Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1906-05-31
Prisoners and CaptiVeS
By II. S. MERRlMAN
-=@--
By H. s. MERRlMAN

! auoHS tue uTSC 10 greet Hiu Will INA
self-possesSed gentlemanliness which he
welded so unconsciously.
And during the voyage home Lieut.
Grace had studied his companion with a
slow, comprehensive scrutiny. The two
commanders had not been thrown much
together, by reason Of their duties being
separate, but it was not to this fact alone
that the naval officer attributed his fail
ure to make anything of Claud Tyars
He had found this ex-wransler calmly in
stalled in the humble post Of second mate
to merchant sailing ship. Moreover,
there was no attempt to conceal an iden-
tity which was, to say the least Of it,
strange. Tyars appeared in no way con-
scious Of an unanswered question existing
In his intercourse with the naval officer,
and there was no suspicion of embarrass-
ment such as might arise from anomaly.
CHAPTER w.
Things were in this state between the
two young men when, one morning in
June, the Martial dropped anchor at
Gravesend to await the tide. The news
of her tardy arrival had been telegra phed
from the coast, and the Channel pilot had
thought fit to communicate to a friend in
the journalistic interest a somewhat sem
sational account of the wonderful voyage.
1t thus happened that before the an
chor was we'll home in it's native mud a
stout gentleman came alongside in a
wherry and climbed on deck with some
alacrity. His lips were a trihe white
and unsteady as he recognized Tyars, and
came toward him with fat gloved hand
outstretched.
"Mr. Tyars," he said breathlessly, you
don't remember me, perhaps. 1 am
George Lowell, the owner. l have ten
riggers coming on board to start unbend-
ing sail at once. l have to thank you
in the name of the merchants and of my
self for your plucky conduct. and you,
| too. sir, as we'll as these men,"
SO the voyage was accomplished and
Grace recognized the fact that the time
,, had arrived for him to withdraw his eight
bluejackets. Their strange duties were
at an end, and one more little tale of
bravery had been added to the great roll.
He gave the word to his men and went
below to get together his few belongings.
AS first officer he had navigated the ship,
and for some minutes he leaned over the
plain deal table in his diminutive state
room, with his elbows upon the out
stretched chart.
Across the great spread Of ocean was a
dotted line, but in the marks there was
difference, for three navigators had
worked out the one voyage. AS his eyes
followed the line, day by day, hour by
hour, in vivid retrospection back to the
still, hot regions near the equator, the
young fellow realized that the voyage had
been something more than a mere Incl
dent in his life. The restless days and
sleepless nights had been very pleasant in
their sense of satisfactory toll; the very |
contrast of having too much to do In |
stead Of too little was pleasurable. But |
above all, there was the companionship |
and friendship of a man who interested |
him more than any he had yet come in |
contact with.
Looking back over the days and nights |
they had passed through together, he re- |
allied how little leisure there had been
for mere conversation. In the working |
of the ship, in the attempt to enable ten |
men to do the work of twenty, there had |
been sufficient to keep them fully engag- |
ed without leaving time for personal mat
ters. But it is in such life as this, |
lived together, that men really learn to |
know each other, and not in mere inter- |
change of thought, or give and take of |
question and answer.
Lieut.. Grace was in his small way a |
student of human nature. Men who watch |
the sea and sky, to gather from their
changes the deeper secrets Of wind and |
weather, acquire habit of watching lips |
and eyes, gathering therefrom little hints,
small revelations, tiny evidences which,
when pieced together. make that strange
incongruous muddle called Man. OF the
human being Claud Tyars he knew a good
deal-of the gentleman, the university |
athlete, the travelled sportsman, he knew
absolutely nothing. Beyond the bare fact
that Trinity College had left its inefface-
able mark upon him, the past history of |
this sailor was a blank to Grace.
When he went on deck a little later,
leaving his baggage to be brought up by
one of the uejackets, this thought was
still uppermost in his mind. He found
Tyars and Mr.. Lowell walking together
on the after deck; the former talking
earnestly, while the owner of the ship
listened with panied eyes. They came to-
ward Grace together, and he told them of
his intention to take his men up to Lon
don by train at once in order to report |
themselves at the Admiralty.
There were boats alongside-the rggers
were on board indeed, they were already
at work aloft and there was no cause for
further delay. He turned away with WIS.,
ible reluctance, and went forward to call
his men together. Mr.. Lowell followed
and shook hands gratefully, after which
he went aft to speak to the pilot. Thus
Grace and Tyars were left alone amid
ships, for the men were busy throwing
their effects into the attendant boats.
II hope" said Tyars, that you will
not get into a row for coming straight
home without calling at Madeira on the
chance of picking up more men,"
Il don't anticipate any difficulty" was
the reply; my uncle has the pulling of
a few of the strings, you know"
Tyars nodded his head. There was
nothing more to be said. The two men
were already clambering down the ships
side. eager to get ashore.
"Good-by." said Grace, holding out his
hand. "I-eh-I'm glad we got her
home"
"Good-by."
They shook hands, and Tyars stood still
upon the deck he had trodden so bravey,
while the little officer moved away to-
ward the gangway. Somehow there was