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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1886-12-2, Page 6RIFT AND SPRAY LOVE AND VENGEANCE OR, AMONG THE SMUGGLERS, Tire MOST FASQINATING OCEAN' RO'.kIANOE SINGE TELE DAYS OR COOPER AND MARYATT. CHAPTER XII.watches on the Rift, I thou "I do. I thought I was captain of the I thought I was first TILE SHOT TIIa'r MADE THE um: A PIRATE. officer; but I don't want to be. 1 say 1 don't Some portion of the strange and exciting \smut to be, but while I ain, I will do my dialogue that wee takie> place on the deck of the Rift could not fail to reach the ears of Gerald and of Captain Mocquet, although probably, it was not very intelligible to the duty. Part of that duty is to change the watches --part of that duty is to give the proper men spell and spell about at the wheel, and I will do it, 1 did give the or- latter. der, Captain Dolan. And what then ?" From tate tones of the crew and from the This bold defianee seemed to search up Minh, artificial voice in which Dolan spoke, the very life -blood of Dolan, and his face Gerald felt certain that some circumstances were ou foot that were out of the common course, and he made his way up the hatch to its covering, close to which he placed his ear in order that he might listen to what was passing. Gerald was a prisoner and in the hauds of his inveterate foe, so that he felt quite justified inlearning all he could. He, more- over, felt a degree of interest in the safety of Marie which he would have found, per. haps, difficult to define to himself. He could not comprehend how it was that whenever he thought of Marie and the ten- der and artless caresses she had bestowed npon him, the image of Grace would rise up as if between him and the young French girl. He looked upon Grace as a sister and he began to cherish a hope in his heart that Grace, too, would love Marie and that pos- sibly, by some rare and dear combination of circumstances, they might all reside hap- pily together as a united family with Cap - tan Mocquet. Gerald's ideas on such subjects were rather crude and immature. But whatever night have been the char- acter of the day -dreams that at times took possession of his imagination in regard to Grace and Marie, they were soon absorbed in the present danger that threatened him- self. The shots from the Spray had been watch- ed with painful anxiety by both Gerald and Captain Mocquet, and they had been for the time somewhat surprised that the Rift hacl not fired in return ; but upon reflection, coupled with what he had heard passing above, Gerald now felt that he knew the reason why. One shot from the Rift at the king's ship converted the smuggler into a pirate and it was never forgiven, as the, blackening corpses of some ten or twelve pirates swing- ing on a gibbet by the Nore, even so late as the year 1822, sufficiently testified. " I will not fire the gun!" said Gerald, as he hastily descended to the cabin. " What shall you go to do ?" said Captain Mocquet. " They want me to fire on the Spray." Captain _Mocquet put on an inquiring look and evidently did not understand what Gerald meant. " Quoi?" " They want me to commit myself to them and their evil life by firing at a king's ship, and I will not do it." "Ah 1 bah ! no ! What you say 1 One proverb—one say of English. Y ou shall bring de cheval—the horse over the water and made him drunk. Ah 1 Bahl" " You mean, sir, our English saying, " that you may bring a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink." " Oui, certainemeut. It is tout le meme." It was at this moment that the hatchway was opened and a confused shouting of voices carie upon the ears of Gerald, as some half dozen of the crew descended to bring him up. Gerald held forcibly by the cabin table. " Hilloa ! Hilloa there ! You are a nice nut for the old 'un to crack," shouted Jack- son. " Come up ; tumble up, will you, you bad bargain ? We want you to do a little job on deck, that's all. Only to fire a gun —that's all—ha 1 ha 1 That's all." " It is false 1 It is all false 1" cried Ger- ald. " The letter is false. It is a cheat ! I did not write to the port admiral." "Now there 1" said Dolan, who had come half way down the hatchway, " now there. Do you hear that, my men? He confesses it." " I do not confess it, Dolan," said Ger- ald, ""and I know you speak what is not true, I deny it with all my heart, with all my strength—I deny it ! As heaven hears me, I deny it 1" " Deny what ?" " That I wrote to the port admiral be- traying the Rift and its crew 1" "Now, look you here, my men," cried Dolan. " Out of his own mouth we con- demn him. Has any of you told him that we have accused him of that? Who