Ensign Merrill — page 73: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

: , ‘ «ai ‘ 4 ? “Ton fe ae te 5 ay —_ Sais aa ta wae.. Ne = ~ ‘4 ' et aoe et he’ “tran & : . ~ + . y 3 Sy" “ > P v b <2 oo t é a - ‘s, sfD » » . s bh : es P y ¥ - Me Me a) 4 \ f “a + I a ol \ . 7 1 a4) 4 yn pa es va | - i vu - nF ha oe AL : , eae: ¥ oa * ma . ante OMe ey ta sw hi a ~ Ae Re ‘ \ + “ns rt we be ne cs * oe re 2 r Ax , oo ar MARK MEETS” WITH AN © Acomenr, "3 eae XII. : MARK MEETS WITH AN ACCIDENT, THE resolution of the council had not been reached — without due consideration. Kach and every member — . ej 7 “ ~ et vo ‘ * ~ f : A ie a Hy Peak A .°9 ’ felt grave responsibility resting upon himself as well as a whole, but the peculiar nature of the case admitted of no alternative. John Blood, able seaman on the pri- vate cruiser Badger, would have to pay the penalty of his crime. It was decided that on the following morning at quarters their decision should be made public, and the execution carried out at sunset of the same day. As nothing further could be done that night, the party left the cabin. During the past half-hour certain uneasy motions of the hull and an occasional roll greater than usual had caused the ensign to glance involuntarily at the barometer suspended on the cabin wall. It had fallen slightly between sunset and-the council meeting, but the last observation revealed the unwel- come fact that it was now taking a decided drop. They were sailing in latitudes where typhoons, the bugbear of navigators, were frequent, especially at that season of the year. Accompanied by Ned—the second officer and the doctor had -retired to their rooms—Mark went on deck, _EKach had armed himself with a couple of revolvers, which were carried loosely in the side pockets of their coats, and the ensign buckled on his sword, more 8 for } moral effect than for use. | The hatch hoods had been hauled over the pee com- | panionway, so it was not until they stepped out on deck that the bad state of the weather became apparent. — The change that had taken place ina shor yee hae