uster. There we
lowered a small ca'tridge down the main hatchway, an' let it rest down
among the cargo. Then we rowed back to the steamer, uncoilin' the wire
as we went. The bat'ry man clumb up on deck, an' fixed his wire to a
'lectric machine, which he'd got all ready afore we started. Andy an'
me didn't git out of the boat. We had too much sense fur that, with
all them hungry fellers waitin' to jump in her. But we just pushed a
little off, an' sot waitin', with our mouths awaterin', fur him to
touch her off. He seemed to be a long time about it, but at last he
did it, an' that instant there was a bang on board the Mary Auguster
that made my heart jump. Andy an' me pulled fur her like mad, the
others a-hollerin' arter us, an' we was on deck in no time. The deck
was all covered with the water that had been throwed up. But I tell
you, sir, that we poked an' fished about, an' Andy stripped an' went
down an' swum all round, an' we couldn't find one floatin' box of
canned goods. There was a lot of splinters, but where they come from
we didn't know. By this time my dander was up, an' I just pitched
around savage. That little ca'tridge wasn't no good, an' I didn't
intend to stand any more foolin'. We just rowed back to the other
wreck, an' I called to the ba'try man to come down, an' bring some
bigger ca'tridges with him, fur if we was goin' to do anything we might
as well do it right. So he got down with a package of bigger ones, an'
jumped into the boat. The cap'n he called out to us to be keerful, an'
Tom Simmons leaned over the rail an' swored; but I didn't pay no
'tention to nuther of 'em, an' we pulled away.

"When I got aboard the Mary Auguster, I says to the bat'ry man: `We
don't want no nonsense this time, an' I want you to put in enough
ca'tridges to heave up somethin' that'll do fur a Christmas dinner. I
don't know how the cargo is stored, but you kin put one big ca'tridge
'midship, another for'ard, an' another aft, an' one or nuther of 'em
oughter fetch up somethin'.' Well, we got the three ca'tridges into
place. They was a good deal bigger than the one we fust used, an' we
j'ined 'em all to one wire, an' then we rowed back, carryin' the long
wire with us. When we reached the steamer, me an' Andy was a-goin' to
stay in the boat as we did afore, but the cap'n sung out that he
wouldn't allow the bat'ry to be touched off till we come aboard.
`Ther's got to be fair play,' says he. `It's your vitt