The herald., 1897-08-15
Copyright. 1897, by Bachelor Syndicate.
PART


Mr.. Baker, chief mate of the ship
"Narcissus," stepped in one stride out
of his lighted cabin into the darkness of
the quarter-deck Above his head, on
the break of the poop, the night-watch-
man rang double stroke. 1t was nine
o'clock Mr.. Baker, speaking up to the
man above him, asked, Are all the
hands aboard, Knowles?"
The man limped down the ladder, then
said deliberately: II think so, sir. All
our old chaps are there, and a lot OF new
men has come. They must be all there
'Tell the boatswain to send all hands
aft" went on Mr.. Baker; land tell one
of the youngsters to bring good lamp
here. 1 want to muster our crowd"
The main deck was dark aft, but half
way from forward, through the open
doors of the forecastle, two streaks Of
brilliant light cut the shadow of the
quiet night that lay upon the ship. A
hum of voices was heard there, while
port and starboard, in the Illuminated
doorways, silhouettes of moving men
appeared for moment, very black,
without relief, like figures cut out of
sheet tin.
The ship was ready for sea. The cap
tain was ashore, where he had been en-
gaging some new hands to make up his
full crew; and, the work of the day
over, the ships officers had kept out of
the way, glad of little breathing time.
Soon after dark, the few liberty-men
and the new hands began to arrive in
shore-boats rowed by white-clad Asiat-
les, who clamored fiercely for payment
before coming alongside the gang-way
ladder. The Respondent and bestarred
peace of the East was torn into squalid
tatters by howls of rage and shrieks Of
lament raised over claims ranging from
five annas to half a rupee and every
soul afloat in Bombay Harbor became
aware that new hands were joining the
"Narcissus."
Gradually the distracting noise had
subsided.
In the forecastle the newcomers, up
right and swaying amongst corded
boxes and bundles of bedding, made
friends with the old hands, who sat one
above another in the two tiers of hunks,
gazing at their future shipmates with
glances critical but friendly. The two
forecastle lamps were turned up high,
and shed an intense hard glare; shore
going hard hats were pushed far on the
backs of heads, or rolled about on the
deck amongst the chain-cables; white
collars, undone, stuck out on each side
of red faces; big arms in white sleeves
gesticulated; the growing voices hum
med steady amongst bursts of laughter
and hoarse calls.
A little fellow called Craik and nick
named Belfast, abused the ship violent
ly, romancing on principle, just to give
the new hands something to think over
Archie, sitting aslant on his sea-chest,
kept his knees out OF the way and
pushed the needle steadily through a
white patch in a pair of blue trousers.
A Russian Finn, wearing a yellow shirt
with mink stripes, stared upward, l.,
dreamy-eyed, from under a mop of
tumbled hair. Two young giants with
smooth baby faces-two Scandinavians
helped each other to spread their bed
ding. Old Sullivan, the oldest able sea-
man in the ship, sat apart on the deck
right under the lamps, stripped to the
waist, tattooed like a cannibal chief all
over his powerful chest and enormous
biceps. Between the blue and red pat
terms his white skin cleaned like satin;
his bare back was propped against the
heel Of the bowsprit; and he held book
at arms length before his big, sunburnt
face. With his spectacles and a vener-
able white beard, he resembled a learned
and savage patriarch, the incarnation
of barbarian wisdom, serene in the BIAS
phemous turmoil of the world. He was
intensely absorbed, and as he turned
prise would pass over his rugged feat
ures. He was reading pelham"
Sullivan, who had sailed to the south