Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-14

been talked Of In the cabin ut meals,
and what's discussed there always gets
forrard. Now it's not likely the tribes
over yonder will give any trouble.
They are the people OF the Sus coun-
try. and the sultan Of Morocco has
given them such bad time on every
occasion when he has arrived down
there to collect taxes that they ought
to be civil to everyone who doesn't
happen to come from Morocco.
Besides. we've got cargo below
don't mind telling you now--of Rifles
and ammunition which we are open to
selling to deserving tribesmen on rea-
sonable terms. At the same time. I'm
not taking anything to do with colored
men on trust. and II they are anxious
for trouble. I'm exactly the man to give
1t to them. For that reason. intend
to teach you all how to get OF gun
without shooting any Of your neigh
bors, with reasonable chance Of
hitting the mark you're aiming at.
Now. then. are there any experts
among your
There was q pause, and tho crew
looked ut one another sheepishly.
That's better. like modesty. Any
one ever even handled kun?"
A grimy fireman threw the sweat
rag over his shoulder, stood out, and
came to military attention. "R. N. r..
sir. Stoker rating. I've learned my
drill, but I'm only what you might call
fourth class shot" ~
Come now, what are you two on the
hatch grinning about?"
Il was just saying that I was a
! 81 ~ 81 k4f Z
came to sea, and Somers. my mate,
because we was such good shots we
thought 1t better to leave where we
was ashore. But we neither Of us
ever handled rife. Shot guns was
what we was brought up with" s,st
Brace Of poachers. were you, Ell?
Well, your morals will have had time
to improve since you've been abroad
Of me, and your shooting will come
back to you. Step up now. Anybody
else?"
A bent, old, bald-headed man piped
out: II was quartermaster. sir, once
on China boat with a coolie crew,
and two or three times when they or
the Chow passengers got fresh, the
old mani should say captains
out Wholesalers to US whites. Inever
let OF mine. but got to know the
handling Of her, and I guess II I'd one
given me now wouldn't shoot any OF
this crowd, even fit did come to be{a
bit exciting. But don't know as l
could hit anything I aimed Mt unless
the mark was mighty close. "s~ 81
Captain Kettle from his elevation
stared down upon them sourly.
You're an unpromising lot of toughs
I wonder what you'd call yourselves
on census paper Sailors you GER
tainly are not Well, with the Lords
help. III lick you into some kind Of
horse marines before I'm through with
you. Bo's'n, break up two cases OF
those rifles from number two hold,
and distribute them round. You Re-
servist, you Black Poacher. you Red
Poacher, and you Coolie Driver, I APP
point you corporals for the time be.
ing. If you're efficient you'll get nm
extra tot OF rum day II you aren't,
and you cant drum sense into your
squads, you'll hear from me personal,
lily, and SO will they. Now. you've
each got seven men apiece, and two
extra that you can toss for, and your
first job is to teach them which end
of the rife to hold. and how to carry
1t about without poking anybody's eye
out I'll give you twenty-four hours
to do 1t in. That's the lot. Get away
and set to work"
Sailormen are proverbially grim.
blers. but this crew Gas Kettle ex.
pressed it, had the vice thoroughly
worked out of them by this date. They
had come aboard in the Tyne. bleary,
ragged sullen, mutinous, and owing
to the slight mystery which hung over
their enlistment, thought they were
going to have an easy idle time OF It.
Never were crew more disillusioned.
], An iron discipline descended on
them and held them in rigid grooves.
They were worked mercilessly at chip
ping ironwork. painting iron and wood.
work, setting up rigging. calking
decks, holystoning decks, and hun
dred other laborious operations;
blow followed a sullen word; a savage
kick was the reward of a laggard arm;
and the utmost was extracted from
everyone. ss,5r G4ss,
As result. as far as man could
make her, the homely little steamer
| was as smart as a yacht, and the all
nation rapscallions who manned her
had been turned into crew Of hard,
strong, well-dtsciplined men, quick 10
answer an order. and in all ordinary
sea, matters skillful to- carry 1t out.
! The big burly member? of parliament
watched the transition with an APP
preciative eye. He had seen men
driven in politics; and had been rather
contemptuous of the result. 1t struck
him that after they had undergone
the process the most Of them ceased to
be men. w .3N,'
But here the process was reversed.
The raw products that Captain kettle
had commenced on were. most Of them
less than men. and under his remorse-
less drill he had Gas It appeared to Sir
GeorEe) converted each one Of them
into the complete ssuper.seaman.
After the lapse Of twenty-four hours
hands were again called on deck,eand
they appeared smartly enough, each
carrying his rifle In, the method that
appealed to him best. But they gall
handled their weapons as II they had