Nebraska Newspapers

    THE SCMI-WTEKLV TRIBUNE NORTH PLATTF, NEBRASKA,
Shanghaied at
Seventeen
0
By
Sergeant Arthur Guy
Empey
Author of "Over the Top,"
"First Call," Etc.
O-O-O
Mr. Empey's Experi-cncesDuringllisSeven-teen
Months in theFirst
Line Trenches of the
British Army in France
(Copf right, 1017, br Thn MrClore Hewapaptr
Urnaicato)
-1
Tn New York Public School No. 78 I
hnd Uirco chums, "Bill" Meek, "Jim"
Fleming, and "Cluirllc" linger.
Bill wns full of wild IdcuB and
schemes. Ho hud tho "get-rlch-qulck"
mnnlu. About every two weeks ho
would cnll us aside nnd In a myste
rious and Important manner carefully
unfold some daring scheme to get rich
quick, giving his personal guarantee
that It could not fall. At first wo
were very enthusiastic over his
schemo nnd wanted to go In "with
both feet," and would carefully work
out tho details of how to proceed,
when, bang I Hill would introduce an
other project absolutely different from
tlu? preceding one. When wo nsked
him what becamo of his wonderful
proposition of two weeks ago, he tin
bhishlngly told us thnt unforeseen cir
cumstances which no ono could pro
fit had Interfered. Then he would
dnrotl another wild dream of fortune.
And so It went on; ono scheme after
another vanishing In smoke, until wo
becamo very skeptical. Personally,
I hnd no faith lnnny of Hill's day
dreams, hut I admired, and perhaps
envied, his spirit of adventuro; so at
last I decided thnt I would tako a
cunnco, succc , or no success.
One night Bill camo nround to tho
houso with four tickets for a blood
and thunder wnr play entitled "Cubn's
Vow." Ills brother wns playing tho
vjllnln. This piny grently Impressed
me; in fact, from tho first act to tho
Inst tho footlights wcro gushing blood,
love nnd adventure and rotten act
ing. Bill's brother wns awful.
mil was n pretty good Judgo of
human nature, no had taken us to
this play to got us worked up ton
pitch of enthusiasm, nnd thus getting
us tn tho proper frame of mind, ho
could unroll his Intcst scheme.
That night, after the show, ho pro
posed n trip to South America, which
took our breaths away. Wo wcro to
run away nnd ship on a trnmp steam
er, for n passago of about nlno
months, Wltli tho money thus earned
wo wcro to equip ourselves and start
out for Port Llmon, Oostn Iticn, nnd
(Co into tho coffco plnntntlnn business.
Wo all fell for this nnd took n solemn
vow to Btick. Tho schcrno especially
uppealcd to mo becauBo hero was my
chnnco to follow Dana in ids -"Two
rears Beforo tho Mast." Tho next
4iy, after sleeping it over, Gharilo nnd
Jim decided thnt thcro was moro (
monoy in Now York, and refused to
KP. I admit I had a sinking sensn-
fan In tho pit of my stomach when
viewed tho proposition in tho sun
light, hut I stuck. Then Bill nnd I
Undo a tour of tho docks in Now
xjork, trying to find tho ship wo
wanted. Wo fell in with several
hoarding masters." Thcso men In
feht tho water fronts of largo cities
and are nothing but bloodsuckers
preying on Bailors. Ono of thcso
parasites took ub on board an old
tramp steamer, lying In Erlo bnsln,
called tho Cuahko. Ilero wo inoti
tho steward, a "llmo Juicer," John
Royal-Minns, with tho emphasis on
tho hyphen. Tho wonderful tnlo of
ease, luxury and "getting pnld for see
ing tho world" stuff that tho stownrd
nd tho boarding master unrolled be
foro our eager eyes carried us Into
tho seventh heaven of expectation.
This was flvo o'clock in tho afternoon.
