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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1899)
THE RED CLOTO CHIEP. Vj 0 4pHHv4......4...4.....5.4..;...J.,l.t PHANTOM SHIP The Flying 1 t H M-4-t"H-H CHAPTER XVIU. The noot under Atlmlrnt Rymolnndt's command wns ordered to proceed to tho East Indies by the western route, through the Stnlts ot Magellan into tho Pacific ocean It being still im agined, notwithstanding previous fall urea, that this routo offered facilities which might Bhortcn tho paasago to tho Splco Islands. Tho veaBola comprising tho fleet wcro tho Lion, of forty-four guns, boarlng tho admiral's flag: tho Dort, of thlrty-alx guns, with tho commodore's pennantto which Philip was appoint ed; the Zuyder Zee, of twenty; tho Young Prau, of twelve, and a ketch of four guns, called tho Schevolllng. Tho crew of tho Vrow Katorlna were divided botweon tho two larger ves sels; tho others, being smaller, wore easier worked with fowor hands. Every Arrangement having boon made, the boats wcro hoisted up, and tho Bhlps mado sail. For ten days they wcro baf fled by light winds, and the victims to the scurvy increased considerably on board of Philip's vessel. Many died -and were thrown overboard; others were carried down to their hammocks. Tho newly appointed commodore, whoso nomo was Avenhorn, went on hoard of the admiral's vessel, to report tho fltato of the vessel and to suggest, aa Philip had proposed to him, that they should mako tho coast of South America, and endeavor by bribery or by force to obtain supplies from the Spanish Inhabitants or the natives. But to this the admiral would not listen. He was an imperious, bold and obsti nate man, not to bo persuaded or con vinced, and with little feeling for tho sufferings of others. Tenacious of be ing advised, ho immod lately rojected a proposition which, had It originated with himself, would probably have beon Immediately acted upon, and tho commodore returned on board his ves sel, not only disappointed, but Irritat ed by the language used toward him. A week passed away and tho fleet lind mado little progress. In each ship the ravages of tho fatal disease be camo moro sorloua, and the commodore had but twenty men ablo to do duty. Nor had the admiral's ship and the othor vessels suffered loss. The com modore again went on board to rcit erato his proposition. Admiral Rymelandt was not only a stern, but a vindlctlvo man. He was aware of tho propriety of the sugges tion mado by his second in command; but, having refused it, ho would not ncqulesce; and ho folt revengeful against the commodore, whose counsel 'ho must now either adopt, or, by re fusing It, be prevented from taking tho steps so necessary for the preservation of his crew and tho success of his voy age. Too proud to acknowledge hlm--self In error, again did ho decidedly ro fuse, and tho commodore went back to his own ship. The fleet wa& then within three days of tho coast, steering to the southward for the Straits of Ma gellan, and that night, nfter Philip had returned to his cot, the commodore went on deck and ordered tho course of the vessel to bo altered some points more to tho westward. The night was very dark, and the Lion was the only :shlp which carried a poop-lantern, so that tho parting company of the Dort "was not porcolved by tho admiral and tho other ships of tho fleet. When Philip went on deck tho next morning ho found that their consorts wero not in sight. Ho looked at the compass, and, perceiving that the course was nl tered, inquired at what hour and by who60 directions. Finding that it was Tjy his superior officer, he, of course, ;sald nothing. When tho commodore camo on deck ho stated to Philip that Tio felt himself warranted In not com plying with tho admiral's orders, as ft would have been sacrificing tho wholo ship's company. This was, Indeed, true. In two days they made tho land, and, running into the shoro, porcolved a largo town and Spaniards on tho beach. They anchored at tho mouth of tho river, and hoisted English col ors, when a boat camo on board to ask them who they were and what thoy required. Tho commodoro replied that tho vessel was Knglish, for he knew that tho hatred of tho Spanish for tho Dutch was so great that, if known to belong to that nation, ho would lmvo no chance of procuring hny supplies except by forco. He stated that he had fallen in with a Spanish vessel, a