Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-11-17
A MAN OF PREY.

"
Toward Singapore, out of the sunset
glare, long, slashing schooner came
spanking in before tie southwest mon
soon at pace which procured for her
from prahu, lorcha and sampang an un-
commonly wide berth. Off Pulo Pan
jan, however, the stranger put his helm
down, got in his square canvas and
went away, close hauled, west by north
along the coast.
"See that, Sam?'' and Proddy Of
Proddy & Newman let his cheroot go
out as he gaped after the flying schooner.
Proddy had been over to Bintang, and
Sam was skipper of his little steam
yacht.
AYE, sir, I SEQ that, and see the rea-
son of it, too" and Sam pointed to
streaming wisp of yellow at the top Of
headless palm on Panjan point.
Schooner hauled her wind the instant
that bit O. bunting went aloft."
Private signal, eh? And quarantine
colors too! Devilish odd! Don't concern
us. thought" and Proddy, the pot bel
lied, lit another Manila
Over the domestic establishment of
Simon Proddy, Esq, presided lady
who rejoiced in stearine complexion,
a velvety eye and hair for length and
blackness like unto horses tail, but
who, despite French habiliments and an
English education, was China woman
pure and simple.
ga wonderful woman, STRIP would
Proddy say. Worth any half a dozen
white women 1 ever knew! And the
best of it is that her sisters and her
cousins and her aunts are God knows
where! Couldn't quite stand them, you
knowl'
But, all unknown to Proddy, his
brevet wife possessed father-a sophis-
ticated old sinner, who dabbled with
dubious irons in mysterious fires and
carried about as much rascality to the
square inch as any in Singapore. And
little thought Proddy, when he one day
ordered off his premises a doddering,
old, spectacled Chow, that into that
astute brain of Mrs. PIoddy's respected
parent there had that very moment been
born a scheme for the conversion into a
valuable security of his, Proddy's, sub
stantial person.
Well, up the old Singapore strait the
mysterious schooner had let go her
anchor. In here, between the back of
the island and the mainland, the SOU
wester came but family, and the Ra-
phael H. Semmes, under lee of Tanjong
Belu, lay stirless and silent upon an ink
mirror. Her forestay showed no riding
light, nor through the tarpaulin blind
ed skylight could come any glimmer
from below, where lounged frock coat
ed and pot hated little man of slender
build and mild, reflective eye. There
wasn't much to indicate the most reck-
less desperate the archipelago had ever
seen-a deserter from the famous Ala
bama during her visit to the strait in
1865. Crocky Dixon had since sailed slap
through many law of many nation,
and, though report perhaps exaggerat-
ed in asserting that he ought long ago
to have adorned yardarm, it was cor
tain that he hadn't acquired his pleas
ing appellation for nothing. But now
the Crocodile, with black trichinopoly
in it's jaws and bottle of Madeira at
its elbow, appeared "a gentle beast
enough and of an excellent conscience,
fact which, to those who knew the
reptile best, BODIED very i'll for some-
body.
Sat here, master, now come. Very
great thing to want to settle at now
quick. "
Away among the jungle, toward the
back of the island, Proddy had gam
bier plantation, the overseer whereof
was Whang Lo, and Whang Los Eng
lish, as above presented, Proddy under
stood well enough. But what he didn't
UNDERSTANDINGS he told the lemon tint
ed Mrs Proddy-was what the devil it
could be that required his presence in
such hurry. If it was another cody
nabbed by tiger, he'd wake the au-
thorities up to some purpose! The brutes
were breeding on the island like rab-
bits, and the reward wasn't quarter big
enough!
About an hour after Proddy, growl-
ing thus, haG departed into the dark
ness, Mrs Proddy, idly turning over
Whang Los screed, discovered ON the
back thereof three tiny Chinese charao-
ters, of which--so far had English dis
placed her hereditary language-she un-
derstood but one That one, however,
was enough-it signified danger
and in three minutes Mrs. Proddy was
ON her way to the nearest police tannah.
"Do not comel" translated the old
Javani Danger!-the croco-
dile! The true word, this ON back!" he
added promptly. Bad men make he
write the other-this when nobody look,
he put, so Missa Proddy no come!" And
then, with Mrs. Proddy, the acute old
man sent off peon to the central Office.
Here she had short interview with the