The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-07
FIVE BLACK MARKS.

"rhe most miserable time I ever had
in my life," said DIR. Macpherson one
day as he sat chatting in his coxy
drawing room, twas spent in q gum
boat off the coast of Guinea. began
my professional life as a surgeon in the
navy, you know"
did not know. But as the doctor
seemed intent on telling the story did
not interrupt him by saying so.
1--WE had been cruising about in the
Mediterranean" he went on, "when we
where unexpectedly ordered to the
Bay of Lagos to overawe some miser-
able little tribe near the coast which
had not been behaving itself as q
properly regulated little tribe under
the protection of the British empire
ought to do Kakogas tribe it was
called, and Kakoga came in for good
share of honest abuse from the
officers and men Of the Dragon fly,
when our orders came. The worst of
it was, as far as the officers and men
were concerned, that we were not at
unity among ourselves. The engineer,
called Lashton, had been disappointed
in love, and was naturally morose in
consequence. What made him more
SO was the fact that his successful
rival was the sub-lieutenant, an
awfully nice fellow, and the only man
on board that cared for. Lieut.
Gilby had met Miss Callan at Malta,
and had become engaged to her with
out the least idea that the engineer
had intentions that way, not that 1t
would have made any difference to
him If he had, l suppose. Lashton's
unconcealed enmity against him made
life on board pretty unpleasant, and
divided us into two cliques. The lieu
tenants clique, consisting of himself
and me, certainly had the liveliest
time of it, for the successful suitor of
Miss Callan was the merriest fellow on
earth, and while we were in the Med
iterranean we suffered very little from
the engineers hostility. But directly
we steamed off for Lagos most re-
markable change came over my friend,
and he turned as taciturn as Lashton
himself.
1T puzzled me to discover the rea-
son, for though we were all sorry to
leave the Mediterranean still it was
not like Gilby to sulS over it. He
could not see less of his fiancee than
he had been doing for two or three
months, and we had the prospect be-
fore us of a small fight, for which he
had been wishing. Lashton suggested
to me in his sinister way that it was
the prospect of fighting which caused
the change in my friend, and though
answered the suggestion in the tone it
deserved, still it seemed the only ex-
planation.
"Gilby said, when asked him, that
it was the weather, and the irritation
with which he answered prevented me
continuing my inquiries, and made me
more than ever convinced that it was
funk and very severe form Of the
disease, too. In fact, he took very lit
tie pains to conceal it.
81 hope to goodness that shall not
have to go on shore, he said, when we
had nearly reached our destination. I
wish the commander would lead, the
party and leave me here to look after
the ship
"'It is not likely answered, gruff-
ly, and l was glad that Lashton was
swered his next suggestion more gruff-
ly still.
"I suppose you would not like to
certify that ought to be on the sick
list, would you, Macpherson he asked
me, hesitatingly.
81 refused fatty.
"If he had told me the true reason of
his fear might have acted differently,
for he looked Ill enough, poor fellow!
His face had grown quite white and
wan since we started.
"It looked winter still next day when
he had to so in command of the land
ing party, which l accompanied, of
course.
"When we were fairly embarked on
the enterprise, his one idea seemed to
be to get it over with all possible
speed, and the haste with which he ad-
vanced to Kakoga's country would
have been impossible If the men under
him had not themselves been SO anx-
ious to get into action, and introduce
little change into the monotony of
life on gunboat.
"However, the change was less than
for, the miserable little tribe did not
show fight, and our business was soon
accomplished. In five days from the
time we left the Dragon-hy we were
back again, none the worse for our
trip, except that we were all worn out
by Gilby's forced marches.
''Thc lieutenant seemed more ex-
hausted than any of us, and as soon as
he had received the congratulations of
the commander, he retired at once to
his berth. What surprised me was
that his spirits did not show any i'm
provement after the chance of fighting
was at an end 1t seemed to me as if
he were still expecting some calamity
to happen to him, and ! began to
wonder whether there might not be
something seriously wrong with his
health to account for all that had sur
prised me in his manner. This expla-
nation, which had not occurred to me
while there WAS anv real donpor