Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-01-29
A CHINESE SPECULATION.
IFrom Cha 1,bers' Jo,r-aa1 }

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Then WHY you not say. Yes-oae grea,
big Yes-ahd let Us shake hands upon the
Bargain" returned the Chinese mere naat
promptly, but with An Old expression, a 1
1tncied, In those loEg, sly, sloe-blsck eyes
Now. the proposal IN question was tempt
ing one, addressed TO poor fellow Ike
my SELF who had suddenly slid down some
rounds of Fortunes ladder. /, Frank Hep
burn, bred to the sea had lately been chief
officer OF a noble clipper ship, the SSiftsure,
AID with the certainty OF becoming her cap
tam in two voyages more. Our owners, dle
old fashioned specimens OF the British IN ar
chant, had become insolvent through the
failure of some bank, and their vessels nad
been sold for another trade There was /.
reduced 10 kick my heels on the Qusys OF
Shanghai, waiting for an engagement, while
my little venture, as part owner OF the Swift
sure, was lost in the general ruin. What
made matters worse was that / was in love
and betrothed 10 pretty Lillian Travis, the
niece OF q worthy member OF the British
mercantile community established in IN At
strange city that the magician Commerce
has con- uret up at the mouth of the great
river, and that now our marriage seemed 70
be almost hopeleSsly deferred. 1 was thirty
tSo years OF age, and had nothing left To
nae save my robust health and professional
knowledge. Quite unexpectedly, Sin-Iin-ts i,
Win wnom my acquaintance was or the
slightest, had accoSJed me in his blsndest
manner, ana mad proposed that should
sumo the command OF a large aut new
steamer, the Casssndra. which belonged to
himself and partner, and was bound on a
cpaSting voyage 10 Canton aud Singapore,
with n valuable cargo aud sundry pasSen-
gers. The salary named was a liberal one,
ami the position, rs L was assured, perma-
lent.
II may seem unreasonable on my part that
hung back, instead OF closing eagerly with
so advantageous proposition; but then 1
had beard odd stories coupled with thenames
of my would be employers. Ah-chang aud
Sln-lin Isl had, unless fame belief them,
made their money through queer channels
and were deemed 10 be INSCRIPTIONS even
beyond the average of their countrymen.
Ah-chang was an enormously cOrpulent aud
silent old Chinaman, two of whose sons were
mandarins; but the junior partner, who was
fluent in the English tongue, was well-knoyn
IN Shanghai as pushing man of business,
while both were reputed to be rich. | sup
pose that Sin las we familiarity styled him
IN his abSence) read my thoughts, for he
lightly laid his claw like finger nails on my
sleeve and said: "Aha! Why, you say, Mr.
Hepburn, why Chinese give steamer To YOU?
Just this-you got stout heart and cool head
plenty much. Not do this," fmitating the
action of drinking; "and so save ship, If
storm come or bad thieves come. Chinese
trust you"
l began to think 1T not improbable that
such reputation as had acquired for sea-
manship and steadiness might after all nave
been the real reason for the preference shown
me.
A fine steamer was the Cassandra, glfsten-
ing In ali the freshness of her new paint and
trim rigging, as, having acceded To her own
ers offer, Sin lin. Isl took me out into the
harhor to inspect the craft of which | was to
be commander. Two lighters or RATS lay
alongside of her, whence the pig tailed steve
dores were bustling, like so many laden ants
over her gangway. a fine ship, neat and
taut, as though turned out ola bandbox, and
by no means the sort of vessel likely TO be-
long TO An chang and partner.
You chief officer" remarked Sin careless
ly, when had admired the mirrors and
gliding of the best cabin, ''wiIl be nrst-chop
seaman. You know B3tes?"
" Not the American? Not B-asidaS Bates?"
asked /, with start. Sin nodded, but
looked and felt grave. That Mr.. Bates, of
Baltimore, known as "Chinaman Bates" in
Shan ghaf paTlance, on account Of his taste
for Chinese customs and associates, was a
tirst-rate seaman, could not deny. But he
bore dubious character, and had Sin aud
his fat partner made him their captain, with
secret sailing orders TO plumber aui scuttle
every defenseless junk he Sighted. ] should
tion of myself
"Duckett," Sin made haste to say, g. Is
second officer. He your old shipmaIe"
This was true. and good sailor was BIZ
Duckett, when the brandy bottle was kept
out Of his reach, but l rather wondered that
The cautious Chinese should have viewed his
besetting weakness SO indulgently. "And
our head engineer" L irquIreI; land the
third mate? for three are needed for SO big a
steamer"
Sin lin tsi very handsomely left the an
pointment of these two functionaries TO my
self, and we parted on excellent terms.
Throughout the remainder of that day,
and the greater part OF the next. the question
would keep recurring TO my mind, as though
some haunting demon had whispered il in
my ear: Why did Ah-chang and COMPANY
seek me out to sail their steamer? Even
hearty congratulations could not blind me
10 the fact that there must be something to
account for the extraordinary appreciation
OF my nautical merits shown by Sin and his
partner. The sort OF shippers whom Chinese
shipOwners like TO engage-welli perhaps
are best defined as men OF elastic conscience,
ready 70 drop the honest trader at short
crooked courses promise higher prodt
1t so happened that my doubts were to be
solved, and with a vengeance, for as was
making my way hOmewards, by a short cut,
from the house of Mr.. Travis, / heard my
name mentioned, and mechanically came to
a halt, close TO ruinous podOl0n or native
the rotten and preached walls OF which 1
caught glimpse Of two persons ia earnest
conversation. one wore the flowing robe
and satin boots which sufficiently denoted
his nationality; the other was In European
garb.
thoughtfully; "for Frank Hepburn's clear
grit, though never liked the dog"
- Must you, Indeed, Mr.. Bates?'' thought I,
for had recognized my precious first officer
In the gentleman in black shore-going
clothes; "but, with your leave, there 90 two
words TO that bargain"
"You do as you muchey like. You master"
answered Sin. with cackliDg little laugh,
for cruelty, TO Chinaman's fancy, always
suggests itself In the light OF a good IoSe.
"Perhaps NOSE comfortable. No tales tell"
81 But" said Bates, meditatively, sit will
be tough job and a ticklish one. There are
those forecastle fellows out of the Windsor
Castle that you would clap on board"
I" Well, well, my dear Bates, returned the
Chinese, coaxingly, "would IL do for them 10
say, Ah-chaDg and partnership no decent
hand, only scum OF grog-shop, and their own
Lascar what you calI2 No wonder Cassan-
dra no able TO make fight OF II In the Mar
rows"
.'Ah, that's it. Hepburn will make a fight
of IL, and those Windsor Castle chaps will
stand by him. Six brass guns, too and a
long ritied gun amidshIpS! / tell you"
"And tell you" interrupted the China
man, becoming excited; "you finch now,
and Ah-Chang say, Sin say, Bates turned
coward-Bates no good he not got ten thou
sand silver dollar, nor two, nor one. L say
steamer MAST be boarded, cargo must be
taken, passenger pay ransom, or'-and he
ended the sentence by passing his yellow
hand edgeways across his throat. Sand as
for guns, why Sure some one thereiv
For bit of bamboo had cracked under
my feet, and / thought il wisest to hurry
away before my presence on the spot should
be detected.
What was to do2 Nothing was clearer
but that the foulest treachery was designed,
and that life and property were alike ia dan
ger. The Cassandra had on board a valua-
hal fn