has said a word about the port admiral, or the erew of the Rift, or the Rift ?" "Not any of us," said Jackson. " And yet, you see, he knows all about it." A groan of rage came from the crew. " I heard it," said Gerald. " I listened on the inner side of the hatch, and heard it."" Oh, what a come -off 1" cried Dolan. " No, no ; that won't do. Will it, my men?" "No, no," was the cry. " Up with him 1 Up with him 1 Now, young gallow's-bird ; up with you." "' Hold, what you call hard 1" shouted Captain Mocquet, as he sprang forward and fought for the release of Gerald. "Hold! I will not that you should go to have him 1' The lawless crew liked nothing better than this interference of the French captain, in- asmuch as it gave one or two of them an op- portunity of dealing to poor Mocquet some of these straightforward Anglo-Saxon blows about the region of the stomach and head which ate always so utterly bewildering to a Frenchman. Captain Mocquet, in another moment, was to be seen sitting in a remote corner of the cabin, propped up against an angle of the wainscotting, and looking very rueful indeed, as he gasped out: "Ma fon 1 This is what you call him, one English box." By main force Gerald was borne on to the deck of the Rift. The only two of the men who had not taken au active art in this transaction were Ben Bowline and old Martin, To he sure, the latter was at the wheel ; but had he not been, there is no doubt that he would have kept t this neutrality on the occasion. p there was a stern look upon the indeed, l� face of the old sailor of disapprobation of the whole affair ; and when his eye caught those of Ben Bowline, he gave a short nod anct pointed to the wheel, which Ben wider - stood I be an appeal, tobe relieved. ou, Jack Gooding,"cried Ben Bowline ; " take your spell ab the wheel." "Ay, ay, " Whoives that order," shouted Captain DolDolan,""> w am while I on the deck?" do 4" roared Ben Bowline, in as loud a key or.prolsably a little louder, "OM you do?" turned inmost livid with rage. He plunged his hand into the breast of his apparel to seek for the hidden weapons that he had there, and as he did so he glared round upon the crew to see what chances of sup- port he had, iu case of coming to an open rupture with Ben Bowline, or in case of as- serting his supreme authority by taking his life. He would have been glad to do that. But there was a look about the crew of the Rift that warned Dolan how little real power he had over a throng of men banded together for the purpose that made them companions. And he made a great effort and swallowed his chagrin. " My men," he said, " I know and you all know that we must have discipline, and 1, for one, think that when I am actually on deck all orders should come from me. So let Jack Gooding take his spell at the wheel." This was a sort of compromise of the mat- ter, but still something more might have come out of the transaction if an incident had not just then taken place which was of a much more absorbing character and which fully occupied all the thoughts of the crew of the Rift. The Spray had got on a breeze that very much favored its capabilities in sailing, and as the Rift had not been making any extra- ordinary exertions to increase the distance between them, the Spray had succeeded in lessening the distance sufficiently to be able to use her guns with more precision than before. There was a sharp report, a bright flash and a puff of white smoke, all mingled to- gether, and then a crash was heard on board the Rift and the cutter lost her way and swung round on the wind, her sails flapping and bearing against her utast as though they would each moment fly into ribbons. Spray: was that the Rift should allow her- sclf qo be chased right in shore in the way she did. They did not expect i fight. But Dolan had special objects to carry out and in every ono of his (talons on that eventful night those special objects were remembered.. What they were in their en- tirety --and, we may add, in their villainy —will but toosoon become painfully tip- paront. 