 Getting impatient for baseball season to start have a touch of spring fever Want to get away from it all? We offer you escape You are in mid-ocean aboard a drinkship Already nine men have died and you know that some malignant forces aimed at you From which you cannot escape Escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure tonight We escaped on the North Atlantic in the year 1900 and to a sailing ship whose very name struck dread in sailors hearts as Joseph Conrad told it in his famous story The brute just by looking at her proud and strong and beautiful on the outside You couldn't see the black heart inside of her and you'd never know she'd killed at least a dozen men and maybe more But I knew her knew her for the murder in she devil. She was I Saw the day she killed her first one and I was there too when she finally made a big mistake and killed the wrong person But that was a long time later Oh, she had a name all right, but after that first day her first killing Nobody with the family ever used it again Everyone else from that day on would look at her half afraid half snarling And they called her the brute Remember I was 14 the day my father took me down to the South Thames bow yard to watch the launching of the ship My brother Charlie was there of course eight years older than me and very proud of his one gold stripe Now that he'd be made an officer in the apps line Charlie and father were talking. I just stood and listened to them and didn't say much of anything myself look at her dad Ever see a ship in your life with lines like that. I bet you'll out sail any clip on the China trade Well, that remains to be seen Charlie How soon are they going to launch her any minute now? I'd give it a lot to be sitting on her instead of on the Malcolm apps Well, the Malcolm's a good ship son as good a ship as any of the apps family owns. I'm not kicking I'm glad enough to be through apprenticeship and get my commission But even at that I'd almost rather be a boson on this ship than paired made on the Malcolm I understand the cool chest is to be her captain. Yes, that's right oldest commander with the absent son's line Look at the size of her dad. She's a full 2,000 tons less half a ton Charlie. Oh, good morning. Mr. German Hey, Mr. Wilmeth. Hello, Ned. How do you do sir? No Charlie. She came to one thousand nine hundred ninety nine and a half when we measured her up Well, 2,000 tons or not, mr. German. You'll never build a better ship than this one. I don't know Charlie I built with the way mr. Ops once there. She's big and she's stout, but I don't know and what's your reason for saying that sir? No reason that makes any sense about the devil's own time with her Kevin Dawes jamming when they shouldn't edge covers that wouldn't fit after they'd been measured up Blocks fouling for no reason at all Yeah, I don't know mr. Wilmeth But if she were a human being I'd say that maybe she's insane. Oh come on. You've been working too hard, mr. German Better take a vacation now that she's finished. Well, I could certainly you I say That's Maggie Colchast up there the captain's knees. Is she going to do the christening? That's right, Charlie And I'd better get down below now My own men are going to knock the stays loose and let her slide down into the water. Well, good luck, mr. German Thanks, mr. Wilmeth Come on board for the celebration after she's lodged bring the boy fine. Thank you. We should be there They'll let it go any minute now Dad I'm going to sail on that ship someday. Oh, you'll probably sail on a lot of apps line ships before you're through Charlie Look Look, they're giving Maggie the champagne now and she's going to christening. Yes, listen I christened the apps family The apps family so that's what they're naming her, ain't it? All right, me knock out the stays that are built Yes, well look at that speed. I never saw it. German look out I haven't got the ways in shape. She went over him He didn't fall a timber rolled off the deck and knocked him under she said right over him Mr. German the man who built her she's lost in blood if that means anything She's a brute to the murders now, Charlie Still think you'd like to sail on that was an accident. It doesn't mean anything. Perhaps not. I'll sail on her someday sooner or later I will sail on her Things worked out. I was the one to sail on her first instead of Charlie He'd gone on out to the orient aboard the Malcolm and six months later when I started my apprenticeship I found the camp company had assigned me to report to captain colchester on the apps family Or the brute as everybody was calling it privately With some kind of mix up in the sailing orders and by the time I came on board A tug already had a line on the big sailing ship and was starting to ease her stern first out into the channel All right now Captain colchester was at the taperell shouting orders to the tug captain and the mates were forward somewhere handling the check line You've got the slack now all the way I stood at the waist waiting for a chance to report in and watching a young fellow about my own age He was doing something a rather upper loft on the mismast above me The tug had drawn the line out taut but the ship hadn't started to move yet. You've got no way on here Hurry engine up to first speed The tug was churning the water to froth and the hoser was tight as a bowstring, but we still didn't move Then suddenly the ship gave a lurch and started back like a bucking horse The men forage had no chance to ease the check check cable and a second ledward snapped The ship plunged on back and then sheared off Against the pier head that knocked me sprawling on the deck and at that moment The lad who'd been working a loft on the mouse crashed down onto the deck not 10 feet away from me And he lay there without moving give a