The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-05-18
AN Old SALTS STORY

the likes of me. l expect you wonder how
an old shell-back Hike ME came to be berth
ed fore-and-aft in a shug little cottage like
this, with nothing in the world to do but
open the gates for the cap'n or his lady
whenever they drives through. But it's Just
pure luck. I
''Why. it was worth an hours hard fight
ing to gain such mssus as mine, not to
mention the lodge here, and the pension or
the copper cross which the wildly herself
pinned on my blouse[IVf course it was the
cross our queen pinned on my breast-not
the cottage or the peRSfon
Il dare say you know more about the ms
and outs of the Egyptian affair of 81 than
l do. An ordinary, abie-bodied seaman
don't go into no question of politics He
leaves that to the officers. All knew was
that there was a row on about a cove what
called himself 'Alibi Pasha,' or some SIGH
outlandish name.
81 was serving aboard the Thunderer at
that time, and we was stewing at Malta
when the order came for us to proceed south
with all speed We reached Alexandria in
time to take part in the bombardment but,
of course, you know all about that. We
stood off and knocked all their old forts and
moskies to smithereens, setting 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 warnt ordered to join force
party to put out the flames our guns had
caused.
1T warn't no joke can tell you, to have
to work in binding smoke pulling down the
old houses and temples, so that the fire
would not spread, specially as some OF the
cowardly riff-raff were takin' pot shots at us
Calv f1n INN
presently l felt someone touch my arm.
Turning. l saw young Lieut.. Grahame with
his face as white as chalk-that is, as far as
l could see through the smoke and dirt with
which he was grimed. Saunders says he,
come along of me at once; that is, if you're
a man. I've got permission, and there's
$50 for you if you find her..
81 can tell you it was no bloomin' picnic,
even at the start The streets were narrow
and quite bewilderng, and the further we
got from our men the worse did 1t become.
Just by way Of change every now and then
we heard the ping Of bullet as 1t lew past
our ears, and all the time we knew 1t would
be just as easy to force a rat out of his
hole as to try and discover the rascals who
fired on us.
Il didn't know till afterward that when
Mai Fortescue 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 he calmly put Off to British
ship lying in the harbor, thinking that all
safe.
"But women are skittish creatures. SO
when the ship she was stopped at Ro
setta, Miss Lucy foolishly resolved to return
overland to her father. Lieut. Grahame met
bo no
major, to tell him that the girl had returned
to the house and was hiding there in great
danger
when we had run on for about 10 min
utes we came across an ugly crowd, who
seemed inclined to dispute the road with us.
Stand clear!' yelled the, capn. as he dragedg
me- into an open doorway. Only just in
time for a perfect storm of bullets Kissed
by me- We slammed the door to, and luck
lily the fastenngs were still good, as we
could hear the mob ,hammering against it
and endeavoring to blow the lock open.
"'Quick. up here! again shouted the
capn, leading the way up some crazy stone
steps on to the fiat root. There was kind
of hatchWay over the STAIRS and this We
managed to clap on in half tick AS luck
would have it. we also found pile Of loose
masonry which had fallen from the dome of
a temple place next door.
when l had shoveled about half a ton of
this rubbish to the hatch, 1 thinks it
time to have a spell and take our bearings.
I looks around, but couldn't see the cap'n
nowhere.
"Just then 1 heard his voice yelling and
shouting curses in an awful manner and,
running in the direction of the sound, l
found him waving his arms and stamping
about as if he was balmy on the crumpet.
" Look at the fends, he rOared, dancing
with rage. Now, Lucy, I'm coming, dear
est
And l believe he would have jumped over
the paraDet, a sheer drop of 60 feet, if l
hadn't cinched his coat with both hands.
There across the narrow street we
two English females crouched on the oppo-
site roof. The lower part of the building
was in flames, and in the street below crew
of yellow mongrels were shouting and
brandishing their guns.
THE roof we was standing on had flag
staff in the middle, and in a moment like
it came to me that this spar was to be the
salvation of them two girls.
" Help me pull the stick down. Grahame,'
I shouted forgetting his rank in the furry
of the moment. He catched on my meaning
at once, and we both tugged away for dear
life. In a brace of shakes we had the spar
down and stretched across between the two
roofs. The next minute my boots were off,
and l was across before the chaps below
had time to think what l was adding of.
MRS Grahame--I mean Miss Lucy, as she
was then--like true woman. wanted to
stand and argufy with her maid as to who l
should take first but cut their tackle short
by selling the young lady in my arms and
starting Off
"As soon as ever I stepped out on the
boom hoarse shout came from below, more
like the roar of wild animals than anything
else Then could hear their pOpguns going
off; but there couldn't have been a decent
shot in the whole bilin of EN- or we should
never have got across.
Before you could count two had placed
the purity creature in the cap'ns arms and
was half way back again.
"'Come along, my lass l said. And
without whimper the plucky gal came right
to the edge of the roof to meet me.
"Then the worst part of the beanfeast be-
gan. Afore I had taken half dozen steps
a bullet plugged through my cheek, and !
spit out two Of my best biscuit crushers
Polly, too-that's the missus' name-got
nasty scratch. though didn't know that till
afterward Then feels a singing pain
above the right knee, and, thinks l, It's all
up this time, Tom, my boy when feels the
-