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Show ,u, ,- M n , THE PROMOTION OF THE ADMIRAL nadc8"dFe bjbj i BBJ Dy Morley Roberta Author of "The Coloau," "The FuHlH vw." BjBJ CopyrfpAf, ltos, loa, by Tht Ourtli j'ubHiAtng Company. BjBJ Copyright, laos, by L, 0, PagiA Company , (Incorporation,) H (Continued ) BBl If Mr. Watts was tho authority on BBJ fogs that his captain made out, ho BBl noon had an opportunity of showing it, BAb for batf-way across tho Hanks It was BBl lmposslblo to sec farther than ono BAb could throw half n hundredwolght, and BBl tho Nomngosonda wont tooting In BJBJ darkness. Uut every now and again BJBj in this dim world tho men of sclonce BJBJ woro alarmed and entertained by sud- BJBJ den battles In blasphomy betweon BBV Captain Prowso or tho well-informed BJBJ Mr. Watts, nnd tho crow of a Bank BBl fisherman. For fog blankets Round in BJBJ tho oddest, most erratic way, and tho BJBJ throb of a screw cannot nlways bo BJBJ heard even In the calmest foggy BJBJ weather. Such swearing matches be- BJBJ tween tho Nomngosonda nnd a smack BBB were, when apparently goou for three BJBJ minutes or so, sometimes sliced right BJBJ In two by tho suddon dropping down BBY of whnt tho meteorologist called an BBJ "nnacoustlc" wall of fog. Llko tho last BJBJ words of Don Whlskcrnndos in "A BJBJ Tragedy Hohoarsed," a speech was cut BJBJ off in tho very Howur of Its youth. BJBJ "Wiiero tho bluo binding blazes aro BBb you coming to?" asked n faint noc- BJBJ turno. And when Captain 1'rowso hud BJBJ expended his last carefully prepared BJBJ oration, tho right of maritime reply BjSJ only conferred nn nudlblo "Oh, you . dog " BBS "Wo havo to thnnk tho anacoustlc BBS properties of that fog-bank for tin AS suddon conclusion," said tho meteor BJBJ ologlst, "for if I'm any Judge of lite AS man nature, that Bmacksman Is still AS firing red-hat words Into space." AS "Yes, sir," said 1'rowso Indignantly, AS "they'ro a foul-mouthed lot. It's as AS much ns I can do to kuop even with AS 'cm. Uut I'll slow down no more." AS Ho telogrnphed "Full speed ahend" AS and loft Mr. Watts with awfully word- ASS cd instructions to sink anything from BBS u battleship to tho meanest brig nil oat. ASS In tho snloon ho sat at ths head of the BAS table and drank rum hot. BBS "Science provos that rum 'ot Is tho BJBJ sailor's drink," said Captain Prowso, BJBJ "nnd tho correct drink. For wo nil BBB drink it, and flourish on It. And tho BBB reason Is that It goes by contraries. BBB It's cold work boln' nt sea, and so wo BBB tnkes It 'ot; and the sea Is salt, so we BBB takes It sweet; and It comes from the BBB -West Indies." BBB "And that proves It," said the geolo- BBB gist warmly. "What a hoad you have, BBB Captain Prowso 1" BBB Tho skipper nodded. BBB "You may well say so," ho affirmed; BBB "a phrenologist gave mo a chart of BBB my 'cad once, a scientific chart with BBB' tho soundings wrote out plain, and BBB what proved him right was his sayln' BBA that 'ero and there I was too deep for BJBJ hlru. And I paid him a guinea. Well H" worth it, It was, for ho said, 'You get BBS married,' and I dono so, and Mrs. E-' Prowso hasn't her living equal. I BBU wish I'd brought that chart with mo. BBYJ It would 'avo Interested you gents to BJBJ know whnt a brother scientist thought BJBJ of mo." BBYJ "It would, Indeed," snld tho patliol-BBM patliol-BBM BJBJ "nut thcro, I'll tell you what I am," BBJ Bald Prowso, "I'm a down-rlghtcr, B that's mo. I'm captnln ot my boat, I BBJ am, nnd If I was afloat on a hencoop BBJ with all Its crow I'd like to soo tho BBJ , cock as would crow beforo I gavo B him orders. Authority comos nat'ral BBB to me. I'll be boss wherovor I am BBJ (Hancock, more rum!) and I would BBJ havo succeeded in whatsoovor I took BBJ hold of. Phrenology told mo so, wroto BBJ out plain. And I've n kind of lcanln' BBJ towards sclonco over since that phre- B 'nologlst put 'Is 'and on my 'ead and BBJ said with a start of surprise, 'Captain, B you're a wonder' Hut I'vo always H J Fell asleep upon the