| Show THE LOOKOUT aly my eyes remarked a little old tar with gray ringlets hanging about his temples like the twisted strands of f a rope my aly eyes eyell its a stormy night mates and I 1 wonder if we should be brt eglit up all of a sudden be fore long agan in some of them big rafts raft of ice that we saw to leeward a few hours bours ago toni tom cummings djou see fee is on the lookout and there never was a lazier log than he Is old bangs bungs will see sec to him jack 11 answered one of the shipmates iles hes wal d forward already no less than halt half a doze doz es esir in order to see that lies keepin a scarp eye about him I 1 aye ave cried jack abut but if bungs bangs had got a little closer to him I 1 aou n I 1 be afraid to wager considerable that hed find cummin gs sitting fitting on his knees his head upon his hi breast and fast asleep in fact I 1 feel so sartin of this that I 1 hall go ferard at once and wake him up so saying lie he hastened along the ice gangway and on gaining the knight heads he discovered that his surble burmie le was as correct the lookout man was leaning against the bowsprit snorting melodiously jack woke him up tip with a rough shake and the startled seaman sprang to his feet better keep your our eyes open lad ad said the old tar 11 jt t honora ble it doin sour bour duty or right by any of ir I 1 etzo o eo to sleep on oil sich a night as this besilas Besil rs youre ire liable to fredye to death and aye abc ic interrupted toni tom you are right jack and for the life 0 me ine I 1 carit imagine how my eyes came to close ill keep lem emolen open the rest of the lookout I 1 promise be best for you to do so answered jack and I 1 hope keep your word so saving he started to go aft when a dark figure budde ily bounded before him and crouching at his feet laid his great shaggy head against the palm of the old seamans outstretched hand ave aye youre a noble dog neptune said jack as he caressed ca resEed the animal and weve all learned to look upon jou ou in the light of a shipmate 11 neptune shook his tall tail and uttered an animal growl of satisfaction go then lie he rose upon his hind feet and pressed his fore paws upon the sailors breast ailts its lilts a cold night neptune it um up um unil I 1 answered ai the dog and theres some danger of us running nin g afoul a foul of the icebergs mate the dog and whined I 1 then sprang to the lee bulwarks bulwa and thrusting his hl nose over the rail peered earn carn aly through brough the gloom daou ado ou see aej thing my lad the animal shook his head in the negative and with a gleeful bark returned to the side of the old tar neptune continued jack in a low oice at the same time lime pointing forward id like to have you jump on the knight heads ard keep a lookout the man weve got there dye see lad is liable at any moment to go to sleep neptune barked indignantly then jumping upon the t e knight heads he seated himself by the side ot of toni tom cummings with his head and ears cars erect lies iles a jolly lad that newfoundlander muttered jack as lie he moved toward the quarter deck and hell stay where he 1 li and do his duty like an honest tar bless his eyes A thick fog bank which for many hours had rested upon the western hor izon was war now spreading over the sea the moon which had occasionally emerged from the clouds that scattered like snow snowdrifts drifts from the sky was now obscured and the darkness closed round the thip like a pall nall keep a harp lookout there forward forwar dl I 1 shouted the first mate from the quarter deck aye aye cummungs cummin s but the ne t moment lils his head dropped upon his bosom mid and lie he fell into a deep slumber the mate continued his hi walk pausing occasion occasionally ally near the b binnacle to look at the compass or listen to ill the yarris yarns of the watch vatch some 0 of aich were very amusing 1 I think well pass the ice floe on this t tack ck he remarked at length to the man at the wheel 1 11 I thought so go in the first place although the captain was of 0 a different way of th inkin iian ae e aa ae e sir replied the helmsman who was an old sailor bailor 1 I hope you 3 oil are right but sometimes a body gets lin staken in these latitudes where the current runs so strong when I 1 was in the Illar barkl kl suddenly interrupted the mate 1 I thought I 1 heard the man on lookout callin to us lilt it is neptune I 1 cried old jack lie he is barkin as I 1 never heard him bark be fore iles hes got sharp eyes that dagand do gand I 1 be afraid to bet that lies hes sighted so methin so saying the old tar hurried forward but he had scarcely gained the knightshead when nis his deep voice was lica heard rd mingling with the barking of the dog up with the lie helm A big ice mountain right ahead look sharp there at thew the wheel beell look sharp such indeed vas as the tact fact the lookout man had fallen to sleep but neptune had kept a faithful watch atch and on seeing the rugged ice pyramid had given eiveri notice ot of it in the manner de scribed ascribed the wheel was immediately raised and the gallant ship went booming past the lofty berg just grazing its side with sith her her weather yardarms yar darms had the movement been delayed it a moment longer the destruction of the ship with the loss of the greater part of the crew if not of all hands would have been the result the old mate a blunt good natured fellow was so affected by the faithful noble beha for of the shaggy sentinel that he threw both arms around the animals neck and hugged him to his breast bestowing upon him all the endearing nautical epithets he could think of and sweating swearing that lie ho should have all the fresh meat he wanted when the vessel returned to the sandfish Sand wish islands As to toni tom cummings lie he sv ore by his honor as a sailor bailor and a man that it should never again be said that a dog was obliged to perform the duty that he tom neglected neglect edI new york news |
