The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-06
CAPTAIN LONGS
PASSENGER.
How He Worked on the Fears Of
the Master of the Vessel.
An Ingenious Story Told in a Plausible Man
ner in Order to Secure Portmanteau
That Was in the hold.
Written for THE SUNDAY CALL

NS however, am compelled periodically to
M cross the Atlantic, and on the first oc-
casiop had a letter of introduction to good
Captain Long.
We shook hands, the screw began to move
and l rushed off to my cabin. where
l remained throughout the voyage. l
believe he came to see me often
in my misery. Visiting the sick"
at sea is much more unpleasant
thing than on shore, remember, but didn't
know and l didn't care. l saw him-to
know him again-at New York; and In
short, though on board his ship, he might
have been its rudder for all l saw Of him.
We met on shore both in the New and Old
World pretty frequently.
at was five or six years ago." said lie
one day, land in the summer time, that the
ship was making her voyage out, and very
good voyage. The whole way the sea had
been like duck pond"
Here L shook my head incredulously. l
had seen the Atlantic in the condition re-
ferred to and felt it.
well, l should not perhaps have said
the whole way" he admitted with a
smile, "for when we were about hundred
miles from port we met with breeze OF
wind. l remember the breeze because we
picked up little sailing boat with only one
man in her, who had been blown out to sea,
and whom we took on board. About half
an hour after that incident was informed
that one of the passengers wished to speak
with me i'll private upon very i'm
pOrtant matter. Accordingly he came
to me-a commonplace looking man,
whom l had scarcely noticed as being on
board; indeed, he was insignificant enough
in every way save for the expression of
his face, which certainly exhibited the most
intense anxiety and distress of mind. OF
course l thought he had been drinking, and
in fact was on the verge OF the Jumps.
which is what the Yankees term 'dellrlum
tremens.'
well. my man, what is it?' said l, Sc
verely. L have no time to throw away
"'That is true, captain lie answered, in
thin, quayering voice and with strong
American accent; but your time will
be even shorter than you imagine
unless you listen to what have
got to say to you. You will never
see New York, and much less make it, I'M
less you are prepared to act on the tnforma-
ton | am about to give you. Neglect 1t,
and your ship will be at the bottom of the
sea in'-he looked at his watch Yes. ex-
actly an hour and half.
''All right, my man, said l. You may
60. I'll send the ships doctor to look at
you,' for of course l thought he was wan
dering in his wits.
"Then what had seemed like anxiety in
bis face became mortal fear-genuine alb
ject terror, such as no actor could have i'm
Itated. lie threw himself upon his knees,
and, clasDing his hands together. besought
me not to treat lis words with incredulty.
"'Tben why, SIR 1 replied. do you tai X
such nonsense about my shlpy
Because IT'S true, captain, he groaned.
There's dynamite ON board and clOck-work
machinery connected with it. As | AIN liy-
ing man if the thing is not at once looked
u the shin and ALI hoard of her Will be
blown to atoms within the time have men
toned.
"'Good heavens, man, tell me all, cried,
aud quickly
May, but l daren't and l can't he
pleaded, unless | have your solemn PROM
lSe that you will not betray me.
well, | promise. Now.lwhere is this
dynamite?'
lone moment, captain there is time, and
TO spare, now, since you have listened to
reason, and l must prove to you that,
though | once heaTkened to the whisper of
the devil, Iepented and would have un-
done the mischief il l could. The
ship is insured in London-never
mind where or how-for 4 large
sum, and l have been employed to
sink her. | brought the machinery, set to
this very day Qor you have made the voyage
quicker than was thought pOssiolel, down
10 Liverpool, in small portmanteau which
vas sent on board the night before she
sail with you to see that nothing inter
fered with the execution OF the plan.
But L swear TO you no sooner did touch
the deck than L repented.'
Come at once, you scOundrel,' cried l,
and identify this horrible thing
Il set twenty men TO work Immediately
to bring up the luggage on the deck, which,
since we had not even sighted land, as ton
ished them not little.
Quick, quick, my good fellows there will
be extra grOg for you,' l said, If you
turn the things out within the hour. That
dreadful portmanteau, as it happened, was
at the very bottom of ala NANCY, il i
looking thing enough, and. though small,
IT'S heavy as lead. Now, Just throw til at
overheard. my fine fellows said /. wi Ii
you, and be careful not to knock it again ST
the bulwarks.'
NOW that all was safe, as | thought,
called the fellow into my cabin. Look
mere said |, you unmitIgated thief and
villain, there's one point in your story that
wants clearing up. Your life is not very
valuable, 1t is true, but dare say you your
self put fancy price upon IL, and that
being SO, how could you take personal
charge of a machine that, according to your
statements, was to blow US all to splinters?
How comes it, | mean. that you was on
board with it yourself?'
"'Well, captain he replied. you see |
am poor man, and the money was good
round sum, and as told you, my employer
insisted on my going to see that the thing
was going right with my own eyes; there
was i risk, of course, but the fact Is that
arrangements had been made for meeting
me in this very latitude. The man in the
boat whom you took on board was on the
lookout Tor me off the ship
When We were still some way from the
harbOr we were met by police boat, the
Chief officer of which demanded to be taken
on board to speak with me.
as Hullo! | said, when we were in the
cabin together; no extradltion business, L
hope. There is no numbering Englshmen
among my passengers. is there?
- Well, no. he answered; but I've
reason to believe there is a citizen of the
United States who would neither stick at
murder nor anything else
Then l thought oil the dynamite, Of
course, and rej1iced that the villain had
been discovered without any betrayal of his
secret on my part.
"' You have a warrant for his apprehen-
sion 1 concludep
a. Well no, captain, that is just my diff
Guilty, for 1 don't know just which man it Is;
but I've an order to search the luggage.
information has come by wire that whole
outfit for forging American bank-n0teS is
being imported by your ship. 1t Will not
be down below, of course. but in the mans
personal luggage in his cabin
Il smelt Il rat at once and | dare say
looked pretty blank and bamboozled.
According to my Instructions con-
tinued the officer, 'the plant is contained
in portnIanteau of bulock's hide, with
brass nails around the rim and easily recog-
niZable.'
"0f course the officer didn't find that
portmanteau among the personal luggage
though | am bound to say he looked Tor it
very carefully and scandaliZed some of my
saloon passengers not little by his I'M
welcome attentions; nor was it among the
larger articles, though they all lay exposed
on the deck as If for his especial behoof
and convenience. His impression was, he
said, chat his information had been in
correct and that the bullock's -hide port
manteau must be coming over on the next
ship, which, said, WAS possible, because
everything is possible, you know, though l
own did not think it very probable.
''As TO the owner of the article in Ques-
ton. he kept out of my way and slipped out
OF the ship on the first opportunity. His
story was so far true that he intended to
keep the things in his cabin to be got quietly
on shore, only the steward had objected