The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-10


challenge or didn't want to. and some o
the men had even begun to snore. l was
Jest droppin' off TO sleep myself, when a
snorer at the other end O. the tent sud-
denly raps out an cath. and his boot
comes whiZzin' down the gangway.
a. The next swab as plays me that trick,
he grumbles, viii ave to take off his too
mix to me in the mornin'.'
what trick, chum?' ! asks. ehuckin'
him back his boot
Putin his icy cold foot on my face
he says, indignant.
1T didn't sound nice. some ow. ana IN!
cart commenced to beat a devils tattoo
under the blankets. But nobody said
nothin'. and If It 'adn't been for the
tiurnpin' Of dozen gallant carts besides
mine you might ave heard pin drop.
Presently, 'owever, he drummer, who
slep' next to the corpril, calls out some
thin beneath his bedclo'hes-
What is Sticks a-sayin'?' asAes one o
the men anxiously-
He's only talkin' in his sleep says the
corpril. III.
No, he amt" pipes the boy in ms
Ugh treble but somebody's a-"alNih III
hist' -,
.sTbis statement was received with
most OnPOrnfnrtanle Slltiltt Va Sc'N''A
Iites. Then the man next to me oet''hs
'urriedly 10 scramble into ms trousers
The kid 5 quite right he says and
know b,oomin' well who the sleep-watker
is
=. evvho9, enouires a dozen voices at once.
The Blank File. says the man. ana
has lookin' for sleepin' billet that's
what he's a-doin' Of. But he ain goih
no say
he bolts out o the tent.
In another minute there was nobody
ca fer as we knew-ieft inside Of ii. We
ali wanted TO keep the sentry company
till daylight
Mr. Pagett paused to refill his pipe. an
onaratfon he effected with characteristic
Observation-Disclosures from my pouch
feigned to be ponderinE his last words
after such a night OF horror, l haz-
srded. The daylight must indeed have
been a welcome relief
He slipped the pouch with charming mai
vstte into his pocket. y GA marx tline d
biz. he said Il 'aveu't finished with that
night Of 'orror yet
/ murmGreG an apology
No he continued. Before the sun
rose we were destined 10 ave dnother
scare. compared with which the the DINERS
were child : play. II was this way. looh-
.-'The c1rpfiI was eXplainin 10 MT jan
navav. who 'ad come out Of his quarters
In his pyjammers. mat the men couidn
sleep in the mimi tent on account OF tue
hasf and Jauuaway was Just beSnnin 10
talk sarcastic abou: girls scnooi aIfsud
O the dark. when the sentry dro2s ms rlile
with a oiatter that brings all oni saliaht
carts into cur neeks. Hls Ieeih MeIe
ratIin' in his cad like q boNful o dice, you
could ave hung up your coat anu al on
his eyes, and he was pointln TO nus 'front.'
ike a sign most shook by the wind. At
first we thought it was an appieTleuc mt.
but after bit We discovered that ne vas
wfshful for US to look at the jackstan-
The first glimmer o dawn was whiten
in the eastern 'orizon. and there Vas Just
light enough for us to see an eN II OTui-
nary phenomenon that made even de
tachment of marines stare There WASH I
air enough to chill your wetted niger II
was a dead tropical calm; the great JACK
and its 'alyards lay alongside the stan as
n they were glued 10 1t. Yet all of 4 sud
den the lines twanged against the pole ike
a plucked 'arpstrfng!
Five seconds later the thing 'appened
again. and then continued at perfectly
reg'Iar intervals. Not soul as far as We
could see. was within ten yards of that be
witched spar. Yet one thing was quite
plain Someone was fngerin the 6llyaFus
before our very eyes.
Presently Jannaway clears his throat
Am I goin' stark mad, like the rest o
YOU, he asks. uskily- or is there bell
You might have stabbed the silence
which followed with baynit
:" There Is a bell, sir says one o the
men al length . big bell atoiling- l
should judge il to be as far away as Bata-
via, or p'r'aps Plymouth he Saws: but
In either case you may lay 10 it that its
no earthly bell
stampin his foot I wont ave 10 more
of It. Color sergeant he says. As soon
a. it's daylight fan the men IN for bathin'
parade. There's nothin' Ike a sea dip to
III hot k
walks off into the middle o the Island
THE detachment stfolied down TO the
waters edge. while !, dIsOelievin' in ghosts
now that the daylight was comm, sai
down and lit my pipe Al first ! watched
the sunrise. and it seemed to me that the
day was eettin' up with a most disreputa-
bic black eve. Across the red an green
an orange Inflammation Of the daEn was
stuck a dark patch that In the case of a
pore soldier would ave got him confined 10
the baTTicks for a fortnight But after a
bit my attention was attracted - lAetteii-
ant Januaway who was peer.n' lander a
great ledge o. rock a couple Of undrec
yards away. Presently he stood up, and
beckoned to me.
Tel me what you see in there he
says. when l reached MIN.
- You ought to know. ] says, Iorpin
my face after I'd looked into the ole
you've been staTin' al II for the list five
minutes
o. lent yagabond.' he says. Our nerves are
all endHIys, and p'r'aDs I've been mis-
took
round shot mixed up with a urnan skele
I thought So he returns. with sigh
of relief Bat since this Island IS moo
born baby. in a manner o speat1n', !
ticks me 'ow them things come there
'P'r'aps' says /. after ihinkiE' har,
for some moments. they were born wit!
the bloomin' baby
h
you'd better 20 and fail In with the rest
Now, AZ / was caTryin nv T'5unde'
feelin's back 10 my comrades, j. st.'itenE
struck me that the dawn wasn't breAkin
as quickly as Il does in those iaito01z
The black patch over the days eye ma
covered the entire face OF the eastern sky
and was sureadiu TO the zenith fJele
than the daylight Itself 1t was pitlr
from the iueeszsnt twiukiin'. that tropi
cal thunderstorm WIS comm up with N
sgn. and you may take my word for )
that bare rock IN mfdocean Amt tn
safest place 90 see one from.
'-The detachment 'ad already urdressed
aud were bein' mustered hy the co'or ser
geant. 50 ! slipped OF my clothes an
joined them
Before the muster was over the morn
In -ad grown mreh dsrlSeE than the nigh
'ad ever been. aud the sky above us wa
like n great velvet pail with It's border
trailip' IN the sea. Long zisZag rents weT
torn IN the pail about once every second
nor was there any interval IN the crib.
dtn o the thunder. Luckily Nc escapes
the rainfall but We Cnilld ear Il hissir
on the sea mile away Ike forty thousan
locomotives BLOWN of steam.
las II was too dark TO battle and TO
dangerous 10 go into the tent where I'll
arms were JannaWay fell US in two dee
IN rear OF H. Before very long, 'owevet
the eastern edge OF the pail began % If
and a streak o. crimson sky appeared be-
meath e. Then the streak w!dened: orang
showed above the red. primrose above u