 Tired of the everyday grind? Have a dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you escape. Escape, designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure. You are standing on the bridge of a tramp steamer, a ship captain sailing through the vast emptiness of the ocean. While on the deck below you, the crew, the desperate gang of cutthroats and murderers, are waiting for a signal that will give them your ship and bring you your death. Listen now as escape brings you Anthony Ellis's exciting story, The Tramp. What a stinker. You can smell a rotten carcassamere. What a stinker. He'll sail like a ruddy A-stack, you know that alt. Dries with what we've been looking for, Gowdy. Eight knots with the wind behind her. If she don't blow up, I don't like it. There were six thousand tons of the ugliest tramp I'd ever seen. The paint was scaling off her plates and you could see the patches of rust. In the fog and mystery loomed over, it's dark in the night. We stood on the Liverpool dock, Gowdy, Winkle-Jones and me, and we sized her up. Yes, that's what we've been looking for all right. Where's she bound? Where'd you find her? At the pub a bit ago. She's short-handed on crew, too. What's her cargo? What we've been waiting for. Scrap. Skipper's name is Blee. He should be easy. He drinks too much all the time, you know the con. He was in the pub, too. I still say she's too bloody slow. Scrap mine and her old and old. No Winkle-Winkle, you're a worrier. That's what you want. Why don't you leave the thinking to Art and me? I think... Do you think she'll do Art? She'll have to do. We might not find another for months and then we'll lose the deal. That's all? That's all, that's all. I'm with you. Well, I'm with you, too, but I don't like the luxury in that straight, ruddy black hippopotamus. It'd be safer doing the black than this, I hope it's choker. You're getting milky, Winky Jones? No, I ain't milky, you's milky. But you go calling me milky, but Gary Ross took your shivvy out. Eh? God, you licky maggot. Mangan, is it? Come, I'll be both of you. All right, all right. What's the layout? Well, I'm going back to the pub. You boys wait at the hotel. I'll get things lined up with a skipper. Think you'll take us home? I told you he's short-handed. He'll take us on. You get your stuff packed. I'll see you later. Right, chump. I walked up the road to a wallopper called a jug. Inside were his seamen, mostly, and the rest. Lot of dirty muck from narx to dodo's. I spotted the captain, Blee, sitting in a corner, dipping his yellow moustache in a mug. And after I got in the own pint, I walked over to him. He was well canned, I could see that. Captain Blee, aren't you skipper of the lace wing over at the docks? I'm Blee. Fine if I sit down. Don't mind. Who are you? I'm the genies, captain. I want to talk to you about shipping on. On the lace wing? What for? I need a birth. I heard you were short-handed. It's a dirty lie. Full compliment. Oh, I must have made a mistake. What's your game? Me? I don't follow you. You're trying to hop the twig? Oh, no, I'm clean with the police captain if that's what you mean. No, they're not after me. Why do you want to sign up on a blistered, bledren's cow like the lace wing? That's like I said, I need a birth. I got me papers, second office in my last ship. Let's see. Not the genies. Here, take them. Well? Well, am I hired? How old are you? Thirty-four. How old I am? I'm sixty. I'm sixty, and I'm all around a bill stinking slush of rubbish like the lace wing. Now, what that means? I might have had a cunada, but I ain't. I'm a failure, and I'm drunk. You sign up somewhere else, you infiller. Well, job's a job. No, I'm telling you. I need a man like you. I need a first officer, a second man, a third. I need a chief-in-ship bloody near, and I'm going to settle for scrapings. That's what I always get, scrapings. Come on, clear out. I still want a side-on. I hear you're bound for Baranquilla. No bonus. No bonus on my ship. Owner doesn't believe in it. Dirty dog. Oh, that's all right. You'll have laskes and mugs under you. I'm used to it. I've been around on the sea. One man's the same as another. Yeah, you're a fool. But I need a mate. Yeah. You want to hire them in? We're short, 18, and the page's not worth a bunion. I'll get them. We're sailing at six in the morning. All right. Ah, you're a fool. Don't turn up. I gotta have another point. Right, you ask, but you stay in and enjoy yourself. I'll take care of things top-side. What's your name? Jennings, Arthur Jennings. Jennings. All right. Jennings, you tell that steward of mine who you are. He's aboard at least. He's named Seddon, sneaking a little pig. I don't trust