table. B i wondered what it was mndo scientific BBJ f chaps look so 'elploss (Hancock, BBJ ' more rum) nut don't you frot. gonts; BBJ I'm Captain Joseph Prowso. and I'll BBJ ' put you snfo ashore, or die in the at- BBJ tempt." J jr And as ho again ejaculated "Han- BBJ jcock, moro rum," ho foil asleep upon BBJ 1 1 the table. H j. "Qentlomen," said tho geologist, "as BBJ our IntoroBts nro now secure, I vote BBJ 'we go to bed." BBJ But it was still a heavy fog, and the BBJ Nomagosendn was doing her ten knots BBJ nn hour. Other steamers wore doing BBJ tho same, or oven moro. Some twenty- BBJ knot Unoru slowed down (In order that BBJ thoy might say that thoy had slowed BBJ .down) to about ninetocn knot and a BBJ half; and some, acting on the theory BBJ ithat tho soonor thoy wont through tho BBJ 'fog bolt, tho better for overy ono, gavo BBJ their onglnos all tho steam they could BBJ make and stepped out for America or BBJ I BM England at tho pace of an indolent torpedo boat. And tho result of this was that at about four bells In tho mlddlo watch, when tho niato's aching oyes could seo forty imaginary summers summ-ers where thoro wero none, ho omitted to observe there was a rcnl ono coming com-ing for him till It was too lato. The Ncmagoscnda uttered ono long horrid hor-rid wall, which was answered In vain, and tho next mlnuto tho mon of sclfnco woro shot out of their hunks, nnd their steamer was taking In tho Atlantic through a holo about tho slzo of a dock gate. What became of tho lucky, or unlucky, un-lucky, boat, which got her blow In first, tho crow of tho sinking steamer did tint Inquire. They hoard her toot In tho distance, nnd in answer they blow tholr whistle for help. Hut though n whlstlo In n fog may bo evidenco of good fnlth, It Is not necessarily for wida publication, nnd It is qutto possl-bio possl-bio that tho stranger, If she did not sink, lost hor bearings in tho fog, nnd wont off In tho wrong direction. At any rate tho crow and pasbengora of tho Nemagonondn found themselves adrift In three boats, and In less thnn n qunrtor of nn hour thoy heard, though thoy could not seo, their steamer blow hor deck out and disappear. disap-pear. "All up with tho Gooseendor," said tho crew sulkily, "and now of courso It will blow." As ill-luck nnd hurry would havo It. In thelnst rush for life most of tho crow had tumbled Into tho mate's and second mate's boat. With tho lights of science wero tho captain nnd Simp-kins Simp-kins A. II. "Immortal Johoihaphat!" said Mr. Joseph Prowso, "this Is a protty stato of affairs. That mon-drownlng swlno of a llnor! I 'opo sho's gono down! I hopo tho codfish nro sizing her captain cap-tain up, nnd snyln whnt thoy think of him. Slmpklns, kcop holloaing! Whero's thorn othor boats?" "I can't holler no more, sir," whispered whis-pered Slmpklns hoarsoly, "my throat's give out." And 'as tho wind rose tho thrco boats drlftod apart. Four eminent scientific porsons nt tho oars kept tholr boat head on to pea, and six other omlnont persons lay on tho bottom bonrds nnd wished thoy woro dead, until tho dawn crawled Into tho cast and showed thorn that thoy wero alono. It was a chill and watery dnwn, nnd as tho boat topped tho cold green waves on tho edgo of tho Hank tho prospect was eminently unkind. Tho wind was not very heavy, but It blew hard enough to bring tho spray ot each curling wnvo inboard, and evory ono was soaked to tho skin. Tho sky wns lowering nnd overcast, nnd though tho fog wns dissipated, a mist covered tho sun till It looked, ns Slmpklns: Slmp-klns: romarked, about ns warm as a now tin pinto. It must bo snld for Captain Josoph Prowso that ho retained In somo mens-uro mens-uro thoso characteristics ot authority which ho claimed for himself, nnd by a forced optimism, which tho natura ot his crow mado him ndopt, ho endeavored endeav-ored to cheer thorn up. "My luck's tempornry out," ho do-clarod, do-clarod, with somo show of cheerfulness, cheerful-ness, "but it nln't tho first tlmo I'vo been run down, nnd with God's olp, gonts, It won't bo tho last. And It's clean ngatnBt tho nnturo of things for so many lenrn'd men to como to grief nt ono fell blow. 