ICho ship was to sail nt threo-tcn tho
following morning, but they did not
itell us this, Tho stoward snld that
wo wcro Just tho two thnt ho wanted,
Uicro being vacancies on the ship for
second stewnrd nnd second cook, ITo
suggested thnt wo sleep on tho ship
itlint night, nnd then In the morning,
after se4ng whnt it wns like, wo could
ITo homo nnd decide whether wo want
rd to ship or not. I demurred nt
this, hecnuso I had to go homo first,
to ho gnvo BUI and mo permission to
jo, but said wo hud to get back at
midnight. Wo hurried homo and on
the sly I packed my grip with my be
longings,
Thnt night I exploded a bombshell
In the fnmlly. After dessert hnd been
kep noKing at my wrist wnth wait-1
Ing for four o'clock In the morning j
when wo woro to go "over the top"
In a charge. Oh, how I wished that
Bill would change his mind i
About flvo minutes to ten, crftYkl
crack I came n couple of pebble
against tho window pane, soundrng
like the crack of bullets on tho west
ern front. With my shoes In ono
hnnd nnd my grip In the other, I soft
ly tiptoed downstairs, put on my
shoes nnd henvy overcoat, and opened
the front door. I wns greeted by n
rush of wind, snow und sleet. Bjll
looked like n snowman.
We plowed through tho blizzard,
got on u trolley car, nnd reached Krlo
basin at a quarter to 12, went up the
gangplank and reported to the stew
nrd. The ship looked like nn Ice palace.
You could hear the creaking of
winches and the straining of cables,
and could sco dark forms sliding and
cursing on the slippery decks under
the glow of the cargo lights.
The stewnrd greeted us very cor
dially nnd I thought him the finest
man I hnd ever met. Bill wns shipped
as second steward, and I got tho bil
let of second cook.
My "glory hole" was aft on the
main deck, while BUI slept amidships.
I plied Into tho little two-by-four bunk
and was soon fast asleep. 1 hnd n
horrible dream; n giant hnd me by the
heels and wns swinging mo around Ills
head, trying to dash my brains out
against tho sldo of the ship. I invoke
In terror. Tho "glory hole" seemed
to bo looping tho loot, and I could
hear heavy thuds ns Immense waves
broke agalmt the side of the ship,
the water hissing nnd rushing nround
tho port hole. Benching for the elec
tric button I turned on the switch.
An nwful mess met my eyes. Tho
deck of my room wns awash. The
grip nnd nil my belongings, which
I hnd unpneked before turning in,
were swishing nnd swashing on tho
deck, now In this corner, now in that.
Arthur Guy Empey.
Tho ship was rolling Ilka a log In
tho trough of tho sea. I held on to
tho side? of my bunk in terror. A
wnvo would swash against my door
nnd water would pour In through tho
cracks. I felt deathly sick and
tnougnt l wns going to cue. I wns
experiencing my first touch of sea'
sickness.
About six hells in tho morning
(threo o'alock) tho door opened, nnd
thcro Btnndlng in tho opening was n
hugo Swede, encased In oilskins. The
Icy blast sent u cold shiver through
mo. I wondered what ho wanted, but
did not wonder long.
"lou banc get ten nnd tonst on
hrldgo for mato, damn quick," I was
bewildered. Tho door slammed ami
onco again I wns nlono. Fifteen min
utes must have passed when tho door
opened again nnd In rushed the
toughest-looking soiunun I hnvo ever
seen, lie had only ono eye. Later
on I found thnt ho wns out first mute,
"One-eyed Gibson," n "Blue-Noser'
from Nova Scotia, nnd a man whom It
wns not safe to trlllo with; Without
a word ho stepped Into tho glory hole,
grabbed my shoulder in n grip of
steel, nnd yanked mo out of my bunk
Into tho Icy water which was awash
on tho deck. This was my first In
troduction to him.
"Oct out o' thnt, you landlubber.
There's no flro in tho galley, and I
want my ten on tho bridge, und I
want It now, or I'll put out your dend
lights."
1 meekly answered, "Yes, sir," nnd
started to put ou my wet socks. See
ing this action, ho shouted, "Never
lervcd, puffed up with importance, I "B action, ho shouted, "JNever
Sectored: "Well, I'm going to South I Iitl that damned rigging. Get Into
uiu guuey aim get mat uro augm.
My feet were, bluo with tho cold
and my teeth woro chattering. I tlm-
America." A barrago of laughter
rippled nround tho table. This got
no sore, and I shut up llko a clnm.
