A Lively Bit of the Front

errupte

p-conveying ship, and the internal rearrangements were not by any means suitable for her new r?le. Nevertheless, after the first few days, when many of the men were prostrate

ant, "how about a sing-song on the mess deck this evening? Most of

ves into an entertainment committee. Let me see: t

ght," reported Malcolm. "He was so jolly bad that he never r

rtescue. "There's M'Kie and Macdonald: t

, not-withstanding the fact that their

enquired Selwyn. "They are

son been doing to get his left optic in a sling? He wasn't looking s

"He was all right when he w

in another N.C.O.

half a dozen voices. "O

and he tops the scale at sixteen stone. I don't insinuate, mind you, that any of the fellows tampered with

a and recite it at the concert," declared Fortescue. "S

oetic licence to joke at the expense of their officers. The latter, too, were quite used to that sort of thing. In fact the

o The Deep Sea Roll, the Thirty-somethingth's magazine, the ope

never finish, due mainly to Macdonald, who had h

ve 'Thora' a slap up. It was a pity he lost his tee

emendous. 'Asleep in the Deep' was his song.

ke sardines in a barrel, filled the mess-deck almost to suffocation, their bois

Sergeant Fortescue. "Sisters Howard and O'

h marked timidity. They would perhaps--and did--unhesitatingly and calmly assist the medical office

ed cornet, appeared and stood facing their critical audience,

man Gi

rocking with laughter, threw shouts of encouragement and advice to the would-be musician, but all in vain. Rifleman Gilway's eyes were riveted upon the half of a cut, juicy lemon displayed within six inches of his face by a waggish subaltern. The sight of

ime the audience was almost silent. The men could laugh no longer. The

He used his music-card as a screen to shut out the sight of the tantalizing lemon. By so doing

nder the tremendous force of lung power. The doctor began to shift uneasily in his chair, anticipating a case o

h subaltern full in the face, and then the nature of the "main charge" became apparent. It was treacle. A practical joker had primed Jephson's cornet with the sticky stuff, plugging it with a wad. Amidst r

njoyed them as much as anyone, for it is difficult to raise a New Zealander's "dander" by means of a practical joke. And when the reciter commenced a string of verses portrayin

, representing the latter combating the evil influence of sin. The reciter began with slight

soon was heard the

set to work as none

aying-pin, he got

weighed at all he

t, one by one, that h

'twixt him and Sin w

ok in his eye, as one

pon the bunk--there ca

as

o port. Simultaneously every electric light on the ship was extinguished, while above the noise of escaping steam arose the

inous words were taken up by others, and in the