him. Yes, sir. All right, Jennings. Yes, sir. Tell me something else. I don't trust you neither, see? You're too smooth, but you're not scuffering me, see? Don't forget. It was as easy as pie. Of course, it had taken a time to find the right ship and the right skipper. Yeah, it's better than four months. We had to be sure. The most tramps these days belong to a big company, the part of a fleet. We couldn't use anything like that. It had to be what it was, the lace wing, Panama Registry, a general trader that nobody else would touch with a skipper to go with her. A ship that wouldn't be missed for a while. We found her. I picked up Jones and Gowdy and we went back to the ship. The steward, Seddon, was the only man aboard. He was a nervous little rat who looked all the time like he'd been caught doing something nasty. This will be your cabin, Mr. Jennings. What do you take me for? You call this a cabin? It's not fit for a pig. Get it cleaned out. Oh, yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Now, look here, Seddon. Mr. Gowdy is the new Second Officer and Mr. Jones is Chief Engineer. That's Captain Blee's order. See? Yes, sir. I'll see their quarters. His puts are right immediately, sir. You'd ready well better. OK, that's all. Shall I clean up in here first, sir? No, up it. Yes, sir. With? I must say. Nice work, oh, nice work. Oh. It's a starter. All very nice for you, blokes, but me. I've got to go down in the bowels of this bucket of boggy. Chief Engineer. You think I want to blow myself up? I know what their vengeance is like without even looking. You've got Engineer paper and we need you down there. If you don't like it, you know what you can do. Take no notice of Winkle. He's hungry. Know them. What next? Well, as soon as the old man comes aboard, we'll see that he's all tucked in bed nice and comfy and he doesn't wake up until we're out of here. What about the rest of the crew? Well, what there is we can manage. The ones I'm supposed to, I wouldn't sign up, see? That'll be the story. Don't forget it. Right. You better get on the job now. I'll go ashore and send a cable that we found it. We're shoving off at six. The skipper was carried aboard by a couple of crewmen at three o'clock that morning. He was no trouble without to the world. By five, the rest of the men had straggled up the gangway and at six, we eased away from the dock. Then after a bit, the lacewing was burying a dirty nose in the cross chop of the Irish Sea. We were three days out of Liverpool. I got off the regular ship lanes as soon as I could and there was no questions asked. But Captain Bleed didn't budge from his cabin. I hadn't even seen him since putting out and I made sure that the steward kept him well supplied with whiskey. Gowdy, Johnson, me, were having grab in my cabin on that third night and the ship was pitching and leaving like a donkey with the itch. Oh, what a ship. Smooth as glass out there and look at it. Oh, she'll never make it. The engines won't stand it neither. We're pushing her too hard. Never mind that. What about the crew? Push over, usual bunch. Any troublemakers? In this lot, don't make me laugh. Lot of mugs. Well, you ought to be able to make it then. The important thing is to keep the radio man quiet. That'll be your job, Bert. Right. What about them men? I tell you, I've got to slow down. They won't hang together. Mr. Minks! Evening, Captain. Who are these bleeders here? Oh, you were a bit under the weather, Captain. I took them on in Liverpool as you requested. Your second officer, Mr. Gowdy, and Chief Engineer, Mr. Jones. What do you think you're doing with my ship, Mr? Any complaints, sir? I knew I didn't trust you, you blister-bladderin'. Good things said and told me with ten degrees off course. Know that? That's right, Captain. Not anymore. It's not I've set her back. You'd have a sail into the Indies. That's right, sir. That's where we're going. Not on my ship. That ain't clear as my port. You want to blow us up? She's running too fast. Close the door, will you, Bert? Right, Jow. You're relieved, you are, Mr. The ruddy-luddy of fire. Did you hear that? I've put it to you, Captain. Either way you lie. You go along with us and you won't get hurt. You make any trouble, and we'll throw you overboard. You're what? Me? I have you and I and you to me. I've gone parts shall hang for this. Oh, sorry, Captain. You want to take seconds now? You come in with us and we'll give you a share or overboard. Now. No arguments this minute. Now. I'll give you a share of my fucking... Knock him out! He aggravated no bleeding. Have a look outside. See, it's clear, don't we? Better this way, or... I was afraid he might come in with it and didn't