next port- <:f call they "got out," and immediately there was a hue and cry after them. Two were caphirod and looked up til! the ship ssiilovl. In one of tho hotels of tbe town the chief eiiy ; n<H>r f-oaker| in whisky and pot quarrebo-me. 'He thrust himself into an argument eunccrnini>; rolipjion, such as gentlemen of leisure indulge in at the be?t bar. "Gontleraeii, excuse mc," ho said, "but you're liars. There you are. that's mc!" Words immediately ran and violent hands were laid upon the, engineer, and he was ejected, into the street. Ho offered to return, striking out at anyone within his reach who ventured to oppose him. The assistance of a policeman having been called, tho engineer was just yoiny; to bo removed in his charge, when Seth Bond intervened. "It's all riftlit, mate," lie said to the policeman. "I'll sco him back to his boat." The chief engineer langliod , I^rsbly, "It's 3WI, is it?" he sawl. "Yes, it's mcl" said Seth Bond, "Come on." The engineer looked up in the face of his companion. There was soim , -

the million downtrodden in our time, and who could at the same time, point through the glimmering gloom to that better day when poverty will no longer pinch the face of childhood; when care and anxiety will no longer weigh upon the mother's heart nor mind, and when manhood will move foiili into the <lny of social good things.

tiling in its nut expression thai- betokened a stnigglo goiiif; on be-hind it. "Coining back to the boat'/ 'then:? , asked the. as they walkdt along the vvJiaif. |

"No," said Se-th Bond, ''It ain't sate for us to travel to^ot-lior."

Tho engineer threw himself u'non ■Si'tli Bond, and shouted for h<Jp. '.'

"l/pavo go," Baiil Bond, to Irco himself. "Will you !<>av« go?"

">><)t likely! Wo ain't , to'sajl short-liaii'dcd it' I ran lielp if." lieth Bond's blood ran riot. Bis resolutions formed in his brooding soJiitudo on tlie boa.t ro-asscitcd tnwii-sol-res, and ho sought to oxreute thfm. Ho siizod tbo wiyinccr's throat in th« grasp of liis hand, and raided blows upon his i'ac«> with. Il|o othw. Tho lapping ot the wator against .'tW wliari pihia u;av<> S't'th Bond anotliVr Idra. Gradually, ineli by inch,, lie was U'SSMving tho distanco to tlie.edgci of tho wharf, and iug, % hj« for a last effort, ho took a fresh liold oi tho 'Pho ejisainrrr and struck out. bliudlv, and tihoy.fell to tlio <;r,oiui«i. It \rs\H a moro animal rontcst.. and, growling in thoir fury, thi-y contiimoO tho stiiiffglo. T'lio Piiniiioor's.' hc.i<? and slionldiors worp ovr tlio wharf and in p-hriokinjr ho cliinp; to th* , clot bos of his antagonist. Scth Bond bout liis head and. bit the hands that liold him.

A dozen hands ivere laid upon ■him, and ho was hauled off. and tho OUjiiwer wa« assisted to liis feet.

All unnoticed a group of men hail collected, and oJily interfered when the rules of the light wore violated. 'iVc policemen had aliso come upon tho soene, and what happened after, Seth Bond's braiii was never sufficient!) clear to remember. ■It Teasel!' '» dveam, in which nothing became , dear Then* were uoisos and dark blue tiiooiti in halos of green, ivd and About his i'aee and hands was a'feeling of cobwebs and rain, and ho strov? vainly to wipe them off. Ho kviiw heavily foi"ward on his implement ant gazed around him. It was a swim of desolation. ltaugh boulders- ant broken rock lay stawvji nbnut ih< length and breadth of tho landscape Here and there at regular distallces a man in oonvk't garb toiled with beni liack upon the uncharitable Upon several mounds men in seinUmilitary. lnnifomiiS, with rifles and fixec bayouota, passed weary hours, watchuif the. convicts at their toil. A. yjiniimel of intelligence Hashed through Seth Bond's brain. Ho planood ;it the h;;>in his hands, and with a cry- of terror thrust it from him. IV gkiin.O round wildly, and catclmig a. gl'n:j;\i: of the sea, coinmeJteod to run rowanls it.

The report of a. rifle out his h«<d only hastened liis fo()ti-i<])b. A. six-oii-J report brought a im»)u:i/f hit -stiu.c v lib it, lvii lio laughed fin ioubl; , . and ksv , ' , on liis way. A third report raiijj;-.oiit-just ns hfl reached the crest of a Jiili, wliieli would have afforded him shehfr. ]-!o stopped suddonlv. and iiiint'd, i-'x-liis arms to tln-ir widest stn-I.;< and tell lace forward.