Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-10-27
RACE WITH CUSTOMS OFFICERS.
Ezperienco of Yankee Skipper In Snug
Cling Cheroots In Spain.

Experience of Yankee Skipper In Snug
Cling Cheroots In Spain.
You .:1an5 something to write about,
do you?" inquired Captain Bracebloak,
ah old skipper, in reply to reporters
query. Well, do you see that fagi"
and he directed my attention to rev.
enue flag flying from the staff OF boat.
Well, that reminds me Of little cpl
sode in which 1 figured great many
years ago.
IN the summer of 1885 was enc OF
the crew of the ship Curlew, Of that
time waiting in the port of Manila for
cargo Captain Darieus-'Old Bayny.
we called him-was an energetic trad.
er then thought myself pretty smart
While we were in Hongkong the old
man had light cedar cutter made eas
pecially for tho transportation of HIM
self and wife and for quick communi-
Cation with the shore in whatever port
the vessel might be. He took especial
pride in his racing gig, as he termed 1t,
and had picked crew, with me as
! coXswain.
'"Che ship was moored nearly nine
miles from the town of Manila Once,
sure, and sometimes twice q day, the
gig was manned and rowed over that
distance to the house of Russell &c Stur-
gi6, who were our consignees as we'll as
the representatives, minister and consul
OF the United States in that port. Theiy
Office, which vas a palatial affair, was
situated some distance up the 'canish'
(Anglice canal, and to get to it We had
10 pass the fort &c the entrance OF the
waterway leading up to the interior Of
the city The old man had some two
dozen geese on board, and he made q
deal for them ashore, taking cigars IL
payment. As in all Spanish countries,
an import and export duty prevailed.
Tho task of taking the geese ashore and
bringing off the cigars without paying
duty fell, of course, upon me, and in
Spite Of the usual quaclking oharaoteris-
tic OF the bird got safely by the rev.
euue officers, landed the fowl and load
ed the boat with cheroots. In the canal,
plying its length, was ten cared Gus.
toms boat. We had nearly gained an
exit to the harbor, when out from Rhel-
toring point dashed the guards and hail
ed Us.
I'm my excitement cried in Span
ISL, No entende, and at once the boat
started for us. Knowing the fate in
store for US if captured, I said to the
boys: You see that boat. If she over
takes US, it means ball and chain for
at least two years in that fortress Shall
we give them chaser A loud Amer
lean cheer arose from the crew, and the
next dip Of tho oars nearly lifted the
boat out of the water. The guardboat
started after us, and occasionally ma ..
rine would step in the bow and dis.
charge a musket at US. OF course we
did not dare to pull to the ship, as that
would have established our identity, SO
we were compelled to strike out to sea.
At the entrance Of the harbor, .18 miles
from the city, is an island, and to that.
s was j sie od hi
ness came on, and then we put pack fos,
our ship. Our race had been witnessed
from our vessel, and when We arrived
the guardboat was not over aquarter OF
q mile astern. The dayit tackles were
all ready to hitch on, and boat and all.
with 25, 900 cigars, we were run up.
The boat was taken on deck, painted
black and swung to her proper position
only q few minutes before the vessel
was boarded by crowd of customs off,
GERS in search of a white boat that had
given their barge such race.
1.-The next day, when I went ashore,
Barry gave me a doubloon to treas
the boats crew. Since that time ! have
never see q revenue flag Of any nation
but it recalls to my memory the incident
7 have just related, and 1t makes me
laugh when 1 think Of the laundering
marksman shooting at us, the pompous
officer in charge of the boat demanding
orr surrender and the poor, tired,
sweating oarsmen in their heavy uni'
forms chasing the robust Yankees OF my
boats crew, who, with but slight e1er-
ton, could propel their light boat
through the water two feet to our pur.
suers' one boston Herald.