It wus February, nnd very cold.
bout seven o'clock thnt night n great;
itorra camo up nud tho streets wero
loon covered with Bleety ice. I turned
Into bed with my clothes on. Bill wns
to notify mo at ton o'clock by throw
bg pebbles ugalnst tho window puno
In my room. Every tlmo I looked
rat into tho street and saw thnt howl
ing billiard, a picture of a ship wal
lowing in a trough of tho sea con-
Kantly camo beforo my mind and I
thlvercd, nnd ray enthusiasm dropped
te soro. I could not tako my oyes
yray from tho clock. It was an
igony of Intense waiting, similar to
Umt when, later la tho trenches, I
Idly nsked, "Whoro nro wo, sir?" With
a look of contempt ho answered,
"We're outsldo o' Sandy Hook, bound
south for the Horn, nnd she's blowing
big guns." Then ho left.
I stepped out of my glory nolo onto
tho deck. We wero dipping o-.ir scup
pers, nnd hugo seas wero breaking
over tho weather sldo. Ono mlnuto
tho uftor deck would nppcnr llko a
steep hill in front of mo, and n hor
rible churning Bound would como from
tho racing propeller. Then tho deck
would slant away from mo nnd n loud
chug i nnd a shiver through the ship
as tho propeller sank again Into tho
water.
Benumbed nnd wet Irom tho icy
spray, I managed to steer n course
to tho companlonwny, and dragged
myself to the upper deck. A sullor
was In the galley nnd hnd started n
lire. The ship was rolling, pitching
nnd lurching. In that galley It sound
ed llko a bomburdment. Pots nnd
pans were rattling In their racks; n
few of them had fallen out, nnd wero
chasing each other nround the deck.
Cold and miserable. I crouched In
the corner, keeping myself from fall
ing by holding on to the rail In front
of the stove.
Tho snllor took compassion on me,
and made the toast und tea. How
In; did It was a marvel to mc, but
later on I became very expert my
self. Following the "llfo lines" on the
upper deck, I nt last managed to rench
the bridge with my pot of tea and
two slices of toasted bread. Thfro
wero two men nt the wheel. In the
darkness I went up to them nnd nsked
for tho mate. They did not answer.
Just then I received a resounding
smack on the back which made my
teeth rattle, url that dreaded, gruff
voice of tho male reached my ears
through the wind: "Damn you, you
hell's spawn, keep nwny from the men
n-t the wheel or I'll throw you over
tho side."
I mumbled my apologies, nml fol
lowed the mate into the chart house.
He greedily drank tho ten, nnd in
'about four bites disposed of the pieces
of toast. Tho toast was soaked In
salt water and I inwardly wished thnt
it would poison him; in fnct I prayed
thnt the ship would sink with all on
board. Such Is seasickness.
I managed, somehow or other, to
make my way hack to tho galley, nnd
I met my "superior ofllcer" for tho
trlp tho "cookie." lie was about flvo
feet nothing in height; a shrlvoled-up
Welshman about forty-live years old.
He reminded mo of u mummy In the
Museum of Nntural History In Cen
tral park. If he had over smiled I
am suro that his face would have
cracked. It seemed frozen into one
perpetual sonwl. Ho gavo ono look nt
mo nnd let out n howl.
"Blawst my deadlights, an' this 'ero
(pointing to mo) Is whnt I'm to work
with on this bloomln' passage. I'm
lucky, I am, not 'nrf, I nln't." no
looked llko some gorilla. The rolling
of the ship nffected him not in tho
lenst. He seemed to sway and bend
with every movement of the ship.
Tho next two or threo dnys were a
horrible nightmare to me. How I
lived through them I do not know. I
hnd a deadly fear of the cook. As
soon as he found out thnt I could not
even boll water without burning It ho
started In to mak my life a misery.
Ho had n habit of carrying n huge
butcher knife in his belt. Between
meals he would sit down on a bench
and constantly feel tho edge, at the
same tlmo telling me what an expert
ho was at curving. Lnter on I found that
tiiero was u reason for his carrying this
knife. Ho and tho crew were nt dag
ger points, ho never daring to go for
ward except in case of necessity, and
then he was careful always to carry
his butcher knife, Down in my heart
I rcnllzed that if tho occasion should
arlso ho would not bo backward in
demonstrating his nrt of cnrvlng on
his opponent. Thnt Welshnuni Wns
no better cook than I was, and tho
crew soon beenmo uwnro of this fact;
henco their hostility.