give me up. I didn't think he would. All right. Come on, Bert, give me a hand. Oh, my God. All the old tough guys. Get over to the Royal John C. Okay. I swear, Captain, dear. Well, that's that. In the morning we'll break the sad news to the crew. Now, let's get this out back off course. We will return to escape in just a moment. But first, tomorrow night Frank Lovejoy stars in suspense's production of The Storm at the same CBS radio stations. It's a strange story about a man on a dance team who sets out to prove himself greater than a hurricane. And needless to say, it's a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. Don't miss it tomorrow night at the stars address presented by CBS radio. Suspense starring Frank Lovejoy. Now, back to escape. The next morning I called the crew together in the upper deck. I had a slip of paper ready in my hand and when they quieted down, I gave them the speech. Men, I've got a sad duty to perform. Last night, Captain Bleed did away with himself. Yes, he jumped overboard. He committed suicide. He left a note for me, which I'll turn over to the proper parties when we reach Paul. Also, it is instructions that we proceed to Dominica instead of Baranque. Now, I'm carrying out that order. And until we get the port, I shall be acting captain. That's all. Get back to your work. Oh, what an actor you'd have made. Art, lovely, absolutely lovely. Did they swallow it? I think so. I'm not too sure about a couple of them, though. That's Stuart Seddon and the bloke with the mouth full of teeth, the donkey man. The donkey? Austin, him looking this way. Yes. We'll all keep an eye on him both. You better get a message off to our boy in Dominica. I think the radio men will get nosy. There's no reason he should. And don't you give him any call to bevert. Don't worry. It looked good. It was all going our way. The ship and her cargo of scrap was going to be worth $15,000 to us when we took her into port. That's the way we fixed it six months before. A couple of blokes I met in Liverpool. We were to find them a ship. I, Jacka, and sail her into Dominica with her cargo. Scrap if possible. Then they were going to sail it out again to China. And Gaudi, Jones and me, well, we flow down to Argentina with our $15,000 and have some fun. That's the way it was. It looked like it was going to be stone ginger from then on. That's the way it looked until we were two days out of port. Come in. What do you want, Seddon? Might I have a word with you, Captain? I'm busy. It's important, sir. What? It's about Captain Blee, sir. What about it? Well, sir, I hate to say this, but I don't think he met with no accident. You're done. No, sir. And seeing as how I know what really happened to him, I was thinking maybe it'd be worth a nicker or so if I kept my face shut. Captain Blee jumped over the sign. I've got his note that says so. Could I see the note, sir? I know the captain's right in lock me own. What makes you think it wasn't an accident, Seddon? Seeing as how I saw what happened, sir. And seeing as how we'll be in port in a couple of days, I wouldn't want to make any trouble for you or any of the other gentlemen, sir. Did you figure maybe something might happen to you? Oh, yes, sir, I did. That's why a friend of mine, Mr. Austin, he knows about it, too. Just in case. Now, what you do, sir, is your own business, I'm sure. But don't you think it might be worth a little bit of fat to us? You're a ruddy fool, Seddon. You should have waited. You should have waited. Fair, fair, ain't it? You did murder. You don't want it. Now, don't forget, Austin knows, too. He'll take care of Austin. Now, look here. No need to get nasty. I'll keep it sharp, sir. Mr. Jennings, I'll give you the word. Don't hit me. Please! Explosion threw us both off our feet. Seddon was first up. He got out of the cabin like a whippet. The engines had stopped. And I knew that whatever had happened was in the engine room. I got up at the bridge. God, he was already there. Jonesy, below. I think so. Give it here. Come on. I better get down there. Look at the crew. Gold were in for his arse. It's worse off if they get all in the boats. Seddon and Austin know what happened to the captain. Game's up then. It's me, Art. What happened, Jonesy? Boilers busted. Fire. No, but you ship in water like a bloody sieve. Are you all right? Smash me on. Stoutness caught it. They're all done in. I'll send some men. How many do you need to stop the leak? You can't stop it. There's an old six feet or more. And another behind the boiler. I'm coming up. Oh, well done, we are. Get over to the radio cabin. Don't let that man send an SOS quick. He's got you, Art. We might not get picked up. You heard