go aheid; me carburretty's to borrow a rocket-line. I fruz,” and he eventually drifted congratulated the old pensioner ashore at Tynemouth.

who had fired the rockets, for Daring lived up to her name, he was still feeling rather hurt and went full-speed up the that I had dis lained to make coast, blowing her siren-I had use of his life-saving arrangeheard a siren to seaward about ments. 8.30,--and eventually hit the I swam off to the boat to rocks near St Mary's Light, have a look round, and found two miles north of my position, that she was just as we had and sank like a stone. Com- left her the night before, ex

, mander S— and the rest of cept that there was a slight the crew pulled down to the trace of chlorine gas due to Tyne in two small boats, and salt water in the battery tank, had a fairly rough passage. also some of the loose gear in

Commander Sand I left the boat had broken adrift the ship at 8 A.M. to look for and smashed up several electhe boat. We landed at How- trical fittings. When I got den and went to his car, and back we decided that we would found all the cylinders cracked. try and haul the boat up on The sentry, whom he bad left the beach, take out all the in charge, had turned the wrong heavy gear, patch her bottom, tap; instead of draining the and refloat her at high water. radiator he had turned on the About 3 o'clock the tide was petrol, and the frost had done' low enough to enable us to get the rest. We then found a on board in waders. We opened soldier batman driving a car, up all the hatches to clear the and we commandeered it, as fumes, blew out all the water we found that the owner was and fuel tanks, and made fast on leave. Taking two of my a big hemp hawser to the crew, we drove over the frozen boat's bow. There was a covetsnow up the coast road, looking ous crowd of motor owners for the wreck. When we got watching 2000 gallons of the to Whitley Bay, there was best petrol being blown into

C8” about 150 yards out the sea, but there was no help from high-water mark, with a for it. At about 9.30 that night few warlike small boys throw- it was high water, so at 9 ing stones at her, thinking she o'clock, with the permission of was a U-boat!

the colonel commanding and We tried to persuade the the great goodwill of his officers, Cullercoats cobbles to row

we had about 100 soldiers down us out, but they said the swell on the sand manning the hawwas too big, and they wouldn't ser. Luckily we had a very risk it. Commander Sthen high tide, and after twenty went along to the military C.0. minutes we felt the boat yield to borrow some ropes, and I about a foot ; the soldiers, went to the coastguard station who, like sailors, enjoy doing

anything which is not their and made fast one behind the legitimate job, redoubled their other on to a 4-inch wire efforts, and the boat slid off secured round my conning the rocks across

a strip of tower. At high tide I went deeper water, and grounded on the bridge and conducted gently on the sand. Helped the entertainment. The two by the swell, we coaxed her bow-lines were again manned six inches at a time up the by soldiers, and I worked on sand till the tide started to each alternately till the boat

ebb, then secured her for the started to roll slightly. Then i night,

I signalled to the tugs, “Slow There was a certain captain ahead both.” The tugs started in the Yorkshires for whom I to work up speed, so, foreshall always have a warm spot seeing what would happen, I in my heart. Not only did he signalled “Stop!” They went organise my military salvage on to full speed and the wire party and arrange billets for parted, and our efforts were my crew, but he gave me a wasted for the day. I was very room in his house. When I disappointed, especially as the had finished work at about stern of the boat was getting 11.30, I found a fire in my more and more sanded up. room, a hot-water bottle in That evening I discussed the my bed, and a hot toddy on matter with a retired salvage the table ! Could a man do expert, and next morning all more for a complete stranger ! hands were busy filling sand

Next day we pulled out the bags, which we borrowed from four torpedoes through the bow the military. These bags, when tubes, and stripped the boat filled, we built into two walls, of everything which we could making a V-shaped figure, the remove to lighten her, sending point of the V being at the all the gear away in a lorry. stern of the boat, and the sides Steel plates and sheets of rubber running down to the sea at were brought round by the an angle of 45 degrees to the Bonaventure's repair party, and water's edge. The idea of this at low water we careened the is that the sea tends to sweep boat and patched all the holes away the sand inside the walls except two or three small ones —why I don't know, but it right aft, which were buried in certainly worked well on this the shifting sand.

occasion. Next day at high We laid out two kedge water I had all my crew on anchors in the sand, one on board, all the soldiers on the either bow of the boat, attached bow-lines, and two tugs, each a single block to the ring of one with its separate wire on each, and rove a hemp from to the conning tower—one towthe bridge through each block ing north-east and the other and away up the sand. Two south-east.

untugs came out from the Tyne, usually high tide, and I did

It was

an

not begin operations till the in writing out a service letter, top of high water. I started with a copy of my log and in with the starboard bow-line replies to all the questions reand south-eastern tug, then quired by King's Regulations vice versa. At the second effort to be asked in such cases. we shifted her stern sideways Carlin arrived from Whitley about a foot, and hope ran Bay, where he had been staying high : then she started to with the soldiers-quite anmove seawards slowly, getting known to me,- ostensibly to faster and faster, and then off look after my private belong. she slipped with a run, both ings. He was a pensioner of tugs going full speed. I had the “Private Paget" type, a cobble standing by on each with a remarkable gift for side of the reef, and all hands narrative, and I'm certain that on the bridge in case of acci- his impressionable hosts were dents. The stern slid over the deeply thrilled by the experirocks easily enough, but the ences of “the first marine who boat drew more water amid- had ever been shipwrecked in ships. She started to go down à submarine." by the bow, and I was afraid C8' was docked at Swan we should get stuck again ; & Hunter's yard, where all debut we were going fairly fast, fects were made good, and a so in spite of some fearful Court of Inquiry was held in bumps we managed to “por- the Bonaventure, at which I

over the ridge. The had to answer a good many water came right up to our awkward questions. Taking feet as she went down by the into consideration my inesstern into the deep water on perience and

the sketchy the far side of the rocks, while methods of navigation which three of us stood on the conning one had to adopt in a “C” tower lid to keep the water class submarine, I was let out of the boat, and the cobble down lightly : “Lieutenant closed take us off if re- Powell is to be informed that quired. However, she floated he has incurred their Lordon an almost even keel, though ships' displeasure, and that he

