Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-11-29

hasn't got US yet"
l shuddered and drew back without
answering.
Come. come said Alec with some
show of anger Don't let US have
any more of this nonsense. | was a
fool to take any part in your child's
game"
The Roman admiral threw his omen
giving chickens overheard" said l
gloomily. land two-thirds of his fleet
was destroyed"
Alec turned to me sharply. and there
was a haunting smile on his face.
Turned pedant. Jack? didn't know
you were such Il scholar. Perhaps
you'll favor us with an account of the
circumstances. The foolish birds re-
fused their corn, if l remember rightly.
| Correct me if J am wrong"
Tn no scholar" answered angrily,
| for his tauBi annoyed me. "Alec Ire
| land was the goody boy that did his
| lessons"
While his friends amused them
selves with tap wenches and pastry
cooks lasses."
| Maybe" said | with n sneer. But
Jack Topp is gallant enough to prefer
a pretty lass to a Greek root any day."
Both good things in their way. But
rome. Jack stand up, put your hands
behind you and tell US all about this
| heather fellow. Don't tremble so, man.
| There's no schoolmaster behind you
| with the birch. III correct all stupid
| errors you may make. Ha. ha, ha!'
How long this unseemly wrangle
| would have continued | do not know,
| probably TIL it came to blows. The
| two other officers had been listening
| with silent dismay, and honest Willie
| Trehalion had been looking from one
| to the other and pulling the skin cap
| about over his smooth head till his
| sconce fairly shone. What 1t was all
| about he knew no more than powder
| tub, but he thought it about time to
| break into the quarrel. and maybe he
| was none too soon.
Masters, mastersv' he cried. "Ha'
| done with this unseemliness! The quar-
rel on deck there might be excuse for;
| the quarrel down here none. Here
| you're going at 1t tongs an hammer,
hammer an tongs, fathom O one, six
| foot O. tother, till there baint a bean
to choose between you. And this, too,
| when we ought all to be knit together
! by reason o. common enemies"
| Alec turned away impatiently, but
| he did not interrupt the boatswain,
| who went on:
Captain Ireland. many good ships
been cast away through her captain
quarrelIng with his officers. Master
| Topp an officer who can't keep a civil
| tongue for his superiors ofttimes gets
hanged. Job, you graceless loon, what
cause to come grinning down here
forT
"Glass run out. uncle. My watch
over"
Captain Ireland. then it's your next
watch. an / hope you'll pardon an old
mariner for plain speaking when 1t was
needed"
without a word Alec left the cabin
and went on deck.
Through the whole Of that watch
| lay In my bunk brooding, brooding.
brooding To quarrel with my sworn
shIpmate, and about such a trif1e too!
Fool that l wasl That we had had a
serious wrangle and one whose conse-
quences might easily bode Ill for the
success Of our venture there was no
doubt but on looking back on what
had passed I was almost as much fog
ged as Willie Trehalion to know what
the cause of 1t all was Fool. called
myself, and, again, fool!
-. l.l .N..Id
nose against my cheek, and ! rubbed
his coarse. scrubby coat and coaxed
him to lie down. / was grateful to
him. for felt less wretched with
companion, though he were nothing
but cat But then Nep was not as
other cats.
After his watch was out Alec came
below, and by the dim light of the horn
lantern which hung to the beams
could see him pacing the other side Of
the cabin thwart ships. He could not
see me, and ! gave no sign OF being
awake. Presently he began to smile
to himself and then, turning his gait.
made straight for my bunk.
Jack, old boy, / was the bigger fool
Of the two"
"No. Alec; was by far"
mo, /. 1t was my throwing the dice
box through the port that started It."
81 proposed the dice"
Come. come; we won't dispute
again. I'll test you with jacks of ale"
We tied; | won, and from that mo-
ment the quarrel was never mentioned.
Next morning nine men were down
with fevers. several others were un-
doubtedly sickening for them, and the
rest were SO scared that they were
pretty sure to catch the Ill on the first
opportunity.
There was no wind to drive the fetid
mists away, and so we had to get a
boat and tow the Bristol Merchant up
stream by our own exertions Any
thing was better than letting the men
stand trembling In idleness But 1t
was not till past midday that the stew
ing air was tempered with n breeze
from the sea, which filed our sails and
gave us headway against the sluggish
current
For five days did we tow, pole and
sail through this awful canal. Nine
men died. Almost all were sick, and
but for the promise OF the pagan and
the dread OF Alec's pistol In the maya
zine they would have turned the ships
beak to the sen again at any hazard.
On the afternoon Of the sixth day
we opened out into n broad, clear flow
Ing river. and before nlghtfall we were
anchored in n snug little bay with
pile of bright colored fruits on deck,
whose luscious freshness tempted the
men TO brave sudden death from
overeating
None. however, wns any the worse
for this change OF diet, though the sur
geon shook his head and suggested
good bloodletting NIL around as pre-
ventlve of possible evils. The sick
men, except one who was too far gone
TO recover. mended as though under n
spell.
During our voyage up the mighty
stream we were able to revcl In fresh
meat, too, for the forests aboundcd
In game, and the Devon and Somerset
men. who had poachcd scores OF noble
stays on brown. boggy Exmoor. sent
their cloth gard arrows and The cross
bow bolts into many fine water buck
as he CA me from the deep cover5J TO
gaze wondcringly with his great eyes
on the strange craft That was furrow-