complete wreck, the wholo of tho crew being afflicted with the scurvy; that ho had taken tho men out, who were now In tholr hammocks below, as he considered It cruel to leave so many of his fellow-creatures to perish, and that ho had como out of his' course to land them at tho first Spanish port ho could reach. Ho ro quostcd that they would Immediately send on board vegetables nnd fresh provisions for tho sick men, whom It would bo death to remove until nfter a few days, when they would be a lit tlo restored; and added that In return for tholr assisting tho Spaniards ho tmateil tho governor would ulso sonil supplies for his own people. This woll-mndo-uj story was con firmed by" tho officer ee'ii't on bo'ard by the Spanish govern:. Being request :i: -OR- Dutchman. I I I ) -H-M--M"f-M--H- ed to go down below and see the pa tients, the sight of so many poor fel lows In the last tae of that horrid llsense tholr troth having fallen out. gums ulcorated, bodies full of tumors and sores-was quite Hiifflclont, anil, hurrying up from the lower deck, the officer hastened on shoro and mado his report. In two hours a largo boat waa sent off with fresh beef and vegetables suf ficient for three days' supply for the ship's company, nnd these were Imme diately distributed among the men. A letter of thanks waa returned by tho commodoro, stating that his health was so indifferent aa to prevent his com ing on shore in person to thank the governor, and forwarding a pretended Hat of tho Spaniards on board, In which ho mentioned some officers and people of distinction, whom he Imagined might bo connected with the family of the governor, whoso name and titles he had received from messenger sent on board; for the Dutch knew full well tho majority of tho noblo Spanish fam iliesIndeed, alilanres had continually taken place between them previous to their assertion of their Independence. The commodoro concluded his letter by expressing a hope that In a day or two he should be able to pay his re spects and make arrangements for the landing of tho sick, aa ho was anxious to proceed on his voyage of discovery. On the third day a fresh supply of provision was sent on board, and so soon as they wcro received the com modore, in an English uniform, went on shoro nnd called upon tho governor, gave a long detail of tho sufferings ot the people ho had rescued, and agreed that they should bo sent on shore In two days, as they would by that tlmo bo well enough to bo moved. After many compliments ho went on board, tho governor having stntcd his Inten tion to return hU visit on the follow ing day, If tho weather wero not too rough. Fortunatoly tho weather was rough for the next two days, and It was not until the third day that the governor mado his appearance. This waa precisely what the commodore wished. There Is no disease, perhaps, so dreadful or so rapid In Its effects up on tho human frame, and at the same time so Instantaneously checked, as the scurvy, If tho remedy can bo pro cured. A few days wcro sufficient to restore those who were not able to turn In their hammocks, to their for mer vigor. In the course of tho six days nearly nil the crow of tho Dort were convalescent, nnd able to go on deck, but still they wcro not cured. The commodore waited for the arrival of the governor, received him with nil due honors, and then, so soon as he was In the cabin, told him very po litely that ho and all his officers with him were prisoners. That the vessel waa a Dutch man-of-war, and that it was his own people, and not Spaniards, who had been dying of tho scurvy. Ho consoled him, however, by pointing out that ho had thought It preferable to sacrlflco lives on both sides by taking them by forco, and that his excellen cy's captivity would onduro no longer than until ho had received on board n sufficient number of llvo bullocks and fresh vegetables to Insure tho recovery of tho ship's company; and In the meantime not the least Insult would be offered to him. Whereupon tho Span ish governor first looked at tho com modore, and then at tho flic of armed men at the cabin door, and then to his distance from tho town; and then call ed to mind the possibility of his be ing taken out to sea. Weighing all these points In his mind, and tho very modornto ransom demanded, ho re solved, ns ho could not help himself, to comply with the commodore's terms. 