Evening star., 1924-10-01

Ortho understood and determined
to do likewise. Essentially an oppor-
| tunist, he would have checrfully sub
scribed to devil worship had it been
| fashionable.
| One morning they were taken on
| deck and kept there till noon. Pud-
dicombe said the officers were in the
| hold valuing the cargo. They were
nearing the journeys end.
| 1t was clear weather, full Of sun
| shine. Packs of chubby cloud trailed
across sky of pale azure. The three
| ships were in close company. line
ahead, the lame flagship leading, her
lateens wing and wing. The ginger
| bread work on her high stern was one
glitter Of gilt and her quarters were
carved with stars and crescent moons
| interviewer with Arabic scrolls. The
| ship astern was no less fancifully
embcllished. All three were deckcd
out as for holiday, flying long coach :
| whip pcnnants from trucks and lateen
peaks, and each had a big green ban
ner at jack-Staff on the poop.
No land was in sight. but there were
signs of it. A multitude Of gulls
pling pennants. 4 bundle of cut bam-
boos drifted by and a broken basket.
MacBride, telescope under his
arm, fur cap cooked on the back of
his head, strutted the poop. Pres
emily he came down the upper deck
and walked along the line Of prison.
ers, inspecting them closely. He save
ortho no sign of recognition, but
later on sent for him.
Did Jerry Gish ever tell you the
yarn of how him and me shaved that
old Jew junk dealer in Derry and then
| got him pressed"
NO, sir
MacBride related the story and
! ortho laughed with great heartiness.
Good yarn, amt it," said the cap
| tain.
ortho vowed it was the best he had
ever heard
"Of course you knowing old Jerry
would appreciate it-these Others.
| The captain made the gesture of one
whose pearls of reminiscence have
| been cast before swine.
Ortho took his courage in both
| hands and told a story Of how Capt.
| Gish had got hold of a Gypsy's
bear. dressed it up in a skirt, cloak
and bonnet and let it loose in the
Ouakers' meeting house in Penzance.
AS a matter of fact, it was not the
! nimitable Jerry who had done it at
all but party OF young squires;
however, il served Ortho's pur-
pose TO credit the exploit to
! Capt. GiSh. Capt. Gish. as Ortho
| remembered him. was a dull old
gentleman with theories Of his
own on the lost tribes of Israel which
he was never tired of disclosing, but
the Jerry Gish that MacBride remem-
bered and delighted in was evidently
a very different persona spark, a
blood, a devil Of a fellow. jeremiah
must be maintained in the latter role
at all costs. Ever since his visit to
the cabin Ortho had been thinking Of
all boisterous jests he had ever heard
and tailoring them to fit Jerry
against such a chance as this. His
repertoire was now extensive.
The captain laughed most heartily
at the episode Of good old Jerry" and
the bear Ortho knew how to tell
a story: he had caught the trick from
Pyramus. Encouraged. he was on
the point of relating another when
there came a long drawn cry from
aloft. The effect on the Arab crew
was magical.
"Moghreb." they cried. .Moghreb!"
and, dropping whatever they had in
hand, raced for the main ratlineS-
Capt. MacBride. however, was before
them. He kicked one chocolate mari
ner in the stomach. planted his hst
in the face of another, whacked yet
another over the knuckles with his
rail, and from that emnence dis
tributed scaldinE admonition to all
and sundry. That done. he went hand
over fist in a dignified manner up to
the topgallant yard.
The prisoners were sent below. but
to the tweendccks this time instead
of the hold.
Land was in sight. the Erixham
man informed Ortho. They had hit
the mark of very neatly, at d town
called Mehdia few miles above
Saiiee, or SO he understood II they
could catch the tide they should be
in by evening. The admiral was lac
ing bonnets on. The gun port being
closed. they could not see how they
were progressing. but the Arabs were
in a high state Of elation: cheer after
cheer rang out from overhead as they
picked UP familiar landmarks along
the coast. Even the wounded men
dragged themselves to the upper
deck. The afternoon drew on. Pud-
dicombe was of the opinion that they
would miss the tide and anchor out
side. in which case they were in for
another nights pitching and rolling.
Ortho devoutly trusted not: what
with the vermin and rats in that