Evening star., 1897-05-08

men laughed and nodded and chattered
and apparently pointed out the incident as
q bit of friendly wit. Whereupon the Rus
slams smiled. family smiled.
Grim and Strange.
Indeed, at any time when a Russian boat
was near a French one the Frenchmen
smiled with bright friendlness. And the
echoing amiability of these men of the
czar was faint. certainly. merely like a
shadow passing softly across the face of
stone figure. and to the onlooker. there
was something grim and strange in 1t.
Whenever officers came aboard of the
mail steamer the passengers crowded
about them, and to the Frenchmen this
was food and wine, apparently. They flour
der this nOurishment They were sublime.
AS for the Russians, they didn't care. The
lieutenant who came for the British
squadron's mail cared somewhat because
seventy-five people crowded to hear him
stagger through the French language. and
it bored Kim. Down in the launch. how
ever,there was q MILDLY, who was joy. He
was smaller than a sparrow. but-my soul
how bright and Napoleonic and forcible
ne was. He was as busy as a hive OF bees.
He had no time for poses and genuf1ec-
lions and other amusements. Once. indeed.
he looked up from his business to the deck
OF the ship and this infant hao q stern,
quick glance. q mans eye. 1t was like
hearing a canary bird swear to watch this
tot put speaking tube to his mouth He
was so small that a life-sized portrait of
him could be painted on a sovereign. this
warrior.
Bl0Oa-Thirsty Warrior.
She would be a fool OF a mother who
would trust him in a pantry where there
were tarts, and his big sister can box his
ears for some years TO come. but, of
course, there Is no more fiery-hearted
scoundrel In the feet OF the powers than
this babe. OF course. he would drou to
his knees and pray his admiral q hundred
prayers if by this he could be at his sta
ton on the CamDerdown and have her
move into action Immediately. Against
what? Against anything. This is of the
Traditions that perforce are in the breast
OF the child. They could not be cut out of
1t under these circumstances. If another
child OF the Camperdown should steal this
child's knife he might go TO a corner and
rhaps-2imost-shed tears. but no hoary
admiral can dream of the wild slaughter
and hades on the bosom of ihe sea that
agitate this babes breast. He is a little
villain And yet may the god of battle
that sits above the smoke watch over this
little villain and all bright little villains
like him.
Scenes and Incidents.
All the afternoon the passengers remain
ed on deck and watched the fleet grouped
on the bright bay. The launches were al
to time gig wherein the many oarsmen
caused it to resemble a water bug. walked
over the water. The officers on the Italian
cruiser Etna had pistol practice from the
stern and the band on the Russian flag
ship played an uncanny melody. Late in
the afternoon the English torpedo de-
stroyer Boxer. a long. gray wasp of
creature, came in from the sea She did
not join the collection of bottle green scor-
pions on the Suda side of the harbor but
q cI 1y- % al,x,-.
Revenge. Then an Austrian torpedo boat
she was bottle green scorpion with a red
and gold flag stuck in its back-moved list
iessly about among the ships. French
sailors from the flagship got a barge and
their launch towed it down to the Guadiana
after some freight which had been brought
to them from Marseilles. The bringing
or this barge alongside the Guadiana
caused scenes of the widest disorder The
language used was material for three riots
in Dublin. All the same Ii was vastly ex-
citing. These men were in earnest about II
They were going to bring that barge along
side the steamer. and one may be forgiven
if ones temper gains an advantage during
the stress Of unusual excitement. Twice
the peevSh god of circumstance balked
them and they were obliged to circle wide
ly down the wind and return for other
trys. At last a line vas flung aboard and
a sailor sprinted and caught it just as il
was slipping oversize. Then the blue sailor
bonnets with their red pom-poms jostled
Frenchman can make festival even of
pulling on a rope. These tars had per-
fectly delicious time at 1t. Perhaps the
presence of an audience had some hing to
do with the matter. Finally when the barge
was lined alongside the French officer camS
aboard the steamer, his face beaming with
a smile of victory.
Turkish Enterprise.
Down the bay a fat tub Of thing ap
peared, putting like an old woman and max
ing trouble enough on the water for a
Cunarder moving sideways. 1t took an
infinite time for her to come up. but when
at last she steamed laboriously past every
body went to the rail and grinned. 1t was
the Turkish dispatch boat arrived from
her anchorage opposite the fort She had
come three miles 1t was wonderful. How
she could come three miles puzzled the
ablest mariners. She was fiimsy enough
to have an effect like a pane of glass: one
felt that one could see through her. There
is nothing in the United States revenue
marine to compare with her. There was
a collection Of red flags on the bridge and
over her trailed the red banner
The decks of the Guadiana had been glad
all day with the blue and gilt of the naval
officers. and now into our existence and
into this assemblage-behoid the Turks.
Around the snip lay the power of Chris
tian Europe, and now here was the other
thing here was the Turk. Here was the
creature that had pulled Europe's nose,
boxed its ears and kicked it down stairs.
all the time asking it to be quite patient,
that the creature was really governed by
the most amiable impulses. and all would
be right in time, making it finally furious
enough for deadly assault. and then end
ing by harnessiug 1t and driving it off
gaily. Surely the art of procrastination
should be taught more. If by it you can
stab mans children and then convince
him that you are only feeding them with
buEs. end that he owes you a. sixpence for
the buns.
A Dl4nified Turk.
Naturally, then. this Turk was inter-
esting. He didn't care. however. He was
rather tall and well made and had the face
of a man, a man who could think, a man
who could fight. He was At for problems
and he was fit for war. this fellow. the
collar Of his uniform was heavily flower
ed with gold and a saber dangled to his
spurred heels. He wore glasses, and about
his eyes was the calm, studious expression
that one expects in professors at colleges
Unconsciously to US, perhaps, many of us
have fashioned our idea of the Turk on
this hangdog photograph of the sultan
which has been reproduced everywhere.
Probably this Turk was no nearer the