Evening star., 1923-11-04


~ Iron Cross. which, though sail.
~ ing for Australia. had conven-
4 iently put me OF In my own
back yard In Ireland, and after making
a nuDber Of cross-channel trips. ! made
up my mind to try once more to get on
a ship "going somewhere that counts"
This opportunity came to me when,
on reaching the Tyne on one oc-,
casion, 1t was learned that our ship
was to load for Archangel. Several
Of the men declined to ship on what
they considered the north pole. but,
az I did not know exactly where
Archangel was. and had a mind set
for adventure, I made no objection.
As our captain was only coaster"
board Of trade regulations required us
to take on a navigating officer In order
to get our ship to the White sea port.
Our navigating officer, Mr.. Lane.
came on board few days before sail
ing. bringing with him a set of instru-
ments which appeared to me to be ex-
tremely complex. When saw him at
work with these "contrivances" few
days after we-had been at sea, peeking
at the sun through a strengthening
triangular affair, and making weird
hieroglyphics and drawings. I regarded
him with q sort Of awe, as II he were
one Of those magicians Of the <o,den
days who could transmute base metals
into gold. kept my eyes rivited upon
him with such a strange expression.
gaping at him as perhaps only q raw
Irish lad would do, that finally he
smiled and asked me II was interested
In his work.
"If knew what you were doing.
think would be, sir" answered.
Thereupon he proceeded to show me
some Of the elements Of the game Of
navigation. and to explain the use Of
tho instruments he was using.
In my home town a few months
before taking this trip had pur-
chased what Mr.. Lane pronounced q
fairly good sextant. At the time.
did not know Its exact value. or how
to use It I had seen q master of a
ship with something that looked very
much like a sextant and ] thought
that. II I had the necessary instru-
ments. I too, might some day become
q master.
This plan had much to do with
Marjory. I planned, after I had ar
rived at q point in the seafaring game
where I would be In q position Of
authority. to put q certain PROPOSE
tion to this little lady and see IL
we could not sail the sea Of life
together. had written her from
several ports and. unlike the average
sailor, had kept her in my mind as
. nxed star.
+ 4.
TT was my delight to write letters
i to her from almost every place
where we called. in order to impress
her with the importance Of my
wanderings (although they were
limited only to British ports). In
deed. one Of my ideas in signing on
for Archangei was to be made to write
her thrilling, II perhaps imaginative,
tales Of fights with polar bears, Eskimos.
sea lions and other inhabitants Of those
ICY regions. I knew that my letters
would be read with amaxement In
the little Irish village, and ex-
pected to come back hero. Some
years afterward my sweetheart lent
me . copy Of letter which wrote
to her just before sailing on this
trip.
Dearest MarjoEy:
when you receive this letter I
shall be we'll on my way to Arch
aagva. port 20 Tar north that the
sailors say you don't have to use
the anchor. but can just tic the
ship to the north pole. The polar
hears are 10 tame. some say, that
they come aboard for breakfast
One OF my shipmates. who claims
TO have been there before, tells me
that the ship passes through cracks
In the ice several MILES high, and
that the aurora borealis roars 20
loud each night that nobody gets
any sleep. The night watches take
plsee In the daytime, - the suni
never sets. 8
.Of course these tales are vety.