Evening star., 1897-09-25

CATION of the boat took up his thoughts
there were others. These. however, were
conten. to pull on in silence, eyeing me
with dull british stares until the fog
lifting disclosed on a sudden the hull of a
tall ship looming high beside us. A shril
piping came from it-a sound l had heard
before. but taken to be the scream of a
Seabird. and this as We drew up. was fol-
lowed by hail. The man by my side let
his whistle fall that he might answer.
which he did. in French: a moment later
our boat grated against the heaving tim
berS. and /, looking UP through the raw
morning air. saw a man in a boat cloak
spring on the hulwarks and wave his hat.
Welcome he cried Justify. And God
save the king, A near thing they tell me,
sir But come on board come on board,
and shall see Dunquerque the sooner.
Up with you. Sir John. if you please. and
let us be gone with the fog, and no heel
tapsr'
Then without another word. / knew what
had happened. 1 knew why the boat which
led picked me up had been waiting on the
beach at that hour. and as l rose to my
feet on the seat. and clutched the rope
ladder which the sailors threw down to
me. my knees knocked together. for fore
saw what i had to expect. But the deck
was sIrer ground for debate or eXplana-
ton than the cockieshell wherein l sat,
and which tossed and ducked under me.
threatening every moment to upset my
stomach. and 1 went up giddily. grasped
the bulwark. and aided by half dozen
grinning seamen, night-capped and ring
leted, / sprang down on the deck.
The man in the boat cloak received me
with a clumsy bow and shook my hand.
Give you joy, Sir john" he said. Glad
to see you, sir. i began to fear that you
were taken little more and must nave
left you. But all's well that ends well, ana
your pardon, one moment.
With that he broke off, and shouted half
a dozen orders in French and Englsh 10
. the sailors and in a moment the capstan,
II ord I'd X
ipg round. and there was hurry OF feet,
first to one side and then to the other, and
q great shouting and hauling at ropes the
ship heeled over so suddenly that if ! had
not caught at the rail / must have lost
my footing and for an instant the green
seas seemed to swell up on level with the
slanting deck. as if they would swallow
us bodily. Instead, the sloop. still heeiing
over began to gather way, and presently
was kissing through the water, piling the
white surf before it. only to pour II foam
jng to either side. The haze. like moving
curtain. began 10 glide by us, and. looking
ftraight ahead. L saw a yellow glare that
told of the sun rising over the French
dunes.
The man who had received me, and who
seemed to be the master, returned to my
side. We are under way, sir, he said,
land am glad of it, But you Will like TO
see Mr.. Birkenhead? He would have met
You. but the collie took him as he lay
1n the swell outside DunquerQue whiStling
for a wind. He gets il badly one time. and
one time he is as hearty you are. He is
better this morning. but he is ill enough"
I muttered that l would him by and
by: when he was better. That 1 would lie
down little and
-'Oh. l have got a bunk for you in his
cabin, the master answered briskly. Il
thought you would want to talk state
secrets. Follow me. if you please and look
to your jea-legs. SIR"
He led the way TO a hatch or trap door
and. raising il. began to descend. Not dar-
1rasrf 70 AfaV.-a \ fArrz
ladder into the dark bowels of the ship; the
reek of tar and bilge water. cheese and old
rum growing stronger with every foot we
descended At the bottom of the ladder he
pushed aside sliding panel, and signed tC
me TO pass through the opening / obeyed
and found myself in sort of dog hole
as IL seemed to me. who knew nothing OF
ships cabins-lishted only by span-wide
round window; so dark, therefore. that
stood a moment cropping. and so close and
foul-smelling that my gorge rose.
Out of the gloom came a groan as of q
sick sheep. Here is Sir John, safe and
sound,'' cried the master. in his sea tones
There Is good medicine for you. Mr.. Birk.
enhead- And he peered into the darkness
The only answer was second groan
do you hear. sr?'' the captain repeated
Sir John is here.
A voice feebly yet Enthusiastically d
Sir John and the captain.
The master ehuckled hoarsely. "Set q
frigate behind us. with moose flying a
the yard arm. and there is no man like
him. he said None. Sir John: and
have carried him across seventy times anG
over. sick and well. He should know the
road from the marsh to Southwark, IL any
man does But let him be for the present
and do you lie down in the bunk above
him. and ] will bring you some nantz ant
a crust When he is better he will be a.
glad to see you as If you were his brother
L obeyed, and. fortified by the stronf
waters he brought me. was glad to lii
down. and. under cover of darkness, con
slider my position and what chance l hat
of extricating myself from it. For tn,
time. and probably until reached Dun
querque, i was safe. but what would hap
pen when Birkenhead-the man whom III,
Jacobites called the Royal Post and WHIT
doubtless knew Sir John Fenwick by sigh
what would happen, / say when h,
reused himself. and found that he had no
only taken Off the wrong man, but lef
Sir John to his fate? Would he not be Ger
tain to visit the mischance on my head
Or. IL i escaped his hands, what must
expect. a stranger, ashore in foreign land
with little money and no language at m,
command? i shu'idered at the prospect
yet shuddered more at the thought of Birk