The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-19
ADVENTURES OF SMITH0 ON BOARD
 BRITISH PATROL

The London Daily Chronicle prints the following:
 Rat-tap-tap-tat. The messenger thumped firmly on the cabin door.
 Quarter of IF. sir.'' No reply.
 Rat-a-tap-tap-tat, thump, thump. "Mr. Smith. sir: quarter to 12, sir"
 What? Whats that?" said a start led voice from inside.
 Quarter to IF, sir," repeated the messenger. "and the officer of the watch says as how it's cold and rain- ing"
 'D-n," said MT. Smith. "All right; thank you" and the cabin light was switched on. giving the messen- ger a momentary glimpse, before he ing, sleepy figure sitting up on a bunk, fully dressed, except for boots and coat, and with a couple of rugs half thrown back from him.
 The ship creaked. rattled. vibrated and lurched. jumpily-recovered and rolled from side to side with a quick sea-sicky motion.
 "Brr-grr-whuff," said Smith, com bining very expressively in this one diction moan, a grunt and a shiver. 'fUgh-grr," he remarked again, and slithered off his bunk on to his cabin deck.
 On the chair lay sweater, cardi- gan waistcoat, and a thick muffler. Smith put them on slowly, allowing intervals for self-balance. His upper half clothed, he picked up a pair of socks and pulled them on over the pair he already had on. covered these in turn with a pair of fisherman's thick wooly sea-boot stockings and, balancing on one leg. with a supreme effort pulled on pair of large, heavy sea boots. The ship landed with thud and bump which shook her through her length, seeming to bring up almost all standing and causing the stern to , throb and vibrate fiercely as the pro- pellors forced the ship on and through again. Smith was thrown heavily against the bunk.
 1 "Ugh-grr-brr!" he exclaimed and on its third appearance the remark lost nothing in expressiveness. A pair of oilskin trousers were drawn on next; an oilskin, another muffler, a sou'wester, and a Balacla- va helmet followed; a pair of binocu- lars, a pipe, bacck, matches, a slap of l chocolate, gunfire ear protectors and electric torch were collected; a pair
 of woolen gloves. a pair of mittens | and over all a large pair of water i proof fur-lined gauntlets were put on, l and Lieutenant Smith, R. N., left his cabin. As he switched off the light his 'goodby for four hours expres- sion'' would have melted the heart of a Hindenburg.
 s,, {
 draughty, rather smelly and slippery
 under foot, from the sea water that
 had leaked down and which was
 swishing from side to side as the ship
 rolled.
 | Smith groped his way forward,
 bending double so far as his clothes
 allowed, to pass under the hammocks
 of sleeping marines, and steadying
 himself against the motion of the ship 1 by pipes, by cabin doors, fan valves | or any other handy fittings, until he req ched the hatchway. l His footfalI as he mounted the lad der sounded melancholy but deter
 mined
 1 As he reached ths level of the up- l per deck cold blast of air met him. together with a sprinkle of rain and
 salt spray, and the swish of wave
 coming inboard forward, with the
 succeeding splash against casing and guns sounded in his ears. Lieutenant Smith. R. N., officer of 1 the middle watch. thought lot but said nothing.
 l The night was pitch dark. and the contrast after the electric glare be- 1 low was blinding.
 :! Smith groped his way forward,
 choosing the right course and avoid 1 ing snares to the feet or shins by in-
 stinct and the accumulated experience of two years in the ship. l The spray rising from the bow way and a beam sea swept inboard the
 weather side, swished down the bat tery and sprayed it's residue over to I the lee side.
 ] The residue met Smith. He thought
 a lot but said nothing. 1 Close in to the lee castings and by
 gunshield and torpedo tube he passed,
 or collided with. oilskinned figures,
 some treading gingerly aft to take over their watch, some rolling cheer r fly forward to enjoy their watch be- low. while some were stationary. mutt 1 tering fierceiy at the slackness of their reliefs. From forward came the faintly gruff tones of the boatswain's 's mate: s'All the starboard watch-star- l hoard watch to night defense sta