Ensign Merrill — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

« “ a * * “ . ‘ , - « . ~ = / : * 3 * ®! > : ° - * >'s ya a). . Se ‘ > he . he : ' s ~ ~~’ va ¢ - > ies o* . > ae ‘ - ~ * “9 hi * os ‘ : 1 Gy a eds vate Oe * 4 ~ . >» Te > ! é2 r < 1 a - ae . y T , aay | ~ * : ’ . seer 2 An : ‘ he 2 as AS ee ee > - ~* side him were undoubtedly in the pay of the pirates. Without their ringleader, which Blood probably was, _ when there was eye to believe ac aa ‘ there would hardly be a systematic attempt made to- wreck the ship. Merrill had reasoned thus far when Ned joined him. One look at the middy’s face re- vealed defeat. “Tf that fellow is in this ship he must.-be in the doc- tor’s pill-box, because I have searched everywhere else,’’ exclaimed Gage, emphatically. ‘‘Miller and I and four men have been in every compartment and locker above the berth-deck. There are some places down below, such as the magazines, etc., which I couldn’t get into. You must have put the keys away; they are not in your room on the bhook.’’ ‘ “Why, I left them there only a few hours ago,’’ re- plied Mark in surprise. ‘‘We will have-to see into it.”’ © ‘*T posted sentries at all the hatches,’’ continued Ned; ‘foverhauled the engine room and coal bunkers, sent a man aloft in both tops, and even looked in your room, but not a hair of him or Daly could we find.” ‘“Where is Brown?’’ asked Merrill, quickly notiemg the omission of his name. ‘‘Down below, nursing a sprained arm on the berth- deck. He says he was on the windward side of the chart room when that wave struck us, and was knocked silly, as he expressed it. ‘The water carried him clear off the gratings on to the fire-room hatch. He felt so frightened and excited at the time that he crawled below out of sight.”’ ‘‘Humph! was he trying to hide when you saw him?”’ ‘‘No; simply lying on the deck under the ham- mock,”’ ‘““What did he say when you asked about the agers ae oner?’’