Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-02-03

NUlNtIlut. LNtIy OlutCI III D her complement had kept a private and personal lookout all day for some explanation of the previous nights phenomenon. All that reward ed them were sky filmed with lofty clouds and the holiday parade of the epauletted waves.
 Nor did evening bring repetition of that strange glow Midnight found the late stayers still deep in the dis 1 cussion.
 "One thing is certain" said Ives; it wasn't volcanic" 1 "Why so? asked the paymaster.
 Because volcanoes are mostly sta. tionary, and We headed due for that light"
 i "Yes, but did we keep headed?" said Barnett, who was navigating officer as well as ordnance officer, ill queer 1 voice.
 "What do you mean, sir?" asked Ed wards eagerly.
 After the light disappeared the com pass kept on varying. The stars were hidden. There is no telling just where we were headed for some time"
 'Then we might be fifty miles from the spot we aimed at"
 Hardly that" said the navigator. "We could guide her to some extent by the direction of wind and waves. If 1t was volcanic we ought certainly to have sighted it by now"
 Always some electricity in volcanic eruptions," said Trendon. Makes com, pass cut didoes. Seen it before."
 "Where?" queried Carter.
 "Off Martinique. Pelee eruption. Needle chased it's tail like kitten"
 Are there many volcanoes here abouts" somebody asked.
 Were in 162 west, 31 north, about" said Barnett. "No telling whether there are or not There weren't at last accounts, but that's no evidence that there aren't some since. They come up in the night. these volcanic islands,"
 "Just cast an eye on the charts" said Billy Edwards. Full of E. D's and P. D.'s all over the shop. Every one of 'em volcanic"
 "E. D.'s and r. D.'si" queried the paymaster.
 Existence doubtful and position doubtful" explained the ensign. 'Ev- cry time the skipper of one of these wandering trade ships gets speck in his eye he reports an island. If he really does bump into a rock he cuts in an arithmetic book for his latitude and longitude and lets it go at that. living, getting out new editions every few months."
 But it's fact that these seas are constantly changing" said Barnett. "They're so little travelled that no one happens to be around to see an island born. I don't suppose there's a part on the earth's surface more liable to seismic disturbances than this re- gion."
 "Seismicw cried Billy Edwards. T should say 1t was seismic. Why, when a native of one of these island groups sets his heart on q particular loaf of bread up his breadfruit tree he doesn't bother to climb after it. Just waits for some earthquake to happen along and shake it down to him."
 Good boy, Billyr' said pr. Trendou approvingly. Do another"
 ''It's a fact" said the ensign heated ly. "Why, a couple of years back there was a trader here stocked up with a lot of belly mixture fin bottles. Thought he was going to make his pile because there'd been a collie epi- demic in the islands the season before. Bottles were labeled Do not shake.' That settled the business. Might as well have marked 'em Keep frozen in this part of the world. Fellow went broke"
 ''In any case" said Barnett. ''such q glow as that we sighted last night I've never seen from any volcano"
 ''NOr l." said Trendon. Don't prove it mightn't have been"
 "Tu just bet the best dinner in San Francisco that 1t isn't" said Edwards. You're on.. said Carter.
 '-Let me in.' suggested Ives.
 And I'll take one of it." said Mc- Guire.
 ~Come one. come alI." said Edwards cheerily. "IIl live high on the col lective had judgment of this outnt"
 Tonight isn't likely to settle 1t any how," said Ives. T move ws turn in"
 Expectant minds do not lend them selves to sound slumber. All night the ofHcen of the Wolverine slept on the verge of waking. but it wAs not unfa dawn that the cTy of -sail hoFs ssnt them all hurryng to their clothes. Ordinarily officers of the United ststsz navy do not seuttls o1 deck Ike . crowd of curious schoolgirls. but all hands had been keyed to high pitrh over the elusive light. and the bet with Edwards n0v served as sn excnss for the betrayal of unusuzl eagerness, hence the quarter deck vas sco1 alive with men vho vere wont to bs eeeQ in dreams at that hcur.