The Cushko wns n "llmo Juicer,"
sailing under the English ilng. The
skipper was n "llmo juicer," the first
mnto n "blue noser," the first engineer
n Scotsman, while tho crew wns com
posed of Spnninrds, Italians, Square
hends, "Finns, Swedes and Russians.
Tho bos'n was Irish, nnd a Arm be
liever In Homo Itule. A worse gang
of cutthroats could hardly be con
ceived; a nice, pollto bunch they wore.
Believe me, B,lll nnd I hnd our troubles.
Bill and I wero tho only two Ameri
cans on bonrd. The engineer's mess-
mnn was n Prussian, Knrl Tntzner by
name. I nicknamed him "Fritz." Ho
was only twenty years old, but wns
clumsy, strong ns tin ox nnd nbout six
feet tall.
After weathering tho galo wo at Inst
came into the Gulf stream, nnd off the
coast of Florida it was vturm nnd
pleasant.
I found that my duties wero to peel
spuds, wash pots and pans nnd be n
regulnr "fetch and carry" for the cook.
My office hours wero from six bells In
the morning (threo o'clock) until four
bells nt night (ten o'clock). I wns
greasy and filthy nt all times, having
nothing but salt water to wash in, and
this would not cut tho grenso. Bill
had It much easier than I. I had mur
der In my heart and vowtd to "Jump
ship" nt the first port we put Into.
After nine or ten days wo came
alongsldo nt Castries, St. Luclu, Brit
ish West Indies, to coal ship. At this
port tho men believed In woman suf
frage. Long lines of half-nnked black
women, with hugo baskets of coal on
their heads, passed up tho forward
gang plnnk, dumped their load of coal
Into the open bunkers, nnd left tho
ship by tho nfter gangway. Beforo
leaving tho ship the fourth engineer
gavo each one a llttie brass check,-
which later on she would turn In to
tho coaling company for an English
penny. While the women were work
ing the men would sit nround tho dock
smoking cigarettes.
The nutlves at St. Lucia had a great
appetite for salt pork. I soon got
wise to this fact and traded about a
half a barrel of pork for limes, guuva
Jelly, bay rum nnd alligator pears.
If the steward or cook had caught mo
I would never bo writing this story.
spoko In u Jlbherlnj patois which I
maid not understand. Some of them
could speak pretty good English. Tho
kids, averaging from seven to fifteen
years, woro running nround naked, or
diving off tho dock for pennies which
wo threw overboard. ,
About two hours beforo sailing from
St. Lucln, n little fellow about fifteen
years of age came to the entrance of
the galley nnd In fair English told
Bill and mo a pathetic story of In
human treatment which would hnvo
melted lienrts of stone. He wanted us
to stow him nwny on tho ship. I wns
ngrcoublc, but Bill warned mc that
this was n very grave offense against
the English board of trade laws, tho
maximum penalty being fourteen
years' Imprisonment. I did not wish
to Incur this risk, therefore would
not listen to the entreaties of the
young negro, explaining to him the
penalty of tho board of trade laws.
Upon hearing this, u cunning look,
which at the time did not appear sig
nificant to me, came Into his eyes, nnd
he told me that If I would stow him
nwny, "see how easy It will be for
you.- He would do all of my work,
and all I would have to do would be
to sit on the superstructure nnd let
my feet hnng. I thought this wns
worth risking fourteen years for, so
fell in with the plan, Bill objecting.
Tho ventilators had been unshipped
while the coaling was going on, nnd
woro lying lift on the poop deck.
Wntehlng our chance, we sneaked nft
and hid the little fellow in one of tho
ventilators, warning him, upon pain
of death, not to mnke n sound until tho
ship wns well undur way. To say that
I wus nervous is putting It mildly.
We cleared St. Luclu nnd were so,on
nt sea. The Islands of Martinique, St.
Lucln and Bnrbndos wero tiny gray
dots on the horizon when tin Itnlian
sailor, Louis Maranto, went nft to ship
tho vcntllutors. In a few minutes ho
came rushing forward with terror In
his eyes. As he passed tho galley I
stopped him nnd nsked what was tho
matter. All he could gasp vut was
"Mary of God, a devil ccs on da ship."
