Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1912-05-10


asked him.
Yes. sir. that aln't lt-only he amt
on the shlpr
~'Ain't on the shlp1 Where is he
theny
1--WE don't know. sir.
"'Maybe he's fell overheard sug.
gested Billy Sparks.
"'He can swim. sir
II thought things over for q minute.
Billy Sparks bad just heeu telling me
the episode in the fo'castlc when the
men fred plum dun vt Ananlas
There's one OF two things has hap
pened. said. lending the way for'ard.
ayes, slry says the man jerks
"'He's either run away because
you've hurt his feelings. Ananlas Is
sensitive, he is. or-or Cooky was stun.
ned when you fetched him blow with
that heavy plum dun and he's lying
insenslble around somewheres. | tells
them.
-.He amt aboard the Indus--we've
searched her from stem to stern. v
"'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
ruthern serve aboard the Indus BIZ
", you get some bits Of rope yarn and
let 'em draw lots as to who'll go
ashore and fetch cooky back.
They didn't have nothing to say
maybe they were glad Mt the freedom
was Offering They had been want
ing to go and get turtle eggs and
fruit
80 they drew lots. and old Beales
and jerks drawed the short bits and
they jumped into one OF the boats and
rowed ashore. All hands stood by the
rail and watched 'em till they dlsap
peared in the jungle. Pretty soon we
thought we heard distant shouts; then
all was still.
ut 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 OF for the
island.
when they didn't come back after
another had gone began to get anx-
ious, and so | sent all the rest of the
men. headed by the mate. ashore. tell
ing 'em to send up some rockets If all
went well with 'em.
"While they were all of looking for
Ananias Slime l 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. was uncomfortable. too. for
here l was all alone in charge of the
Indus and all my men Ind been either
killed by some wild animal or savage
or captured. ! couldn't think Of any
thing else to explain what had hap
pened.
"Then heard swash. swash Of
somebody swimming toward the Indus
and leaned over the rail and made
out 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.
q hailed him. but he didn't answer
until be hauled himself dripping wet
over the rail. and who should it be but
Ananias Slime. cooky himself.
WHATS the matter ashoreY asked
him after he'd got the water out of his
eyes and was wringlng out his clothes
Where you beenT
'sThen Ananias told me, and 1t was a
queer story. Seems he was tearing
mad over the way all hands had treat
ed him at supper that night. and. being
"A revengeful little rat, he'd swum
ashore and hid himself In the top Of a
tail cocoanut palm near the water. jest
about In line of where a boat would
land II 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 coeoanut 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 coolsy up and promised 'em another
dose If they so much as peeped The
second party went down kinder hard
! and deadly. but Ahanias was so full Of
revenge he didn't care. When the rest
of EN- arrived Ananias was ready with
the cocoanuts and pelted 'em so fast
that they took to the jungle. thinking a
gorilla or something like that was
around Leastways that's what Ana
Mas said. and nobody came back TO
dispute bis word till morning. and thef
when they all climbed over the rail
they was a pretty sheeplsh looking
crew. Billy Sparks and all really
felt sorry for 'em.
"'Ananias has come back | says to
'em kindly. and if nobody wants to ex-
plain what happened they needn't.
Cooky and me will stand watch while
all hands goes below and turns in.
think there's wind OF there to the
southard, and we must get along
They looked kinder grateful and
shambled of 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;" I asked. with in
terest
Captain BarnabaS smiled knowingly
as he passed the dish of red apples
"It would be sp'illng another good
story to even hint at 1t" he promised