11 arching closely the Spray he was re- solved that the distance between it and the Rift should not be so great as to prevent the couitict from taking place, on which lie re- lied for one of his purposes, which was thoroughly to commit Gerald to all the pains and penalties of being one of the crew of the Rift and of firing on a king's ship. The ghastly body of the plan who had been killed at the wheel was filing, without any ceremony, into the sea and thou Dolan cried out : " My men, you know as well as I do what we are about to do, but it won't hurt us now, as we are about to bid a long good- bye to this coast and I, for one, would fain that the government schooner should have a taste of our real quality before she goes and before we go." " Ay, ay 1" shouted the crew. To be sure, there were some two or three among their number who looked with no small amount of apprehension upon the act of firing upon the schooner, and who would much rather have been taken—if they ever were taken—simply as smugglers ; but their timidity was drowned in the general feroci- ty, and the very fear that put them into a minority on the occasion prevented them from asserting the good reasons they had for being so. "Very good, my men," added Dolan. " I see that we are all of one mind. Martin, ahoy 1" "Ay, sir 1" " Can you get her out of this light comes from I don't know where ?" "It comes from the Spray, sir 1" .,Keep her clear of it if you can." " There's only one way." . " Then take that way."- "You had better hear it, Captain Dolan, first. I have seen this sort of light before, and the only way to get out of it is to steer so close to the vessel carrying it that they can't depress it low enough to reach you. Then it passes over you and you are all in the dark." There was a dead silence at these words, and Captain Dolan evidently shrank from such a mode of dispensing with the ray of light that fell upon the Rift from the optical apparatus on board the Spray. Martin spoke again : " If that's done they can't see you a bit, for their own light so dazzles then you night get alongside of 'err and they do not know it, which just—you see, Captain Do- lan, and you, shipmates—goes to show that there's two ways of looking at everything." It was Ben Bowline who then said : "I'm for going in and giving them a shot or two 1" " And I—and I 1" cried several of the crew. Dolan's face grew paler still. " I don't know," he said, " what to say to it. But if yon really wish it—" "Wedo!wedo1" Martin did not wait for orders, but alter- ing the course of the vesselflie put her on a long tack away from the coast. The circle of hght fell on the water and the Rift was clear of it on the moment. " Now, boy," said Dolan ; " you shall fire the gun?" " Never 1 never 1" cried Gerald. " I deny all that you have said av,aiust me, and I will not fire the gun " "Will not' is a br.>, -. word. We shall see ! Ah 1 not yet clear °" . " Oh, clear no 1" said Martin, as the circle of light again fell on the vessel, after dodg- ing about the sea for a few moments in search of it. " We must steer in a good bit closer before we get under it 1" Again the cutter cleared thelight "for a few minutes ; and a gun fired from the Spray did no damage whatever to the Rift. " Clear the gun 1" said Dolan. All was ready. By the side of the long twelve -pounder a man stood, with a smould- ering port -fire and. pole ; but, with his lips compressed, Gerald—held tightly lay the arms by two of the crew—was dragged close to the little piece of ordnance. " I will not—I will not 1" he said. " Dolan —you who I have called father, but will never call father again—I once more appeal to you. It will be no good. It is not my act ; you may say of me what you like, but I will not fire the gun. Release me, you men who know and feel that it can avail nothing to force any one to an act from which his mind revolts 1 I will not fire the gun 1" " Now, listen all," said Dolan. " You see me here and you see my boy—my own boy. I am going to do two things ; I am going to give you all the greatest proof in the world of my good faith to you by mak- ing my son one of yoy ; and I am going to make him fire the gun as a punishment for the letter he wrote to the port admiral—" " It is false !" cried Gerald. " Stop his mouth if he speaks again 1 I say I ani going to make him fire the gun at the Spray, so that if any misfortune should happen to come over us—which the Fates forbid—but if it should—you will all be able to say that it was Gerald, the captain's own son, who had fired the gun at the king's ship 1" " Ay, ay 1" "That's what I want you all to feel and understand, and now when I step aside make him fire it 1" " You cannot make me 1" said Gerald. " We will tend to that," cried one. "Here Bill, give me,a hold of the port -fire 1" "There you are 1" " Now, captain, you point the gun; he will fire it 1" " No, no 1" said Gerald. The boy did not know exactly how he was to be made to commit the act, from which he shrank with horror and a determination to die rather than be compelled to do it; but when that man seized him by the arm that " Look to the wneei, you lubber 1" shout- ed Ben Bowline. " What do you mean by that ? Ah 1" Ben's exclamation arose from his sudden understanding of what had happened. The shot from the Spray had hit the man who had so very short time before taken the helm and had dashed him from his post, leaving him a mangled corpse upon the deck, while the wheel swung round and broached to the cutter. At this sight the crew raised a shout of rage and one voice called out : " The black flag—the black flag ! Fight it out and sink the man slayers 1" Martin was at the wheel again and the cutter was brought up to the wind without injury, and then Captain Dolan, looking ghastly pale, said : " You see, my men—you see ! This is what has come of treachery !