Phoenix tribune., 1922-02-25
THE GREEN PEA PIRATES
lContinued From Lagt Igguel


there flowed a taint of the heroic
blood of some forgotten sea-dog. Be
that as it may, something did swell
in his breast when Mr.. Gibney spoke
of the flag and his scorning to hide
behind it, and Scraggs snaggle teeth
came together with a snap.
"All right, Glib, my boy" he said
solemnly, "Tm with you. Mrs. Scraggs
has slipped her cable and there amt
nobody TO mourn for me. But if we
can't fight under the Stars and Stripes,
by the tail of the Great Sacred Bull
Wen have a flag of our own," and
leaving Mr.. Gibney and the crew to
get the guns on deck, Captain Scraggs
ran below. He appeared on deck pres
emily with long blue burgee on which
was emblazoned in white letters the
single word Maggie 1t was his own
houseflag, and with trembling hands
he ran it to the fore and cast its
wrinkled folds to the breeze of heaven.
Good old dishclothl" shrieked Mr.
Gibney. "She never comes down"
"D-d if she does" said Captain
Scraggs profanely.
While all this was going on, a deck
hand had reeved a block and tackle
through the end of the cargo gaff
and passed it to the winch. The two
guns came out of the hold in Jig time
and while Scraggs and one deckhand
opened the after hold and got out am
munition for the guns, Mr.. Gibney, as.
sisted by the other deckhand, pro
ceeded to put one of the guns to-
gether. He was shrewd enough to
realize that he would have to do prac-
tically all of the work of serving the
gun himself, in view of which cOndi-
tion one gun would have TO defend
the Maggie. He had never seen
mountain gun before, but he did not
find it difficult to put the simple me-
chanism together.
"Now, then, Scraggsy," he an
nounced cheerfully when the gun was
finally assembled on the carriage,
'get a sizeable timber an spike it to
the center O. the deck. I'll run the
trail spade up against that cleat an
that'll keep the recoil from lettin' the
gun 90 backward, clean through the
opposite rail and overheard. Gimme
coupler gallons O. distillate an some
waste, somebody. This eosmoline's
got to come out O. the tube an out O.
the breech mechanism before we COM
mence shootin'."
The enemy had approached within
three miles by the time the piece was
ready for action. Under Mr.. Gibney's
Instructions Captain Scraggs held the
fuse setter in case it should be nee
essary to adjust with shrapnel. Mr.
Gibney inserted his sights and took &
preliminary squint. "a little differ
ent from gun-pointin' in the navy, but
about the same principle" he declared.
I'm the army l believe they call this
kind O shootin' direct fire, because
you sight direct on the target" He
scratched his ingenious head and ex-
amined the ammunition. Not q high
explosive shell In the lot" he mourned
"Pll have to use percussion fire to get
the range; then I'll drop back a little
an spray her with shrapnel. Seems
pity to smash up a fine schooner
like that one with percussion fire. I'd
rather tickle 'em up a bit with
shrapnel an scare 'em into runnin
away"
He got out the lanyard, slipped a
cartridge in the breech, paused, AMI
scratched his head again. His calm
deliberatton was driving Scraggs
crazy. He reminded Mr. Gibney with
some asperity that they were not at
tending a strawberry festival and TOR
the love of heaven to get busy.
I'm estimatin' the range, you
snipe," Gibney retorted. Looks to be
about three miles to me. A little long
Ilebbe, for this gun, but-there's moth
in like tryin'," and he sighted care
fully. Sire" he bawled as the Mag
gle rested an instant in the trough of
the sea-and a deckhand jerked the
lanyard. Instantly Mr.. Gibney clapped
the long glass to his eye.
Good direction-over," he mur-
AuuiC II Atty OH iicI hdlCIlnlc hCAt
time" He jerked open the breech,
elected the cartridge case, and rammed
another cartridge home. This shot
struck the water directly under the
schooner's bow and threw water over
her forecastle head. Mr. Gibney
smiled, spat overheard, and winked
confidently at Captain Scraggs. Like
spearin' fish in a bath tub" he de-
clared. He bent over the fuse setter.
"Corrector three zero" he intoned,
-four eight hundred" He thrust a
cartridge in the fuse setter, twisted
it, slammed it In the gun, and fired
again. "Over," he growled.
Something whined over the Maggie
and threw up waterspout half a
mile beyond her
"Dubs," jeered Mr.. Gibney, and
sighted again. This time his shrapnel
burst neatly on the schooner Almost
simultaneously shell from the
schooner dropped into the sacked coal
on the forecastle head of the Maggie
and enveloped her in a black pail of
smoke and coal dust. Captain