Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-27


warks."
so.
Come along below" commanded the
| skipper and both men followed him.
Down in his bunk they found the cook.
Boys" said the captain, there amt
no time to go into long explanations
but l want you to know right here and
now that you're all in awful bad shape
and that I'm the only man about ship
who can keep on his pegs"
| The amazement on the faces of the
| three gradually grew into shrewd in
tclligence as they stared into the
| tWinkling eyes of the "old man.
| Jest tell us what the trouble is with
u.s. said Berual, ''and We'll be the
sickest fellers you ever seed in about
two flip of the flying jib."
Wal" said the captain, II amt so
| good a liar as | wish | was but | guess
it will be likely enough if truck fell
| and broke your jaw, Ozarias, fractured
your collar bone and broke Berual's
leg. eh?" and the skipper exuded grin
from his wrinkles.
"Hain't that putting consid'able re-
sponsibility on one truck, cap'n?"
There amt no telling what a truck
will do on a rampage" cheerfully re-
piled the captain.
Forthwith he bundled the toothachy
OZaras into his bunk and made him
wrap more elabrate bandages about his
head and shoulders. Then he obliged
Berual to remove his trowsers and
hastily but neatly he strapped a bit of
board upon the cooks leg, bandaging
it with strips from the dishcloths.
I'D kind of like to know the nature
of my complaint" broke in Constant
Judkins, so that l can be practicin'."
The captain pondered. II suppose
might have your arm broken" he said
obviously.
But one block couldn't very we'll
knock out the whole crew We've got
to have a little variety, for them frog
eaters are suspicious cusses. Ever
have yeller janders ?" he asked Judkins
No"
Wal. all you have got to do Is TO
lay still and haul your mouth doWn.
I'll daub on a little siush." and tn"
captain skillfully rubbed some Of tn"
yellow oil over the mates face.
Now look sick all-fired sick. all of
YOU" commanded the captain as n"
prepared to go on deck and receive the
prize crew AS he went up the ladder
ne called back in a whisper. It'll help
you to look sicker if you Will recolieCt
that the frog eaters have a way of
Sitting wizens when they suspect
shenanigan."
And he left.
OF the Frenchmen who came over the
side none could talk English and the
captain couldn't talk French. Yes he
could-he could say Bong shur." but
on that occasion he loftily forebore.
However, when the new arrivals
looked around suspicinusly fer the
crew and unslung their carbines and
appeared to fear ambush. the captain
with many waves of a reassuring hand
and with much "wc-,1t, led two cr
the five below, in much the same man
ner as rooster conducts pullcts to a
worm banquet In pantomime he ex-
planned the sad plight his crew was i'm
and the patients groaned dolefully at
the proper times. He then tried To eX-
plain to the Frenchmen how glad he
W as liit'S iEttl tplllt anu idhtU lllt f1tS-
ter at this time of danger. The mon
didn't appear to grasp that part of the
story, however. But the captain didn't
care. The prize men after a gingerly
examination appeared to think that be-
low decks was just the hospital it VAS
claimed to be and after much inef-
fectual jargon and much gesticulation
they made the captain understand that
he was to stay down and nurse his
men.
The captain was good nurse. He
must have worked the faith cure on his
men for in the deep gloom of the dog
watch three very determined looking
convalescents sneaked barefooted a.
his heels as he wormed aft in the deep
shadow of the Hester's bulwarks.
The night was made for enterprise.
Twas clouded and from the n1irk of
the west a humming breeze sung in the
shrouds and murmured down out Of
the hollows of the sails The prize
crew had disposed itself with the su-
pcrb Indifference based on the condi-
ton of the bizarre collection cf cripples
below decks. One Frenchman v;as at
! the wheel twirlng the spokes lazly as
tIlt StiltbIti tuuse tiit SNt4itiIS SUI -
on her counter. Another pendulumel
back and forward at the head of the
companionway. Still another was
doubled comfortably up on rope-coil
in the lee of the house and the other
two We're presumably below. All the
men on deck We're unarmed for it
wasn't to be supposed that they would
lug around an arsenal to protect them
selves against a nautical invalids
home.
So Capt Dickey miraculously healed
body guard SWooped like a wolf on the
fold. The Frenchmen saw only shad-
ows fitting from the bulwark's S shade
and then they We're on their backs.
The three We're gagged and tied before
they knew where they We're at.
TIL only casualty was when a squirm-
ing Frenchman trod upon Beruals bare
foot. In his anguish the cook let out
howl that started the two men below
on a rush for the deck. They bobbed
out of the companion way like jack
| rabbits, saw the situation and as
quickly juerked themselves back.
They stad barricaded in the cabin
until the schooner came up into Bris-
| tol harbor "a hours later with a bore
in her mouth and the foam bells tink-
| Al ~, tTly in