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Show with the marching and countermarching countermarch-ing of the four armies all night long there was no sleeping In our cabins." New York World. SPEAKING OF BATS. Speaking cr rats, old Dr. McGann i something of a wizard among them. He rates as the rat exterminator and annl-hllator annl-hllator extraordinary to the War and Navy departments at Washington. "Admiral Rodent" is his title by courtesy. cour-tesy. He's the modern Pled Piper of Hamelin when it comes to yanking a scourge of rats out of a ship or barracks bar-racks where their company is not wanted. But hist! It's a secret. So there's no use asking "Admiral to tell how he charms the rats. When one of Uncle Sara's men-of-war has shipped-a big crew of rats the Navy department calls on the old ' Admiral" Ad-miral" to dislodge them. If an army or marine barracks Is overrun with the pest there are loud cries for old Dr. McGann. Mc-Gann. He thinks, however, that he is never sent for until the rats begin to picket muskets from the soldiers and marines. The secret that the "Admiral' hugs so closely lies in the medicine" he gives to the rats. It is a fine white powder of his own , concoction. He mixes up a lot of it in a sort of corn-meal corn-meal paste and places small pots of It all over the ship where the rats are most likely to find it. And now let him tell what that mixture will do to them: "Rats are always hungry and they are particularly fond of the stuff I mix up for them, son-. They fill themselves up tight with It, and then the very next thing they want is a drink of water. With every pot of the stuff I put anoth- er little pot full of water Just enough to fan their thirst: They drink that all in no time at all. and in about five minutes min-utes they get such a thirst as they never nev-er had in their live before. That's my secret beginning to get in its work. Well. Borr. that thirst grows most amazing, and pretty soon the rats are running madly all over the ship looking for the water wagon. But there is no water, and so the whole crew starts for the open portholes and overboard they go." The presence of the "Admiral" on the Minneapolis put the ward room in a reminiscent mood. He was the inspiration inspira-tion for all sorts of strange yarns about what rats will do at sea. Their Junior Lieutenant spun one about an exciting time he had with them on a long cruise back In 1802. "I was an ensign on the old frigate Constellation," said the Lieutenant "We were detailed to bring over a lot of the exhibit of the World's fair at Chlcagp from European ports. We landed first at a French port and laid up there for a week or more, taking on Junk for the show. The old frigate was tied up close to a pier, and we hadn t been there a day till all the rats In the place got on to us. At night they came aboard In brigades, and even In broad day they would try to slip aboard. "From" there we sailed to a German port to pick up more exhibits. And there again we shipped all the rats that were not otherwise engaged. Our next stop was at an Italian port, and there again the Guinea rats piled aboard and enlisted for the cruise. "Well, you may not believe it, but It's a solemn fact that we had a race war on that old wooden tub that lasted all the way across the Atlantic, and may be going on yet. for all I know about It. The trouble etsrted between the French snd German rats. They skirmished with each other for a day or two, and then they got Into war In dead earnest. One day the French rats lined up and went at the Germans hot and heavy. At last they drove the enemy down In the hold. But the Germans rallied the next day and routed the French. "Then the Italians took a hand In the war. They made a hostile demonstration demonstra-tion against the Germans and attempted attempt-ed a flank movement. At that critical stage the American rats got into action. ac-tion. Being out of communication with Washington, the Navy department and the board of strategy had no chance to make them hike out of the danger belt and wait till someone came along and gave them a kick. It was certainly the hottest war it has ever been my luck to witness. Hostilities were still In progress when I was ordered to another anoth-er berth. I was rather flad of it, for, |