The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-03-29
SINGH
BOBBS
(ERRILL
By
TALBOT MUNDY

spaajoor Singh will bride the
~ Of the ship to steam away
ie that regiment Of Kurds can
,e On board" said l. $50 We
s.n have the ship at our mercy.
.aaed " make no mistakes"
4Iat aid not satisfy them, but 1t
- them something new to think
t and they settled down to
.H n silence, A. many - could
eriing their backs against the
.koaee and the rest suffering
|. ~ rain. l would rather have
- them whispering, because I
sised the silence to be due to low
Is4s. / knew Of nothing more to
~ Is encourage them. and after
,ime their depression began to
~ me also. Rather than watch
~. watched the water, and
- tSan once l saw something I
"a not recognize, that nevertheless
.ssaad nv skin to Jingle and my
seaath to come In jerks. Sikh eyes
10 keen.
n vas perhaps two hours before
sAnight when the long spell Of
i,jsT along the waterfront began
sd / knew that my eyes had not
i.eayed me. All the search lights
Manly swept together to one
,elpt and shone on the top side Of
I submarine-or at least on the
vntef thrown up by its top side.
nly two masts and q thing like a
myer we're visible, and the plung-
isr shells threw water over those
sScuring them every second. There
m 4 great explosion. whether be-
IRE or after the beginning of the
mn-hre I do not remember. and a
shio anchored out on the water no
neat distance from us heeled over
md began to sink. One search
init was turned on the sinking
,iIp. so that | could see hundreds
d men on her running to and fro
nd jumping; but all the rest of
IL water was now left in dark
is1s.
The guards who had been set to
ypvent our landing all ran to an
sher wharf to watch the gun-fire
nd the sinking ship, and it was at
he moment when their backs were
|nrned that two Turkish seamen
ome down from the bridge and
bosed the ropes that held us to
de shore. Then our ship began to
move out slowly into the darkness
|. without showing lights or sound
(ing whistle. There was still no
Ssin Of Ranjoor Singh, nor. had l
Mime to look for him; / was busy
mixing the men be still, urg-
Ing, coaxing, cursing-even strik-
ing them.
"Are we of to Gallipoli" they
uked.
We are off to where true man
my remember the salt" said I,
moving no more than they.
| know of nothing more confus-
ing to a landsman, sahib, than a
crowded harbor at night. The many
march-lights all quivering and
shifting in the one direction only
make confusion worse. and we had
not been moving two minutes when
no longer knew north from south
w east from west l looked up, to
iy to Judge by the stars. l had
actually forgotten it was raining.
The rain came down in sheets and
overhead the sky began at little
more than arms length! Judge,
hen, my excitement.
We passed very close to several
mall steamers that may have been
varships. but l think they were
merchant ships converted into gun
bats to hunt submarines. l think
100. that in the darkness they mis-
Dok us for another of the same
port, for. although we almost col
ided with two of them. they Meth
Y fred on us nor challenged. We
teamed straight past them, begin
hing to gain speed as the last one
fell away behind.
Does the sahib remember wheth-
Az the passage from Stamboul into
Ttae Sea of Marmora runs south or
east or west? Neither could ] re-
member, although at another time
could have drawn a map OF it.
having studied such things. But
nemory plays us strange tricks
aud cavalrymen were never intend
y to maneuver in ship! Ranjoor
singh. up in the wheel-house, had
map--a good map, that he had
stolen from the German officers
bot did not know that until later
stood with both hands holding the
nlls Of the bridge ladder wonder
las whether guntire or submarine
would sink US and urging the men
70 keep their heads below the bull
vlrk lest search-light find us and
lie number of heads cause suspi-
con.
! have often tried to remember
!W how many hours we steamed
imm Stamboul, yet l have no idea
% this day beyond that the voyage
~ ended before dawn. It was all
ueXpected-we were too excited
0d too fearful for our skins to re-
al the passage Of hours. 1t was
fker than l have ever known
! INT to be, and the short waves
~ made our ship pitch unevenly
ne growing sleeper every min
e when Ranjoor Singh came al
~ TO the head of the ladder and
aouted for me. l went to him ur
M steps, holding to each rail fol-
Oar life.
TAKE 20 men," he ordered. land
Uncover the forward hatch. Throw
ue hatch coverings overheard The
soic is full of cartridges. Bring
Y some boxes and break them
ven. Distribute 200 rounds tc