Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-29

A white cloud of the birds rose
from their sleep as we approached.
and wheeled and whistled and
screamed and beat their wings over
our heads. / wanted to scream, too.
but Martin said:
MY gracious, isn't this splendifer-
ous?"
isn't it?" 1 answered, and, little
hypocrite that 1 was, I began to sing.
l remember that l sang one of
Tommy's sailor songs, Sally" be-
cause its jolly doggerel was set to
such jaunty tune
on, SdHy's the gel for me,
Our Sally's the gel for me,
III marry the gel that I lore best
When I come back from sea-"
My pretense Of happiness was
shortlived. for at the next moment l
made another mistake. Drawing up
his boat to a ledge of the rock, and
laying hold of our painter, Martin
leaped ashore, and then held out his
hand to me to follow him, but in fear
of big wave 1 held back when I
ought to have jumped, and he was
drenched from head to foot. l was
ashamed, and thought he would have
scolded me, but he only shook him
self and said:
That's nothing! We don't mind
a bit Of wet when we're out asplor-
ing"
In Name Of King.
My throat was hurting me again
and could not speak, but without
waiting for me to answer he coiled
the rope about my right arm, and told
me to stay where l was, and hold fast
to the boat, while he climbed the rock
and took possession Of 1t In the name
of the King
DO or die we allus does that when
we're out asploring," he said, and
with his sack over his shoulder, his
broom handle in his hand and his 1T
tie Union Jack clicking out of the
hole in the crown of his h3t, he clam
bered up the crag and disappeared
over the top of It.
Being left alone, for the dog had
followed him, my nervousness in
creased tenfold, and thinking at last
that the rising tide was about to sub
merge the ledge on which I stood,
tried in my fright to climb the cliff.
But hardly had I taken three steps
when my foot slipped and l clutched
the seaweed to save myself from fall
ing, with the result that the boats
rope slid from my arm, and went rip
rip-ripping down the rock until 1t fell
with a splash into the sea.
1 saw what I had done, and I
screamed, and then Martins head ap-
peared after q moment on the ledge
above me. But it was too late to 40
anything, for the boat had already
drifted six yards away, and Just when
l thought he would have shrieked at
me for cutting off our only connection
with the shore he said:
Never mind; shipmate! We allus
expecs to lose a boat or two when
we're asplorin."
| was silent from shame, but Mar
tin, having hauled me up the rock
by help of the broom handle, ratified
away as If nothing had happened
pointing proudly to a rust-eaten tri-
angle with a bell suspended inside
fit and his little flag floating on top.
But, oh dear, what are we to do
nowT' 1 whimpered
Don't you worrit about that" he
said. We'll just signal back to the
next base-we call them bases when
we're out asploring."
I understood from this that he was
heard on the land, would bring some
body to our relief But the bell was
big, only meant to be put in motion
on stormy nights by the shock and
surging of an angry sea, and when
Martin had tied string to its tongue
It was a feeble sound he struck from
1t.
Half an hour passed. an hour, two
hours, and still I saw nothing on tho
water but our empty boat rocking its
way back to shore.
"Will they ever come ?" faltered.
Rather! Just you wait and
you'll see them coming. And when
they take US ashore therell be crowds
and crowds with bugles and bands
and things to take us home. My good
ness, yes" he said, with the same
wild look, hundreds and tons Of
theml"
A Born Gentleman.
But the sun set over the sea behind
us, the land in front grew dim, the
moaning tide rose around the quaking
rock and even the screaming sea fowl
deserted us, and still there was no
sign OF relief. My heart was CULVER
ing through my clothes by this time,
but Martin. who had whistled and
sung, began to talk about being hun
CRY.
MY goodness, yes, I'm that hungry
I could eat / could eat dog
oatn a,,r do.n ,,,l,xn