The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-02
be Ships Bdpenfure.
RUSSELL copynghs 1899. moclv,. c.,
Chapter v.-ConcIuded.
BY w. CLARK RUSSELL

tain sitting at Ene nead OF the table witt
little Johnny on Sais right. You will con.
sider 1t early for supper, but at sea tht
last meal is always called supper. and
after this they eat no more in the cabin
There was plenty, and II. was good Of Its
kind; ham, cold fowl, colo sausage, sal
beef. biscuit, cheese and salt butter. A
decanter Of rum gloWed deep and ricI
within reach Of the captains arm. A
large globe lamp sparkled brigistiy over
head, and the scene was a sea B'icture
or hospitality and comfort, sWeeEenec
into tender human character by the
presence of the boy who sat on the rig1It
hand OF his father. Sailor the great dog;
lay beside the captain on the deck He
was too dfgnified to beg; too well trained
TO expect. He knew his time would
come, and lay patient in the nobility of
his shape
Hardy sat at the foot Of the table. 1t
was the custom in this ship for the cap
tain and mate to eat together, and when
the mate was done he relieved the deck
till the second officer had finished. The
captain gave the little boy slice Of cold
chicken and white biscuit, and filled
his glass with water. The swing trays
Swayed softly as pendulums to the deli
cate heave of the evening waters, the
bulkheads creaked, the rudder Jared as
the swell rolled, and you could hear
family the jump of the wheel chains to
the sharp but swiftly arrested shear Of
the tiller.
The captain with his cap off disclosed
a lofty but receding brow, rounding
with something of the curve of the egg
Shell at the temples, and his long hair
and the growth about his cheeks and
chin made him look more like a poet
than salted skipper. Hardy had taken
notice that he stared at the men he
talked to, which Is contrary to the no.
ton that the insane have a wander
ing eye. But that Capt. Layard was
not absolutely right in his mind the
young sailor was convinced, as he sat
at the foot of the table cutting himself a
plate of beef and ham
Capt. Pearson made poor passage on
the whole, I've understood" said Capt
Layafd, referring to the commander he
had replaced. HE was a very cautious
man, furled his royals every second dog
watch, and would snug his ship down to
the first hint in the glass to save call
all hands"
L was told he was loved by his crew
sir" answered Hardy. 'And he seems
to have been the most humane COM
mander that ever sailed out Of the port
of London"
well, it is right that sailors should
be treated as men," said Layard staring
at Hardy; '.but most of them are fools
they are children, they don't or can't tin
derstand things" He put down his knife
and fork, drew out handkerchief and
wiped the palm Of his hands, then pour
ed Wineglass of rum into tumbler
and, filling the glass with water, swaI-
lowed the ruddy draught.
Some more biscuit, father" said the
child.
An expression of tenderness, even like
that which might spring from a mothers S
heart, softened the captains singular
and striking face as he looked at the boy
whilst he gave him a biscuit He stared
again at Hardy.
Sailors said he, don't See things
from right point of view. There was q
seaman who wanted a Blackwell cap to
wear at the wheel. To make it he cut
up his go-ashore breeches, and to trim
and bind the edges he cut up a new Dun
garee jumper. The cap cost him a pound,
but he believed he had got it for nothing
because he had made it himself"
Whilst Hardy was laughing, for the
captain told this story in a dry manner
and with a twinkle Of eye that certainly
did not hint at insanity, voice was
heard in the companion way:
There's heavy fog rolled down upon
u.s. sir, and IT'S as thick as cheese to the
ships Sides
1t was the voice of Mr. Candy, the sec
ond mate, and a moment after his step
could be heard I'm the plank overhead as
he walked TO and fro to the bulwark rail-
The captain sprang UP and went on
deck; Hardy continued to eat his supper,
and talked to the little boy. 1t was his
watch below, and he was too old a shell
to quit the meal until all hands should
be summoned. which a quiet fog, how
ever dense, topped by a reassuring ba
rometer, was not likely to occasion.
The fog, nevertheless, had rolled down
quickly through the gloom of the early
night on the gust Of the black breeze,
still nor west. Black 1t was. Nothing
was visible of the ship but a few spokes
of light, like the arrested darting of
rneteoric fibres spiking from the glass on
the siSylight In. q fiery arch. When the
darkness of the night dyes the darkness
of fog then the universal blackness Is so
deep that you might think the solid globe
had vanished In the center of space,
death dark and silent moonless and star
less, chaotic with dumb masses of the
deep electric dye.
This night the fancy would have been
easily inspired by the hush upon the sea,
for the sails foated stirless; there was
not wind enough to brush the salt curve
into the expiring hiss of foam, and the
invisible swell so lightly swayed the
eclipsed fabric that only now and again
did you catch the sad note of the SEA,
sobbing along the bends, and hiddenly
passing away into the short wake fr siehs
and tones of weeping.
''Mr Candy" called the captain.
Sir" came the answer out Of the scft
invisibility In which the bulwarks abreast
were buried.
They came together in the spokes OF ra
dance about the skylight.
"Clew up all three royals anu furl them.
Let go all three topgallant halliards: The
sails may hang Haul up the mainsail:
brazil in the mizzen, and down flying and
outer jibs, topmast and topgaliant stay
sails, but leave the sails unfurled. See
that your side lights are burning bright
ly, and bend your sharpest ear over the
water for a noise. Was anything in sight
before this smother rolled down?'
II saw nothing, sir. Tt was a bit thick
before the fog came along, and then It
came in a wall"
The captain went to the side to lock
over and mark the ships pace, and the
second mate began to sing out. One watch
sufficed There was little to do but let go
with the drag Of the down hauls; and the
clews of the great mainsail rose to the
sings to the sound of few ocean yelrs
and Chiiirnan chorus. The men were
not to be seen until they ran up against
you. They felt for the ropes, and their
footballs were like the pattering Of dead
leaves on pavement to a sudden air of
wind. strangely threading with the shore
going sound the squeak Of the sheave,
the rasp of rope, and the soft scraping OF
parrel descending the creased topgallant
heights. The side lights were reported as
burning bravely.
The ship now had little more than steer
age way, and the captain, after locking
at the compass, and after repeating his
instructions to the second mate to keep
his best ear seawards and on either bow.
said he would send the dog on deck, and