The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-12-30

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Nm Il your lead in" The leads
M MI man in the gunboats port
cnalns coiled up his leadline and Sc
cured IL, swung himself inboard and
disappeared down the forehatch in
search of his tea. Astern was the red
sector OF Europa Point Light, which
shows over the Pearl Rock, and to the
starboard the lights OF Algeclras
twinkled in the gathering dusk n fine
evening in late September, clear and
hot, but the west wind swept up the
Straits Of Gibraltar, bringing with 1t
a cool breath of the North Atlantic.
Soon dusk changed 10 blue-black, dark
ling night and the wind dropped TO the
lghtest Of Zephyrs. The stars burned
in the cloudless sky with such intensi-
ty as to reproduce themselves Oh the
greatest of all ocean highways, save
one, the English Channel which does
not concern Itself with stars in this
manner. She is outside the Pearl
Rock now and rising Tarifa light, and
from the lookout man on the forcCas-
tie head comes reports OF lights seen
In quick succession. From all the
western ocean. from the North Allan.
tic and the South from the Baltic to
he North Sea, from Ushant and the
Biscay ports, and the harbors Of the
English Channel, The ships pass in an
unending procession. Man-of war
mail steamer, tramp, wind jammer
sailing through the Gut, and farlng on
ward past the Pillars Of Hercules to
unknown destinations in "the tideless
sea" Those who know the great sen
th0roughfares will tell you that at
times they seem crowded beyond be-
lief, and at other times there is an al
most unbelievable absence OF ships
where ships are usually most in evil
dence. But on this occasion the for
mer condition of affairs prevailed, and
all the surface of the waters was span
gled with lights moving. some swiftly,
some at n snairs pace. With all her
glaring electric lights shining through
open ports a 700O-ton liner rushes past
and n faint strain OF music is borne
across the sea as she passes, wall sid
ed, swift and buSlncsslikc. A red
blur crawls. rs were, reluctantly into
sight and the siGnalman on the bridge
stares at it intently through his night
glasses.
zone o. them there Norwegian tim
ber barks. I'm thinking. SIR" he says
at last. A great bluff bowed 400O-ton
tramp comes hard on her heels-onc
Of the sort they build by the mile and
cut Off by the fathom on Thames.
Tyne, and Clyde-a smother OF white
water rises from under her clumsy
bows, and on her iron decks grow der.
ricks Of portentious size and ugiiness
an up-to-date vessel. But an electric
eye wlnks maddeningly for above the
navigation lights OF vessel approach
ing from afar. "'And me up that
there lantern. Bill" says the signal
man to the quartermaster of the watch
It's that there new battleship. sir
what's bound up the Straits 10 Malta.
On battleshlp and gunboat the lantern!
blink in bewildering flashes. long ant
short. "Wlsh you pleasant passage
sir; that's the end OF the message,
says the slgnalman at last. Fifteei
thousand tons and 100000 horse powe
surges past at n short quarter Of
mile, going well within herself at six
teen knots. Meanwhile felucca. show
ing no lights. gets under the gunboat'
bows and is nearly run down, an
Jose, Juan and jaime hear some prett
straight talk from the bridge Of th
latter vessel as she jams her helr
hard-a-port and slides under the
stern. They shrug their indolcnt an
Intellectual shoulders. and mutter "qu
importa" as they light fresh cigarette
On the forecastle. where the men al
smoking their pipes, the comments M
lurid and picturesque. And IL we
n run her down. we'd 'ad to lower
boat and pick the blighteTs up. and
don't old with lowering no boats
sea after what seen oae time in q
North Atlantic" said the chief boa
swain's mate.
"What was that. Ara" asked Chi
stoker
"Time o. the sailing frigates. my so
what you never seen; we was 70
days out Of Halifax. bound for Lisbo
and what you might call ugly weath'
not blowing gale. you understar
but tidy lump Of sea on. and the gla
droppin' and II breezin' up. Tn
clears lower deck and reefs topsls. a
fhe captn Of the maintop o. that the
frigate-'e was :ust the smartest m