In the Line of Fire by Collins Ace;

Author:Collins, Ace;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: 2018-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

BOND

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.

—Richard Bach

In the history of literature no sailor is likely as famous as Sinbad. This fictional Middle Eastern oceanic adventurer has been thrilling audiences for six centuries. In absorbing and fanciful tales he took on monsters of the deep and superhuman villains from the land. He was a source of inspiration for those who had no hope and one of the greatest reservoirs of joy for readers who longed for excitement. He became such a legend that movies presented his exploits and even a cartoon character sang a song about Sinbad the Sailor. Yet when these tales were created and first published, it is highly unlikely that anyone foresaw a dog that for a while would become as famous as his Arabian namesake.

In the cold winter of 1937, the US Coast Guard Cutter Campbell was docked in New York City. Chief Boatswain’s Mate “Blackie” Rother was visiting a close friend when he happened upon a small brown, black, and white dog of dubious lineage. After discovering the mutt had no home, he cleaned the canine up and headed to his girlfriend’s apartment. What the well-meaning but ignorant Rother didn’t know would quickly come back to bite him as well as change the course of Coast Guard history. It seemed the apartment house the woman called home did not allow pets. So rather than greet the barking, wiggling bundle of fur with enthusiasm, the girlfriend frowned and ordered the gift returned to the crowded, hostile city streets. Most men of that time would have likely dropped the mutt in the nearest alley, and, after perhaps giving the creature a friendly pat on the head, waltzed off into the night. But Rother was not most men. In just two hours he had grown to genuinely love the critter. He was not going to leave the Big Apple without securing a home for the canine waif. Yet with his leave running out he had little time to make his pitch and those friends he did track down refused to adopt the twenty pounds of happiness.

The Campbell was leaving in hours for duty at sea and, having no place to put the unwanted gift, Rother hid the dog in his duffle bag, snuck past those on watch, and quickly made his way to the ship’s main berth deck. There he pulled the critter out and showed the homeless mutt to the other sailors. The dog possessed a personality three times the size of his body. In the span of ten minutes, with his bright eyes, wagging tail, intelligence, and seemingly thoughtful expression, he’d charmed all of those present. Ah, but a ship was not a democracy. Just because the sailors sleeping in the main berth deck wanted to keep the dog, there was still the question of whether the captain would allow him to stay onboard. Rather than risk an order to take the

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