Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-10-25

that the government would buy her
u she proved up to her guarantees.
NOV, to test such a boat, IL was
clearly useless TO send her TO sen
with Chinese officers: and even n
Chinese crew could hardly do her
Justice in the engine room and stoke
hole. So II was determined To make
n trial trip with a scratch crew of
white men; and when ! heard they
were looking about for somebodyto
command her | jumped mt the Oh.
p%ortunity, and hastened TO offer nv
services. You know / was in the
navy before the war, and | had pass.
ed a good examination i'm steam. so
felt myselicompetent to manage this
gunboat, which was only a small
craft, calculated Tor shallow waters.
and carrying "A crew OF one hundred
men. Well, ! had friends, and got.
the command; and after the usual
trouble IN scrapings ships company
together, and then drilling them in.
TO something like working order, |
was ready for sea.
The Chinese authorities had con
sldered that il would be as well TO
make the trial trip pay expenses, il
possible, hy extending the test so AS
TO ascertain what the gunboat was
good for in action. At that time the
mouth oiPearl river was infested by
piratieal iunks, which found shelter
and easy meansof escape 10 the nu.
merous small islands and estuaries in.
TO which the delta OF that stream is
divided. The pirates usually confined
their attention 10 the craft OF their
own e~ountrymen, but occasionally,
Nhenthe grist VAS very short or the
opportunity very tempting. they
would attack somesmnn foreign mer,
e%hantman and, in these cases, they
made IL a rule 10 Kill every soul on
board, as the simplest way OF pre-
venting those awkward tereign pro.
tests which were sure TO stir Oh,
mandarins up 10 a serious crusad,
against them.
You. 81 course. understand that
piracy IN China is not regarded as I
heinous crime. The Monaghan view
81 tte business b pretty much thai
which all the western nations held il
the Sixteenth and Seventeenth cen
turirs only there Is less romaneean'
more praeticnbiiity about the pig
tails. Very respectable Chinese bus
iness men interest themselves in pi
racy along the kwangtung coast
Just az stnid old English merchant
Hsotl To interest themselves in SNUG
Cling a hundred years ago, and nc
| body thiu'ls the WORSE ola man 10
having been a pirate. provided h
has been lucky at IL. As 10 the tax
} ing oflife. there Il SO much superiiu
] ons humanity ia China. and lie ther
;. il 20 little worth living for the ms
!, iority. that public opinion is quit
Indifferent on the subject.
while I had been drumming u
I my crew Ia Canton had fallen in wit
r AN American skipper who had 4
some time been smiling n good size
coaster for a WEALTHY Chinese housN
' Ho had his wife with him, aud the
ner, both very pleasant people. u
was a Cape Tod man, not pretty
. look at Tor he had the leancst fran
y and the biggest hands and feet evt
. saw. His hnnds. especially, woul
(. have attracted attention anywher
NOT ouly Tor their sire. hut for 4
= look ofthe latent muscular power
y them. III WAS not one oi those dis.
grccahle big listed men who thini
. Il n pnnd Joke 20 crush your hnge
in shaking hands with you, hut WIZ
q br did shake hands with a restrnine
Z friendly grip you felt the posslbiliti
= cfhiW snuenEe plainly enough. Il
i wtfi nco later on why dwell upon III
o physical popularity Of Capt Winsa
y tor that vas his name. His wife
y fancy must hnvecome from thesout
u Al an events she had q southern cot
rs p~laxion-h clear p~allor-with bla.
n. owes and hair and a southern supp
meas aud grace OF bearing, She W
{. not exactly n pretty woman, Tut
ridedlv pleasing. and her comnoss
= mud quiet. gentle manners won uS
- Won steadily. butn ~ 1HtW ~.
n. Chinese auentiy. and they gave a
=. yornble account OF the people.
= "Thcy had a special pet ina Chine
., steward named Tin Ling, y bur
= round nccd fellow, who would M
u pnssed muster anywhere for an he
49, man but for his eyes. They str,i
"a me ~ trrnchcrous from the first.
~ never looked anybody squnreiy
te The fnce. or encountered a stea
glance without squirming. C
nj elnded. however, that his employ
ne understood him, and, anyhow;
nd was no nfntr az mine, My arquai
/ ance with the Winsars lasted NJ
n. ttn cnntnin's vessel a small ba
+. named the So kianV, was ready
ut anil ON one Of her regulnr constl
"a cruises. She would be AWAY so
tic three months, and would VISIT
a number of little ports. expected
I'M grt nway about forty eight hours !
he or nor. md the evening before
to is,t / took supper aboard her v
nv 49,. aT1 ua drank n tnrol