Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-20
THE SLAPPINGSAL
= BY A. CONAN DOYLE =

1t was in the days when Frances
power was already broken upon the
Geckers lay rotting In the Midway
than were TO be found in Brest harbor.
But her frigates and oorvettes still
secured the ocean, closely followed ever
by those of her rival. At the utter
most ends of the earth these dainty yes
sells, with sweet names CT girls or flow
ers, mangied and shattered each other
for the honor of the four yards of bunt-
ing which tapped from the ends of their
gaffs.
1t had blown hard in the night, but
the wind had dropped with the dawn
ing, and now the rising sun tinted the
fringe of the storm wrack as 1t dwindled
into the west and glinted on the end
less crests of the long, green waves. To
north and south and west law a skyline
which was unbroken save by the spout
of foam when two of the great Atlantic
seas dashed each other into spray. To
the east was rocky island, jutting out
into craggy points. with few scattered
clumps of palm trees and a pennant of
mist streaming out from the bare conf
cal hill which capped it. A heavy surf
beat upon the shore and. at a safe dis
lance from it, the British thirty-two-
gun frigate Leda, Captaia A. p. john
son, raised her black, giistening side
upon the crest of a wave or swooped
down into an emerald valley. dipping
away to the nor'ard under easy sail. On
her snow-white quarterback stood a
stiff little brown-f faced man, who swept
the horizon with his glass.
MIR. Wharton, he cried, with q
voice like rusty hinge.
A thin, knock kneed officer shambled
across the poop to him.
Yes, SIR
I've opened the sealed orders, Mr..
Wharton"
A glimmer of curiosity shown upon
the meagre features of the first lieute-
nant. The I.eda had sailed with her
ccnsort, the Dido. from Antigua the
week before, and the admirals orders
had been contained in sealed enve-
lope.
1--WE were TO open them on reaching
the deserted island of Sombriero ly-
ing in north latitude Is, &c. west lon
gitude. 60, %. Sombriero bore four
miles to the northeast from our port
bow hen the gale cleared, Mr.. Wharf,
tom
The lieutenant bowed stiffiy. He
and the captain had been bosom
friends from childhood. They had gone
to school together, joined the navy to-
gether, fought again and again to-
gether, and married into each others
families, but so long as their feet were
on the poop the iron discipline of the
service struck all that was human out
of them and left only the superior and
the subordinate. Captain Johnson
took from his pocket a blue paper,
which cracked as he unfolded 1t.
The 32-gun frigates Leda and Dido
Captains a. P. Johnson and James
Monroe are to cruise from the point at
which these instructions are read to
the mouth of the Caribbean sea, In the
hope OF encountering the French fri
gate La Gloire (4S), which has recently
harrassed our merchant ships in that
quarter. II. NJ. frigates are also di-
rected to hunt down the piratical craft
known sometimes as the Shaping Sal
and sometimes as the Hairy Hudson.
which has plundered the British ships
as per margin, inflicting barbarities
upon the crews. She is small brig,
carrying ten light guns, with one "a
pound carronade forward. She was
last seen upon the 23d ult. to the
northeast of the island of Sombriero.
(Signed)
jones Montgomery,
Real Admiral"
Ell. M. S. Colossus, Antigua"
I'VE appear to have lost our con-
sort" said Captain Johnson folding UP
his instructions and again sweeping
the horizon with his glass. She drew
away after we reefed down. 1t would
be q. pity if we met this heavy French
man without the Dido. Mr.. Wharton.
Eh?"
The lieutenant twinkled and smiled.
she has 1S-pounders on the main
and twelves on the poop, sir" said the
captain. she carries four hundred to
our two hundred and thirty-one. Cap
tain de Million is the smartest man in
the French service. Oh, Bobby, boy
my side up against her!" He turned
on his heel, ashamed of his momentary
lapse. "Air. Wharton" said he, looking
back sternly over his shoulder, get
those square sails shaken out and beal
away a point more to the west"
"a brig on the port bow" came a
voice from the forecastle.
"a brig on the port bow" said the
lieutenant.
The captain sprang upon the bull
warks and held on by the mizzen-
shrouds, a strange little figure, with
flying skirts and puckered eyes The
lean lieutenant craned his neck and
whispered to Smeaton, the second
while officers and men came popping
up from below and clustered along
the weather-rail, shading their eyes
with their hands-for the tropical sur
was already clear of the palm trees
The strange brig lay at anchor in the
throat of a curving estuary, and II
was already obvious that she could no,
get out without passing under the
guns OF the frigate. A long rocky point
to the north of her held her in.
Keep her as she goes Mr.. Wharton
said the captain. Hardly worth oul
while clearing for action, Mr.. Smeaton
but the men can stand by the guns in
case she tries to pass us. Cast loose
the bow chasers and send the small
arm men to the forecastle.'
\ British crew went to it's quarters
in those days with the quiet serenity
Of men on their daily routine. In few
minutes, without fuss or sound, the
sailors were knotted round their guns
the marines were drawn UP and lean