The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-21
FIVE BLACK MARKS.


Herbert Flowerdew, in Pail Mall Budget
The most miserable time I ever had
in my life" said DIR. Macpherson one day,
as we sat chatting in his coy drawing
room, was spent in gunboat off the
coast of Guinea. 1 began my professional
life as surgeon in the navy, you know"
did not know. But as the doctor seem
ed intent on telling story, I did not
interrupt him by saying so.
1--WE had been cruising about in the
Mediterranean" he went on, when we
were Unexpectedly ordered to the Bay Of
Lagos to overaw some miserable little
tribe near the coast, which had not been
behaving itself as a properly regulated
little tribe under the protection of the Brit
ish empire ought to do. Kakoga's tribe
it was called, and Kakoga came in for
a good deal Of honest abuse from the Off
GERS and men of the Dragon-hy 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 our
Eelves. 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 the board that 1 cared for. Lieut..
Gilby had met Miss Callan at Malta,
and had become engaged to her without
the least idea that the engineer had in
tentionS that way, not that IL would have
made any difference to him if he had,
1 suppose. fashions unconcealed enmi-
ty against him made life on board pretty
unpleasant, and divided us into two
cliques. The lieutenants clique. consist
III N.nnnH 10
liveliest time of it, for the successful
sutton OF Miss Callan was the merriest
fellow on earth, and while we were in
the Mediterranean we suffered very little
from the engineers hostility. But direct
ly we steamed of for Lagos a most re-
markable change came over my friend,
and he turned as taciturn as Lashton him
1T puzzled me to discover the reason,
for though we were all sorry to leave the
Mediterranean, still il was not like Gil
by to sulk over it. He could not see less
OF his hancee than he had been. doing
for two or three months, and we had the
prospect before 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 1 answered the suggestion in the
tone It deserved, still it seemed the only
explanation.
"Giby said, when / asked him, that
it was the weather and the irritation with
which he answered prevented me contin-
uing my inquiries, and made me more
than ever convinced that it was funk
and alNery severe form Of the disease,
too. In fact, he took very little pains to
conceal it.
81 hope to goodness that 1 shall not
have to go on shore, he said, when we
had nearly reached our destination. 1
wish the commander would lead the parry
and leave me here to look after the ship
" 1t is not likely l answered, grufIly,
and / was glad that Lashton was not
about to overhear him. l answered his
next suggestion more gruffiy still
:" i suppose you would not like to GER
tify that l ought to be on the deck list,
would you, Macpherson? he asked me,
hesitatingly
II refused fatty.
IF he had told me the true reason of
his fear l might have acted different
ly, for he looked i'll enough, poor fellow.
His face had grown quite white and wan
since we started.
ut looked whittier stiIl next day when
he had to go in command Of the landing
party, which l accompanied, of course.
when we were fairly embarked on the
enterprise his one idea seemed to be to
get 1t over with all possible speed and
the haste with which we advanced to Ka-
kagos country would have been impos-
sible If the men under him had not them
selves been so anxious to get into action
and introduce a little change into the
monotony of life on a gunboat.
However, the change was less than the
majority of the blue jackets hoped for.
the miserable little tribe did not show
fight, and our business was soon accom-
plished. In five days from the time we
left the Dragon-iy we were back again,
none the worse for our trip, except that
we were all worn out by Gilby's forced
marches.
'The lieutenant seemed more exhausted
than any Of US, and as soon as he had re-
ceived the congratulations of the com
mander, he retired at once to his berth.
What surprised me was that his spirits
did not show any improvement after all
chance of fighting was at en- end. II
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 surprised
me in his manner. This explanation, which
had not occurred to me while there was
any real danger, struck me forcibly, now
that we were safe on the gunboat again.
and, as soon as had enjoyed the luxury
OF a bath after my five days of discom-
fort, l strolled down to the lieutenant's
cabin to have a look at him in the new
light of a patient.
1.-THE door of my friends cabin was afar
as 1 approached it, and when / glanced
into the room before knocking, L was
surprised to catch sight Of Engineer Lash
ton standing by the side of the lieuten-
"The fact Of fashions enmify for my
friend was so undisputed that at the sight
Of his figure in his enemy's cabin / felt
quite justified in watching what was going
on before making my presence known
Gilby was lying across his bunk, half
undrcssed and apparently fast asleep. The
engineer was standing over him with
bottle Of some black fluid in his hand.
while / watched he made five small marks
with 1t on the sleeping mans arm. The
operation seemed such a mysterious and
inexplicable one that ! watched him till
he put the cork back in the bottle with
out moving a step 10 interfere with tho
man. but bounced upon him as he turned
70 leave the cabin.
What on earth have you been dolng7'
/ asked unceremoniOusly; and the fellow
seemed rather taken aback
~ Is only a practical Joke he sail
with a feeble attempt 70 smile uncon-
cerHediy.
"sJoke or no Joke, ! demand 10 see
what ls in fhat bottle i said authorize
lively. my mind Fun ~ mysterious pas
0na. and the engineer handed % over
faWely.
'Tha bottle contained nothing buf ink. .