hand up here on my waist plate young hawk has just fell out of the tops Hey That's too bad. Is he is he dead captain colchester? He's dead boy You get a hold of yourself. Don't stand there trembling. You never seen anybody die before Yes, sir. All the day they launched this ship. Oh germane, eh You're a young lad wilma to suppose the new apprentice. Yes, sir No doubt you may have heard this ship called by an unpleasant name once in a while Yes, the brute Well, you'll be kind enough to remember why you're all bored that her name is the apse family and she's had her share of Accidents the same as any other ship. Is that quite clear? Yes, sir You get along forward with you and stow your gear away on the folksal You'll take over young hawkins duties for the time being Yes, sir I sailed aboard the brute for the next four years and watched her kill nine men during the time We got so we tried to out guess her tried to figure how she'd do it the next time But no matter what we think we never were right And it wasn't only the killing it was everything Most ships of little ways all their own and you'll learn about them and allow for them Ah, but not her She was like a crazy woman. You never knew what she'd do next I remember once off the gold coast. She ran before a gale for two days as pretty as you please And then brooched two twice the same afternoon Flung the helmsman clean over the wheel the first time and the second time swamp herself Fore and often split out every stitch of canvas And after we got the decks cleaned up We found one seamen had gone overboard He was her fifth, I guess it was Or maybe the sixth Oh, she was beautiful. The app's family was big and proud and beautiful And along with it a killer Black-hearted seagoing brute My brother charlie was on the china run all that time first on the malcom and later on the lucy apps We never happened to hit port on the same time Finally the time of my apprenticeship was up We boomed into london at the end of the trip I went before the board of my papers I guess they figured anybody who could stay alive for four years on the brute must be a seaman Anyway, I passed and mr. Apps handed me my sailing orders along with the commission I was assigned as third mate to captain colchester on the apps family Congratulations Ned glad you're going to stay with us. Thanks captain cochester You've been a hard-working apprentice and I've no doubt what you'll be a good officer In fact, we have a man on board who'll make sure of that. Why what do you mean captain? Got a new first mate on this trip Come in charlie charlie. Well, hello there youngster I say you've been doing a bit of growing in the last five years charlie I didn't even know you were in port been in for a week down country though I hear you fooled the board careful man. You're talking about your own third mate So they tell me and you'll be jumping lively on this trip me boy easy easy Don't forget. I know this ship and you don't and I'll learn it quick enough Been wanting the chance for a long time And between us. I think we can even break this jinx. That shall be no talk of a jinx on this trip At least not in the cabin as long as Maggie's going along Maggie who's Maggie ask your brother I think he's the one who talked her into the trip Although she claims it's for her health I'll leave you two to get acquainted. We'll be about 10 days loading if you've got any plans What's he talking about charlie? Who's Maggie? His niece Maggie Colchester You remember her the girl of christen the ship. Oh, of course Olly well, he's not dad told you where I've been spending shore leaves for the last year and a half No charlie. I didn't know anything about it. Well, let me show you something. Yeah Now if I have my way Maggie'd be wearing this before the trip's over. Yeah, take a look Blimey, that's all right. Yes. I bought it in Cape Town The blue white diamond set in platinum. Is it big enough to go in a finger? Oh, it's big enough. All right That's where it's going if I can talk her into it And who's going to talk who into hot charlie? Maggie I was um saying that um Um, I hoped I could talk you into going ashore for dinner with me. Oh, where you now You big liar. Oh, Maggie. This is my brother Ned Ned. This is Maggie I do and are you one of the officers too? I'm the new third mate Well, I certainly hope you're more truthful than your brother. Maggie whose invitation to dinner I am accepting with pleasure. Oh, really? See you both later. All right, charlie But now charlie She's lovely. She's more than that Ned she's Everything as far as I'm concerned. Well in that case. Good luck. I hope you get her. We'll see about that Anyway with Maggie aboard we've got to make sure this jinx ship stays on good behavior for once It'll be the first time if she does and it's the first time we've had both the Wilmets on board together We'll tame her down Ned We'll make her calm and peaceful as an old workhorse Just you wait and see if we don't And The strange part of it was he was right We stood out past graves end and made the passage to the china coast In 121 days of a finest weather you could ever hope to meet And for the first time in a bloody life the old ship settled down and sailed herself as meat is your pleas Charlie and I had talked about it sometimes when Maggie wasn't around He'd always laugh and say the brute knew when she'd met her match that she didn't dare try to buck the two of us But I I was more ready to give the credit to Maggie To think maybe she'd charm the old murderous the way she charmed all the rest of us From the second day out Maggie was the secret darling of every man on board She was all over the ship here there and everywhere with red tam and a bright blue eyes Never still a minute and having the time of her life If she'd come along for her health she'd found it