The Atlanta constitution., 1896-06-08
r THE OWEN ELECTRIC BELT AND APPLIANCE CO.,


Cuthbert?"
"Nith my wife and my two little lassies
at Norpeth. in the north country. ] have
but seen them once In ten years, ana II
may be ten more. for all l know ere
see them again. I have been doing sood
work for the feet up yonder
81 had thought. sir. that it was lhiahu'
said my father.
Collingwocd took little black bag out
Of his pocket and shook it.
finland II is said he, "and yet l nave
done good work for the fleet there. what
do you suppose | hold IN this baS?
"Bullets," said Troubrdge
"Somcthrg that sailor needs even more
than that" answered the admiral and.
turning it over. he tilted a pile Of acorns
onto his palm. 81 carry them with me IN
my country walks. and where see fruit
ful nook / thrust one deep with the end oil
my cane. My oak trees may fsht these
rascals over the water when l am long
forgotten. DO yoI know. lieutenant how
many oaks so to make up an eishty-sun
ship?"
My father shook his head.
1.-TWO thousand, no less. For every two
docIed ship that carries the white ensign
there is a grove the less in England. 50
how are our grandsons TO beat the French
tf We do not give them the trees with
which to build thr shins?' lie replaced
his bag in his pocket, and then passing his
arm through Troubridge's they went
through the door together.
There's man whose life might heip
you to trim your own course said my
father as we took our seats at vacant
table. "IIe is ever the same quiet gentle
man. with his thoughts busy for the COM
fort of his ships company. and with his
heart with his Wife ana children. whom he
has SO seldom seen. 1t is said in the fleet
that an oath has never passed his lips,
Rodney. though how he managed when
he was first lieutenant Of raw crew is
more than / can conceive. Eut they all
love Cuddie. for they know he's an angel
to fight. How dye do, Captain Foley? My
respects. Sir Edard! Why, if they could
but press the company they would man a
corvette with flag officers.
There's many man here, Rodney"
continued my father. as ne glanced about
him, "whose name may never get into
any book save his own ships log, but who
in his own way has set fine an example
as any admiral Of them all. We know them
and talk Of them in the fleet, though they
may never be bawlcd in the streets of Lon
don. There is as much seamauship and
pluck i'm a good cutter action as in a line
o'-battlc ship fight, though You may not
come By a title or the thanks OF parliament
for il. There's Hamilton. for example, the
quiet p3le-faeed man who il leaning
against the pillar T. was he who with six
rowing boats cut the 44-Eun frisatc Her
mione from under the muzZles of 2on shore
gums in the harbor Of Puerto Cabeuo. No
navy. But I've never found a difficulty.
and | dare swear that if / hoist my PEN
naut tomorrow / shah have al my old
speedics back. and as many volunteers
as I care to take"
THAT is very weu my lord" said the
old captain. with some warmth. when
the jacks hear that the Speedy took fifty
vessels I'm thirteen months they are sure
TO volunteer 10 serve with her commander.
Every good cruiser can fill her complement
quickly enough Eut it is not the cruisers
that fght the cOuntrys s pallles ahd DOCK
finer action was done in the whole war.
,rhcre's Brereton, with the whiskers. 1t
vyas he who attacked twelve Spanish gun
hoats in his own little brig, and made four
Of them strike to him. There's Walker or
the Rose cutter, who, with thirteen men,
engaged three French priVateer7' WIN
crews of JAG. lie sank one, captured one,
and chased the third. How are you, Cap
tain Bell? / hope L see you Well
,rvyo or three of my fathers acquaint-
aucps who had been sitting close by, ore"
ND their chairs to us. and soon quite q
circle had formed. all talking loudly ana
oro.,fna upon sea matters. shaking their
long red-tipped pipes at each other as they
smoke NV father whispered In my ear
tbat his neighbor was Captain Foley, OF
the Goliath, who led the van at the NIe
and that the tall. thin foxy -hi3Feu ~ ~lI'e1.
opposite was Lord Cochrane' the most
Gasbine frigate captain in the service
Jr,,oo at Irriar's Oak we had heard now In
The HttIe Speedy of fourteen small guns
with dftv-four men, he had carried py
boarding the Spanish frigate GatIho' Win
her crew Of 500. 1t was easy 10 see t@ld1 @
he was a quick, irascible man, Tor ne ""s
talking hotIv about his grievances, with d
fash of anger upon his frecked cheeKs.
"vva sball never do any good upon the
ocean untU We have changed few DOCK
ward contractors" he cried.s Ia nave a
docxvard contractor as a nSurcheau Tor
everv frst-rate in the fleet, and provision
dealer for every frSate. know them, with
their puttied seams and their devil bolls'
,isling 500 lives that they may steal lew
nounds' worth of copper. what became OF
the Chance and Of the Martin, and OF the
orastes2 They foundered at sea, and were
never heard of mere, and say that the
crews of them were murdered men
Tor1 Cocbrane seemed TO be expressing
the views Of all Of them. for . murmur OF
assent with a m liter CT hearty deep-sea
curses ran round the circle.
'Those rascals over yonder manage thllgs
better" said an old, one-eyed captain,
win the blue-and-white ribbon for St. YIN
cent peeping out Of his third buttonhoIe
.'They shear away their heads If they get
rp to any foolery. Did ever a vessel come
out of Toulon as my S-gun frlgate uld from
Plymouth last year, with her masts rolllhs
about until her shrouds were like iron bars
on one side and hanging in festoons upon
the other? The meanest sloop that ever
came out of France would have been on
me. and not on this Devonport bungler,
that court mRrtial would be called
They loved to grumble. these old salts,
for as soon as one had shot off his grieV-
ance, his neighbor would follow with an
other, each one more bitter than the last
Look at our sails" cried Captain Foley
"Put a French and a British ship at an
chor together and how can you tell which
is which?"
''Frenchy has his fore and main topgal-
liant masts about equal" said my father.
I'm the old ships, maybe. but many of
n