Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-07-01
FIVE BLACK MARKS.

in my life," said DR.. Macpherson one
day rs we sat chatting in his cosy
drawing-room, was spent in a gun
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 l
did not interrupt him by saying so.
eve 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 the coast which had
not been behaving itself as n properly
regulated little tribe under the protec-
ton of the British empire ought to do.
Kakoga's tribe, it was called, and Ka-
koga 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 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
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-
tons that way, not that it would have
made any difference to him if he had,
suppose fashions unconcealed en-
nifty against him made life on board
pretty unpleasant, and divided us into
two cliques. The Lieutenant's clique
consisting of himself and me, certain
ly had the liyeliest 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 directly we steamed off for Lagos
most remarkable change came over
my friend, and he turned as taciturn as
Lashton himself.
st 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 1t was the prospect of fight
ing which caused the change in my
friend, and though l answered the sug-
gestion in the tone it deserved, still it
seemed the only explanation.
"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 little
pains to conceal it.
~ hope to goodness that shall not
have to go on Shore he said, when we
had nearly reached our destination. L
wish the commander would lead the
party and leave me here to look after
the ship.
1T is not likely l answered, gruf-
Ais anu was ilNl lilsll lluollloD was
not about to overhear him. l answered
his next suggestion more gruiily still
81 suppose you would not like to
certify that | ought TO be on the sick
list, would you, Macpherson he asked
me, hesitatingly.
Il refused, fatty
''If he had told me the true reason OF
his fear might have acted differently,
for he looked i'll enough, poor fellow
His face had grown quite white and
wan since we started.
Il looked whittier still next day when
he had to go in command of the landing
party, which 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 advanced
to Kakoga's country would have been
impossible if the men under him had
not themselves been so anxious to get
into action and introduce little change
into the monotony of life on 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
accomplished. In five days from the
time we left the Dragon Fly 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 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 won
der whether there might not be some
thing 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,
and, as soon as l had enjoyed the lux
rIrv ~ a hath ftpr my five dnye NJ die