what I say if we've still got a chance after we take care of Seddon and Austin. If they spit it all up, it's a goer. Merlin Hall's flooding. Shall I give the order to abandon ship? Get the pumps going. Yes, sir, but the cargo ship to be explored and she's going faster. Get on the pumps. But get down there with them. I'll take care of the others. Will you listen to me? It's too late. Move it! I ran down to the radio room. We had to stop the call from going out because if there was a ship in the vicinity and it got to us before we'd put the choir down, Seddon and Austin, the three of us would hang. The sinking ship was a sightless worry. I heard the message before I even opened that door. Stop it! I've been sending it, sir. I've already got an answer. I said stop it! Well, sinking, sir. It's my duty. We are not under yet. You think I want us all in for salvage rights? You send out that we're okay, see? Now you do it now. Need no assistance. Send. There's a ship about 20 miles off, sir. She could stand by just in case. You do as you're told. Need no assistance. The side we're done for. Five minutes, not even that. Come on out of here. Now listen to me, Jonesy. We've got to get the steward and one of the crewmen. Austin. They have tweaked. We've got to do it before we leave the ship. Now, what are you going to do? Shoot them in front of the crew? We wouldn't stand a chance. They'd carve us up. Let's get off this here, Tub. There's sharks out there, and I want a boat around me. Not until we've taken care of those. Now listen. You do what you want. See, I'm clearing out now. I told you them engines wouldn't stand it. Well, they haven't. Now I'll take me chances with the law, but not here. Get the boat over the hillside. Come on, let's get out. Abandon ship! Abandon ship! There was still a chance. I could do it myself. Find Austin. Find that dirty little rat Seddon. Do them both in, and there was still a chance that nobody would know. I went looking for him. The tramp was listing and settling lower in the sea and around from one side to the other. Is it? Then I spotted them. The lifeboat was already in the water. I saw Seddon looking up at me, pointing. Then Austin saw me. I jumped for the boat, and I missed. She pulled away from the side. Wait! Wait! Hold up! I'm serious! Get a hand! How's that feeling, man? Now what? I'll plead for it right now. Use a hand, will you? I'll let you drown your dirty murderer! He's going to kill me and let you in there! No! Get me out! You make a confession, see? All these other blokes' witnesses! You confess! You confess now or you can swim for it! All right, I did it! What did you do? What did you do? I killed the captain! You and your mother, too? Answer me! Yes! All right. Come on, now! I'll say it! Oh, shot it off! Lovely grub wasn't it? All right. If you like, Gail Grumb. Wish I had some bile beans. My stomach, sir! Ah! Won't have to worry about that for long. It's all right for you, Bert Gowdy. Ain't your stomach! I should have known better than to screw up to a couple of half-wide months like you. $15,000! First time I saw that ruddy scowl I knew! Calm, Orbit, Jonesy. I want to get some sleep. Always complaining. Always complaining. Aren't it wicked when you think we're all going down to the same place and deal with that along with us? I'll tell you, Bert. It's hopeless. You'll complain the rope's too tight around his neck when they hang us in the moonlight. What do you bet? Escape has brought you the tramp written and directed by Anthony Ellis starring Ben Wright as Jennings with Jane Avello as Gowdy and Charlie Long as Winkle-Jones. Featured in the cast were Tudor Owen, Alec Harford, Lou Krugman and Charles Davis. Editorial supervision is by John Meston and the special music for Escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Next week You are standing in a darkened room in the heart of Russia's dread Lubyanka prison. Your mind tortured into blankness while across a desk from you happily smiling at you is the chief of Russia's secret police who intends to drive you to insanity or to death. So listen next week when Escape brings you John Daner's exciting story The Man with the Steel Teeth. What's new with Our Girl Sunday? Following the latest case of Perry Mason, are things more complicated for young Dr. Malone? Confidentially Aunt Jenny's in the midst of a mighty unusual story. There's a world of entertainment awaiting you every weekday in the daytime with a roster of wonderful dramatic serials. Tomorrow listen in again and follow the latest in lives of these familiar people. This is Roy Rowan speaking and remember, daytime is a gay time with Arthur Godfrey time every day on the CBS Radio Network.