The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-26
CAPTAIN BILLINGS
 SLEEPWALKER.
BY MORGAN RoBEnrsoN.

  BY MORGAN ROBERTSON. (Author of sinful Peck" Down to the Sea- Spun Yarn" etc) Copyright. 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles.) A small Lake Huron -schoon CT lay at dock in Goderich, and on her
 bandbox of cabin sat the big. fat man. bur with solemn and sorrowful
 face. strolled down the dock and climbed aboard. Have ye all hands. sir?' he asked Want a mate" said the captain, peering at the man between puffs You sail mater
 Been mate Saltwater mon."
 "Scotchman. aint your Yes"
 I'm not. thank God. Youll get a
 dollar day here. Go for your colthes." T may be mistaken. capt'n, but What am to call ye, sir?" "Billings-Captain Billings" T may be mistaken, Capt'n Billings, but are ye no the mon that slugged
 me grievously in the nose twenty years ago in Fat Anna's boardin'- '-hoose in | Bombay?"
 There was barely perceptible twin kle in Captain Billings's eye at this. but he promptly denied the allegation, and ] Mir. Macpherson went ashore for his dunnage.
 When he returned the pipe was out I and Captain Billings had waddled amid ships.
 There's your room in the cabin" | he said. pointing aft. The cook there' | "a colored brother was smiling out l the forward cabin door-'.will show l you. He sleeps forrard, but the gal- | ley's aft. Now. one thing I must tell
 you. Mir. Macpherson. I'm somnam- bulist."
 "A what. sir? inquired the mate.
 dumping his bag on deck. 1 "A sleep walker. I'm a bad case. I'm under the doctors care for it. I'm lia-
 bic to get up from my bunk at any I time." Aye. sir Ye walk 'rourd decks
 sound asleep. I've heard O such | things"
 Worse. I'm another man. or rather | the same man younger. I'm a sailor fore the mast again. Next morning Macpherson was up before daylight. Up the dock he saw | the bulky, wedding figure of the cap-
 tain heaving along toward the schooner.
 'Mornin', cappen." said the big. fat | skipper. smiling rather vacantly in the morning light. Got all hsnds?"
 "Mornin'. capt'n," repeated MT. Mac pherson.
 Well. I'm lookin' for a berth, sir," said the captain. Rather early in the mornin', I know. but it's strange town. Must a been on a bat. quit | an English bark at Cape Town the
 other day. What town is this. sir. | anyhowT
 MT. Macpherson's jaw dropped in
 sheer amezement; then he compre-
 hended. Whats your name?" he de- manded
 Jock Billings, sir; able seaman. Here's my discharges He reached in- | to his pocket, then withdrew his hand.
 with blank face. Must ha' lost 'em. sir But I'm an A. B. "Na doot, na doot. Lookin' for a | berth?"
 Billings nodded. Come aboord. Fifteen dollars a
 month."
 Billings smiled, and came aboard. l Macpherson went aft. ruthlessly l searched the captains desk, and found
 the articles. signed only by the cook. l and dated the day before, for the trip
 ahead. He signed his own name as first mate at $30 a month. l Come aft here an seen articles" he
 bawled from the cabin door. and Bill
 iings obediently came, and signed as
 able seaman, at $15 month.
 In five minutes from the time Mir. | A1acpnSTSOn StdTIeO TOT the TdiI, the l nefarious job was complete-he had
 shipped and signed as sailor the cap | tain who had signed him as mate And | the darky cook was none the wiser: | captains, mates and sailors were the | same to him--loud- voiced individuals | for whom 1t was his duty to cook. and
 it mattered little to him that in this
 case the mate was the noisest. So he helped the two to make sail,
 and when MT. Macpherson had steered
 tho little craft out into the lake, took | the wheel at the mates behest. Mir. l Macpherson went forward.
 Jock Billings" he said. "come here" | Billings came obediently.
 wore too fat, Jock. Dye know me. | by the way"
 Billings looked keenly. though stu
 pidly at him. l 'T-I-think I may" | Aye. ye think right. Jock. I'm the | mon ye chastised no long back when ye were no so fat as ye are the moo.
 I've a long memory. Jock, an the Lord
 has a long arm. An the Lord never meant ye to be so fat, Jock, an has | given ye into my hands to reduce ye. Take you that broom by the wipdlass,
 an that draw-bucket by the pump, an
 scrub this scho clean" Aye, aye. sir" answered Jock, cheerfully, all but the last of the 1 speech lost upon his understanding. He began the task, and, as was to
 be expected, soon began to pant, puff | and perspire. Having started him. MT. Macpherson went aft to light his pipe, and when
 he returned, hc found the sailor asleep | on the hatch.
 Wake up." he injudiciously conn 1 manded, and Billings awakened. Hello" he said, sitting up. we're out. How's she headingT' The answer required no thought, and gave time for at least a moment of 1t.
 MT. Macpherson thought quickly Nor norwest, sir" he answered.
 That's right. What time Is it9'
 Nine o'clock. sir. Ye came doom at daylight an said to take her oot
 Ye were asleep like, an lay doom on
 the hatch"
 "Yes, sleep p-walking again. We'll, I'm going to turn into my bunk. Dead sleepy still. Curious, isn't 1t, how stiH you get sleeping on a hatch. Feel as
 though I'd been through threshing-
 machine"
 The way felt in Fat Anna's bardin-