The Oakes times., 1912-01-25
CHAPTER XIII.
ILLUSTRATIONS by
ELLSWORTH~YOUNC
coPYR1cHT 1909 6y Louls(JosIr

Some time In the golden afternoon
Iof the following day, the Pelican
weighed anchor and slouched with a
loafish air out of the harbor of the
Piraeus.
"Plyn Bill OLE" the captain said
he preferred to be called. And plain
Bill Hole!" mused the Irishman, lean
ing over the forward rail and sucking
at short black pipe. Faith, no,
only plain, but even trifle homely,'
he amended judgmatically.
"As for meself," he concluded later
I'm no siren in this rig" And he
lifted his eyebrows, protruding his
lower lip, as he glanced down over his
attire.
1t was a strange rig for the O'Rourke
to be in: an engineers blue jumper,
much the worse for wear, and a pair
OF trousers whose seat, O'Rourke
maintained, was only held together by
ats coating of dirt and grease
O'Rourke eyed this get-up with dis
dain. Fortunately" he comforted
himself. "twon't be forever I'll be
wearing it,"
In the present instance, the dis
guise was held an advisable thing,
since O'Rourke was officially register
ed on the ships books as assistant en-
gineer. The Pelican carried no H.
cense for passengers, and in view of
his avowed purpose 1t was deemed
unwise for the Irishman to risk de-
hv lrip
expression culled from the captains
vocabulary.
Otherwise. it was understood that
his duties were to consist of the pur-
suit Of his own sweet will, that he
was to occupy a stateroom aft and
that he was to mess at the captains
table.
On an evening, some nine or ten
days after he had left Athens,
O'Rourke at the forward rail saw the
long, low profile Of Egypt edge up out
Of the waters. saw it take color and
form, made out palms and the win,
mills, the lighthouse and Pompey
pillar; and kn W that he was clos,
upon his journeys end.
Her winches ratified checrfully as
the Pelican dropped anchor. bui
O'Rourke did not move. There would
be no going ashore. he knew. unit
Hole was ready. and that would H.
when the customs officials had pait
him a call and the usual courtesies
had been exchanged. The Irishman
had no need to be in haste to change
from his present garb to one that
better suited him. So he lolled upon
the rail and regarded with kindling
eye the harbor views.
He mopped his brow. simply (as be-
fitted one of his apparent station in
life) with the back of hand, ard
stood erect. exulting in the scent. the
indescribable, impalpable. insistent
odor of the East that is forgotten of
none who had ever known it, The ho
wind drove it gustily in his face. ard
he shifted and drew great lungfuis
and was glad
'Tis good!" he said simply And.
bit later. while on the short-line tie
brazen arcs were beginning to pop out
silently: There's the customs boat.
I'm thinking I'll slip below"
No lamps had yet been lighted It,
low, but O'Rourke knew the way to
his room. He entered and shut the
door. The afterglow Of the sunset.
entering through the portfolio. rem
tlered the little coop light enough for
his purpose. Dropping to his knees,
the Irishman pulled his kitboX from
beneath the bunk.
The lid came up freely as he
touched it. For full minute he did
not breathe. Then. in ominous 81.
Ience, he bent and examined the lock-