The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-01

a man from the guardroom, they led
him ford
Half an hour later Jackson rejoined
me atomy post. - 80
"How is hep I asked.
"Alf right" he answered, 'but pref
ty well 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 oyer there?"
cast my eyes toward big square
rugged wooden shipypswinging inshore
toward Cavite, her tapering riggings
s1lhouetted against the horizon.
he swan blamed nasty job-the
waters 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
a gang Of coolies. Here's this chap
broke away-wants to lodge a com
plain.s Where2s 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 tine sense to- keep off Blue
with the admiral. Hard lines. Jack, but
L guess you'll have to face the music
out" Rys
Next day, shortly before l went on
watch again, the English sergeant
came for me-
Come on down the forecastle," he
said, and disappeared.
A few minutes later I followed The
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.
4 The men, showing traces of sup
pressed excitement, sat about on their
chests. Besides Jackson four men of
the commissary guard were present, a
corporal and three privates, who had
seen the deserter, when we hauled him
up the gangway. The soldiers con-
cealed their emotions less effectively
than the. sailors. The deserter had
been talking, I guessed.
Jackson stood in the middle of the
forecastle. His bare, hairy chest was
heaving, his bronzed young face
flushed red about the cheekbones. His
campaign hat was flung far back, ex-
posing'his Trick brown hair above the
forehead, while beads of tropical sweat
stood out over all his face and chest
and arms, barred to- the elbows
BQys, he,awas,. saying. in a sup
pressed voice-a vehement whisper
we can't stand for this. I know the
-. L sailed with him six years an
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 as
he was, he brought the two elements
of his audience together and made
them one. They already looked on him
as leader.
He paused as I came down. Then
he swung around to the deserter in
the dark corner.
Con-" he said. Gives the rest"
'As- I was sayin'," began the sailor,
evidently continuing a story such as I
had heard many of before, "Tim Long,
he up to the mate an seq:
You give me a square fight, an
"'All right seq the mate and they
squares off. Tim lands the mate a
heavy one on the jaw, but just then
the mate reaches Tim one over the
eye, an Tim drops, cause, We see, the
mate had on his knuckle busters. An
that was what he calls square fight.
well, that was the layout the rest
of THE trip. sPhey wouldn't give us
no show. Mate shot one chap through
the arm, cap'n split another chaps
head open with a handspike, and one
gay tney trlced me up into the main
chains and fed me. a pint of tar. The
day we got in here all hands was sent
down the lazarette to stow sail, and
they clapped down the hatch. Then,
as we were made to come up, one at
a time, We each got a welt over the
head an put in irons, down the fore
peak, an we've. been there ever since.
so, you see, that's how we can't lodge
no complaint. I managed to crawl
through hawse- pipe-ye see, 1 am
pretty thin" IN
There was a moments silence. Jack
son broke it. "7 'tt<
Boys" he said again, should we
stand for this?"
He. paused,-a moment, then swung
around to me.