OUR BOYS & GIRLS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 914, 6 September 1889, Page 5

OUR BOYS & GIRLS.

SAILOR BOY DROMIOSBy H. H. Crark, U.S.N. Very early one bright morning, two rowboats, one flying American and the other English colours, reached at about the same moment a sandy part of the shore not far from the Egyptian city of Alexandria. Each boat had come for a load of sand, to be used in-holystoning the decks. The English boat belonged to H.M.S. ‘ Alexandra/ and the other to a famous little vessel of the American fleet. The meeting of these boats, engaged in the same duty, was a trifling coincidence ; but not so the meeting for the first time of two lads, one belonging to the English boat’s crew and the other to the American. No sooner bad the prows of the cutters touched the beach than each crew began to stare, one at the English lad, and the other at the American boy. The boys themselves looked at each other in mutual surprise. ‘Say, Docket,’ exclaimed the coxswain of . the American boat, ‘ may I never see a ghost, if that ain’t yours in that English uniform there !’ ‘ Look a' there, ’Arry,’ sang out an old English sailor, while he pointed his big, stubby finger at Docket; ‘ if’e harn’t your twin brother, then I’m the Prince o’ Whales !’ ‘ Don’t let ’em git mixed up,’ piped oat a third sailor, ‘or they won’t know theirselves.’ So olose were the resemblances between the boys, in stature, figure and features, that, had it not b9en for difference of accent and uniform, it is doubtful whether they could have been distinguished. Indeed, the men declared with emphasis that if both boys should come into the forecastle of either ship wearing the same uniform, unless they should betray .themselves by thrir speech, there could be no eartainty-as to which was which. Th 9 men went to work filling the boats in great haste, for, as matters were in Alexandra at that time, it was rather a dangerous expedition. Meanwhile Docket and Harry, in spite of orders from the coxswains and growls from the crews, promenaded together back aud forth along the beach, each giving au account of his personal history, and arranging for a future meeting. By the time the boats were ready to shove off, the boys were very well acquainted, and had appointed the following Saturday as the first day of meeting, when, it was agreed, Docket should visit Harry on board the ‘ Alexandra.’ Just a word about Docket and Harry. Docket, by the way, was only a nickhame, given on board ship. The lad was the son of a Massachusetts clergyman. Much persua-tion-and no little coercion had been brought to bear to disenchant him with his romantic notions touching a seafaring life, but to no piypose. Finally he was committed to the Government as a third-class apprentice boy. United States Navy. Harry was the son of a poor London mechanic, who esteemed it a great privilege for his boy to be in Her Majesty’s service, in any capacity. Each boy was very clever and mischievous, though Docket, having had better advantages, was the better educated. It so happened that several weeks elapsed before Docket could pay his promised visit to Harry. One Saturday he was in high spirits. He had at last obtained permission to take the dingy, of which bo was coxswain, and a crew of boys for the purpose of visiting the ‘ Alexandra.’ Shortly after eight bells, or the hour of noon, they set out. From the yirds of his own iittle ship, Docket had often looked down in delighted wonder upon the vast decks of the ‘ Sultan/ ■ the ‘lnflexible,’ the ‘lnvincible,’ and the ‘Alexandra/ anchored near, by. Then, it must be confessed, he would experience a feeling of chagrin that a great nation like his own should permit its proud flag to fly over the feeblest navy of the globe. Docket loved a ship almost as he might love a person. Indeed, to him a ship almost seemed to think and feel. Harry happened to be on the lookout from one of the ‘Alexandra’s’ cat-heads as the dingy drew near. He had already obtained permission from the officer of the watch for the boys to come on board when they should arrive. Presently the dingy lay quietly, hauled out at the ‘ Alexandra's ’ boom, and Docket stood in the starboard gangway, staring like a country boy at his first sight of Broadway or of Pennsylvania avenue. Perhaps there is no better word than * Immense !’ if it may be allowed, to express Docket’s thought as he stood gazing fore and aft along the ‘ Alexandra’s ’ spar desk. But a sailor boy soon learns better than to stare. In fact, Docket had now seen enough of the world to feel rather above Bhowing surprise at anything ; he regarded surprise as an altogether rustic emotion. He therefore quickly recovered himself and fell at once into certain sailor ways. Giving his cap a smart tilt and his trousers a spirited hitch, to intimate that he felt perfectly at home on a man o’-war deck, he started with hiß custodian to inspect the ship. It was very clear to Docket that the news of his wonderful likeness to Harry had preceded him. Everybody was staring at him; even the officer of the watch. No sooner had he reached the forecastle than the member of the boat’s crew who had first noticed the resemblance, sung out at the top of his voice : ‘There’s that there Yankee twin of 'Arry’s, I never seen a better match a-tween a pair o' donkeys !’ The men and boys all laughed at this parallel from the animal kingdom, and Docket didn't altogether relish it. But he made up his mind that he would be goodnatnred whatever might be said. A gteat crowd now gathered around him, and if ho had stepued ashore up the Congo, aud had there fallen in with a tribe that had never seen a white person, he hardly could have been an object of more curious attention. He had come to see the ship, but it was very certain that if he and Harry bad been on exhibition anywhere within ten miles, the whole ship’s company would have gone to see them.. Finally an old potty-officer, evidently thinking it might be a tedious for Docket, dispersed the crowd by shouting out, ‘ Git out o’ here, I tell yer 1 The lad hain’t a ; oss as is up for sals /

Left to Harry, Docket bejjan hia tour of the ship. If there was anything between the mighty steel prow and the powerful twinscrews that he didn’t see, it must have been something scarcely worth mentioning. The oalibre of each gun. the thiokness of the armour-plating, the power of the motive machinery, he took particular pains to learn. With Harry be discussed the qualities of the ship as a fighter ; asked if she had ever been in action —in short, plied him with all sorts of questions. By the time they had worked around to the main deck battery, he had an excellent idea of the different parts of the ship, knew Harry’s stations at ‘ fire-quarcers, ‘great-gun drills,' and so on; and felt that he could almost duplicate Harry in his person. , . , ■ ‘I tell you what, Harry, he oxclaimed with enthusiasm, as they stood beside the eighteen-ton gun. to the crew of which Harry belonged, * wouldn’t I like to belong to a ship like this !’ . • f You’d get sick enough of it before you d been here a week ; we gets harder service than you Yankee sailors.’ ‘ It would be easy enough cornin’ if yer wants to ship,’ remarked an old quartergunner who was leisurely polishing up the gun. ‘ I didn’t mean that I’d like to belong to this ship. You don’t suppose that I'd desert, do you ?’ asked Docket, in an injured tone. 4 W"hen you gits older, you’ll tnko higher views o’ these things. I’ve been in three or four navies myself. I used to be first boatswain’s mate aboard the “ Lancaster.'’ ’ . An idea seized Docket. 4 Why not,’ he said to himself, ‘ have a little fuu out of this likeness ? I might be Harry for an hour or two, just as well as not; and he could be Docket. We coul 1 keep our own counsel, and see whe'her anybody could tell the difference. Besides, I’d just like to see how it would seem to be under the British flag.’ This was a bold scheme on the part of Master Docket. He was sharp enough, too, to appreciate its difficulties. In the first place, could he get Harry to agree to it ? If successful in this, could he talk with Harry’s accent, if obliged to speak at all ? Harry had the cockney habits of dropping his h’s at the wrong places and putting them in where they didn’t belong, besides speaking ungram i atically. But should he succeed in iiis part, as he felt quite well-assured he could, how would it be with Harry 1 If Harry were forced to speak he certainly would let the cat out of the bag. . (To be continued.)