Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-31

| 1t was after the Spanish fleet had sunk
| under American fire. 1t was before Manila
| surrendered Six transports lay anchored
| off Cavite, protectingly encircled by the
| ships of the American fleet. Within the
circle were also some merchant sailing ships
| discharging Australian coal into navy light
| ers. Outside the circle We're anchored the
| foreign warships-German, French, Japan
| ese and English My idea In making this
| plain is simply to show that the situation
| out there made any other manner of pro-
| cedure than that which we followed pract-
| cally impossible Ours was the only effect
| i've way. 1t must be remembered that the
| duties of consuls and port captains were
but vaguely to be defined at that time.
| The United States transport Zealandia, OF
which l was a quartermaster, lay anchored
! In the seward edge of the circle, WITHIN
hailing distance of the flagship. Our regu-
lar four-hour sea watches were no"
! changed to night and day duty; two quar-
termasters divided the day at gangWay
watch, two did the same at night. While all
others of the ships company slept:
1t was the third night of August. L had
been lounging lazily about the decks, Try
| ing hard to keep awake, for the night was
| a drowsy one. At last 1 leaned over the
gangway railing, watching the distant reg
uIar rows OF nSntS OF the DeSieSeu SltS.
Overhead hung deep indigo sky, sprinkled
with star dust-an ideal tropical night. so
| calm was the water that the lights of the
neighboring ships reflected as single hre
Spots and the bells of the most distant
gunboats of the fleet were distinctly audi
BILE striking the hour; four bells, think II
was. when the sergeant OF the guard Jolheo
me in my nocturnal CONCENTRATIONS.
Fine night, but blamed hot he said.
There was that tropical humidity in the
atmosphere that kept US in continual per-
spiraton. brought on by no physical exer-
| ton. The sergeants shirt was thrown
| back. and he breathed heavily.
You're not used to the tropics?" I VEN
tured.
YES I am" he replied. I'm a sailor,
| like yourself I've been six years in tropi-
| cal waters. I was paid off in Philadelphia
six months ago from limejufcer.
Such an introduction could only find re-
Spouse in me. Leaning over the rail, we
yarned of ships and foreign ports and the
| beauties of tropical seas. A typical sol
der of fortune, 1 thought, 1 looked at
my companions well-knit figure, vaguely de-
| fined by the gangway light His English
accent seemed homogeneous with his Amerf-
can uniform. but he had worn the uniforms
of half dozen armies. soon learned.
This is tiresome," he growled. Here
| we are doing guard duty and the rest OF
| 'em ashore. scrapping. Hear those guns
blazing away?'
| The black mass Of jungle just above the
| city was occasionally lit up by flash of
d
| watched the firing for some time IN silence
| but the cannonading was too distant to dis
| turb the almost perfect stiffness that hung
over the CLASSY water; it seemed like being
up in some gigantic airship, with the phos-
| phorescent flash Of fish the lights Of cities
miles underneath. The ships about seemed
| to hover in the air with us, mighty fleet
Of phantom air craft.
| Suddenly the sergeant grasped my arm.
Listen" he said.
A faint splash came from ford. Looking
| down we saw an object in the water ap-
| preaching in a phosphorescent glow, until
finally it stopped at the foot Of the gang
| way.
The sergeant and 1 hurriedly descended
the broad gangway ladder. At the lowest
| step we made out a half-naked man holding
! on but apparently too weak to pull himself
| out. Each of us seized white hand, and a
| second later had the swimmer staggering
| up the steps. We pulled him up to the
deck. where he sank upon his knees be-
| tween us. shaking and suffering, and
! finally vomiting into the scuppers.
"For Gods sake. hide mel" he gasped;
| and a second fit of vomiting overlook him.
I'll take him down into the forecastle,"
said the sergeant, and. calling man from
the guard room, they led him ford.
| Half an hour later Jackson rejoined me at
my post;
| CAN right" he answered "but pretty we'll
pegged out He can talk now, though. Say,
| we're sailormen; we can understand his
case; there's no need for us to report You
| see that Nova Scotia bark over there?'
| l cast my eyes toward big square rugged
| wooden ship swinging inshOre toward Ca
vite. her tapering rigging silhouetted
against the horizon.
| He swam-blamed nasty job-the water s
| full of sharks. It's the Silver Star-a Blue
| Nose hot box. Skipper killed a man on the
trip out Six poor suckers in irons down
| the fore peak. while the two mates and the
| bos'n are discharging cargo for Uncle Sam
with gang Of coolies. Here's this chap
| hynG "a ONIynyr -vIy1 nj lot,
| Where? British consul inside the Spanish
lines Where? Uncle Sans officers are
| figuring too hard to get in there, too, to
| bother their heads about six poor British
| lubbers who hadn't the sense to keep off a
Blue Nose. And the shippers got a pull
| with the admiral. Hard lines, Jack but
guess you'll have to face the music OUT
| Next day, shortly before 1 went on watch
| again, the English sergeant came for me-
| Come on down the forecastle," he said,
| and disappeared.
| men had knocked off, but not yet eaten or
| washed. The deserter sat on a chest at
| the ford end of the forecastle ready to
| drop down the open scuttle into the fore
peak should strange step come down the
! companionway.
| The men. showing traces Of suppressed
| excitement. sat about on their chests. Be-
| sides Jackson four men of the commssary
| guard were present, corporal and three
| privates who had seen the deserter when
we hauled him up the gangway. The SOL
| diers concealed their emotions less effect
! lively than the sailors. The deserter had
| been talking, I guessed.
| Jackson stood in the middle of the fore
| castle. His bare, hairy chest was heaving,
! his bronzed young face flushed red about
| the cheekbones. His campaign hat was
| flung far back, exposing his thick brown
| hair above the forehead, while beads Of
tropical sweat stood out oyer all his face
| and chest and arms. barred to the elbows.
| Boys" he was saying, in a suppressed
voice-a vehement whisper-"we can't stand
for this. 1 know -. sailed with him
| six years ago. This chaps telling no lies
I say, boys. we can't stand for this!"
| Jackson paused. He had the men under
| his touch. Sailor and soldier he was
| he brought the two elements of his audi
| ence together and made them one. They
| already looked on him as a leader.
He paused as I came down. Then No
swung around to the deserter in the dark
| corner.
| Con" he said. "Give's the rest"
| "As 1 was sayin'," began the sailor, evil
| IDENTIFY continuing a story such as l had
heard many of before. Tim Long, he up to
| the mate an SEE:
"'You give me square fight. an IT'S a
| CO.
"a. All right seq the mate, and they