Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-12-26
Is he safe to be at la--s:''

is, sir. The mans fair sailor and
Sound enough. but he's Of piOus cast,
and his brain got shifted by watching
the lunatic yesterday
We'll bury the bod; ut Eve bells"
said the captain.
Aye, aye, sir
The captain looked hard 4. the sailcr
as though he reasoned within himself
! whether he should cali linn aft and rate
him Then. perhaps guessing that the
mate had done al that was necessary in
that way, he was rounding OH the fat
soles of his goloshes when he stopped
| again and said with q gi.uce along the
poop:
Have you found anything worth
making note Of at yoar end OF the
table, sir:''
why, no, sir; since you spoke to mo
on the subject l have folnd tie people
very cautious in their conversation.
Is it to be ascertaired Who Captain
Trollope isf'' said the captain.
''So,ne of the gentlemen may know.
but will they give us tie truth: There's
NJ. Dent. sir, or some CT tine ladies per-
haps.''
''They have inquired Of me-" inter
rup:ed the captain hastily. II don't
like his looks, sir. -
And yet but for his nose tall, fine.
| gentlomaniy man, sir.
81 don't like his looks. sir, repeated
the captain hotiy, land i don't like
the looks oil the man they call Masters.
While rs to Mr.. CalGweli''-here he
peered cautiously roUrd-'.I wouldn'.
have man with his face in my fore
| castle"
Mr. Matthews let sink his head in
thought. He was puzzled by the cap
tain's suspicious, yet nc; mere, perhaps.
than the old fellow himself vas hy
them. What wc:c they to fear? A mu-
tiny OF ten passengers: There could be
10 inutiry where there vas no author.
ity. and the ten gentlemen. moreover.
seemed perfectly happy. They had
praised tie ships marsha, they eat
heartily of the galley various dishes.
they lounged in groups AID talked to-
getre- quietly, smoking on the quarter
deck Or convCrs:ng with the ladies in n
very gonrlen.anly way indeed. Why
WAS the captain suspicious: thought the
mate rs lac walked with a grave and
sober face 10 the athwaTtship rail TO
watch the fellows washing down the
quarter deck.
sinGll gloom overhung the spirits O.
the breakfast taDlc that morning. a
dead man was III the ship, and he was
~ be buried
AT half past 10 they dispatched the
! dead body over the side. Nobody knew
whose child he was. No man 10 have
saved las own heart from breaking
could have given him his right name.
The ladies We're affected by the cerc-
mony, and Mrs. Peacock dropped a tear.
Tic hole the body made in tie waite
did no, more swiftly all than did tbs
memory CT the mailman fade when old
Benson closed his book aud passed into
the oGddy for his se~iaat.
1t Was The afternoon Cf the third tiay
that t!ic sparkling. fiery blue breeze
which had driven the ship. forging
through 1t ill the LIFT OF the soft cloud
OF foam on either bow w.s often as hici,
as the ca:heads. II was ON the after
noon that this sweet sailing wind fail
ed. 1t dropped on Sudden. like the tail
OF a blast cut OF AZ electric storm. The
lofty sails came into the masts with an
| eager report, as though the ship kcrself
sna;cheu voice out of this shock Of sur
prise. The run of the seas fell into a
| smooth swell. which rolled foar.less,
ike liquid glass, against the dark green
OF the ship, so exposing her siicathiny
that on looking over the side you saw
the reflection blushing like some wavcr.
ing dart CT sunset On the pure round Of
water. About two miles OH the pert
beam lay wha.er. The Queen had
learned, with the help OF flags and a
hinge blackboard, roughly written on
with chalk, that she was an American,
almost fall up, almost three years ont,
now bound round the Horn for the dis
tant port she would probably take six
months in fetching
a clUCisier old wagon never lippcd
her gangways in swell, and every
lift CT her square stern hid from the
sight Of the people who were looking at
her on board the Q-ccn the moving and
shining heights Of tall ship hull
down. The mercury i'll the CAPTAINS
barometer lad been steadily sinking
since noon. The sky slowly thickened
all round. and no sound came from the
sea. The swell rolled in breathless heaps.
and tie white birds vanished. Ii was
the most uncomfortable time the pas.
sengers had passed. The ladies could
not stand and the gentlemen staggered.
though old Benson observed that most
Of the men STROBE tho reeliny deck with
very easy less-lc25 OF the sea. plant.
elastic, swift IN recovery and walk
that Is pleasantor To see than dance.
Nobody could have supposed shat the
QEeen would roll so abominably. She
sank 10 her covering boards, and n nerv.
ous ear might have fcuna direct
threat of storm in tie c.nrorad!ay of
canvas alott. IN the cracking of strained
rigging. III noises Of breaking crockery.
heavy goods fetching away. little
shrieks Of women, loud calls from the
poop and answering curses from the
fnrecastle. They clewed up and furled
down to the ;opsails, in which they tied
two reefs. st one time when this was
doing Troliore and t--o or three others