Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-10-11


The winter of 1882 found me again in
San Francisco, awaiting the fitting out of
the .hfncSiOicH for a voyage around Cape
Horn to Newport, Rhode Island. Great
difficulty had been experienced IN securing
servants for the officers messes Europeans
and Americans scorned our offers of SO 30
per month. while Cinnamon were unwill
ing to take the voyage to New York with
out a guarantee that they would be sent
back to Frisco again. The case was grow
ing desperate /, as caterer of my mess,
had exhausted all the employment offices,
and had descended from the level of re
spectacle means to enter into an arrange
ment with couple of murderous looking
shanghaiers, who, ON consideration of $780,
had promised to deliver TO me sixteen able
bodied Cinnamon, who, they assured me,
would he only too happy to enlist" | was
to meet the conspirators in a saloon at the
foot of - street-a locality that BODIED
little good for their characters 1t was
with some misgivings for my own personal
| safety that agreed to the rendezvous, but
| there seemed 10 he no other way of secur-
ing these necessary adjuncts to ones com
| fort at sea. Before starting out, however,
/ | secured the services of "A private detec
/ tive who was to station himself near the
]
respond 20 my call and with pistol in
pocket ! repaired to the neighborhoOd.
| The place fit the deed There was an air
of squalor and wretchedness about it that
! smet of crime, and my heart shook within
me as | shifted it. ! was considerably
ahead of time but | thought | would take
"a look at the place, at any rate. 1t proved
| to be a corner GROCERY near the bay and
surrounded by all the evidences OF a sea
faring population There was curious
| hitching post on the corner, and an uncouth
villainous looking individual was leaning
against it, smoking black, shOrt-stemmed
clay pipe. He raised his head at my inqui-
ry as to whether this was No --, and
snarled out, Cant We see = then softened
a trihe as he asked "Be you the young fell
Ter what's to meet my chums here this af-
ternoon = On my replying that ! was to
meet Messrs - and -, he said, "Well,
you're on time, sure enough :" and then re
iapsed into his position of evil soliloquy,
/ was at a loss for something to say, but
in casting about for some subject of remark
| hit upon the curious hitching post a
topic, and remarked That's very curl
Gus post, is it not 1t looks like a figure
head of some ship"
"And what might you be KNOWN about
fgger heads = he quickly retorted.
ooh, nothing much" answered, "but
being a seafaring man myself, its shape
suggested the idea to me. Do you know
anything about it = | cautiously asked.
He took his pipe slowly from his mouth,
glanced at me curiously from head to foot,
and then inquired, with a touch of fierce
ness i'll his tone,
"What do YOU want to know for Z"
There was a strange mixture of fear and
! l, hot 70
be reused 10y my question.
NO reason in particular, said 'only
it is odd that an old ships figure should
come to be a hitching post.
This reply seemed to Salty him, for he
resumed his pipe and careless attitude. He
puffed away slowly for several minutes.
That something was working away IN his
mind was evident. The smoke rolled out in
thick blush clouds and coled about his
head, intensifying the deviish expression
of his face At last he paused.
You're right, ." he said lit was a figger
head, and of as neat little bark as ever
dipped in brine | come to Frisco in her
thirty-two year ago.
did you indeed = | exclaimed "And
what was the bark S name =
Again he paused to scrutinize me. There
was suspicion in his look that | could not
]
less uneasy glance. He seemed inspired
hy dread of some object behind my course
of questions but then, with AN impatient
gesture, as if throwing it aside, and a care
less laugh at his own fears, he replied
The Acasta was her name, and-Hello
here comes Bill and Jim. Step in, young
Teller, and wen settle this business"
Before | could recover from the astonish
ment that the name produced, the two mel
Joined us, and followed them into the sa
loon, receiving as | entered the door noe
from the detective, who had been a witness
from across the way
As we entered | heard tremendou
racket in an adjoining room. There wer'
, unintelligible yels, preceded by loud ham
merings, ON the door.
"We've got EN-, blast EN-, " said one o
my villanous friends with a signiican
leer and jerk of his thumb toward the room
from whence the noise proceeded,
''Got what I" innocently inquired.
what p he replied, in coarse POPULARITY
, "Why, them Chinee what you wanted
Eighteen of EN-, and all dyin' to go. Don
YOU hear EN- y and the rascal grinned a
his own humor.
"Well, said our host, let's get to bust
/ ness. Have you got your money with you
( young Teller y
A 81 have, hut"
"Well, hand it over" he gruiily inter
e rupted.
IL will when you put the men on boar,
the Vallejo steamer" | quickly but iirml
{ replied.
S What inspired me 10 revive the subiec
s # the figure head know not, Perhaps
I was a feeling that the taunt might strength
en- my nerve for the encounter which fol
1 .tNa IL Nl,atN
{ three men assumed when | showed deter
a mination 10 be treated fairly in the matte
y was a murderous one. That the Who'll
7 thing was trap saw at once, That n
servants had been secured, and that tn
y cnmmotion in the next room was the wor
c of confederates, to lead me to believe tina
T. the Cinnamon had really been corralled