Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-10-27
ROOF TO ROOF.

II expect you wonder how an old she'll
back like me (that s what they calls us in
the navy came to be berthed fore and aft
in a snug little cottage like this, with
nothing in the world to do but open the
gates for the cap'n or his lady-bless her
heart l-whenever they drives through.
But, as I said afore, it's just pure luck.
Why, it was worth an hours hard fight
ing to gain such a missus as mine, not to
the lodge here and the pension
Or the copper cross which the dear old
Wildly herself pinned OF my blouse.
"Howsumdever, 1 reckon I car spin a
yarn. If you care to hear how Captain
Grahame and me rescued they who was to
be our future missuses from a host of blood
thirsty demons, you had better heave to
on your seat and help yourself to the 'bac-
ca, which l can guarantee as the genuine
broad arrow brand, and Gale lated to warm
the cookies of any man what is a man.
II dare say you know more about the
ms and outs of the Egyptian affair of 1889
than l do. An ordinary ablebodied sea-
man don't 6. into no question of poly
tics. He leaves that to the officers. All
1 hL0W was ulhu pLOIo was q loWO A uDOuV
a cove what called himself 'Alibi Pasha,'
or some SIGH %outlandish name. They are
al 'pashas' out in Egypt, excepting a few
copper colored chaps who goes by the
names of 'shrieks' and 'cakes'-I hear
our Tommies have been making 'em
groan a bit lately-just the same as every
one is a count or a markiss in Italy and q
kernel in America.
Gas usual, England and France were
mixed up In the scrimmage. I was serv-
ing aboard the Thunderer at that time,
and we was stewing at Malta when the
welcome order came for us to proceed
south with all speed. We men knowed
there was something brewing by the
eager way the officers talked to one anoth-
or, and we concluded it must be serious
by the extra cutlass and gun drill we had
to do.
"We reached Alexandria in time to take
part in the bombardm emit, but of curse
you know all about that. Poor devilsl
1t warn't such fun for us. They had some
very good guns, but they were badly
served, and after the first half hour they
were nearly all silent, only just splitting
occasionally.
'sWe stood off and knocked all their old
forts and moskies to smithereens, setting
a good part of the town afire before they
would give in. Then, when the signal to
cease fire was flying and l was reckoning
to enjoy a rest, be blowed if I warn't or
dered to join q shore party which the ad-
miral was sending to put out the flames
guns had caused.
"It warn't no joke, I can tell you, to
have to work in binding smoke pulling
down the old houses and temples so that
the fire should not spread, specially al
some of the cowardly riffraf were taking
pot shots at US from the narrow streets
all the time. There we was Shaving away,
with the perspiration dropping off us, and
our parched tongues hanging out of our
mouths, and not a blessed drop of nothing
to drink all the time.
presently l felt some n touch my
arm. Turning, l saw young Lieutenant
Graham with his face as white as chalk
that is, as far as / could see through the
smoke and dirt with which he was grim.
ed. Saunders says he, come along Of
me at once-that is, If you're a man. I've
got permission, and there's 210 for you II
we find her.
"'Aye, aye, sir, says l, wondering who
VIZ were to find, but knowing my betters
too we'll to ask questions, and being only
too glad to get out of that hell of smoke
and flames.
'sThe captain-leastwise he was only a
lieutenant then-snatched up a broad
c~utlass, and we started at a dog
trot into the thicker part of the town.
II can tell you 1t was no blooming pic
mic, even at the start. The streets wert
narrow and quite ~bewildering, and the
farther we got from our men the worse
did 1t become. On every side we saw scowl'
ing yellow faces peeping at us from the
windows and roofs of the tall houses. You
see, we had not yet occupied the place, and
1t was full of the defeated Egyptians and
worse SCUM, always SO plentiful in these
cities. just by way of change, ev.
cry now and then we heard the ping OF a
bullet as it flew past our ears and all tho
time we knew it would be just as easy to
force a rat out of his hole as to try and dis
cover the rascals who fired Mt us, hidden
away as they were in the large, rambling,
half ruined buildings by which we were
surrounded.
II may as we'll tell you now what !
didn't know till afterward and that Is,
when Major Fortescue, who was a gentle
man holding some official position in
Alexandria, heard there was likely to be
trouble, he sent his daughter Lucy, With
her maid and native servant, round to her
aunt at Port Said by boat, and when the
row really came h. calmly put off to q
~.