The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1901-01-18
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4
JOHN TOPP, PIRATE
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By Weathcrby ChSney and AIck Munro ::
oprypuur. 1000 M wuArurupv mrsNNy AND AInK nUsnn .
ILLUSTRATIONS ny n @ ooULTAA
By Weathcrby Chesney and Alick Munro.


y AtT'' 'tt''t W AH -
Correct me If ! am wrong"
"I'm no scholar" I answered. augrily, !
for his taunt annoyed me. "".r i:r.
land was the goody boy that did his
lessons"
while his friends amused them.
selves with tap wenchcs and pastry
cooks lnsscs."
Maybe" said | with n sheer. But
Jack Topp is gallant enough to prefer
IA pretty lass To "A Greek root any day."
Both good things In their way. But
come, Jack, stand up, put your hands
behind you and tell us all about this
heather fellow. Don't trcmblc so, man.
There's no schoolmastcr behind you
with the birch. I'll correct all stupid
errors you may make. IIa, In, hal"
How long this unsccmly wrangle
would have continued l do not know,
probably till II came to blows. The
two other officers had been listening
with silent dismay, and honest Willie
Trchalion had been looking from one
TO the other and pulling the skin cap
about over his smooth head till his
sconce fairly shone. What II was all
about he knew no more than n powder
tub, but he thought 1t about time to
break into the quarrel, and maybe he
was none too soon.
masters, mastcrs!' he cried. "IIa'
done with this unsccmlincss! The quar-
rel on deck there might be excuse for:
the quarrel down here none. Here
you're going ut II tongs an hammer,
hammer an tongs, fathom o. one, six
foot o. t'other, TIL there baint n bean
TO choose BET 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 a 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 0fttimes gets
hanged. Job. you graceless loon, what
cause to come grinning down here
for?"
"Glass III out, uncle. My watch
over"
captain Ireland, then It's your next
watch. an I 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 %broodlng, broodlng.
brooding. To quarrel with my sworn
shlpmate, and about such a trife too!
Fool that I was. That we had had n
serious wrangle and one whose Ons
quenccs might easily bode III for the
success OF our venture there was no
doubt. but on looking back OF what
had passed I was almost as much fog
| ged as Willie 1'rehalion to know what
the cause OF II all was. Fool, l called
myself, and. again, fool!
Nep came to me and showed his cold
nose against my cheek, and | rubbed
his coarse, scrubby Goa and coaxed
him to lie down. was grateful to
him, for l felt less wretched with a
companion, though he were nothing
but a 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 ! ave no sign of being
7 awake, Presently he began to smile
to himself, and then. turning his gait.
made straight for my bunk.
Jack, old boy, l was the bigger fool
OF the two"
mo, Alec; ! was by far"
mo, |. 1t was my throwing the dice
box through the port that started It,"
~ 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 feyers, several others were un.
doubleday sickening for them, and the
rest were so scared that they were
pretty sure to catch the i'll on the frs,
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 OWL eXertions. Any
thing was better than letting the meu
stand trembling In idleness. But II
was not till past midday that the stew
ing air was tempered with a breeze
from the sea, which filed our sails and
gave us Roadway against the sluggish
For Ave 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 ant
the dread OF Alec's pistol In the maya
zine they would have turned the ship.
beak to the sea again at any hazard.
On the afternoon Of the sixth day
We opened N into a broad, clear flow
, ing river. and before nightfali we wer,
anchored in a snug little bay with
! pile of bright colored fruits on deck
whose luscious freshness tempted tn,
men TO brave a sudden death from
i overeating,
, None, however, was any the wors
for this change of diet, though the sur
q geon shook his head and suggested
good bloodletting all around as a pre-
vpntiva of nnSsihIa ayiIs Tho cinI