—this is what has come of a letter to the port admiral. Make sail ! She is overhauling us hand over hand. Make sail 1" " Ay, ay, sir." " And you, spy and traitor, if you were ten times my son, you should fire on the king's ship 1" " 1 will not 1" said Gerald. " Lay the gun ! Point her, Ben Bowline —you should know how to do that. The port fire here—quick! You will not fire the gun ? " I will not. " Ah, we will see to that 1" The confusion on the deck of the Rift was now very great. The whole of the crew seemed to be at once fully alive to the dan- ger of their situation, and while some of thein eagerly bent a new and strange look- ing -sail to the yard, the others kept a firm hold of Gerald and strained their eyes to look for the Spray, The evening bad now fairly set in and a great ruck of dark clouds appeared to be not half a mile from the surface of the sea, and to confine between them and it a quant- ity of baffling winds that seemed to be danc- ing in short, squally puffs in different di- rections, as if intent upon escape from the pressure. Theresence of the Spray was soon very easily detected. The schooner had some optical apparatus on board by which a strong ray of light was sent far over the sea, falling like a spirit upon the agitated water. The crew of the Rift saw that strange, large circle of light slowly moving along and they felt certain that in a few seconds it would fall upon the cutter. "Keep her away," cried Ben Bowline ; but it was easier to give the order than to execute it ; for although the circle of light that was upon the surface of the sea looked like a thing by itself, yet it was but the cul- mination of the ray from a lens ; and at any part of the ray that the Rift might be found upon it and so bring it fairly and easily into view. It was in vain, then, that Martin altere d the cutter's course a point or two, as he looked anxiously at the singular light. Another minute and it was within a couple of hundred yards of them, looking like a gigantic arc of a circle, which must embrace all objects within its radius. Then there was a loud cheer from over the sea. The light had fallen upon the Rift and the crew of the Spray knew where to direct their fire. " Crowd all our canvas 1" shouted Dolan. "Do we gain on her?" " Ay, sir—fast 1" " That will do. Ah, look out 1" Re did look out himself, for at the flash of another gun from the Spray, he leaped front the gun on which he stood and crouch, ed behind. the port bulwarks. The shot tore its way through some of the cordage of the Rift, and then Ben Bowline cried out : "We must cripple that craft, or it is all up with the Rift 1" "Yes," shouted Dolan, "fire on it—fire 1 And as I am a living man Gerald shall do it 1 I swear it --I swear it 1 He shall fire the first shot that makes the Rift a pirate!" " Now 1" he said Help 1 help 1 Schooner, ahoy!" shoat,. ed Gerald. Gag hint 1" roared Captain Dolan. " Schooner, ahoy 1 Help!" A twisted handkerchief was on the in- stant thrust into his mouth, and tied behind his bead. The port -fire was securely fasten- ed to his right axon, and by main force that arm was depressed toward the touch -hole of the gun. Now for it 1" said Dolan. "Blake him .-•-tual:e hint .fire it l Steady there ; no matter if it hit or not, he still will have fired the.. first gun," Gerald felt his face dashed forward, al- most to touching the gun, but ho still kept the port -fire from touching the priming with his utmost strength. The gag that was in his mouth prevented hien now from crying out for help, and no doubt, in an- other moment, he would have been com- pelled to fire the gun, when, with a loud voice, Martin called out : " A boat on the starboard bow !