The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-07-12

dangerous.
"Smith, drenched and dismal, looked at
me with a sardonic grin.
ga modern Yankee tar he sneered.
He don't want to do it because it would be
dangerous. wonder if one of Jones's
DULLES ever told his commanding officer
that
Q wanted very much to punch Smiths
head. Such remark about man who had
just saved his life, and that in a manner
nothing less than heroic, was uncalled for.
Besides, my amateur seamanship made me
aware that the boys reference to danger
had to do with the ship and not himself,
meaning that to open the gunport in such
sea wouldfood the forward compartments
to dangerous extent. The mere fact that
in a stressful time the captain had asked his
opinion on such a matter should have been
sufficient evidence to any one that the lad
was valuable hand. I said nothing, how
ever, knowing Smith too well, and being
already engrossed in the bit of hard sea-
manship' that the captain had summoned
us to witness.
"The ships bow-chaser, a six-inch rife,
mounted on the center of the high forecastle
had been dismounted by the combined
strain of the extreme roll and the heavy
seas-over. Adrift in the sickening pitch
and wallow, the huge length of steel, weigh
ing many tons, was humping and caroming
erratically about the deck, with probable
potential killing capacity surprising hum
dred guns of the same caliber on the field of
battle. The antics of this inanimate devil
has nothing to do with my story, however,
+Lo4 &1a bscbI1z J;A3~,,I+ oy,J Jo,~,a-
Gus task of securing it served further to
bring into notice the manly qualities Of our
boy-faced sailor.
He it was who first succeeded in lassoing
the destructive tube; and while it was held
In temporary leash by stayline, he and
another seaman went out to adjust the
heavy chains and hawsers with which it was
to be dashed down to the stump of the
broken mount. But at the next quick roll
Of the ship, the stayline parted and the gun
came back from EIba to resume its mad
career.
"Wilson-that was. the Sailor-saved
himself by leaping in air as the gun passed
beneath him, as children skip the rope.
But the other man was caught and broken
against the port rail- When the following
roll carried the gun back, he simply doubled
up and slid backward, between the chains
of the rail, into the maelstrom under the
vessels forefeet. No attempt whatever
was made to pick him up. I don't even
think the incident was remarked upon by
anybody at the time-they were too busy
am telling you this, Margie, just on ac-
count of seeing that sailor-boy this morn
ing.
"The group of seamen, who at the snap
ping of the rope had scattered like flock
!: of frightened gulls, went back doggedly
to their job, until finally the recalcitrant
rife, securely tied down, was impotently
tugging at its letters like trussed animal.
"By the next morning the blow had
moderated appreciably. But the sea was
still portentous waste of moving noun
tains, and the spaces above it blurred
| world of spume and spray and whistling
hends. Sometime before noon, Smith and
essayed the great adventure again. We
, had successfully negotiated the maindeck
! ladder, and were stepping from the poop to
5 the fore-and-aft footbridge, when my atten-
! ton was attracted by the novel spectacle
r of the lookout man in the crow -nest on the
2 forward mast. In a near approach to
! nudity-for in that equatorial climate one
/ can live in the water quite as comfortably
e as in the air, so far as temperature is con-
n cerned-he stood with his arms behind him,
/. twined about Jacobs ladder, against the
\ mast. He was perched at dizzy height
4 and at each roll of the ship he described an
arc of about seventy degrees against the
gray infnity of spindrift ahead. Iplucked
= Smith by the arm and pointed to the aerial
Waterman.
"'Some of your Yankee tars can at least
: be picturesque, shouted in his ear.
i "Sn1ith's face lacked the least hint o.
e romanticism. liked the mani do yet
but it aggravated me almost beyond endur
!. ance to see the way he scowled at that human
watch-hawk of the storm. ..s.-.
(, "Tt's a wonder he don't refuse to stay
It there on account of it being dangerous, b,
d howled back at me.
g "Under his veneer of false reserve, Smith
has many lovable qualities, but at tina
e instant hated him all over and under th'
It crust.
er "While we were yet gazing upward, tn,
u motionless figure aloft came to life. It
K the man-gave loud outcry, so loud tina
r it reached even US, family, above the roar o
p wind and waters. He loosed his hold o.
er the Jacobs ladder, seized a shapeless some
IS thing, that hung over the life rail, surround
Or ing his circular little porch, and himsel
clambered upon the, to Us, invisible rail