"One-eyed Gibson," seeing his terror,
cnt aft with him and soon we could
see him coming forward, leading our
little stowuwny by two car. The little
negro wns howling bluo murder, nnd
the curses of the mate snapped like a
wireless message. Luckily for me the
mato stopped at the galley and snld,
"Keep your cyo on this bluck skunk
until I can tako him before tho 'old
man.' " For flvo minutes I put nil my
power of entreaty into my volco nnd
prayed the stowawny to stick by mo;
to swear that he came aboard of his
own volition. He promised to do so.
Then tho mnto enmo nfter him nnd
took him before tho captain. During
this fifteen minutes of interview I
lived in tin ngony of torment and sus
pense. The little fellow came back
with a smile on his face and I know
dropped n huge will vir Ihe 1, cov
ering the hole. Tho bouts wern put
over the side mid wo expected th whli
every inlnutu to founder. Next dy wo
were towed Into Punta Aroints, and
nfter two weeks tho ship WM hrmIu
mndo senworthy.
At Tiilcahunna we shipped 28 Span
iards, or "homhre," ns wo called
them, to work tho curgo. This doubled
my work, nnd I prnyud that I would
die. It was nothing but misery to mo.
I must hnvo peeled eleven million bar
rels of spuds; in fact, I never turned
In beforo six bells at night, nnd had
to turn out at six hells in the morning.
After touching nt Jit ports on tho
west const, discharging our curgo. we
left for u llttie Island culled I.obus,
where we were to tnke on a enrgo of
guano. While working this cargo It
was misery for everyone on board ; tho
strong nmmonla from the gunno made
our eyes red nnd watery, nml we could
only breathe by wrapping big hnndker
chiefs around our noses nnd mouths.
The wind whs constantly blowing, nnd
gunno wns even in our food.
Then, coming back, wo touched at
Valparaiso, Chile. To mc death seemed
easier than the homownrd-bound voy
ngc, so one night BUI nnd I slid down
the unchor chain nnd swum to a "bum
boat" lying near us. We gave the
Chilcno $4 to row us tishore. He did
so. Dripping wet we crawled up onto
the stone quay and made tracks for
the t)Wti. We found that the dock was
enclosed by a tall iron fence. At the
gnte were two customs officers, who
Immedlntely put us under nrrest. Bill
nnd I hnd $20 In gold between us.
nnd, ns is usual in South America, it
was a simple mntter to bribe the cus
toms olllcials to let us through. This
cost us half of our fortune, but we did
not care. Freedom was worth all of it.
We were well into the town nnd feel
ing secure when we were held up by
a Chilean gendarme, who looked like
a walking arsenal. This cost us $2
more for our freedom. Ho left us in
a hurry und went nround tho block.
Wo had wulked nbout five minutes
when, hnng! another gendarme. This
cost us $1. After leaving him we were
moro cautious, hiding our remaining
money in my shoe. Again wo wero
arrested. Wo said we had no money
nnd wcro haled into tho presence of
the "commnndante of police." He
had one hundred and seventy-eight
mednls on his chest nnd four thou
sand yards of gold braid on his collar
and cuffs. Ho had us searched, but
did not find the inwey. Very much
disappointed, In broken English he In
formed us thnt our ship was to sail
at four o'clock the next morning, und
that if he found us in Valparaiso we
would bo sent to tho mines.
Shivering nnd trembling wo wended
our wny back to the dock and hunted
around for a bontnvm. Bribing him
with our remaining money ho at last
brought us alongside, just beforo the
gangplank was lifted. The black
wns In n dying cond'tlon. I .
thnt Hint night, nbout ten n-'t.ck. I
would go nft on the poop dock with
tho pelican's sUIn down my back, and,
with my fare smeared with black,
would do u mystic dunce. He was to
take Monday and hide behind the ven
tilator, and while I was doing my wnr
dance, he would explain to Monday
thai 1 was In communication with my
father, the great Atnerlcnn medicine
man. lie did this and It made quite
a hit. The next morning Monday
came to mo. and, bowing low, request
ed u token, ns he called It; a message
from my father. I promised to glvo
him one, but we were sure up ngalnst
It. Then 1 thought of the llttie black
bird in my glory hole, and the solution
wns tit hand. I very solemnly Inform
ed Monday that at eight o'clock that
night my father would send u message
to me in the form of u little land bird.
