The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-28
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acquiren uniforms with any de- gree of nonchalance. The clothes fit them badly, Jerry's being too short and Cabell's too loose. But they wore them thankfully and each assured the other that he looked splendid.
 The lieutenant was keeping to quarters and the midshipmen did not know them by sight, but there was danger that they would en- counter some marines who had guarded them. This led them to seek out crowd of civilians who surrounded hawkster auctioning off a parrot. The bird could swear huently in four languages, they were assured; and so loud was the bantering that the two Americans were able to exchange mumbled words under cover of it.
 ". bumboats!" Cabell said. ". toward the stern ."
 ". marines astern :" this from Jerry.
 ". have to chance it :" Cabells verdict.
 They withdrew from the crowd and began to amble aft. Three girls passed them, giggling loudly and trying to attract their attention. Jerry laughed and called to them, Breeze! We got girls!" in what he hoped was good British banter :. An old man stopped them and ask ed where he could find his son, Tommy Smith, bosun's mate. They could not tell him, but they were glad to listen to his Devonshire dia- lect while they conveniently turned their backs on some approaching marines. This group was walking arm and arm, singing chanty be- tween lips from dark square bottle.
 |. The crowd thickened astern. They came on country girl in tears because two sailors had swindled her in a trade. She had come on board with whole day S baking of gingerbread, nicely tied up in a basket. She had sold it to them, asking two shillings as her mother had told her to do and they had paid her only one shilling. Now they had eaten the gingerbread to the last crumb and what was she to do? The sailors laughed uproarously. Jerry was all for punching their noses when Cabell stopped him and drew him out of it.
 You've not got sense enough to come in out of the rain," he muttered. Cant you see female in distress without getting in- volved?"
 Jerry smiled sheepishly. It was true. He couldn't. It was with distress in her eyes that Polly Chelsey had first come to him out of the fog, and now his whole life was dedicated to love of her. It was, moreover, his eagerness to help pretty woman in a scrape over a hackney coach that had led him to imprisonment on this ship. Cabell was right: Let the little country girl cry for her lost shil- ling! One must keep an eye on the pattern, or life became a tangle.
 They had reached their destina- ton and pushed close to the decks outer edge. A bumboat of unpur- chased fowl was about to move off from the brig's stern. They leaned over the taffrail, and Ca bell hallooed to the four men at the oars:
 Wait there! There's others can buy fowl besides the commissary We marines want six ducks for our mess! We're coming down!"
 The men were looking up, their oars backing water. Cabell said in Jerry's ear. Slide. Then jump Make the boat
 Without more ado, what ap- peared to be two very prankisll young British mbarines, one large and well built, the other as wiz ened as a counting-house clerk, grasped the cathead and slid down the anchor cable until they could drop into the bumboat.
 Chickens cackled and geese honked. But as the noise sub- sided the matter ceased to be of interest to the crowd on board the Sunrise.
 Cabell Banks said to the gap- ing produce man in charge of the bumboat, We want to get ashore for a few hours. We've been con- fined to quarters. You wouldn't be- grudge an evenings fun, would you to a couple of His Majesty's finest, about to go off and fight the Amer jeans for you?"
 Would you now?" spoke up Jerry urgently.
 You said you wanted six d11cks" orllnhled the diSanpOinted