—an armed boat from the Spray on the starboard bow !" " Boarders 1" sang out Ben Bowniine. Repel boarders, my Hien, or you are all taken 1" These alarming sounds fell on the ears of the crew of the Rift like a trumpet call to battle. It was their liberties and perchance their lives that now were in the most immi- nent danger. Gerald, the gun, the letter to the port admiral—all were forgotten in the moment of intense anxiety to answer to the call of Ben Bowline. Hand -spikes, hatchets, cutlasses and every offensive weapon that could be laid hold of at the moment was seized upon and a rush was made to the starboard bulwarks. «Keep on, Martin," said Ben Bowline. Aye, aye " Cutter, ahoy 1" sang out a voice, as if from the water. " Cutter, ahoy ! Surren- der to his majesty's schooner Spray or we will blow yon out of the water." Captain Dolan said not a word, but held thoroughly hardens frequently of crystalline on to the cordage and shook in every limb,' clearness. It is surmised that while in that so that it devolved ou Ben Bowline to make i condition a resin leus inay focus the sun's the reply, which was done in the response rays upon some light twig or resinous point of : I and so start a blaze that quickly eats up a " Blow away 1" • forest. " Mind what you are about 1" said the . In the Swiss village of Meyrin some dis- voice from the boat. " We take you as used wells have been hermetically sealed to smugglers—it may be worse. Resist and we serve as barometers. On a fall of atmos - sink you." SCIENCE. Iu the British town of Kimberley, in South Arica, the current used for olootrlo lighting also does duty as a ready means of killing stray dogs. How would it do to try the same experiment in Toronto. A vulcanizing process, by which rubber is said to be made as hard, smooth and white as celluloid without the use of camphor, has been patented by a Long Island City invent- or, who has leased buildings for a factory. A Hanoverian physician, Dr. Brandes, has found reason for believing that malaria is elieoked by growths of all arachis crl-ifastrum, a somewhat troublesome water -plant from Canada, and lie recommends the introduc- tion ntroducetion of this plant into marshy districts. One great trouble in putting telegraph and telephone wires under ground is the difficulty of insulating them, In spite of utmost precautions and coating with extra tubing, the electric current from one will skip through the interventing air to another and confuse messages. It is doubtful indeed if there is any substance altogether non-con- ductive. A Pittsburg inventor, however, believes he has a scheme for practically perfect in- sulation. His invention is given to the pub- lic through an electric manufacturing com- pany of that city. By his plan he claims that telephone, telegraph and electric light wires may be placed underground without detriment to the clearness of the messages. The method whereby electricity passes through the air from one wire to another is called induction. This induction is as act- ive above ground as under, with the differ- ence that in trenches dug beneath the earth's surface the bundles of wire are necessarily nearer together than in the air, and the force of induction is stronger. A new and plausible explanation of the destructive fires occurring in pine forests is offered. The pine resin exuding from the trees is often of lens shape, and before it " Sink away," said Ben. " Pull in, my then—board her ! Hurrah ! Make short work of her 1" The boat's crew raised a cheer and in a few seconds the boat was on the starboard quarter of the Rift. " Now 1" said Ben Bowline. There was a crashing sound and he and Jackson and two more of the crew of the Rift let fall into the boat a heavy iron an- vil, which was as muoh as they could all do to lift and tilt over the side. The botton of the Spray's boat went all to pieces on the instant and the eight men pheric pressure, air escapes through a small hole in the well -cover, blowing a whistle, and thus giving warning of a coming storm ; put when the outside pressure is increasing, the air being forced into the well causes a different sound, and announces the probabil- ity of fine weather. Dr. W. J. Graham, who has been pursuing prolonged investigations of the alkali which is more or less abundant on our western prairies, states that the basis of the alkali is common salt, derived from a rock salt form- ation underlying the region ; and by per- meation to the surface it there undergoes the chemical reactions which give it its ap- that had been in it with Mr. Green were parent form and composition. He believes struggling in the water. that the alkali will afford a valuable and "Give way, Martin," cried Ben. "That's really inexhaustible fertilizing material it." The insulating substance coating the War - The slight shift of the helm of the cutter ing wires is the one subject about which brought her more on the wind, and she the inventor maintains a mysterios silence. swept over the spot on which the boat of He claims that it is much superior to gutta Spray had been swamped. percha, its insulation in short, being up- wards of 200 megohms per mile. What in the name