All duy Monday kept away from me.
adoration und uwe in ills eyes. Bill
und I immediately repaired to tho
glory hole, and certainly took tender
care of that bird, praying that it
would live until eight o'clock. About
ten minutes to eight I put on my
feathers nnd sneaked aft with the lit
tle bird, placed it on the steering gear,
and commenced my mystic dunce. I
chanted n little song: "Oh, father,
greatest of medicine men, a token is
desired for the esteemed friend of
tl.ltir.ci nil ITa tr1l 41if
UlUlfeO tUlU (111 11KIII( X1U IUIU iiiVJ Lllllk .
" " i - 1 rv iin rtmixl Mir ffm M C I f 1 11
111U!U UO UUllll A Will U1U OUlh'v
the captain had shipped him nt a slilll
ing a month for the passage. For two
days lie was detailed to help mo in
tho galley, and I lived tho life of a
prince. Wo nicknamed him "Monday,"
tho dny that he came on board. His
real nnme wns Charles Taslmn Benn.
On tho fourth dny, Monday, nfter
peeling a bucket of spuds, while I was
rending nnd smoking, threw down
his knife nnd, with a running leer, in
a commanding tone told me to get
busy and complete the tnsk; that lie
wished to rest. I started In to "bull
doze" him, but he simply held his
hnnd in my direction, fingers extended,
nnd in a majestic voice informed mo:
"From now on, work for tho Ameri
can I will not. I toll Mecster Captain
American Monday stowed nwny. Mecs
ter American to precson go fourteen
years British government." I nenrly
fainted. From thnt time Bill and I
wcro Monday's abject slaves. We
even waited on him persannlly. Any
article in my possession thnt Mondny
desired wns ids for tho asking. Tho
stewnrd wormed tho secret ut of
Monday, nnd I was also his slave. BUI
and I spent a llfo of hell on board.
After getting into tho tropics llmo
julco wns Issued dally to the crow to
keep away scurvy. The food was hor-
"Get Out o' That, You Landlubber."
riblo. Tho pork was rotten; in fact,
on tho head of ono of tho salt pork
casks was stamped "Inspected 1SS3."
Tho crow wero on tho verge of mutiny.
Then wo renched tho eastern en
trance of tho Straits and It wns blus
tery and cold. Tho captain attempted
bright
funnel of the Cushko. Then wo went
before tho captain, and ho "logged" us
ten pounds ($50) each.
On our homeward-bound passago
wo went nround the Horn nnd ran
into n gale. The bos'n mutinied. Old
"One-eyed Gibson" came behind him
nnd laid him low with n marlinsplke.
Then, carrying him amidships, he
chained him to tho Iron stops leading
to the bridge. lie remained this way
for a day and a half, exposed to cold
nnd icy wind. Strict orders were
pnssed through the ship that no one
wns to npproacii him. Q'liat night,
under cover of dnrkness, BUI nnd I
sneaked lilm a steaming pot of stew,
and some hot coffee. If he hnd lived,
we would, through this one action,
have gained a true friend for life.
From exposure ho contracted pneu
monia and died. He wus burled at
sea. The carpenter sewed' him in a
sack, nnd tying nn old Iron wheel to
his feet, placed him on a plnnk, nnd
while the captain rend n rough burlnl
service tho plank wns tilted, nnd tho
body of tho bos'n went down to rest
In Davy Jones' locker.
Tho first port wo touched nt, the
consul's flag was hoisted at the fore
mnst, ond n blenry-eyed, half-drunken
little old mnn enme on board and wns
closeted with tho captain for about an
hour. When lie came out ho was
staggering, and his eyes, if possible,
were more bleary. The captain lined
tho crew un. and the consul. In a
! thick and stuttering voice, nsked tho
crew if tho bos'n had died from natu
ral causes. Ninety per cent of tho
, men could not understand what lie
' said, and n silence prevnlled. At sea I
silence means consent. I hutted m
nnd said "No." I was standing next
to the mnto. I felt that gorllla-Uke
hand of his pinching the buck of my
neck, nnd I nearly fainted. Then the
consul went over the side Into his
boat, nnd wns soon pulling for the
shore. We lifted nnchor und tho port
was left behind.
