Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-02-06
NJ. 8. RAvAGER

WITH an 0cc1ueut' CSc"uo
L - up channel during the night
she had colllded with bark out from
=; and, though no one could quite tell
how the mishap occurred, 1t was per.
fectly clear that the bark had gone
down, and that the ram Of the warship
was In a damaged condition. H. NJ. 3.
Ravager was accordingly put into dry
dock for repairs.
As very often happens at this place
where the vessel was locked. convlcts
were at work upon the quays. They
were mixed lot; but, being good-con-
duct men, they all enjoyed q greater
freedom Of action In the discharge OF
"tssir duties than Ii ordinarily extend.
"a to the enforced working guests Of
the nation. Yet, notwithsta nding this
unspoken testimony to their compare
tive worth. the commander Of the Raw.
ager was less disposed than usual to
place trust In them. lie was In . Zero
cious humor. for that little affair with
the bark was not unlikely to interfere
with his promotion. There would be
an inquiry, of course, and what Chris.
tian ever could tell what COMPOUNDED
foolishness and injustice the "nndlng"
might yield? He cursed the bark, and
the ill.luck and the navigating lieuten-
ant whom Mt one time he had left on
the bridge, each with impartial fury;
and put a double guard Of marines
ashore. with fixed bayonets and ball
cartridge. and an emphatic instruction
to play the very devil with those jail.
birds II they tried on amy Of their ours
ed nonsense"
The extra precautlon was scarcely
necessary. To do Justice to these un.
willing residents within the shadow Of
the broad arrow, they had no evil do
signs upon her Majesty's warship.
Their hostility to an unappreciative
country did not rise to quite 10 great .
height rs that. All the same, the com.
mandcr might very easily have Justl.
fied his course Of action (had such been
necessary by the fact that many Of
the convicts were working only few
yards from the dock side and some.
what removed from the warder's immc.
dlate watclfulness: though II would
have been possible to show on the other
hand that, being men whose term Of
scrvitude was almost completed, these
prisoners were perfectly reliable, mas.
much as they could not afford to com.
init any indiscretions calculated to
jeopartlixc their expected early release
on ticket.Of-lcave.
These considerations did not In any
way concern the commander Of II. NJ,
3. Ravager. however. He was merely
resolved to blow the convic.s to the
mischief, individually or collectively, II
they tried on any tricks with his ship;
and In the choicest Of quarterback En-.
glisli gave orders accordingly.
One OF the prisoners was working
quite near to the d0ckside and almost
In the track Of one Of the sentries from
the Ravngcr. Though rather q refined
person In appearance. the degradation
OF his position by no means overwhelm.
ed him with melancholy or distress. II
may have been the consciousness Of
innocence that enabled him to whistle
softly nm air which had served the
street organs some seven years be.
fore and enabled him to view with un.
concern the close proximity Of his fell
bowman. Perhaps he reflected that
those aboard the Ravager were harder
worked prisoners than himself and
that he could AFFORD them q tribe of
pity.
He did not disdain. moreover, to take
advantage Of the situation In which he
found himself; nor was his sensitive.
ness hurt by the silence Of Tommy At.
kins when he endeavored to engage
that worthy In conversation. He was
not discouraged by Tommy's dignity,
and did not hesitate to try again when
guard was changed late In the after.
noon and Private Robert Smith com.
menced his mOnOtOn0us sentry.go.
As It happened Private Smith was In.
tcnsely interested and excited by the
presence Of the cOnvicts. He had good
reason to be. for he remembered with
a vividness and horror that set him
shudderlng how near he had been some
eight years before to just such a deg.
radiation as these men were enduring
He was different parsonage aitogerh.
er nOw-different even In name-to the
slip Of hoy who had thought II dis.
tinction to he the boon companion OF
90 clever and 40 dashing q man "a
Louis VaudOis. The service had made
q man Of him, had effected complete
change In his personal appearance;
while the narrow escape from the con,
victlOn for forgery during the period
OF VaudOis' influence had so frightened
him from wild ways that there was
now no steadler member of her Males
ty'R red marines than Private Smith
sometime Roger Vanbrugh. But In one
respect he did not alter. He remained
Stanch TO n savage hatred against the
man who had certainly brought ruin
into his life. and by scoundrelly insin
uating manners and methods had nj
most sent him into surroundings like
unto those upon which he had gazed
with such fascination ever since thu
Ravager had been f0ated into dock II
Ia true the charge against him at the
Oil Bailey had not been sustained
through a defending counsel's clever
manipulation Of evidence imperfectly
presented by the prosecution; but III
hated Louis Vaud0ls no less passion
ately ON that account. for he had but t.
recall those terrible hours spent before
his judges-the miserable twistings
feelings. and haltings OF the evidence
and, above all, the justness Of thu
charge, to All his heart with such herct