The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-26

told the captain had been in confidence Captain Savage burst out "who eve heard of confidence between pos captain and midshpman?" Peter re piled, quite ingenuousy, No. sir; no between post captain and midshipman but between two gentlemen"
 The first lieutenant hid his moulF with his hand and the captain bit hi' lip, and then said to the other nit dies: You may thank Mr. Simple, gen tlemen, that 1 do not press this mattel
 any further"
 Thus did Peter Simple begin his na- val career as a great fool; yet the middies, though they did not cea ss practicing on him, seemed to like hiu none the less for his simplicity and vowed that lie had proven hmse i plucky, even though the duel had been fought without bullets, as they con- fessed to him. And Peter soon began to like the ship and the service to which lie had been condemned by his family.
 He was very sick and thought that he should die when the frigate at last steered into the open sea- but one )f his mess mates, Terence O'Brien, very painstakingly fogged him until he was better. By the time they had cruised six weeks Mr Simple was quite a tar and thoroughly at home on the sea. l The frigate iointed the Mediterran- can squadron and became one of the guard off Toulon to prevent the French l from coming out. Before they had i been there two days they had a fierce action with the enemy that ended wh all two French frigates were cut to pieces and one surrendered
 This fight cured Peter of his fear of cannon balls and he slowed himself away in, the foresheets of the first cutter commanded by O'Brien when the boats were ordered away one morning ] to cut out some merchant vessels that lay under a French battery near the l town of Cette
 1 The British forced their way to shore, attacked the battery and drovA the men away. Other French troops hastened to the rescue. O'Brien started away with his men to attack the ships, but noticed that one of the cannon had do it. A volley was poured into the battery and Peter was shot in the leg O'Brien lifted him on his shoulder and ran, but was caught.
 So, while the rest of the men from the frigate were cutting out the vessels l Peter and his friend were taken into i the town as prisoners
 Peter fainted away on the road. When he came to again he was in bed and o'Brien. with suspicious traces of tears on his face, was leaning over him. A ] French officer and a surgeon stood near l by and a beautiful little girl, about l2 i years old, was holding cup toward i him.
 'Tm pretending not to understand French, said O'Brien to Peter, 50 I ! can find out what they mean to do with i us"
 But is that honest o'Bren?" asked Peter. T think that you should not de- ceiye them, as they are so kind to us" i When all the rest had left the room the French officer addressed them smilingly and in very good English and told them that, although he was a good Frenchman, 1 he was of Irish descent and that his name was O'Bren too. Then he offered both prisoners their parole and invited them to be his guests till the time came l to forward them to prison in the interior.
 He was better than his word, for he 1 kept them long after Peter was quite cured Peter and little Celeste became such great friends that it was a sorry parting when the surgeon declared at last he could not withhold his report any i longer.
 They were dispatched to the fortified ] town of Givet, in the Ardennes; and there OBrien began to prepare for flight as soon as their parole was at an end.
 Before their preparations were com pleted naval list was received by one of the British prisoners, and O Brien learned to his amazement that ne had been promoted to lieutenant. He refused | to believe it till Peter at last confessed that he had sent Captain Savage report of the action at the battery, with the attestations of the French officers who had been witnesses of the young Irish 1 man 5 bravery.
 One tempestous night in November O'Brien awoke l,eter and told him that all was ready. With the ingenuity of a | sailor he had managed to fasten some pieces of iron into the great walls, and with these for foothold it did not take them long to reach the top.
 l He had also made a rope, and they lowered themselves down the other side without trouble. They overpowered and gagged sentry on the way, swan the | river that washed the walls and before daybreak were hiding in the Forest of Ardennes, shivering and shaking.
 About five in the morning they heard the noise of many men. Swiftly they climbed up huge oak after having cov- cred their haversacks with leaves Soon gendarmes appeared everywhere, but they passed on without having seen the two, who were congratulating themselves when a single gendarme returned and began to poke about among the leaves. As soon as he routed out the haversacks, he nat urally looked up into the oak and spied Peter.
 At once he level his gun. The next in stant O'Brien threw himself from the tree and dropped heavily right on the mans head breaking his neck.
 "Quickr' said he. This is the luckiest thing in the world" He tore off his own clothes and put on the gendarmes uni form Then he tied Peters hands with a