of sense is a megohm ? the reader will ask. Well, the " ohm" without the "meg" is the standard unit which measures the force with which a substance resists the There was a wailing cry and then one voice cried, aloud : " Cutter, ahoy 1 Pick us up !" Captain Dolan—who, when he found what had happened, at once recovered his condition—replied by a recommendation passage of electricity through it. The sin - for the speaker to go to a place known in a gle ohm is about equal to the resistance of- fered by a piece of pure copper wire 250 feet long and 1-20 of an inch thick. Meg- ohm is a great ohm or a million ohms. Now you know. In New York city there are so many wires over head that the resulting electric currents are said to interfere seri- ously with the correct running of watches. The air is full of electricity. FALL. FOTILIHS. Triend—" Well, whatare the cheuees?" Candidate--" Excellent 1 1 ani paiilting my canvass a brilliant red." l!'riend— " Yes ; but the other fellow is snaking it blue for you, I understand," Candidate--- " Well, the mixture will give me the purple, my boy," ,Johnson: " 1)o you know young Jones?" O'1>.elly : "Yis, sor; I know hint." John- son : " Can a person believe what he says ?" Pat : "Faith, an' it's jiet this way ; When lie tells ye the truth, ye can belave ivery word ho says ; but whin he lies to yes, ye betther have no oontidince in him at all," " What pretty children you have," said the new minister to the proud mother of throe little ones. " Ah ! my little dear," he said, as he took a girl fivo, on his lap, '" are you the oldest of the 'family 1" "No, ma'am ," responded the littleaiss,' with the usual accuracy of childhood, ?'my pa's old. er'n me." Amateur tenor (who has been abroad) : " Ah ! my nman, you are an eye doctor, I understand." Oculist : "" I am oculist, sir." " Yes : well what I want to know is whether there is any way to prevent the eyes from , filling with water while singing." " None that I know of except to steel your heart agaiust the sufferings of the audience." Friend (to young author) : " How is your book of poems selling, Charlie ?" Young Writer (gloomily) : ""Slow." Friend": " What's the matter ? Don't people want poetry any more ?" Young Writers : " Yes ; but they won't pay a dollar for my poetry when they can get a paper edition of Shake - spear's for half the money. There is too much difference in the price." It was a very ragged but an exceedingly polite beggar, who took off his greasy cap to a gentleman, and said : " Pardon me, sir, will you please grant me the favor of a gratuity of five cents ; I have not yet din- ed." "Neither have I," said the gentle- man, more to himself than to the beggar, because he was hurrying home for that pur- pose. " Then make it ten cents," said the beggar, " and we'll dine together." sailor's vocabulary as Davy Jones's locker and then he sang out : " Schooner, ahoy ! Schooner there on the starboard bow, ahoy 1" "Hilloa 1" was the response. "Is that you, Mr. Green ?" " No, it's Brown—another, that's all. Good night." Captain Dolan had mounted on the coil of the forecastle to hail the schooner, and at this moment a stunning report came in his ears, and, by the reel that the cutter gave he was thrown from his position and rolled head over heels down the forecastle hatch. " That will do," said Ben, who had tak- en the opportunity himself of firing the twelve pounder—as, by the movement of the two vessels, he saw that he could get a good shot at the Spray The shot hit her mast and brought down with a run a good portion of her upper gear and canvas. " That's it 1" said Martin. " Now, on we goes agin, Ben." Ay, ay, Bo—so we do, and no great harm done 1" The Rift flew before the wind and the dis- tance between the two rapidly increased. " Off with you, boy 1" whispered Ben to Gerald. "Below with you 1 The skipper won't ask for you yet awhile." "Where is he?" " Broke his neck, I shouldn't wonder." " Broke his neck ? How ? Where ?" " Why, I saw him go, anyhow, down the forecastle hatch just now ! So you be off while you can!" " Ben 1" Gerald laid both his hands on the broad breast of the smuggler and spoke with deep emotion. " Well, what is it?" " I did not write to the port admiral. I did not—by word, or act, or thought—ever betray the Rift." " That'll do. I never thought you did. " Thank you, Ben." " Go below at once and count on me and old Martin—for I will tell him what you say and what I think ; and I rather take it, that is what he thinks, too." Gerald pressed the hand of Ben for a mo- ment and then at once dived down into the cabin. (To BE CONTINUED.) CHAPTER XIII. THE RATTLE IN THE BAY—GERALD'S DANGER. Rift was,evente clear that the R