Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-24
The Argus Daily Story
In Search of Ananias-By Clarissa Macde.
Copyrighted. 1911. by Associated Literary Bureau
de can swim. sir

de can swim, sir
"I thought things over for minute.
Billy Sparks had just been telling me
the episode In the fo'castle when the
men fired plum duff at Ananias
There's one Of two things has hap
pened, said. leading the way for'ard.
"'Yes, sir" says the man jerks.
Hes either run away because
you've hurt his feelings, Ananias is
sensitive. he is, or-or Cooky was stun
ned when you fetched him blow with,
that heavy plum dun and he's lying
inSensible around somewheres,' l tells
them.
He amt aboard the Indus-we've
searched her from stem to stern
"'You gone aloft, tooT
"'Yes, sir
"'Then he's swum ashore SAID.
You've skeered the only cook we've
got aboard, SOS he taken to the jungle
ruther'n serve aboard the Indus Bill
~, you get some bits of rope yarn and
let 'sm draw lots as to who'll so
ashore and fetch cooky back
They didn't have nothing to say
maybe they were glad at the freedom
1 was offering. They had been want
ing TO go and get turtle eggs and
fruit.
$50 they drew lots, and old Beales
md jerks drawed the short bits and
they jumped into one of the boats and
rcwed ashore. All hands stood by the
rail- and watched 'em till they disap-
peared in the jungle. Pretty soon we
thought we heard distant shouts: then
all was still
1T was too quiet to be very comfort
able for the rest OF us. and after an
hour had passed they drawed lots
again and two more men set off for the
/ island.
when they didn't come back after
another had gone 1 began to get anx-
ious, and so 1 sent all the rest of the
men, headed by the mate. ashore, tell
ing EN- to send up some rockets If all
went well with 'em.
While they were all off looking for
Ananias Slime can tell you was feel
Ing mighty lonesome, especially after
I'd heard sounds OF a melee ashore,
followed by the usual silence. and no
rockets. l was uncomfortable, too, for
here I was all alone in charge of the
Indus and all my men had been either
killed by some wild animal or savage
or captured. I couldn't think of any
thing else to explain what had hap
pened.
Then I heard a swash, swash OF
somebody swimming toward the Indus,
and 1 leaned over the rail and made
out a mans head. He was coming
with an overland stroke like the man
In the moon we had seen hours ago
and which Billy Sparks had thought
might be the missing cook.
Il hailed him, but he didn't answer
until he hauled himself dripping wet
over the rail, and who should it be but
Anantas Slime, cooky himself
What's the matter ashoreT I asked
him after he'd got the water out of his
eyes and was wringing out his clothes.
Where you been?'
Then Ananias told me, and It was n
queer story. Seems he was tearing
mad over the way all hands had treat.
ed him at supper that night, and, being
revengeful little rat, he'd swum
tall cocoanut palm near the water, Jest
about in line of where a boat would
land If anybody missed him and come
to look for him.
He gathered his arms full of cocoa
nuts and waited for the searchers after
him. Pretty soon they came Beales
and jerks, and when they got near
enough and began to sing out his name
crack went a cocoanut against one
head and then another. 1t didn't seem
to scare Ananias bit when them two
husky seamen fell down on the sand.
He jest set there and waited for some
more to come.
Before the second party reached
shore the first two men was coming to,
so cooky up and promised 'em another
dose if they so much as peeped. The
second party went down kinder hard
and deadly, but Ananias was so full Of
revenge he didn't care When the rest
of 'em arrived Ananias was ready with
the cocoanuts and pelted 'em so fast
that they took to the jungle, thinking il
gorilla or something like that was
around. Leastways that's what Ana
MAS said, and nobody came back TO
dispute his word till morning, and then
when they all climbed over the rail
they was pretty sheepish looking
crew, Billy Sparks aud all. l really
felt sorry for 'em.
"'Ananias has come back ! SAYS to
'em kindly, and if nobody wants to OK
plain what happened they needn't
COoky and me will stand watch while
ali hands goes below aud turns in
think there's wind off there TO the
southland, and we must get along
They looked kinder grateful and
shambled on to bed. but noticed after
that that nobody threw any words or
anything else at Ananias Slime till we
got In New York harbor"
And what happened when you ar
rived in New YORK" / asked. with in
lerest
Captain Barnabas smiled knowingly
as he passed the dish Of red apples.
1T would be sp'iling another good
story 20 even hint at Il" he promised.