before we passed graves end We raised the storm on the passage back and ran four days in a heavy gale I stood by and held my breath ready for anything and nothing happened The old lady apps family held up her head and sailed along like a seagull Any time before she'd have buried a gunner in the quartering seas But now all the water she shipped you could put in a teacup A hundred and nine days from Hong Kong we raised the dungness light And early the next morning picked up a tug of sheerness for the long tow up river to London The ship followed along on the tow line like a puppy on a leash and we moved slowly up the river past graves end All of us were glad to be home But Maggie most of all I think because she'd never been at sea so long before I had to smile at the way she danced around in the bows picking out one landmark after another as we came to them Sometimes standing up on the spare anchor we'd taken in on the foredeck in order to get a better look at the river banks ahead She wasn't wearing the ring yet, but I knew she was going to and was only teasing charlie as long as possible What's wrong Ned? That tug stopped her engines collision up ahead in the channel charlie looks like a yaw and a schooner foiled together Oh, yes Well, it looks like they're clearing it up now Guess we can move again a couple of minutes Maggie Why don't you go on the afterdeck? You're on the way up for there Better save your orders for the crew charlie. She outranks you. Oh, I'll take orders from her any day Yes We are almost home ned We've had a lucky voyage. There's the first halfway peaceful trip. I've ever made in the old brute. Oh, I told you we'd dim her down She's turned over a new leaf Ned. Well, it won't last long if she keeps on shearing off there and drifting back down the channel Hmm Yes We're heading straight for those fishing smacks better have the tug start up and hold a taut line on her I've seen her do this before. Yes. Ahoy the tug Take up the slack and get her straight in the channel Hold it against the current Any other ship would have held steady for the two or three minutes. We stopped but not the old rap's family And now when the tug tightened up in the halzer pulling at an angle across her bows She wouldn't respond wouldn't budge The old girl wanted her own way. She was just as stubborn as ever. Ahoy the tug We're still drifting open up to full speed Can't find her Never saw a ship back like this the heavy halzer was pulled so tight It was humming and tug's paddles with her engines full whipped up the water like a middle race And then it happened the heavy towing chalk tore loose from the deck The halzer began sliding across the bow ripping out rail's tunches like matchsticks Then my fault was going to sweep under the crux of the spare anchor the anchor that maggie was standing on She tried to jump clear but she was too late The great anchor had tipped up on its side clasped her about the waist like a monstrous arm of steel It had carried her with it and swung down and over and smashed against the side of the ship She went into the water take charge of the deck net i'm going in after The net was that maggie. Yes, sir. She's she's overboard captain culture, sir Maggie Oh the dirty murder and brute now it's women. She's killing Let go the port anchor I hadn't told charlie and I didn't say anything about it to captain culture But I stood there and I knew it wasn't any use Because I'd seen the way the heavy anchor had carried her over And then swung in to smash her against the bow before it dropped her into the water And I'd seen the way that water beneath the bow was all colored red Under at late afternoon when the tide turned and she floated clear of one of the mooring boys And the next morning we tied up in the london docks The man had been happy at coming into their home port But now they remembered how she'd been happy to Their own darling I'd never before seen a crew leave a ship so quietly And some of them when they reached the wharf Turn back and cursed her under that breath Finally it was only charlie and I alone on the quarter deck and captain cultures. It was below somewhere in the cabin She never wore it made The ring She never wore it, but she she would have charlie. I know she meant to She was just having a little fun with you. That's all with all of us on board. Why did the brute have to go for maggie? Why? I guess there's Not much answer for that She's everything I've wanted Everything. Yes charlie. I know I talked her into making the voyage It was my idea. It's no good charlie this kind of thinking. I guess you know that I don't know She's everything I've wanted charlie Over here captain I'm going ashore The ship keepers come aboard now. The two of you are free to go whenever you like. Thanks, sir charlie, I Nothing I'm designing command of the morning. I'll never sit foot on board her again as long as I live I feel the same way, sir Well, come into the company office in a day or two and sign out for the log Good day, gentlemen charlie we Better go ashore too. We're done here Yes, I I suppose we are I'll arrange to have our gear picked up later There's no use of uh, uh captain look out Missed him But but yard arm off the main mast fell right behind him. Ah, you missed me your murdering brute And that was your last chance Ned that yard was made faster dunganus An art falls out of the tops with the ship lying still at the wharf. Yes charlie come on. Let's go ashore wasn't the devil satisfied for one trip So now we have stopping her. How many more does she want to kill charlie? That'd make me Charlie was 10 years older by the time we reached home And it was two weeks before he'd do anything more than sit in his room and stare at the wall Saying nothing Captain court has to carried out his threat and resigned from the company the