'Ho called for pen' and ink, and wrote an order to send on hoard Im mediately all that waa demanded. Bo fore sunset tho bullocks nnd vegeta bles wero brought off, and so soon as they were alongside, tho commodore, with many bows and many thanks, es corted tho governor to the gangway, complimenting him with a salvo of great guns, as he had done be fore on his arrival. The peo ple on shoro thought that I1I3 excellency had paid a long visit, but as he did not like to ac knowledge that ho had been deceived, nothing was said about It, at least In his hearing, although tho facts wero soon well known. Aa soon as the boats were cleared, the commodore weighed anchor and made sail, well Bausiieti wun naving pretwwl his ship's company; and aa the Falkland Islands, In case of parting company,, had been named as the rendezvous, ho steered for them." In a fortnight he arrived, and found that the' admiral was not yet thore. His crew wero now nil recovered, and his fresh beef waa not yet expended, when ho per ceived tho admiral and tho threo other vessels In tho ofllng. ' -' It appeared that as soon as tho Dort: had parted company, the ndmlrnl hnd lmmodlntoly acted upon tho advice that tUto commodoro had given him, nnd hnd run for tho coast. Not being so fqrtunnte. In ji r.usQ .as.UJs .seeppd, .lij command, ho had landed un armed forco from tho four vessels, and had " BY CAPTAIN MARKYAT. j f succeeded In obtaining novcral head of cattle, at tho expense of nn equal num ber of men killed and wounded. But at the same tlmo they had collected a largo quantify of vegetables of ono sort or another, which they had carried on board and distributed with Kroat success to fiio slek, who wore gradual ly recovering. Immediately that tho admiral Mid anchored, ho mado tho slgnnl for tho commodore to repair on bonrd, nnd taxed him with disobedience of orders In having left the fleet. Tho commo dore did not deny that ho hnd so done, but excused himself upon tho plea of necessity, offering to lay tho whole mntter before the court of directors so soon ob they returned; but tho ad miral wa- vwted with moat extensive power, not only ot the trial, but tho condemnation and punishment of any person guilty of mutiny and Insubor dination In his fleet. In reply, he told the commodoro that ho was a prisoner, nnd to provo It, ho confined him In Irons under the half deck.' A signal was then mado for all tho captains; they went on board, and of couiso Philip wna of the number. On tholr arrival tho admiral hold a sum mary court martial, proving to Ujem by his Instructions that ho waa so war ranted to do. Tho result of tho court martial could bo but one condemna tion for a breach of discipline, to which Philip was obliged reluctantly to sign his name. Tho admiral then gave Philip tho appointment of second In command and tho commodore's pen nant, much to the annoyance of tho captains commanding 'the other ves sels; but In this tho admiral prowd hla judgment, aa thoro was no ono ot them so fit for tho task as Philip. Hav ing so dono, ho dismissed them. Philip would have spoken to the late commo dore, but tho sentry opposed It, as against hla orders; nnd with a friendly nod Philip was obliged to leave him without tho desired communication. CHAPTER XIX. Tho fleet rcmnlned three weeks at tho Falkland Islands, to recruit tho ahlps companloa. Although thore was no freBh beef, thero waa plenty of scurvy grass and penguins. Theso birds wcro In myriads on somo parts of tho lslnc.'( which, from tho propinquity oi Aelr neata, built ot mud, went by tho name of towns. There they sat, close together (the whole area which they covered being baro of grass), hatching their eggs nnd rearing their young. Tho men had but to select aa many eggs and birds as they pleased, and so numerous wcro they that when they had supplied themselves, thoro waa no npparcnt diminution of the numbers. This food, although In a short tlmo not vory palntable to the Beamcn, had tho effect of restoring them to health, and before tho fleet sailed thero was not a man who was afflicted with tho scurvy. In tho mean timo tho commodoro remained In Irons nnd ninny were tho conjectures con cerning hla ultlmato fato. Tho power of life and death was known to bo In the admiral's hands, but no ono thought that such power would be ex erted upon a delinquent of so high a grade. Tho other captains kept aloot from Philip, and he knew little' of what was tho