The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28

board-well, I think we shall be able to
 manage it without proceeding to eX- tremes."
 Jack never knew what a narrow escape he had from spending that night not only on board ship, but In irons. He break l lasted with the captain who carefully l explained to him that there was true 1 equality in the navy-because everybody
 was equally bound to obey the orders of l his superior Before the boy could fullS digest this new phase of Equality and 1 the Rights of Man the Harpy was at sea, | and that illness which is apt to over whelm noYices emptied him for the time | being of philosophy and every thing else. Every boy who goes to sea for the first l time has a hard time of it getting shaken down." and Jack had particularly hard l one. AS Sawbridge expressed it, he had | brought his pigs to the worst market i'll | the word when he brought his father's | peculiar views on board a man-of-war. l But he was a sensible lad at bottom, d | brave lad and an honest and honorable one. so that in collrse of time he became
 fairly good officer and dropped most | of his theories regarding equality and | the rights of man.
 | Sawbrdge became his friend and took | deep interest in forming the boy character, and Jack became devoted to 1 the first lieutenant as he had been from 1 the first to the captain. He formed d | close friendship with another midship- | man named Gascoigne, and the two lads 1 fought the enemy and each other and got l into all sorts of scrapes together when | they had shore liberty.
 He became a great favorite with the men, who called him Equality Jack, and the nickname stuck to him long after he had ceased to deserve it. So by the time Jack was turned fifteen he was d lad to be proud of; strong as young bull, a frst-class boxer, tall enough and big enough for a boy at least two years older and-as it was in the time of the French wars-accustomed to battle When the Harpy was at Tarragona it | so happened that she was short of ofil- | cers because of sickness, and Jack was sent out in command of the second cut ter in a boat attack upon a small convoy coming up from Rosas under the protee- . tion of two gunboats-an attack which was rendered necessary by flat calm that prevented the Harpy from getting at them. Mesty, big, black Ashantee man
 who had become devoted to Jack, begged
 to be allowed to go along, and Jack ob- tained permission for him.
 "T'ink of it, Massa Easy!' said Mesty; ''I boil kettle for young gentlemen and was prince in my own country" And cer-.
 tainly the gigantic African had a certain
 dignity about him and was as valiant in battle as a prince should be. Jacks boat captured a one-masted exbeque at dls- tance from the rest of the fleet, and fall
 ing to hear or rather to heed, the recall
 gun, the middy ran in with his prize among a fleet of anchored merchantmen and by stealthly night attack managed to cut out large ship from under the
 very guns of a battery without being de- tected by the enemy
 On board this ship as passengers were A Spanish gentleman with his wife and family consisting of a son and two girls.
 One of the girls was a dark-eyed beauty of the Italian type, and her presence at once caused the susceptible heart or the young officer to quicken it's beats How Jackyregretted his ignorance of Spanish He made VOW then and there that re would learn 1t at once
 The prisoners were all placed on board the xebeque and set at liberty when Jack steered for the open sea with his cap tured ship. To the don and his family Jack was especially polite and consld- crate, allowing them to take with then1 all their belongings. Long after the sail of the xebeuue was below the horizon the thoughts of the young middy remained with her and the beautiful girl whom lie had left on her deck.
 The problem now was to find the Harpy or some other vessel of the British fleet. and as Jack had scorned to apply himself to the study of navigation serlously ne knocked about the Mediterranean long time on a rather eventful cruise before he found the sloop-of-war. Just as the liar
  hove in sight and the Harpy came on ranidlv If was Captain Wilson's s evident intention to sink the Neustra Senora del Carmine-Jack's prize-frst and then tackle the covette.
 ..What shall we do?" said Jack We have no colors on board and must hoist something." Mesty hurried below and came back with green and yellow SIX pet ticoat which had been left behind by the
 don's wife. Running it up to the peak he said: Now, there, Massa Easy; that
 what we call flag of all nations. Every bodv strike 10 that flag Now fire at the Spaniard."
 "she has hoisted her colors." said Sawbridge on the deck of the Harpy, but I can't make them out She is firing at the Spaniard'
 'Evidently a privateer." said Captain Wilson Good, She will cut off the es- cape of the covette.''
 Bless my soul MT. Easy. where dld you come from?" exclaimed Captain Will son later when, the eovette being sunk, Jack reported on board the Harpy. From that ship astern.' replied the , middy If you please, sir. we captured her with the second cutter on the night after we went away. I ann not much of a navigator, and was blown to the Zaf- farine Islands, where I remained two months for want of hands; s soon as I procured them I made sail again. I have lost two men by sharks and had two wounded in today's engagement. The ship mounts twelve guns. is laden with led and cotton prints, has fourteen thou sand dollars In the cabin and two shot holes right through her, and the sooner vou send some men to look after her the better"
 "Bless my soul, MT. Easy!'' cried the captain but you will please furnish me
 with more detailed account later
 lack had succeeded in his venture, and so got off with a reprimand for not hay
 ing heard the recall gun on the night of tbe boat expedition. Had he failed. there might have been another story to tell.
 "By the way" said Captain Wilson
 when he had finished giving Jack mild hauling over what were those colors
 you hoisted?
 "It was the banner of Equality and
 the Rights of Man. replied Jack
 Time passed. Captain Wilson took sew
 eral prizes and Jack waxed in stature
 and experience, and somewhat in discre-
 tion though he was still harum-scarum