Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-06


drew on, and the din of the donkey ell
CINE was s.illed at last, and decks were
tided and ropes coiled but still no or
ders came off. We growled little ; for
the day was balmy and bright, and we
might have spent it very enjoyable stroll
ing on the Hoe or gathering primroses i'll
the woods of Mount Edgecumbe, with
Maggie by our side
Before 1 left my cabin ON the succeed
ing morning could tell, from the quick,
ierky, uncertain motion Of the ship, that
it was blowing, and that outside the bar
there must be bit of sea on. While
we were all Mt breakfast, meeting ont am
eggs, the cold beef, the pigs cheek aud
the pigeon pie, young Watson, the mid
shipman, or rather milshipmidge. of the
watch, entered and saluted.
'If you please, Mr.. Watkins, the Cap
tain wishes to speak to you" Watkins
was our navigating Lieutenant.
Whatever, is in the wind now, | won
der?' some one remarked.
eve are oil, l suppose, said another.
"Nonsensc T. said Pumpkin.
Presently all doubts were dispelled ;
for back came Watkins, laughing
why" cried the paymaster, trying to
read the navigator's face, ''you don't
mean to say we've got to slip?'
But do, though" was the reply.
"There's signal to say we can go if the
Captain doesn't think the weather too
bad. Ha Ina ha Why, that's enough
for Captain Sherwood he'd go now if it
We're to blow fire and birthstone.
"Well, anyhow" said Pumpkin, "any-
thing is better than lying here and not
being able to go on shore.
Two hours after, it was blowing about
| half gale Of wind--what most lands
men would call hurricane but two
hours after, nevertheless, the Wandered
was steaming Stewards past the break
water, right i'll the teeth of it. Captain
Sherwood was too good Il sailor to be
daunted by puff of wind.
The Wanderoo was what is called a
composite gln-vessel our armament was
five guns our rate of speed fourteen
knots an hour when we wanted to take il
out of her. We sailed under sealed or.
ders and it was not until we were fairly
at sea that we had any notion of where
we were going. To our joy we found We
were Oh special service, and that although
orr first cruising ground would be the
Eastern coast of Africa, yet before the
commission was over we were likely to see
service i'll many lands.
Pumpkin was the man to break the
news to u.s. He knew always everything
before any one else, not even excepting
Smarte, our first lieutenant, who, by til,
way, was not only Smarte by name, bu
precious smart by nature. Before w,
We're week at sea we found out tina
Pumpkin was big gun, and quite
character in his way. Aud before weel
was over we had all shaken down, MS sail
ors call it, and there was not man for,
or aft, from the Captain to the cabin boy
that did not consider himself part ant
parcel OF her Britannia Maiestv's goot
ship Wandered.
Luncheon, or 'tiflin, as we called it
was Away Il free-and-easy sort of meal OF
board the Wandered. Dyspepsia was
thing practically unknown III our mess
If ever the cassOwary suffered from that
complaint, SO did We And little before
! O'Clock more than one of us began tC
feel hungry-hungry with Il healthy hun
ger, not born Of beeror nips of Highland
whiskey-a hunger that we weren't
ashamed to own to.
THAT Irish stew is delicious" said
Pumpkin. "Gentlemen, what do you
think is the news from the office this
morning"
1t should be stated that the Admiral
of the station had sailed only the day be
fore. He was one Of those officers who
was said to have zeal for the service
At all events, he never paid us n visit
without issuing an order Of some kind.
'Tell us" some Of us cried, while the
remainder listened, all attention.
"Guess, said Pumpkin.
"Ashleigh has been promoted o.
'Wanderoo ordered home 2?
''Sawbones to be translated 2"
"Ne'er Il one of you is right" sait
Pumpkin. "Come, | won't keep you il
tig-tire. I'll tell you, We are going tC
have new messmate.
"A new messmate ~
Yes, continued the paymaster 80
don't be surprised he is only an add
tional, only supernumerary, only len
to us-and he is only soldier"
After digesting this long string of ''on
hes we felt relieved for we did thinl
Tor time, that some one of us was to b,
) ordered home to make a vacancy.
Lieutenant Crook, r. NJ. l.. l., arrive,
i'll good time. Good-looking was Crool
withal, aetat. %, fair hair ami mustache
and adclicate pink-and- white complexion
He was every inch II soldier He wal
really an innovation but his smile wal
30 pleasant, and everything he did o.
SAID so evidently the outcome of happ,
and innocent nature, that nobody coult
be angry with him SO before very long
he was general favorite.
Our young soldier was not long witt
us before he gave ample proof to most o
iis that If there was one thing in til,
world he was fonder of than another, i
was practical Joking. And there was II,
end to it either. 1t was harmless enough
however. There was never much mis-
) chief done, and the business always con
} cluded with good laugh.
: But before month had passed prac
tical joke of some kind had been perpe
trated on every single one of us-Crool
being the perpetrator, we being the per
pctratees.
: One particularly warm day four of III
were quietly smoking our cigars unde
the quarterback awning We We're lyin.
at anchor close abreast of Zanzibar
Crook had gone on shore az usual witt
the after-titlin boat and, MS usual il
shooting rig, with II gun and bag no
that there was much of any consequence
to shoot, but he'd bring of something
dead or alive-birds or snakes, Il monte
lizard, monkey OF n mongoose.
We had, as pet, an enormous ape, o
ourang, which, us rule, preferred wall
ing upright and, dressed as he AWAY
was in blue swallow tailed coat of serge
red baize breeches and n woollen Tan
o'Shanter, with red top, it must be con
fessed That Daddy, as we called him
looked Il strong link in the Darwiniai
chain, Crook and he were great friends
the ape would refuse nothing the youn,
soldier offered him, and would even tr,
to smoke to please him.
What do You think" said |, "did