Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-11-03
mately be the means of making your

the lOnOr, ana Was ABOUT TO inquire laCS
the nature Of the business, when the man
ager went on:
"You have now been with US some
years, and We feel that we can place i'm
plicit confidence in you; in fact, was
reqated to pick out confidential man
and Che could depend upon, and I have
chosen you.''
| bowed, and murmured my thanks.
"The nature of the business you would
be employed upon is this: In this town
is firm of ship-owners who are in the
habit of insuring their ships and cargoes
for extremely large sums, and lately they
have been very unfortunate, or rather,
should say, fortunate. Do you compre-
bend me?"
"Not quite, sir"
"Why, within the last year they have
lost, in mid ocean, two ships and a brig.
and have received the insurance money
on them. We have lately received an in
timation that, in the first place, the car
goes are not what they purport to be, and
that the crafts they have lost are not only
old and worn out tubs that have been
SOLD for breaking up, but also that in two
cases, at least, these ships have been scut.
| tied for the sake of the insurance upon
| thea"
| The last words the manager spoke near
ly in whisper, and paused as If to give
me time to take in the enormity OF the
offence. Then he continued:
"Now we wish to discover them, if pos
sible, in the very act--as I may say, in
fagrante dezicto," and he pulled out his
cheeks and looked very managerial
indeed. Consequently, we have decided
upon sending an agent in their next craft,
in order to discover whether these reports
be Or not, and that agent, sir, will be
you."
was fully aware of the dangerous
nature Of the job offered me, but at the
same time had so little to care for that
without hesitation I Immediately accept
ed the duty.
''Very good, Douglas good" re-
marked the manager, evidently much
pleased. 81 am glad to see that I have
not been disappointed Or mistaken in my
estimate of your character. You can now
return to your work, and latter on will
see you again, and explain what the
nature Of your duty will be. In the
meantime" he added, as was leaving
the room, ''be careful not to hint word
of what I have mentioned to you.'
OF course promised to be silent, and
it would have been better for me it every
one else had been as silent as my self on
the subject.
A day OR two passed, and then the man
ager informed me that the time had come.
The firm previously alluded to had in
sured brig named the Falcon, bound to
Mauritius with an assorted cargo.
He then went on to tell me that must
obi: in passage in the Falcon under the
plea of being unable to pay the fare in
the ordinary mail-boat; and then, once
on board, I was to keep my eyes open,
and write daily diary Of every thing
that occurred, particularly if at all of a
suspicious nature.
One of the seamen, it appeared, had al.
so been engaged by the insurance COM
pany-the one, believe, who had first
raised their suspicions-and I was told
his name was Jack Allen.
Furthermore, he entered into particu-
lars respecting remuneration, increase Of
pay afterward, and managers place at
a branch Office in case Of my conducting
the investigation to the satisfaction of
the board.
After receiving my instructions and
check for expenses, bade the manager
good-by, for was not to return to the
Office, for fear Of arousing suspicion, and
took departure. Having obtained change
for the check, went to my lodging, and
putting.on q suit Of old clothes, made my
way down to the harbor. I had not much
difficulty in finding the Falcon. She was
nice looking brig, and appeared quite
new; at all events she was newly painted,
and that IS much the same thing to a
landsman. A gangway- board stretched
across from the shore to her deck, and
walking across this, 1 was son on board.
A boy was busily employed doing
nothing, and having asked to#see the
captain, that party appeared on deck.
He was not a bad-looking, but had that
loose, rollicking, shifty expression gener-
ally to be found with lack OF conscienti-
BUSINESS.
"Good-day, captain!"I observed. 81
hear you are bound for Port Louis, Maur
titus. If that's so, could you manage to
give poor fellow lift on the chea p?"
'On the cheap, eh?'' replied he, taking
stock of me up and down. "That de-
ponds. What do you call cheap?"
"Well, I've got little coin," replied.
"But l can't afford those mail-boats-
they're too much altogether; besides, 1
want to keep trif1e, in case don't get
the work Iexpect when I get out there"
"Well. will fve-and twenty pounds
hurt you2' asked the captain.
feigned to be Mortified, and offered
fifteen; but at length we arranged for
twenty pounds, and he was to find me
in every thing, messing with him at
bis table.
Having effected this, promised to be
on board by the Thursday evening, 70
she was to leave harbor on the Fr id a
morning.
BY the appointed time was down at
the port with my modest luggage, which
was soon transferred to little cabin in
the Falcon that I was to occupy. The
captain was not on board when joined,
SO took possession Of my little bedroom
and, putting things to rights as we'll as /
could, turned in, and went to sleep.
The next morning I was aroused by a
sound of trampling overhead, heavy
ropes being thrown about, loud voices
swearing and all tho ns1al accountant