' we found later, on docking, is to be more careful in future." that she had two more large When I received my message holes in the midship ballast from the Admiralty, a senior tanks. We started off for officer said to me: our inglorious trip to the

the everybody has to run aground Tyne in tow of a tug, and once during his career, the cox'n produced a tot of you’re lucky to get it over in rum all round to keep out the a rotten little boat like 'C8. cold.

I swallowed the insult to us I spent next day, Christmas, first command.

poise"

SO

THROUGH THE LINES TO ABD-EL-KRÎM'S

STRONGHOLD IN THE RIFF.

A JOURNEY RECENTLY UNDERTAKEN IN A LITTLE-KNOWN COUNTRY.

BY GERALD SPENCER PRYSE.

III.

THE rivers are still mon- necessary; so everything not strously swollen on the ninth absolutely essential is quickly day, and mountains steaming discarded, and the journey conin hot sunshine, when we take tinued with only a twenty-four affectionate leave of the friends hours' allowance of bread and we possess in the household of figs, and a few frowsy European Kayed Mohammed el Boccali, garments in the bottom of a the chieftain himself being con- sack. Yet so great is the sense spicuously absent when the of relief, that the two following time arrives. In point of fact, days are very cheerfully spent he has not been visible for sliding about sodden mounseveral days, though the guest- tains, in shoes that have to be house adjoins his own estab- tied together with fragments lishment, and all our meals torn from the sack, neither of have been prepared in his us being able to walk any kitchen. The askar make it distance in the loose sbabeet abundantly clear there ought of the country. But one soon to be ceremony about such a discovers compensations in all departure ; and the general this. Not only has more intiassemblage, by their rather mate contact with the memshamefaced air, show them- bers of the Boccali house party selves of the same opinion. been effected by their leader's For one's own part, however, churlishness, but the new intithe dominant emotion is that macy with those around seems of relief.

likely to continue. We are half on the look-out The fury of Mohammed the for some trick, and it is no Askari is in itself a sustaining great surprise to find ourselves spectacle. That he, the pride deprived of mules at a rendez- of the Beni Ouariel, the fierce vous outside the village, where, and trusted emissary of El by the holding up of instruc- Makhzen, should have been tions from El Makhzen, we spumed by a beggarly Kayed are compelled to resume the of the Jabala! Somebody will journey as common men on be thrown into the Kaasba foot. The sense of lurking for this. One could not speak danger has made swift decision plainly to Boccali in his own

household, but one may fear- Arcadian

appearance.

The lessly toss out opinions on the average colouring among the open mountain. Meanwhile a

women, who are at such pains forlorn little procession is strug- to shield themselves from the gling over slippery rocks, by sun, is not so dark as one may ways that are hard to find, observe in Southern Europe, even where they have not been and there are occasional blueentirely blotted out by aval- eyed Scardinavian types to be anches from above; or con- encountered. I remember a verted into cascades by the girl, fair-haired and tall, with tendency of water to find its athletic limbs inadequately conway through the nearest avail- cealed by a striped cotton garable channel to sea-level. Some- ment extending barely to the times almost carried off one's knees, who approached with feet by running streams, and so frank an expression of curisometimes sinking into a marsh; osity on her countenance, as one wonders what even the to leave one in doubt whether most capable mule would have she might not be some Brunmade of the problem. It is a hilde transported from the day of mighty effort, sustained north, rather than the invariby still mightier curses.

able Ayesha or Fatima of the Everywhere is activity after country. the period of forced inaction. That the Riffi descend from Troops of soldiers held up by the same Iberian or Berber the torrents are hastening by. stock as do the Khabyles of Old women and children, house- Algeria and the inhabitants of hold belongings piled on their the Atlas, seems evident. Yet backs, are continuing their task they are differentiated by un of refurbishing homesteads long mistakable traits from others deserted ; men not away with of that race.

One is driven to the harka are occupied with the conjecture that at some the heavy work of ploughing time Northmen have descended up land recently recovered from

on a coast-line abounding in the enemy, before it is too late ; excellent little harbours from while women distribute the Taleses to Beni Boufra and seed. Already the sun is burn- Bades and Ajdir, as they did ing hot, and the heads of these also in Yorkshire or Northumtoilers are crowned with straw berland or Sicily. Here are hats possessing immense um- rock - bound bays in plents

, brella brims, worn over the where ships might safely be

, handkerchiefs or towels without pulled upon to the beach. which they would never appear Doubly isolated by mountain in public. Almost invariably and by war, the Rifi themselves their legs are enclosed in bus

seem to have conserved the kins from knee to ankle, to vestige of such an infusion

, ward off thorns, a device which though it is less conspicuous gives to these limbs a curiously among the inhabitants of the