Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-18
NO need to be-" he continued.
said nothing

sloou OH on anOtner tack.
well, sir. l didn't mean Just that. |
l didn't mean you was really scared
of Us. But we're gettin' to know each
other, livin' here on this old island.
brothers-like. There amt no officers
| and men ashore-iS there, now, sir?
| When we gets back to the old Laugh
ing Lass, then we drops back into our
dooty again all right and proper. You
can kiss the book on that Old Scrubs,
he knows that He don't want no
| shore in his. He knows enough to
stay aboard, where we'd all rather
be-
He stopped abruptly, spat and look
ed at me. | wondered whittier this
devious diplomacy led us.
Still, in one way, an officers an
officer, and a seamans seaman,
thinks you, and discipline must be
held up among mates ashore or afioat.
thinks you. Quite proper, sir. And
can see you think that the arms is
for the afterguard except in case of
trouble. Quite proper. You can de
the shooting. and you can keep the
cartridges always by you. Just for
discipline, sir"
The mans holiness in so fully arm
ing me was astonishing, and his care
lessneSs In allowing me aboard with
Captain Selover astonished me SAIL
more. Nevertheless | promised TO go
for the desired cartridges, fully re-
solved to make an appeal
A further consideration of the ele-
| mpptS of tho mo con mo how
ever, of the fellows shrewdness. 1t
was no more dangerous to allow me
rife-under direct surveillance-for the
purposes of hunting than to leave me
my sawed off revolver, which I still
retained. The arguments he had used
against my shooting Perdosa were
quite as c0gent now AS to the sec
ond point, l, finding the sun unex-
pectedly strong. returned from the
cove for my hat and so overheard the
following between Thrackles and his
leader:
Whats to keep him from staying
: aboard?" cried Thrackles, protesting.
well, he might" acknowledged
:, Handy Solomon, "and then are we the
y worse off? You amt going to make
boat attack against Old Scrubs, are
you?'
i, ThrackleS heSitated
You can kiss the book on 1t you
|, | amt" went on Handy Solomon easily
9 Nor me nor Pull nor the greaser nO1
G the niger nor none of us all together
Il We've had our dose of that. Well if
II he goes aboard and stays where are
Y we the worse off? l asks you that
o But he won't. This is watts goin' tC
+ happen. Says he to Old Scrubs, Sir
q the men needs you to bash in their
q heads Bash 'em in YOURSELF says
+ he; that's wat you're for And if he
&C should come ashore wat could he do
asks you that, We amt disobeyet
- no orders dooly delivered. We're ready
to pull halliards at the word. No. lie
n him go aboard, and If he peaches t.
! the old man, why, all the better, fol
# it just gets the old man down on him.
= How about Old Scrubs
Don't you believe none in luck 2
| asked Handy Solomon.
| Aye"
| "Well so do 1, with wat that Law
| crimp used to call joodicious assist
| ance."
1 rowed out 10 the Laughing Las
very thoughtful and little shaken b.
4 the plausible argument. Captain Sci
over was lying dead drunk across TIL
j cabin table. l did my best to walker
/ him, but failed, took a score of car
tridges-no more-and departed sadly
1 Nothing could be gained by stayiu!
| | al ri ivory obon 10Th ln Lost
| Besides. an opening to escape in tn
| direction of the laboratory might of
fer. l as well as they believed in lucl
judiciously assisted.
Il In the ensuing days / learned mucl
| of the habits of seals. We sneaket
I along the cliff tops until over the rock
i cries; then lay fiat on our stomach
I and peered cautiously down on on
quarry, The seals had become yer,
wary. A slight jar, the fall of pei
BILE, sometimes even sounds unnOtice'
| by ourselves, were enough to sem
! them into the water. There they line,
! up just outside the surf, their sleel
heads glossy with the wet, their calm
y soft eyes fixed unblinkingly on us.
he 1t was useless to shoot them in tn
water. They sank at once.
A When, however, we succeeded il
ty gaining an advantageous position
he was necessary to shoot with extrem
IL accuracy. A bullet directly throug
I'd the back of the head would kill clean
a ly. A hit anywhere else was practica
it, ly useless, for even in death the an
As mails seemed to retain enough blind
r. instructive vitality to flop them into tn
IS water. There they were lost.
Each rookery consisted of one tire
ed mendous bull who officiated apparent
ly as the standing army, a number O
ID smaller bulls, his direct descendants
the cows and pups. The big bull hel
his position by force of arms. Occs
OF sionally other unattached bulls woul
come swimming by. On arriving OF
posite the rookery the stranger woul
rffor raor1Itor choIIopna