The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-12-24


upon this. and him. Louis passed judg
ment and prophecy.
:" IT'S fine chap, that squarehead
Johnson we've for'ord with US" he
said. THE best sailorman in the
fo'c'sle. He's my boat puller. But
it's to trouble he'll come with Wolf
Larsen. as the sparks fly upward The
Wolf is strong. and it's the way OF
a wolf to hate strength. an strength
it is he'll see in Johnson-no knucklin'
under, and Yes, sir thank We kindly,
SIR for curse or blow"
Thomas Mugridge is becoming unen-
durable. | am compelled to Mister
him and Sir him with every speech.
One reason for this is that Wolf Lar
sen seems to have taken a fancy to
him. 1t is an unprecedented thing, |
take it. for captain to be chummy
with the cook; but this is certainly
what Wolf Larsen is doing. Two or
three times he put his head into the
galley and chaffed Mugridge good
naturedly and once. this afternoon, he
stood by the break Of the poop and
chatted with him for fully fifteen min
utes. When it was over, and Mug
ridge was back in the galley, he be-
came greasily radiant, and went about
his work, humming the coster songs
in nerve-racking and discordant fal-
setto
II always get along with the Off
GERS" he remarked to me in conf
dental tone. 81 know the wy. l do.
to myke myself unprecedented. There
was my last skipper. 'Mugridge.' SEE
e to me, 'Mugridge.' SEE e. you've
missed yer vokytion.' An 'ow's that?
SEE |. Yes should "a been born a
gentleman, an never 'ad to work for
yer Twin God strike me dead. imp.
if that aynt wot e seq. an me a-sittin
there in is own cabin. jolly-like an
comfortable, a-smokin' lis cigars an
drinkin' is rum"
This chitter-chatter drove me to dis
| traction. | never heard voice | hated
so. Positively, he was the most dis
gusting and loathsome person ! have
ever met. The filth of his cooking was
indescribable, and, as he cooked every
thing that was eaten aboard, | was
compelled to select what | ate with
great circumspection choosing from
the least dirty of his connections.
My hands bothered me a great
deal unused as they were to work.
Nor was my knee any better. The
swelling had not gone down, and the
cap was still up on edge. Hobbling
about on it from morning to night was
not helping it any. What | needed
was rest, If it were ever to get we'll
Rest! | never before knew the
meaning Of the word. had been rest
ing all my life and did not know it.
But now, from half past five in the
morning till ten o'clock at night.
am everybody's slave, with not one
moment to myself. except such as ]
| can steal near the end OF the second
dog watch. Let me pause for min
ute to look out over the sea sparkling
in the sun, or TO gaze at sailor going
aloft to the gaff-topsails. or running
out the bowsprit. and | am sure to
hear the hateful voice. Ere, you
'Ump no sodgerin I've got my peep
ers on yer"
There are signs of rampant bad tenn
per in the steerage, and the gossip is
going around that Smoke and Hender-
son have had a fight. Henderson
seems the best of the hunters. slow
going fellow. and hard to rouse; but
reused he must have been. for Smoke
had a bruised and discolored eye.
and looked particularly vicious when
he came into the cabin for supper.
GRO BE CONTINUED,