morning after we docked And I filed my application for a transfer The abs family was reloaded and ready to sail But she stayed on lying at the wharf with nobody to take her out And that's the way things stood for two weeks until one morning a bombshell dropped Hello Ned charlie I wondered where you went this morning and I Left the house early day. How do you feel fine? Ned Mr. Apps tells me you've applied for a transfer Mother ship. Well Yeah, yes, I did as a matter of fact. You saw all man apps. Yes, I stopped into the office this morning Ned it's up to you of course, but I hope you'll change your mind not a chance the ship sails tomorrow morning Oh So they finally found somebody crazy enough to take her out. Yes, they did Me you You're going to skip of the brute. That's right land. But I I thought it's a short voyage north atlantic run You're awfully glad to have you along somebody I could depend on if You'll feel like signing on again charlie. Of course. It's up to you All right charlie I'll sign on again. We glad to We boomed out past the sheerness light and headed north hugging a lee shore in a stiff breeze The ship drove ahead as steady as a barge. It's scarcely a roller or quiver But in spite of the smooth and easy way she handled I couldn't help feeling uneasy I could sense the black spirit of her Brooding somewhere down inside Mocking and taunting us with her bloody memories And waiting for a new chance By nightfall, we were running hard in along the ketting coast where those rocky headlands break at intervals out of the shelving sandy beaches The onshore wind held steady in our quarter and the sun sank down behind the land some three miles away It wasn't quite full dark yet when charlie sent for me. I came up to where he was standing alone near the wheel That you need right charlie. Those and said you wanted to see me. Yes I did send for you Ned Well to steady as she goes close to the wind I've been standing here thinking about maggie ned I should scramble around over the decks making friends with everybody Having the time of her life charlie. You've got to stop it. No, I'm all right I like to think about her. It's this ship and all the memories around it. It's what I was afraid of. No, no, it's all right Ned I want you to take charge of the crew and give an order Of course, you'll question the order, but you'll carry it out anyway. Do you understand? What's What's the order charlie? Have all hands prepared to abandon ship. What? But why there's nothing wrong mr. Wilmot It is not an officer's place to question an order by the captain He'll do as you're told Yes, sir. You can give the order now mr. Wilmot charlie. I can't let you Very well captain All hands on deck stand by the boats Prepare to abandon ship All right, young swim find your place in the boats. I'll take over the wheel. Hi, sir You don't know what you're doing charlie. We're in no danger. There's no reason to abandon ship You're always in danger about this black-hearted brute I've put on the quarter now you can get the boats in the water when she yields. Very on steady Easy on all right now I don't have any trouble running ashore to that beach there at the south Hey, what about you? I'll hold her steady until everybody's clear You better go over the side your boat standing there. Oh, no, not until you do. I'm staying with you charlie. Don't be a fool, Ned I'm doing this alone. No charlie. Not while I'm here mr. Wilmot You will abandon ship and take charge of the boats in the water and that's an order charlie. I can't Mr. Wilmot very well captain That's a spirit lad And who be orders and step lively And you'll be a seaman yet Good luck. Night. Thanks charlie Stand by for you in the boat. Of course lad Fine Bye I slipped over the gunnel and dropped down into the boat the trail the long side on a line from the rail I'd hardly hit the bottom of the line slacken. I knew charlie had cut us loose from the ship He was alone on a now alone in the night sea with a black brute He's laid it over away from the wind charlie put the helm over hard With a terrible shudder of her dark sails and a smother of white foam from her bows The great ship healed about in a sharp turn and then began to drive ahead like some mad thing before the wind Straight before the wind and straight toward the shore look sir the rocks on the headland She's going to smash herself faster and faster. She plunged her head through the weltering seas faster and faster on the back of the Gale while the black hearted spirit of her screamed in the rat line Look sir the rocks no and now for one long instant She hung poised at the top of a plunge and then drove smashing downward on to the We stood by As close as we dared by the killer ship pounded herself to bits in the surging sea But we didn't find my brother charlie And from the first minute I knew we wouldn't because just before I'd left the ship there by the helm In the light of the binnacle lamp I'd seen the thing he was holding Clenched tight in his hard brown fist. It was a tiny platinum ring Set with a blue white diamond Escape is produced and directed by norman mcdonnell and tonight brought to you the brute by joseph conrad adapted for radio by less crutchfield Featuring dano hurley he as net wilmett and eric rolf as charlie wilmett With nina cardin as maggie jeff corrie as captain colchester Wilms herbert as german and parley bares the father Music is conceived and conducted by wilbur hatch Next week you are far into the remote hill country of afghan Caught in an ambush by the fierce paethan tribes Trapped in a hopeless fight From which there seems No escape Next week we escape with rudyard kippling's gripping story the drums of the fore and aft Good night then until the same time next week when once again we offer you escape This is cbs the columbia broadcasting system