The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-06
a,-arms,'' inquiries the skipper netting out

a,-armsg' inquiries the skipper melting out
justice.
oh. a word here and there. sir: MOTH
ing very bad l found him easy enough
to handle. He had been on the beach,
and the heat, sir; the heat" and when
the Legs grins the skipper has TO turn
his head TO the hammock netting for a
moment. The man whose part is thus
taken by a Legs is In for nothing but
mild roast at the hands of the command
ing officer. We're the chief msster-at-
arms to tell the fun story of the mans
misbehavior. the latter would probably
have a ten-day trick In irons TO so
through. For the Legs surely has the
bulge az the mast He can be either the
prosecuting attorney or the attorney for
the defense. No other fact needs 70 be
set down to illustrate the value Of the
chief msster-at-arm's good VIII
The stick ordeal passed through, the
Legs returns the sentenced prisoner TO the
brig. and has a look in on the solitary
man. There is nearly always one man
confined In the ships solitary, an offender
on somewhat heavy scale usually await
ing trial by general court-martisl. The
man-o'-war solitary lie no easy one II Is
black dark and not much more in length
or width than the inches both ways OF
the average man. The Legs himself at
tends TO the wants of the solitary or soii-
taries
No other man of the ships company Ia
permitted to have anything TO do with
the solitary. The solitary is. of course
not permitted TO smoke But he has a
smoke occasionally. The Legs always
has an extra pipe and bit of tobacco
on hand and II ls no great job for him
to stand In front OF the solitary cell
looking bland and az ease, while the soli-
tary is having his little smoke. for the
officer Of the deck must not know that
ft@.s a.4te e
bacco
There Is hardly day in port that the
Legs Is not sent ashore along toward
noon TO hunt up derelicts Derelicss are
the liberty breakers carousing on the
beach, regardless OF the fact that their
services aboard are needed and that pun
ishment awaits them when they return
aboard for overstsying their leaves.
The Legs is called for by the command
ing officer and he gets list OF the uber-
~ breakers, who must be returned aboard
willy-nilly
The Legs hops into the steam cutter and
goes after the derelcts. He always re-
turns with them. He may be gone for
some hours, he may be gone for day,
but when he comes on TO the ship, In
shore boat or cutter he has the men he
went after along with him. Usually he
knows just where 10 put his hand on
them. man who Is sufficiently expert
about every port in the world that men
of-war visit Also he knows the hnunts
of these ports OF the men-o wars men. He
has visited them all himself before he be-
came n Legs. so he makes hts little
tour unerringly. In Shanghai or IN Tan
gier
Then. all day long and during some OF
the hours Of the night. the Legs must
have his eve and ear httuned to the
breaks of the minor offenders aboard ship
the man who splits on the deck for ex-
ample. Him the Legs marches to the
mast on the double. and the untidy sailor
wears a spitkit slung around his neck by
a strap for the ensuing twenty-four hours
that Is. the waking portion OF them.
The man who sneaks smoke below
decks is another OF the frequent victims
of the Legs. Smoking IL only permit led
on the spar deck. on account of the mag
azines. But the fool sailor. too lazy to
go above for his smoke. tries to Whit at
hts pipe by stealth, and always lands In
the brig in irons
Another hefty job Of the Legs IA the
watching OF hundreds OF men at meal.
times to whom beer is served out. The
Legs serves out the beer in bottles and
the men are required 10 drink II on the
spot, and are not permitted TO take II
for'ard for fear OF their slowing II up In
secret places for sixabie DRINKS n would
seem out OF the question for the Legs TO
serve out the bottles and 70 watch the
disposition made OF tho beer made by all
hands. But he does ~. The man who
watches his chance and attempts TO stick
a couple OF bottles of beer under HIS shirt
to carry for'ard and stow away for ia.
ture reference after more bottles are ac-
cumuiated. almost always finds himself
focused In the eve OF the Legs before be
succeeds. and there Is the mast for him
Eternal vigilance is the price OF the
Jimmy Legs rating badge.--New York
Sun.