It was qui under ordinary circumstances, by far the faster craft than the Spray, for the distance between the two Vessels nb* increased with great rapidity. The only wonder to the officers of the An Oculist's Advice About the Eves. Keep a shade on your lamp or gas burner. Avoid all sudden changes between light and began to lash the port -fire to it, he made all the struggle he could to be free. and darkness. I Never begin to read, write or sew for seve- It was wonderful then to see how—al- f rat minutes after coming from darkness to lig. though in the grasp of these powerful menNever read by twilight, moonlight or on cloudy days, Never read or sew directly in front of the light, window or door. It is best to let the light fall from above —Gerald, light and slender as he was, fought for freedom. "Hit the young cub on the head," cried one'. " No, no 1" said Dolan, " not for worlds. Only over the left shoulder. Only make him fire the f sin. I will pointobliquely,Never sleep, so that on first awakening the it—not too close in, Martin." All right." eyes shall open on the light of a window. e the e. esi ht by li ht so scant The cutter had made two tacks and was a Do not us y g arentl now standin out to sea, with the that it requires an effort to discriminate. p y . . The moment you areinstinetively promit• schooner on its starboard how. The peop1 a ed to rub your eyes that Moment stop using on board the Spray were evidently baffled and hardlyknew wises to look for'their totem; If :rho eyelids are glued together on wak• sli r and agile antagonist, The li kt i i g Ppe y g Bg � ahem but., l 'from the lens was shifted about over the ing up do nob forcibly open , pie y aiLliva with the finger—rt is the speediest but thecutterfairly within is sea, u was i rn i dilatant in the' world ; then wash your eyes area and so escaped the beam of light. I dilutace in, water. The struggle un the deck of the Rift wasf. y great, for Gerald still foughtwith the sail- The hid thirteen five - Spray, 'Milwaukee e woman I e t . u pointedthe at he ola ors.Captain f'J lam' r"a , which was' nodifficult to gunee ' mak- dollar gold pieces in She sugar -box,, and in in all `h'and worryof fruit forgot ing the sail it could northward and sur- the hurry canning g rbunded by the halo of the light with which about them. Sho afterwards found them it intended to fix the position of the Rift. it all' fn the preserves,' Babylon. Her robes are of purple and scarlet, And the kings have bent their knees To the gemmed and jewelled harlot Who sitteth on many seas ; They have drunk the abominations Of her golden cup of shame ; She has drugged and debauched the nations With the mystery of her name. Her merchants have gathered riches By the power of her wantonness, And her usurers are as leeches On the world's supreme distress. She has sooured the sea as a spoiler ; Her mart is a robber's den, With the wrested toil of the toiler, And the mortgaged souls of men. Her crimson flag is flying, Where the east and west are one ; Her drums while the day is dying Salute the rising sun. She has scourged the weak and the lowly And the just with an iron rod ; She is drunk with the,blood of the holy— She shall drink of the wrath of God ; The Land Laws of Japan. The leading vernacular journals of Japan agree in regarding the recently issued regu- lations for the sale of land in Hokkaido as most important. A prominent purpose of these regulations is to prevent the purchase of large tracts by speculators who have no intention of engaging in agricultural pur- suit, but merely contemplate holding land with the hope of a rise in its value. To ob- viate such speculation, the area purchasable by one person is now limited to 100,000 stubo, or about eighty acres, and it is also provided that official inspections shall be made annually with the view of deter- mining whether the land is being applied to the purpose announced originally by its holder. All land not thus utilized will be resumed possession of by the Government. In addition the land will .t become the actual property of its cul vator until after the expiration of ten yea s. During that time he will have the use of it rent free, and should his decade of experience prove at tractive, the option of purchasing the fee simply for $1.20 per acre will then be given him. Thus the arrangement amounts to this—that any one intending, bona fide, to engage in agricultural pursuits can procure the free use of eighty acres of land, with the certainty of being able to buy in per- petuity, for 81.20 per acre. During those ten years he will be exempt from land or local taxes, but nothing is said about export taxes, which are the great incubus upon all