Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-19

opinion: the one thing we are reason
ably sure of arriving at out Of all this,
is the unexpected. He said those fei-
lows were as busy as a hive OF bees
1t will probably occur to your wisdom
that bees sometimes sting, and when
| they do they can be disgustingly dan
gerous. I remember once, when you
we're a small child, you must needs
stir up a hive in the Hall garden with
a walking stick. remember the way
you got stung about the legs. Remark
ably fine pair Of legs, too, you had at
that time"
CAS- I have now, and az they suit
me down to the ground you needn't
refer to them further. But II you know
bees are going to sting, it's very easy
to take precautions, and then they
can't get at YOU"
'I tried being bee master once. =
said Sir George, pulling the big re-
triever's ear. H.
"Ah, sir, I envy you there. I always
hope to retire from the sea some day
and take up country ffe."
"Then you take my tip and let bees
alone. always preferred to let the
other expert handle them after ia
made the first few attempts"
ct think 1t would be most comfort
able, sir, II you'd allow me Just to run
YOU and the ladies back to Las Palmas
first before we tackled the Job"
Sir George Chesterman lay back in
his chair and laughed. my good
skipper" he said, you're dangling the
bait Of a real lively new sensation be-
fore my nose, and then you propose to
whisk it away, and put me back again
in cotton wool. Oh, Diamond, Diamond,
you little know what you have DONE
Captain Kettle pulled rather
nervously at his red beard. Then am
I to understand, SIR, that you-
I'm here to watch this business put
through. and to help as far as can.
You're the better man Of the two,
Captain, in every way, and you are IN
command now and wish you to remain
IN command. here and now resign my
billet of idle passenger and critic of
cocktails. I ask to serve under you,
and am ready to take up any job you
think I am capable of, from personal
aide-de-camp down to assistant cook.
Miss Chesterman also, II I know any
thing about her, will do every ounce
she can. and II. unfortunately, any one
picked up some hospital training the
month she tired of the sensation Of
being sweet on doctor. The ship and
all that's inside her is at your entire
disposal, and II you want another ship
and more men. say the word. and III
get them for you. I'd no idea when
left England we were going to come
UP against what looks uncommonly
like private war. but by God, now
we're in for it I'm going to see It
through
"The blood Of the Chestermans ia
evidently stirred" said Violet. Il call
upon you all to hear me deliberately
utter the word Hooroo. Captain ket-
Il tie, I echo my newly awakened
brothers words. am yours to COM
mand."
"Sir and MISS" said the little sailor,
"you shall never regret the confidence
shown in me, and I'll pull that steam
boat out, If I have to murder half the
niggers In Africa to get her clear. It's
not business, OF course, to say such q
thing. but Job like this always comes
in sweeter to one when 1t turns out
lot harder than one had any decent
reason to expect. tell you there were
nights in the surf-boat when we crept
in to see what they were up to, when
could have sung to think what a hard
nut that white man ashore was baking
flor me to crack"
"But l thought you were to make
camp on one Of the islets, and sleep in
q tent?"t
"That was the scheme, miss. but you
see with these Moors all over the place
ii occurred to me that they could
either swim or raft themselves across
to the islands at the other side Of the
lagoon If they felt that way inclined.
and it's unpleasant having ones sleep
disturbed. So we lived 1t out in the
boat. and the watch below had the
floor boards Those bags of coal
weren't wasted, either. We used them
as anchors for three of our mark
buoys. You see, didn't think 1t was
worth while to 60 ashore and build
those leading marks spoke about, be-
cause It was as likely as not with a
smart white man to put them up to it,
the Moors would pull them down and
build them in other spots, so that any
one relying on them to run In by
would pile up his ship on some reef
he'd calculated to avoid. You see, the
trouble about the shore over yonder
is that it's all made to a pattern, with
no outstanding features that one can
pick up to base bearing on.
"But you took no stove on the boat.
How did you COOKE?
1--WE didn't. We just ate our tucker
as 1t came, and were glad 1t was
there. But I must say the hands did
get riled with one thing, and that was
the gulls. The gulls on this station had
evidently not seen a boat before, and
they thought we we're in trouble. and
would presently be chop for them;
and they followed us day and night
with their tired flap-flapping, or else
swimming beside the boat, never wink
ing, never sleeping, till the hands be-
gan to lose temper and want to use
their rifles. OF course, wasn't going
to let them waste your cartridges, sir,
for a matter of sentiment. and told
them that II they kept alive. which
was what they were paid for, the
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