'Ero or thcro a sclontlflc jossor may como to grlot In a crowd, but so many being togothor Is tho best of Insurances. I'll pull you through; you mind mo. All I ask you to remembor is that I'm captain, nnd whnt I says goos now and alwayf." "It's all vory well," said tho meteorologist, meteor-ologist, whoso temper was going with tho skin of his hands, "but wo nil thought you had no right to run bo fast in a fog." Captain Prowso gasped, and thon recoverod hlmsolf. "Didn't I toll you I was captain here, same ns on tho stoamor?" "You did," said tho sulky man of science. "Thon hold your Jnw," sold Captain Prowso; "whon you, or tho likes of you, Is asked for criticism, It'll bo tlmo for you to glvo It. Till then you'll glvo your captain no lecturos on tho running of his vessel. God and the queen's onemlos 'as sunk my ship, but nolther ono nor tho othor has took nwny my natural gift of authority, so shut up!" And though tho meteorologist chokod with rngo, ho said no more. Slmpklns and tho captain consulted. "Wo'jo right In tho track of steam-ors steam-ors moro or loss," said Captain. Prowso, "nnd It boln' so damp wo enn hang out without much drink for a day or so. And biscuit wo 'avo plenty." plen-ty." Slmpklns nodded. "Yea, air, but this 'oro's a sulky, usoloss lot, sir." "So they nro," said Prowso, "hut thoy'll 'uve to shapo thomselvos ns I bid 'em. Tho first crooked word nnd thoro'll bo n man of sclonco missing out of this bright gal-ncksy ot talent. I don't caro whoro I nm, but thoro I'll be captain. I don't care if thoy was my ownors, I'd run 'em all tho same. Thoy ain't pasaengors'no more, thoy 're my crow." Ho took a drink out of n flask, and sank back in the sturn-shoets. "I want you mon to kcop your oyas skinned," ho said presently. "Whioh of you Is tho ustronomor?" "I am," answered tho bow oar, who wns a long, tftln man, In a wide and spectacles. I "Then keep n bright look-out or you'll seo stars," said Prowso. "And know tlint you nln't passengers no moro, but a boat's crow, and my boat's crow, and you'll hnvo to look lively when I sing out So tho soonor wo get a bit farther south tho hotter it will bo. That will do." And muttering that ho meant being captain whother ho was on nn ico-floo or a mud-bargo, ho foil asleep and snored. "This brute Is coming out in his truo colora," said tho astronomer. "What diil Iio mean by saying I should see stnrs?" "Hogging your pardon, sir," snld Slmpklns, "ho meant he'd plug you." "Plug mo?" V "Bung your oyo up," explained Slmpklns, "and Lor' bless you, ho'd.do It. Oh, a raro chap Is tho captain; why, noire years halt his money goes In fines." "I wish to heaven I was ashoro," said the poor astronomer, "nnd when I get there I'll seo ho nover gets another an-other Job." Slmpklns eyed tho sleeping skipper skip-per In alarm. "Host not let him 'ear you, matox," ho cried. "Ho'd hazo you to death." "Haze mo?" "Work you up," explained tho seaman. sea-man. "What's that?" "And I tliot yon wns nil IcarnMl" whllo I'm on it, I want you Jobscts to Epll 'Whlch of yoa Is the astronomer?" said Slmpklns, with great contempt. "I mean ho'd just stock it to you till you was fair broke up." The day passed without nny Incident Inci-dent ot vital importnnce. It Is truo they sighted tho smoko of n steamer hull down on tho southern horizon, but thoy saw nothing olso across tho waste of heaving water. Every now nnd again tho captain woke up and made a fow remarks on tho nnturo ot authority, and whnt ho proposed doing to thoso who did not "knuckle under." Hut tho night fell without any signs tS mutiny on tho part of tho sclcntlflo crow. In the very oarly dawn tho astronomer, astrono-mer, who had slept in uneasy snatches, wake up for tho tenth tlmo and changed his position. Slmpklns and tho geologist wero keeping tho boat beforo tho sen, which was running southeast, nnd thoy wero both half-blind half-blind with fatigue (To bo continued.) |