industry in Hokkaido. Furs and Fur Hunting. To the north and west of us—all over that vast country of which so little is even now known, the Hudson Bay Co. and its faithful servants, the Indians, are engaged in the fur business. From the shores of Lake Superior up to Hudson's Bay and away to the Arctic Circle, through lonely Labrador and the untrodden wastes that lie under the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, the trading posts of the Hudson Bay Co. are to be found, and to these posts the Indians repair after the long winter's hunt, and barter their furs for what- ever the Company likes to give them. The march of civilization has driven the fur hunters further north and west. Still an immense trade is done in the far north and will continue until civilization can make some use of the barren rocks and stunted vegetation of that inhospitable country. Just now the prices paid for raw furs are by no means steady. This is, no doubt, due to the unsettled state of Europe where the great bulk goes. A war in Europe would spoil the trade for a thne, and prices would fall. The Agreement Not Suitable, Bank President.—Now, it is understood, is it, that you are to act as cashier ; are to have $2,500 as your yearly salary, and neither of us can terminate the arrangement without giving the other at least a month's notice of such desire ? Cashier.—Excuse tie, but such an agree- ment would not be in the least agreeable to me. President.—Is nottlre salary large enough to suit you ? Because if it is not, we will try and make that satisfactory. Cashier. -0, the salary is about right. President.—What is the trouble ? Cashier.—I don't like the idea of giving you a month's notice of my intended depar- ture. I might want to go at a moment's notice, and I do not want to bind myself to acquaint you with the fact a month be- forehand. .6goellent Speech. All the qualities which are attributed to excellent speech will be found to have their roots in excellent character. Men admire its clearness and accuracy ; they cone from a love of the truth and a desire to convey it exactly. They value its vigour and raci- ness, which flow from the active and vigor- ous mind. They delight in its intensity and tenderness, which are the natural out., peering of intense and tender feelings. The cheap imitations of these excellences, even when aided by proficiency in the study of language and expertness in its use, can never communicate the same impressions or convey the same ideas 1 counterfeit coin, they lack the ring of the true metal. • The detractor mai*, and' often does, pull clown others, but he never, as he seems to suppose, elevates himself to their position, The most he tan do is maliciously to tear from there the blessings which he cannot enjoy himself. ,w, Seasonable Adoration, I love to see the sett!ng`snn, Sink splendidly from sight : I love to watch, while one by one The stars peep out at night. II. I love to view the forest gay With briliant autwnnal hues ; I love to see the dawn of day, The grass all gemmed with dews. III. I love the ocean great and grand, That roars in rock bound caves ; I lore to see the crinkled sand Left bare by foamy waves. IV. All Nature's charms, in short, I love. Her fo,ests, fields and lakes ; But oh 1 all other things above I love hot buckwhea, cakes. Self -Sacrifice. If we analyse the acts we instinctively approve in ourselves and applau in others, we shall find that many of th involve a certain degree of self-sacrige , while those which we deplore in ourselves and criticise in others involve some kind of self-indul- gence. The man who risks his own life to save another from the sinking vessel or the burning building, he who devotes his youth and energies to a philanthropic enterprise, he who habitually sacrifices his ease and comfort to soothe the declining years of an aged parent or to cheer the sick -bed of a wife or friend, awakens sympathy and ap- proval from all. This instinct of our nature sufficiently proves the praiseworthiness of sacrifice and its value as a means of human progress. Only Wanted to be Measured. Seedy individual—I would like to get measured for a suit. Fashionable tailor (suspiciously) -At about what price, sir ? Seedy individual—That makes Ito differ- ence, ' Fashionable tailor (as before)—Wo gen- erally require a deposit from unknown par. tics. Seedy individual (calmly)—I do not wish you to make the snit. It has been so long time I enjoyed thisexrerience that I simply wish to get ineasuretl. A fire brokout in Parish & Sort's grocery y and provision store, Calgary, on Sundaylast buildings, provision ,cad to neighboring worsen r, damaging property' to the extnt of $100,• , 000."