The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-02-26
CHAPTER VIII


mad, or half-mad at least, what
lof his strange moods and vagar-
ia A. other times ! take him
for a great man. a genius who has
never arrived. And, finally, | am
-. -eS'I mat he Is the perfect
type OF the primitive man. born a
thousand years or generations too
late and an anachronism in this
eliminating century of civlliza-
ton. He is certainly an individu-
alist of the most pronounced type.
Not. only that, but he Is very
lohtly. There Is no congeniality
between him and the rest of the
MED aboard ship. His tremendous
virility and mental strength wall
him apart. They are more like
children to him. even the hunters,
and as children he treats them,
descending perforce to their level
and playing with them as a man
plays with puppies. Or else he
probes them with the cruel hand
OF a vivisectionist, cropping about
In their mental processes and ex-
aiming their souls as though to
see of what soul-stuff is made.
| have seen him score of
Hines, at table, insulting this
hunter or that, with cool and
leyel eyes and, withal, a certain
air OF interest, bordering their
actions or replies or petty RACES
with a curiosity almost laughab BILE
to me who stood onlooker and
who understood. Concerning his
own RACES, ! am convinced that
they are not real. that they are
sometimes experiments, but that
in the main they are the habits of
pose or attitude he has seen fit
to take toward his fellowmen. |
know, with the possible exception
of the incident of the dead mate,
that | have not seen him really
angry; nor do i wish ever to see
him in a genuine rage. when all
the force of him is called into
play.
While on the question OF vagar-
les, shall tell what befell Thomas
Mugridge in the cabin. and at the
same time complete an incident
upon which | have already touch
ed once or twice. The twelve
o'clock dinner was over, one day,
and ] had just finished putting
the cabin in order, when Wolf
Larsen and Thomas Mugridge de-
scended the companion stairs.
Though the cook had a cubby-
hole of stateroom opening off
from the cabin, In the cabin it.
self he had never dared to linger
or to be seen, and he fitted to and
fro, once or twice a day, like
timid spectre.
so you know how to play
Map" Wolf Larsen was saying
in a pleased sort of voice. II
might have guessed an English
man would know. I learned 1t
myself in English ships"
Thomas Mugridge was beside
himself, a blithering imbecile, SO
pleased was he at cumming thus
with the captain. The little airs
he put on and the painful striv-
ing to assume the easy carriage
of man born to dignified place
in life would have been sickening
had they not been ludicrous. He
quite ignored my presence, though
| credited him with being simply
unable to see me. His pale,
wishy-washy eyes were swimming
like lazy summer seas, though
what blissful visions they beheld
were beyond my imagination.
MGet the cards, Hump" Wolf
Larsen ordered, as they took seats
at the table. And bring out the
lcigars and the whiskey you'll find
/ in my berth"
! returned with the articles in
thine to hear the Cockney limiting
broadly that there was a mystery
about him, that he might be a
gentleman's son gone wrong or
something or other; also. that he
wa8 remittance man and was
paid to keep away from England
E-"p'yed 'ansomely, SIR" was the
way, he put it; "p'yed 'ansomely
Ito Sling my 'ook an keep slingin'
Eit.uS
i had brought the customary
Iliquor glasses, but Wolf Larsen
frowned, shook his head, and sig
nailed with his hands for me to
bring the tumblers. These he
filled two-thirds full with undilut-
al whiaky - "a Rautlam a N q
drink" quoth Thomas Mugridge,
and they clinked their glasses
to the glorious game of NAP"
lighted cigars. and fell to shut
fling and dealing the cards.
They played for money. They
increased the amounts of the bets.
lThey drank whisky. they drank 1t
neat. and fetched more. / do
not know whether Wolf Larsen
cheated or moi. thing he was