The Washington times., 1901-09-15

HE smiled, and, after chatting in
friendly way for minute or two. said.
Between you and me. Laura. there is
something up with the skipper
'Seasiciz? / asked laughing; for Cap
tain Stocks always shut himself up OF
the first day of a voyage and was be-
ueyod TO be regularly ill., No: something
more serious. He has written long pray
ers in the log 1 laughed again. for the
captain was a powerfully religious Bap-
list, and imagined the owners faces
when they got written taste of his pious
quality.
Jim did not laugh at all.
Don't make game of it, Laura. Pray
ers are mighty serious things. and it goes
against my conscience to see them sand
viched in between the weather and the
days run" 81
.'Then he went dway, and 1 did not see
him again for about a week.
when he next spoke to me- he said,
Did you bring your cork jacket this trip?'
Yes said I, II always bring it. My
dad used to say that. air-belts and india
rubber floats were, ALL fancy rubbish. So
| bought a good cork jacket when l took
to the sea, and always keep it by me-
= Good, said hei, you may come to
need it nu a
81 didn't pay over much heed to jim
| had my passengers to see after, ana one
must take ones risks quietly at sea. One
| cannot get out and walk
| Him hung about me pretty constantly
| during the rext few days, though he did
| not say anything of much account. lie
had clearly something on his mind, ana
as I was too busy to be curious let 1t
| ooze out by itself AT last my indifference
to obscure hints drove him savage. and
| he blurted out, Laura, believe that our
| skipper has gone cracked
...'Sh" l said. You mustn't say that.
1t is near mutiny to say such thing.
THAT brought him up quick, and ne
| turned white.
| ~ only said 1t in confidence between
friends he whispered.
lay, but we're officers Of the ship, jim
We mustn't say what we think even in
| confidence.
You're right: Laura, said he. 1 won I
pass my opinions on the skipper. Still
must tell you one or two queer Things
which he has done He goes on writing
prayers in the log, and worse than pray
| ers-curses. Laura. Black curses on ships
and all that sail in them. AT first our log
was a mixture of seamanship and piety,
while now the seamanship is pretty well
crushed out and the piety is fast losing
ground. The logbook will be a regular
Combination Service soon. 1t Is true that
the skipper takes sights every day and
marks off the vessel place on the chart.
but he hasn't laid down the course for a
week past We know more or less where
we are each day at noon, but between
| whiles We are Just cruising biindfold We
ldon't know our speed, our ieeway, or any
thing. Though it may not matter much
here, where there's plenty OF room, now
| about Madeira and the naIrows beyond
| Ushant?
Are YOU sure, jim? Take time and
make certain
=" Il am certain sure, Laura This vessel
isn't being navigated. She's just zigzag-
sing from noon to noon, and running the
devils own course in between And, tc
make things worse, the old man looks as
grave and dependable as British ad'
niral. II he broke out and killed a pas
senger or two. We might get the pui
against him. AS 1t is we are just hetp-
less
what does the first officer say?'
Even il he is beginning to take notice.
At least 1 gress so, for he said today, %
suppose the old man Is keeping private
log
Doesn't he think the, prayers and
things odd?'
Bless you, no. He's Scot, and pietJ
comes as natural to him as whisky. Wha
we call cursing he calls the solemn re-
proof of the ungodiy."
"F.And ry'poor passengers have to tak'
their chances?
a.. lust SO. A precious thin chance, too
/ call it,
a. Jim I said earnestly, give youl
mind TO those poor things singing yonde
| in the saloon, and try to shape out wa.
to pull them through
"I will. Laura he said. and went ava.
to his duty.
"The next day he came back to me.
1--WE have PASSED Madeira he said
. And upon my word I'm surprised. l ex
pected TO knock up against it In tn
night. l.ls
=" Come, that's better. Perhaps you ar
making too much of the skipper's quee
freaks - ~
81 Not a bit. The sea Is a mighty bi
, thing. and Madeira is by comparison
very small thing. That's why We misse
/. hitting It. There's little merit In tina
, kind of craftsmanship. Just you wait un
| til we get into the Channel. my dear.
. Have you thought of anything 10
US to do?'
I'VE can't do anything at ALL
"'why not?'
Because Captain Stocks is the maste
, of this vessel, and there is no authortt
afioat which can interfere with him. ]
| he would break out raving mad. it's jus
, possible that the doctor would take tn
| responsibility of locking him up. The
the first officer would succeed to the CON
mand But the skipper would have to c
, powerful bad-so bad that he couldn't ru
| us all in for mutiny when he came
: shore
> $50 as he is only mad enough to thro'
, away the ship and hundreds of innocer
lives. he must be allowed to do it in an
r way he pleases.
Il spoke bitterly. for my heart was sor
, for my passengers.
. That's so. If he would only kill on
+ or two. we might save the rest; as 1t
| we must be content to lose the lot, an
our own lives we'll
Have you spoken to the doctor?
I Not direct Still Eve been egging hi
I on to talk to the skipper about religion
thought that the old man might give hin
II self away and start the doctors susp
n cions 1t wasn't a bit of good. Our do'
tor is young chap just out or hospita
and the skipper is cunning enough TO pei
the whole College of Physicians. Mir
, you, l don't blame the doctor. l should
- taken in the same myself If | hadn't see
:, the log, and hadn't known the happy-g'
- lucky way in which we were tempting Il
n ocean.
n lis nothing to be done?' I asked in d
oil rms