general Idea. Occasion ally when on board of the admiral's ship he ventured to bring up the ques tion, but was Immediately silenced; and feeling that he might Injure tho Into commodore, for whom ho had a regard, he would risk nothing by Im portunity; nnd tho fleet sailed for tho straits of Magellan without anybody being aware of what might bo tho ro suit of tho court martial, (To bo continued.) AN OLD TRICK That Atnaetl a tlroun of Men noil Slj Amaie Otlirrt. Now Orleans Tlme3-Democrat: It waa an old trick, but It nmazed a good sized group in tho office of ono of the uptown hotels a few ovenlnga ago. A guest from tho north, who had been amusing some friends by slmplo feats of legerdemain, happened to notlco a short cedar plank, ovldoutly part of a packing case, lying against wall. It was about as thick as tho lid of u cigar box and perhaps a foot long. Placing It on the marblo counter, so that ono end projected four or ( flvo Inches over the edgo, ho laid a news paper across the other extremity. "Now, then," ho said, "suppose somo ot you athletic chaps try to knock the board off tho counter by striking tho end that is sticking out." To all ap pearances tho top of a finger would have dono tho work, but several men struck tho wood rosoundlng blows with tho clenched list, but failed to budgo It tho fraction of an Inch. It seemed pinned to tho marblo by Invis ible weights, and a buzz of astonish ment aroso from tho group. Finally a sturdy young fellow came down on It like a mlnlaturo pllo-drlvcr, and the cedar broke squarely in two, the lino of tho fracturo corresponding with tho edgo ot the desk. Tho other portion had not perceptibly moved, and the papor was still In placo. "What's tho trick about It, anyhow?" asked ono of tho spectators. "No trick at all," re? piled tho amateur prestldlgltateur. "It lu simply the operation of a common law of mechanics. Vou can push off the board with the greatest of case, but you can't knock it off. A good many of the best feats of, Lulu Heart, tho so-called 'Ocorgla Magnet,' wero based on tho samo prlnclplo, and when sho afterward exposed them In a book, tho public refused to credit tho expla nation. They still stuck to the theory of 'maguefc forco,' which was moro plcturcfiqse. Anybody can porform tho hoard experiment. All that is needed Is a box lid and a table." s JkJwm - By Would So little Bread We little That age v CATCHING A COBRA. How th Dangeroui Feat It l'erformetl In India. Tho cobra Is passionately fond of music, and Is no mean critic thereof. It there he any instrument that It loves moro than nnotUcr, It Is tho violin. It is this amlablo weakness thatsomo tlme3 renders It a posltlvo danger to tho musical householder In India. By a reciprocity of causation this love of music In tho cobra works for Its own destruction. For If a cobra takes up its abodo in the neighborhood of a dwelling houso, It Is customary to send for a couple of .professional snake charmers. One of thorn strikes up a tune- near tho placo where tho cobra Is supposed to bo. No matter what tho creature may bo doing at tho time, It is soon attracted by the mu sic; it emerges Blowly from its hid ing place and strikes up an attitude In front of tho players. Thoro It Is kept ongaged with the music till the other man creeps behind it with a handful of fine dust. At a convonlont moment, when the cobra la standing motion less, this man suddenly throws tho dust over tho head and oyos of tho snake. Immediately tho cobra falls Its full length upon tho ground for ono brief second. But that is enough. Llko n lightning flash nay, with ono and tho same motion .with which ho cast tho dust ho seizes tho prostrate cobra by tho neck Just bolow tho head. In flcrco anger tho snake winds nnd winds Its body round tho arm of us captor, nut to no purpose; It can I not turn Its head to bite. If It bo do- slrablo to extract tho fangs nt onco, tho captor presses IiIb thumb on tho m win; EDWIN MARKHAM lUrtin t'j Ibt Hying triif, ont ibutlb nut MOtttf rv. Jui.i Wc are the pitched and the grimed, a crew of the Pit: 'Twere a (air world If we were out of It. At iirst we thought that each would have his own, But Something took our bread and gave a stone. O masters, this was not the world for us. We thought that labor was the final test, And thought that after labor there was rest: We thought a part of all the Joy of living be the joy of using and of giving. O masters, this was not the world for us. Masters, we never had the wit to shirk, And make the hands of others do our work: We never learned the wisdom of the wise -We stumbled at the all-essential lies. O masters, this was not the world for us. But Something snatched the hoard our hands amassed, Till we are hated burdens at the last. Who took our birthright it was neyer sold ? . Now none will give us work for we are old. 