Half way up the coast we ran out
of fresh water, and had to drink con
densed water from nn old squeaky
condensing engine. It was brackish
ami sickening. I would hnvo soW my
soul for one drink of clear, cold water.
Monday becamo tyrannical and un
bearable, and it wns up to BUI nnd
mo to deviso some schemo to keep
him in check.
Through listening to Monday's
stories, I knew that ho was very su
perstitious nnd believed in magic, or
"zobl," as ho called it.
Bill told him thnt my father In
America wns n great mcdlclno mnn
and that I was gifted with magic.
While loading gunno nt Lobas, tho
fourth engineer hnd gone on u shoot-
fin firrnltfl ono
moonlight night After nbout threo ing trip nnd killed several nugo peu-
Tho women throw Mm nnrk- tntn iimir lmni-s tlm moon dlsnnncared and wo cons, no skinned these nnd gavo mo
dirty coal baskets, and upon renchlng went on tho rocks, knocking n big nolo ono or uio sums
There Was a Reason for His Carrying
This Knife.
your son. Oh, fnther, send me this
token." Then, with n few mystic
grunts, I beseeclied Bill nnd Mondny
to come nnd receive the token. Mon
day came trembling nft nnd I pointed
to the little black bird which was
weakly gasping its Inst, but It snved
the day for us. How we honored nnd
respected that little bunch of black
feathers. Curious to sec what Mon
day would do, we left him. lie snt by
the bird for over an hour, chanting in
that weird, sing-song patois of the
British West Indies. From that time
on Mondny was our slave.
Two dnys before reaching St. Lucia,
tho captnin sent for us, nnd satd that
lie knew that BUI nnd I had stowed
nwny Monday. We, like n couple of
fish, fell for this nnd admitted It.
whereupon the captain coolly In
formed is thnt we hnd forfeited all
pay nnd allowances due us for the en
tire voynge. Tho Joke of it was that
under tlte board of trade laws, the
Cushko had to go two hundred miles
out of her wny to get to St. Lucia and
put Monday ashore.
We dressed him in a long pair of
whlto pants; th carpenter gnvo him
a red vest; Bill placed a derby hat
on his head nnd he went nshore In a
small boat. When the boat returned
we lifted nnchor, nnd ns St. Lucia
again faded into the distance we could
see a solitary llttie figure on the dock
waving his white pnnts nround his
bend. Ho had removed them upon
reaching port. We felt n pang of re
gret as he faded out of sight.
After an uneventful trip we went
Into quarantine In New York harbor.
At tho first sight of tho statue of
liberty n rush of independence nnd
patriotism surged through me, and I
snt down on tho hntchwny and abso
lutely refused to work. The captain
threatened to put me In double Irons.
I told him to go to hell, nnd do It;
that I was a free American In n free
American port, ond I claimed the pro
tection of the Stars and Stripes, and
in accordance with my rights as a sail
or, I demnuded tho consul's ling to bo
hoisted at tho foremast. The captain
gave me a hard look but wilted.
The next nfternoon nt eight bolls I
innded in New York, free ngaln. I
was dressed In a pair of bluo overalls
barefooted, n Panuma hat on my head,
block as a negro from sunburn, a red
handkerchief nround my neck, and
wearing n whlto negligee shirt. On
my left shoulder I hnd a small mon
key, and In my right hand a wooden
cage with u pnrrot In It. In my pocket
wns $8.-10 In silver, but I did not care.
I was again on terra firnm with the
Sturs and Stripes flontlng above me.
I received n wonderful welcome nt
home, nnd wns of the opinion that tho
hardships of my cruise wero well
worth enduring, In view of the recep
tion I wns receiving.
But of course nil wonders dlo out
In nine dnys, nud mine sizzled out liko
n wet firecracker on tho Fourth of
July, nnd It wns up to mo to get busy
nnd find something to do.
Thus ended my first real adventure.
J
BUI nnd I worked
the dock gnvo It to their husbands or In the side of the ship, nnd only quick n scheme. Thnt morning n little black
sweethearts, who would Immediately, nnd efficient work by the carpenter bird fell on the deck, und I picked j;
without washing It. devour it They und crew srved us from sinuing. 'iney up aim inoi u io m k'ij
hoi-
U
Not Genuine Generosity.
Said tho near cynic, "Some fellows
boast of being liberal in their views,
but that is as far as their liberality
extends."