Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-06-18
FIVE BLACK MARKS.

drawing-room, was spent in a gun
boat off the coast of Guinea. l began
my professional life as Z surgeon IN
the navy, you know"
l did not know, but as the Doctor
seemed intent on telling the story
did not interrupt him by saying so.
I'VE had been cruising about in the
Mediterranean" he went on, when we
were unexpectedly ordered to the Bay
Of Lagos to overawe some miserable
little tribe near tine coast which had
not been behaving itself as a properly
regulated little tribe under the protec-
tion of the British empire ought to do.
Kakoga's tribe, it was called and Ka-
koga came in for a 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 Off
GERS 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 sue
cessful 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 without the
least idea that the engineer had inten-
tions that way, not that it would have
made any difference to him If he had,
suppose. Lashton's unconcealed en-
nifty against him made life on board
pretty unpleasant, and divided us into
two cliques. The Lieutenants cliaue,
consisting Of himself and me, certain
ly had the livelest time of it, for the
successful suitor 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 directly we steamed off for Lagos
most remarkable change came over
my friend, and he turned as taciturn as
Lashton himself.
1T puzzled me to discover the reason,
for though all were sorry to leave the
Mediterranean, still it was not like
Gilby TO sulk 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 before us of small
fight, for which he had been wishing.
Lashton suggested to me in his sinister
way that it was the prospect of fight
Ing which caused the change in INV
friend, and though l answered the sug.
gestion in the tone 1t deserved, still it
seemed the only explanation.
"Gilby said, when l asked him, that
1t was the weather. and the irritation
with which he answered prevented me
continuing my inquiries and made me
more than ever convinced that 1t was
funk, and a very severe form of the
disease, too. In fact, he took very little
pains TO conceal it.
L hope to goodness that shall not
have to 90 on Shore he said, when we
had nearly reached our destination. Il
wish the commander would lead the
party and leave me here to look after
the ship
1t Is not likely l answered. gruf-
fly, and | was glad that Lushton WAS
not about to overh2ar him. l answered
his next suggestion more gruffly still.
1 suppose you would not like to
certify that l ought to be on the sick
list, would you, Macpherson he asked
me, hesltatingly.
II refused, fatty.
: "If he had told mo tho +r,,~ ,,o.
his fear might have acted differently.
for he looked Ill enough, poor fellow.
His face had grown quite white and
wan since we started
Il looked winter still next day when
he had to so in command of the landing
party, which accompanied, of course
when we were fairly embarked on
the enterprise his one idea seemed TO h,
to get 1t over with all possible speed
ana the haste with which he advanced
to kakoga's country would have been
impossible If the men under him had
not themselves been so anxious TO ger
into action and introduce little change
into The monotony OF life on a gunboat
However the change was less than
the majority Of the blue jackets hoped
Tor, the miserable little tribe did NOT
show fight and our business was soon
accomplished. In FIVE days from the
time we left the Dragon Fly we were
pack again, none the worse for our trip
except that we were all worn out bv
Gllby's forced marches.
The Lieutenant seemed more OK.
hausted than any OF us, and as soon
as he had received the congratulations
OF the Commander he retired at once