The Washington herald., 1915-11-24
KIPLNG PICTURES WORK
OF BRITISH FISH" NAVY
CONTINUED FROM FACE ONE.

large brown trunk" or the black dress
basket" as a freed soul might scon at
his old life in the flesh.
My sponsor and chaperon in this
EliZabethan world OF eighteenth-century
seamen was an A. B.. who had gone
down in the Landrail. assisted at the
Heligoland fight, seen the Butcher sink
and the bombs dropped on our boats
when We tried to save the drowning
C'whereby.' as he said. these Ger
mans died 'grottstrafin' their own
| strayed'D. and has now found mort
peaceful days in an ONCE ashore.
"At Tea In Her shirt Sleeves"
He led me across many decks from
craft to craft to study the various
appliances that they specialize in. AL
most our last was what a North Country
trawler called a common sweeper" that
is to say a mine sweeper. She was at
tea in her shirt sleeves and he pro-
tested loudly that there was nothing
in sweeping"
See that wire roper" he said. Well.
II leads to the ship which you're sweepin'
with. She makes her end fast and you
make yours. Then you sweep together at
whichever depth you're agreed upon
between you, by means OF that arrange
ment there which regulates the depth.
They give you a glass sort o. thing
for keepin' your distance from the other
ship. but that's not wanted II you know
each other. Well, then you sweep as the
sayin' is. There's nothin' in It You
sweep till this wire rope fouls the
bloomin' mines. Then you go on till
they appear on the surface. so to say.
and then you explode them by means of
firm at 'em with that rife in the galley
there. There's nothin' in sweepin' more
than that
Hit n Mine and Up You Go!
And IL you hit a mine?'' I asked.
You go up-but you hadn't ought to
hit 'em. II you're careful. The thing is
to get hold of the first mine all right.
and then you go on to the next and so
on. in a way O. speakin."
And you can fish. too. tween times"
said voice from the next boat. A man
leaned over and returned a borrowed
mug They talked about fishing-notable
that once they caught some red mullet
which the common sweeper" and his
neighbor both agreed was mot natural
in those waters" But as for sweeping II
bored them profoundly. to talk about IT,
only learned later as part OF the nat
ural history of mines that IL you rake
the Tri-nitro-toluol (which Is rather like
cocoa dust by hand out OF a German
mine you develop eruptions and skin
poisoning. But on the authority OF two
experts there is nothing in sweeping.
Nothing whatever.
Now imagine. not q pistol shot from
these crowded quays. a little Office hung
round with charts that are pencilled and
noted over various shoals and soundings.
There is a movable list OF the boats at
work. with quaint and domestic names.
Outside the window lies the packed har-
bor-outside that again the line of traffic
UP and down-a stately cinema show Of
six ships to the hour. For the moment
that film sticks.
Dull Boom Heard Ashore. =
A boat-probably a common sweeper
reports an obstruction In the traffic lane
a few miles away. She has found and
exploded one mine The office heard the
dull boom before the wireless report
came in. In all likelihood there Is a nest
of mines there. II is possible that a sub
marine NAV have got In last night be-
tween certain shoals and laid them out.
The shoals are being shepherded in case
she is lying anywhere, but the boun-
daries OF the newly discovered mine
area must be fired and the traffic de-
waited.
There Is a tramp outside with tugs in
attendance. She has hit something and Is
leaking badly. Where shall she go? The
Office gives her her destination. The
harbor is too full for her to settle down
here. She swings OF between faithful
tugs. Down coast some one asks by wire
less IL they shall hold up their traffic 1t
Is exactly like q signsller Offering"
train. to the next block.
Yes" the ONCE replies. wait a
while II it's what we think there will
be a little delay. II II isn't what we
think there will be a little longer delay"
Meantime. sweepers are nosing round the
suspected area-+looking for cuckoos'
eggs" as a voice suggests: and a patrol
boat lathersoher way down coast to catch
and stop anything that may be on the
move, for shippers are sometimes rather
stupid.
Words BEGIN to drop ont Of thu air into