Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-02-20
him. and formally prose, ted him to the

Captain.
Slim good boy now, |bimeby no can
tell he repeated. solemnly. as he took
his departure with tho comprador.
A-sung looked around with wonder.
The deck was clean and while. Four
cannon were mounted, black and threat
ening; two nine-poundcr carronades on
the quarter deck, q long eighteen pounder
pivot gun amidships, and q ahree-
FOUNDER pivot on the forccastle.
swarthy, active sailors wero at work on
deck or IN the rigging. They were ell
Manila men from the Philippine islands,
who speak tho Spanish language. Tho.
Captain, his two mates and the clerk
were the only white men on board.
A-sung was sent below to tho Chinese
steward to be instructed in his duties.
When he came on deck again in the aft
ternoon ho beheld. m animated scene.
Two long, pull-away boats were along
side the bark. They carried masts with
mating sails, and, besides, pulled about
twenty oars on each side. They were
armed with gingals fixed in swivels on
the gunwale; these were Chinese fire.
arms, carrying large ball.
A number of Chinese of mercantile APP
pearance were on deck earnestly con-
vorsing with Captain Denville. A great
many small chests of mango wood COW
cred with rawhide wcro piled near by.
One of these was open, and A-sung say
that tho upper half of the chest was di-
vided into twenty compartments, in each
of which was dark brown ball of pecu-
liar appearance and smell. Evidently
there WIS tho same number of balls in the
lower part of the chest.
A-sung soon found out that this was
crude opium, and that the merchants
were buying it. He was on an opium
ship.
The purchasers paid for the drug some
times with Spanish or Mexican dollars,
and sometimes with silver ingots called
sycee. The coins had oil been stamped
over and over again with Chinese stamp.
until they were completely defacsd
| These were called "chop dollars" Tht
value of both coins aud sycce was ascer
tanned by weight.
AS the merchants paid tho silver, i
was passed over to the "shroff, - grave
specialized Chinaman, who sat at hi
table under tine awning on the quarter
deck, and with his brass balances caro-
fully ascertained the value of it. He hat
need of care, for he was under heavy
bonds for the correct performance of hi
duty.
A-sung was very much interested il
the boarding MEETINGS, which were tricet
up every night from the rail to the rig
ging. These were for protection against
night attacks by Chinese pirates, WHIT
were many and dangerous in those wa
tiers. But what excited his greatest in
terest was the practice at the big guns.
Z At first the loud reports nearly made
him jump out of his blue and gold slip
pers, but he soon became accustomed t.
the noise. The cannon were touched of
with joss-stick, in primitive fashion
and at night some of these were Away
kept burning near the mainmast, il
readiness for sudden attack.
Venerable younger brother" said tn
steward one day TO A-sung, chow man,
dollars worth of opium do you think are
in this barbarian ship2"
Venerable elder brother, do mo-
know" replied A-sung.
"Thcrc are four hundreds of thou
sands" said the steward. "verily
it would be a rich prize for the pi
rates."
Two weeks after A-sung Joined tn
Harlequin, he asked the Captains per
mission to go and sec his father. Cap
I -