Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-07
Written for THE EVENING STAR.
THE CAPTAINS YARN.

|
We were on our way from Hong Kong to
Foochow on the coasting steamer Namoa, when
| Captain N, my .'fdus Achates'' of the voyage,
looked at the gathering clouds to the westward
and remarked: Il hope it won't rain before We
get into Annoy; we are just so miles away"
How do you know the distance so exactly,
captain?"
Look at that rock. and over beyond it, you
can see through rift in the clouds little
speck like pin point on the top of that black
mountain. The pin point is a tall pagoda on
that high cliff, and the pagoda is as good a sign
board for this town us if that whole black cliff
| We're painted in white letters mile high and
half mile wide-A-M-O-l. / never see either
the pagoda or the city that cold chill does not
run all over me-"
Will you tell me why, captain?"
| goes:
Annoy was one of the first treaty ports in
| emma open to foreign commerce, and for long
| time the noted hatred of the Chinese for for
eigners was more intense there than at any
! other port l was then captain of a steamer on
! the first line plying between Annoy and the
English colony of Hong Kong, some two hun
! dred miles away.
| One cloudy evening in November I went
ashore in Annoy to make few final prepara-
| tons for my ships departure the next day.
! While on shore / noticed that my footsteps
| were logged by disreputable looking coolie
I who approached me with great earnestneSS in
| MS manner as soon as we had reached a COM
| paratively open spot, where the growing dark
| ness shut out the teeming hordes of Chinese
city. L saw that it would be impossible to avoid
an encounter if this strange follower should
prove to be hiShwayman. SO carrying my
mana to my hip pocket, where felt the friendly
grip of my revolver, waited for the man TO
come closer. then saw that the cooiie was III
great distress and, moved by his earnestneSs,
stopped to listen to his tale. The man ex-
planned in Chinese and ''pidgin" English that
ne mad brother III Jail who was to be beheaded
IN two days more for capsizing in sail
| boat and drowning his passenger, mandarin's
son. The mandarin, bent on revenge. had
thrown the boatman into prison, where the
farce of a trial had been gone through with
and the innocent man had been doomed to die.
The cooi1e said that his family were all wretch
edly poor but that they had managed by the
sale of most of their belongings, to raise money
enough TO bride the jailer to allow the prisoner
to escape, and I'll that was necessary to save
ms life was to get him away OH some vessel to
the nearest foreign colony. The poor creature
fell on his knees and ilnplored me to save his
brothers life. He would give me anything
everything he had-only to give the hunted
creature hiding place, to save n fellow-beIng
from the headman's ak Ali this was uttered
between broken sobs. and the poor man went
as II 1t were he himself who was only to see
two more suns rise before the earth would
drink UP his life blood.
felt MY sympathies intensely excited and
Yet knew the treachcrous nature OF the Chi
nese and the danger in interfering with their
Ideas OF justice, and, wishing either to test the
truth of his story or to prevail upon the coolie
to choose some other means for his brothers
escape. | said-'Il stow him away and carry
HIM down to Hong Kong for 500 taels' (about
So5OJ. thinking that such price would be ut
terry beyond the coolies means. The poor
man seems staggered at the enormity of the
sum, large fortune to one of his class, but he
rallied in a moment and said he supposed he
would have to pay 1t; that ii was fearful sum-
that he was very poor, and to raise so much
money his family would have to sell all they
owned; but he must save his brothers life: #
the captain insisted he would have to pay it.
My sympatnJes were now still more keenly
aroused and seeing that the unwelcome passen-
ger would be sent, and not caring either TO
break my word or to profit by the poor
wreteh's misfortunes said: We'll. I'll do it
for the regular fare" (about 500, bring him
down to the wharf Mt 1870; am going off to
my ship then"
The cooiie seemed Overpowered with joy and
was still ''kOw-toTing" his thanks as L moved
away and he disappeared in the darkness.
had no sooner reached the wharf about
11A5 PM. than 1 was touched by the same
coolie, who now offered his services as ''sampan"
man. followed him to the boat and there saw
another man whom the dim lamp light showed
to be as poorly clad as his brother. When we
showed OF | noticed that both were very clumsy
with their oars, but as my ship was close to the
wharf we were soon alongside.
Here handed my ovCrcoat to the boatman
and he picked up bundle tied Chinese fashion
in large handkerchief and we went on board,
leaving my new acquaintance in the boat. l
sent my steward forward on an errand that
would detan him for few moments and then
had the coolie deposit his bundle in a small
closet in the cabin, and told him that that must
be his brothers hiding place until we put to
sea and that he must be quick to get into it.
At a motion over the side the condemned
man sprang out of the boat, which he had made
last at the gangway, and slid noiselessly att
through the cabin and into the closet | turned
the Lock and put the key in my pocket.
But as he passed the cabin lamp curiosity
had led me to take searching glance at nv
strange passenger, and, III spite OF his unkempt
hair and solled and tattered clothes, his light
complexion and refined features revealed in
the coolies brother CD Chinaman Of the
higher classes.
1 then tried to scrutinize the boatman, but
the mans back was to the light and the stew
ard returning just then / paid my sampan fare
ana my strange acquaintance departed
turned Ill, wondering who my mysterious
passenger might be, and my thoug hts were not
without vague misgivings Of the noted treach-
cry OF the Chinese.
/ woke early, and had hardly begun dress
ing before herald came to inform me that the
viceroy OF the province desired to see me at his
'yamen" at 10 that morning. This strange
summons | at once connected with my harbor-
ing an escaped prisoner, and. full Of vague dis
trust, had almost decided either to put to sea
two hours before the advertised time noon.
and SO temporarily avoid any explanations, or
to plead press of business and refuse to obey
an almost royal command. Disturbed by such
doubts, l hardly felt relieved when another
herald came to say that the vlceroy had con-
cluded as he desired to see the ship, to visit
the captain, and that my presence at the
''yamen" would be excused.
Such thing yiceroy visiting in state a
merchant vessel was almost unprecedented.
and began to fear that was implicated in
the escape of a political prisoner of high rank
Now the customary official messengers began
to pour in: First, two clad in robes OF state an
nounced that his excellency would arrive in
half an hour; then four more that he was COM
ing in ten minutes; then four horsemen,
gaudiy caparisoned, rode down to the wharf
where was now waiting to say that their
master would arrive in five minutes; then a
procession of liveried servants bearing aloft
on high poles red sign boards, on which
all the virtues under the sun were
ascribed in Chinese characters to their
lord; soldiers with flags and swords and spears:
men with whips and gongs to clear the way;
nandarlns on horseback; lctors with long
pheasants tails in their caps, and large rabble
on football proclaimed that his exceIiency had
arrived AlightinS from a gorgeous green
sedan chair, borne by sixteen men in livery. he
greeted me most politely and accented NV in