SEMI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
IN
SIX BELLS andALLS WELL
HEART STAKES ANDA SLIPPERY DECK
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By Morgan Robertson
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Illustrations byAROrr jj
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iT SOME TIMK in my boyhood I had
rend where, or by whom written, I
never could remember nn 'article
containing the assertion tbat at two
o'clock in the morning every living
tiling 'human, brute, insect, fish,
fowl or reptile awakened, or partly
awnkened, if only, as in the case of a
sleeping person, to roll over on the other side. The
article offered testimony from cowboys on the range,
who had seen cattle stand up and lie down again at
this hour; from policemen, guards and sentries in
charge of sleeping prisoners, who had beard them
mutter incoherently and drop off to sleep; from
doctors and nurses caring for the sick, who had no
ticed the uneasiness of patients at this hour; from
flare-light fishermen, who bad waited until two
o'clock for the fish to waken and bite in short,
from night workers of all kind, whoso powers of
observation had enabled them to cognizo the fact
that sleeping creatures awoke, moved, muttered, or
showed some return to consciousness at two hours
past midnight.
I was in the formative stage, not having reached
the critical and skeptical. I believed all that I read
or listened to. Soon, I found myself waking nt two
in tho morning; but, believing it duo to a natural
law, thought little of it, and would immediately go
to sleep again. I bad never been troubled with in
somnia, but this trick becamo a habit, as much a
part of my mental state as any congenital attribute.
I had it proved to my own satisfaction by several
incidents of my boyhood. Onco I awoke at two in
tho morning just in time to save my mother's canary
from a stray cot that had entered the house. It did
not occur to mo that the bird might have got abroad
first and aroused mo by its fluttering. Again, I sat
up just as a masked faco peered into tho opened
window, and my movement frightened tho burglar
away. On another occasion I awoke, smelled smoke,
He gathered hlmielf (or a (print, I aimed for bit face, pinning
him in a half-crouched potition
and put out a threatening fire. Still again I turned
oil' n half-opened gas jet, and possibly saved myself,
as well as others of tho family, from asphyxiation.
Thus conditioned, and half educated, I went to sea
at twenty, and legularly awoke in time to hear four
bells struck in tho middle watch, not knowing for
years that all sailors, from habit of mind, even when
on shore, will awaken at twelve and four
when the watches are changed at sea,
and often nt ten, two and six o'clock,
when the wheel is relieved. My mental
alarm clock was adjusted for two in the
morning, and the moro I proved it to
myself the moro fixed became the adjust
ment. TT was old Bill Hay ward, his second
mate and his daughter who re-adjusted
me, and also themselves not to their
advantage, perhaps, but certainly to my
own; and that is what this story is
about. Ilayward was skipper of the
first ship in which I signed first mate,
and a bigger blackguard never bullied
tho man-at-the-wheel. Yet I noticed be
fore many days that his billingsgate
ceased whenever his daughter appeared
on deck. I could easily understand that
ho respected and stood in awe of her, as
well as loved her as his child; but I
could not understand how the Fates had
given such a daughter to such a father.
She had a soft, musical voice, soft brown
eyes, soft brown hair, and emanated a
faint fragrance as I sensed while
passing to leeward of her either from
her hair, breath or clothing, like that of
a flower-garden after tho rain. But,
after our first introductory greetings, she
ignored my presenco on board as com
pletely as she did tbat of tho
pig on tho fore hatch, and I as
cribed it to tho fact that, though
I was young, healthy, clean
built and clean-featured, I had
never been a favorito with the
other sex. Yet, though I out
did her father in tho matter of
nicety of speech, and sup
pressed all profanity from the
second mate an d crew,
whether she wos on deck
or below, I grew to dislike this fine girl.
For even a good dog becomes savage un
less occasionally noticed. I was, noticed,
of course, by tho second mate and crew,
in the way I demanded; and by tho
skipper in the way of criticism which
possibly I deserved but never a glance
or a word did I receive from Florence
Ilayward. On tho whole I was not
happy, though my youth, health,
cleanliness of life and instinctive
admiration for and devotion to
beauty and goodness in women
scorned to justify some response
jl and happiness. So, I disliked
a gin i admired, ami never ad
dressed myself to her, until the
time came when it was mutual, in
tuitive, and necessary.
It happened after we had
crossed the Lino and wero creep
ing on through cnlm and catspaw
toward the trade-winds; after I
had silenced tho captain's criticism
by strict attention to duty; and
after I had noticed the growing friendship between
Miss Florence and Mr. Taynter, tho second mate.
He devoted every minute he could spare from work
and sleep to her society; and she would smile gra
ciously on him, call to him from window or com
panion, and sit up late into the night when he had
the first watch on deck.
"God love you, little girl," 1 laid, at 1 killed the fading
color back to her cheek
JEALOUS? No. For having received noth
ing I missed nothing. Nor was I surprised
in the least at her liking him; for he was as
superior to me as she was to him, or I to her piggish
old father. What did surpriso me, however, was
that he should allow a high-strung, nervous, sensi
tive and impressionable girl of twenty to flirt and
frolic until midnight with a man equally impres
sionable, but neither nervous, high-strung nor sensi
tive. Taynter was about twenty-eight (two years
older than myself) ; also he was taller, broader,
heavier and stronger. Added thereto ho was better
educated, belter and more widely informed, and had
sailed several voyages as first mate his reversion
to second mate being duo to tho fact that he was out
of money and that 1 had secured the only first ;nate's
berth in port. Had he appeared with me before
Captain Ilayward be surely would have been chosen
as chief officer, while I would, perforce, have signed
on as second. As it was, Taynter, well-versed in the
etiquette of the sea, dropped into his place as though
fitted for nothing higher; be took my orders and
suggestions without comment, occasionally offered
reasonable suggestions of his own, and even assisted
me in suppressing pro- (Continued on Page 8)