'O masters, this was not the world for us. This is a world for idlers and for kings ; We are a blur upon ihc face of things. There is no seat for those who plow for bread: We sit not at the tables that we spread. O masters, this was not the world for us. ' Oh, there was Something tracked us all the way:' We felt Us breath upon us night' and day. Its brain was crafty and Its fingers deft : Our bread was taken, but the plow was left I O masters, this was not the world for us. would have been to us delight- for the year and houses water-tight. thought, when first we mquthed your would bring so many fasting days. O masters, this was not the woild for us. Give us our own and we will not' complain. Ha I would that leave you homeless in the rain, And give you stones for pillow stones for bread? Then, brothers, give us but a share Instead No answer .... this is not the woild for us. W -' fir f r-''' HI AH jB6lJWjJu3mT 7 throat of tho cobra, nnd thus compels It to open Its mouth; then tho fangs are drawn out with a pnlr of pincers. If, however, tho operator desires to keep tho snako intact for tho present, tho musician offers his aid, and, forci bly unwinding tho coll, places tho body of tho cobra In a basket, all but tho head (which Is still held by tho other man), nnd presses down tho lid to prevent tho cobra from wriggling out. Then suddenly the captor thrusts the head In and bangs down the lid. In this description two men are needed to capturo tho snake; but a very expert charmer may do tho feat single-handed, though It Is highly dangerous. This Is tho method employed: While play ing with ono hnnd, he throws the dust sideways with the other and captures the snnko with that hand. Of ccurse the wholo action la like a llghlnlng flash and half a second's delay.ot the merest bungling either in throwing tho dust or in catching the snako at tho proper placo may prove fatal to tno operator. Wide World Magazine. Strong Knouth. Lake Front Hero Is another of those silly storlea about a man breaking hla leg by falling into tho Chicago river. Such a thing la not only absurd, it Is Impossible. Gotham Of course It is. Why, tho odors arlBlng from tho water would break hla fall. Now York Journal. The Only Tlmen. Tenant But does tho chimney nl ways strtoko like thla? Landlord Oh, no! Only when thero's a flro in the grato. j unr c -, f -JTJIIf 1 idr WJMWM A . -mm liBF'V. -. .l (fill &' .' ill II " ' " Ifilili'S ' mm ItwMmlM iwVrftitliiAflllifflliif rflilHH praise, FLATTERY OF PUBLIC MEN:' Lincoln Hlnnit Almnat Alone a 0 Not AfTeeleil It. Tho London Spectator, in an Inter eating discussion of tho dangers o flattery to public men, cltea Abrahar Lincoln ns an Instanco of a public ma whom flattery could not affect. It In , fact thnt there has seldom been an in stance of a public man who waa lcs tompted in this way thnn was Lincoln Tho pcoplo ndmlred hl.m and were loy-. ally truo to him. They saw hs great ness Hooner than did those In public life. As regards tho latter. Lincoln was continually criticised and troubled by them. There was never ono' of their number to tell him that ho was greater than Washington, or even 'anywhero' approaching to the plane of Washing ton. Ho was continually found , fault with by his own party associates at tho capltol; not a few of them wn Inclined to refuse him a second em in the presidency, nnd somo of iliem Intrigued to provent his having" this. The salntllko patience with which Llft coln bore up under thla waa a bea'uH- tul trait In hla character. Something mado hlra vory strong. Rerhapa Jt wua not opposition, hut certainly adulation had no part In It.T-Boaton Herald. 'i An Kinprem' I'rlrllee, Tho Empress of Jnpnn has tho' pftv ilego nccorded to none of W ''pre'db ccsBors. Shn la ullowe'd td eat at' tho samo tablo with the Kmper&'rjt and' ho consults hor In regard to pbItlcaU mat ters. Tho Knjiir.OB.vla ioudvtotjiprgf back riding, and also exercises ovary day In her private gymnasium. f. ,ii