| Show A kesl 71 SEA AND COMEDIES HER by morley robort author colossus the fugitives 1 10 tf ar itol y 0 faff company 1 cricketer eric keter could have shied a cricket ball the distance easily leggo the main topsail hilliards halli ards eald banks and then to the surprise of his crew and the utter astonish ment ot he poured out a tor rent of the most blood curdling abuse which had ever defiled the indian or any other ocean you think I 1 m soft you dog he through his spurt ot bias phemy and reckon because I 1 ve got notions ot decency im to be trod on run on my rocks and sink and burn his voice rose to a scream and he tried to speak but tried in vain mr green here he whispered and leaving the wheel to the man he had displaced the mate jumped to the lee poop rail tell him he s no sailor my voice Is gone say he s a oh tell him any thing you feel green did so and satisfied himself and banks and the entire crew and then seeing allson he gave him a friendly bellow what cheer allson and hoisting the topsails they ran on leaving spiller choking with help less rage As it grew darker and they dropped the Pa lembang they picked up the mainsail and shortened down for the night we aint in no hurry whispered banks and to morrow we 11 be up my rocks if I 1 ve hit it off right he was now somber and dignified and spoke with particular ram mati cal and moral accuracy not the ghost of a damn issued from his lips he reproved green t swearing and held a in the cabin much to the didgus the entire ip as it gasn wasn t sunday perhaps to himself tor he always liked to stand well with the crowd he gave them no grog after it in the morning he sent a man on the fore topgallant yard looking for his rocks and as he gave notice that any one who sighted them first should have five pounds the entire watch which should have been below anor ing sat like crows up aloft and trained their eyes all round the horl eon at ten banks was jovial and got his voice back at noon he was anxious by tour clock he shortened sail again we ve overrun em he said sadly it they re still about we re to the west of em mr green during the night well stand under easy sail to the eastward I 1 m set on seeing those rocks again if I 1 lose a and the night tell darkly no matter whose watch it was mate s or second mate s the white whiskered skipper was on deck every ten minutes peering into the black darkness with his glasses the old chap s nerves were on edge his am agitation agi nation flamed he saw reefs and pinnacles of islands every moment and heard the boom of breakers when green relieved his nate at midnight the second mate whispered to him the old man s as nervous as a cat to hear him jaw you d think the hot torn of the sea was rising up mind you ain t high and dry on a new con by daylight we 11 whack it out fair among the lot of us said green enate that he spoke suddenly in an altered voice and milton jumped what I 1 thought I 1 saw a flare to the southward lordy you ve got them too said milton let s go ashore and have a walk on the apollo bunda stow it cried green and holding on to the mizzen topgallant backstay he jumped upon the rail look look he cried and milton looking saw a faint glow to the south ward or fancied he saw it call the old man said green and tn two and three fifths seconds by any man a chronometer banks was on deck and saw nothing but did ye see it man he yelled and 11 so ehst s it mean some one struck a match in colom bo said the second mate irreverent ly for he had sailed with banks tor years and at times took liberties I 1 only trust to providence that it lan t that wicked man s ship in any trouble said the skipper viciously mr green well stand to the south ard for a while lay aft the watch sang out mil ton and they braced her up to within two points of the wind both watches stayed on deck in the little excitement and in the course of the next hour they reported all kinds of nonexistent things rocks on the starboard bow were varied by A vessel on the port bow and a planet low down in a break ot cloud was A steamer s head light sir collision with venus cried mil ton but just in the twixt and tween of earliest dawn when the grey abst ol 01 day walked in the east a man up aloft sang out with startling energy two dark rocks right aheady sir the main deck hummed suddenly and a patter of bare feet told that the entire crew had run for the foe ale head the skipper nipped into the mizzen rigging quick as a chipmunk keep her away a point or two he cried away a point or two sir echoed the helmsman I 1 see em mr green yelled the old chap and lust where I 1 figured them out to be 1 here 11 be three there 11 be three he paused and looked down on green but but two will do me he add ed ca I 1 never pinned my faith to green climbed alongside him and even a bit higher lord sir they re boats he cred no rocks said the skipper boats replied the mate bately so they are damn cried the skipper and then the same verdict came from aloft and was confirmed by the entire sest jury the 8 disappointed captain 8 dropped back ona deck w now it they were the Pa lembang 9 boats ed green no such luck said the skipper Is aa any one in em and do they see usa by the same token they see ua now shouted green and in a ter of an hour the boats were along side and tha simoom lay to what boats are squealed banks the Pa lembang s replied a voice from the tumbling cockleshells the skipper and the mates said whew and banks was fairly dancing and where s your bottom of the indian ocean said a voice that banks recognized as s Is that you captain Spiller 7 he inquired with much exaggerated cour tey it Is g bowled did you 1 any chance come across my rocks as you sailed along so pleasant 7 sore in a muffled voice not by your description of em far from it he replied at last well see about that said banks now then come under the lee ter and we 11 have some of you aboard the captain of the palem bang last ahad yer meana cried sulkily what I 1 say said banks softly and when every one was out of the boats but spiller he stood by the line now captain were they my rocks or not no said then sty in your damned boat cried banks cast that line off spiller you won t then cut it mr green green smiled but move the skipper borrowed a knife from the nearest seaman by taking it out of its sheath now was they or not no cried spiller one two and at three I 1 cut said banks one two very well they was then shrieked and the next minute he was on deck have you sign a paper to that effect said banks and it you dont fhe whole of your crew will including your mate allson who was standing by green said that he would willingly and when spiller scowled he scowled back and now mr green cried banks cheerfully since we know where chef are and can find em any time you put her on her course again ana well have a little thanksgiving service for all this he did ant explain whether the service was tor the established character of the simoom rocks or for the rescue of the shipwrecked crew but when he got them all below he handed round hymn books first of all we will sing hymn no of hymns ancient and modern he said softly and when looked it up he was very much annoyed |
