The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-04-12
ON A LAWLESS COAST.
A Night Adventure at an Alaskan
Cannery.

the rough fishermen who were my fell
low-passengers My eyes were fixed
On the black, beetling cliffs against
which the white surf curled and thun-
dered two miles away, and con the
naked mountains that lowered, white
and mysterious, in disordered ranks
behind
This dory's leakin' like basket,
jim; you'd better drop yer oar and help
bail her OUT
Where's yer bailer?"
"Ain't it under yer seat?"
mo"
Then there amt none aboard"
This conversation reused me from
my reverie. We were still mile from
shore, and about the same distance
from the steamer. The water was
more than six inches deep in the bot
tom of the boat, and it was pouring in
now at every joint. The dory had
stood beside the smokestack on the
steamers deck during the whole voy-
age, and its timbers had shrunk fear
fully.
pull with all yer might fer shorer
LIE cry oGdIOle Iuc OdISuCu, anu
they gave away with will But it
was too late; the boat was filling rap
idly. l hung to my rifle and satchel
. and began wondering how long a swim
mer could live in such an icy sea.
Suddenly one burly, low-brcwed
rover, Jim Murphy, dropped his oars.
We've got Jonah aboard" he NUT
tered, with a superstitious glance
toward my end of the boat
"Heave him Quit" cried another.
My heart stopped beating for mo-
ment, until glanced over my shoulder
and saw that all eyes were fixed, not
upon me, but upon Chinaman who
sat behind me.
1t was Mong Ho, the foreman of the
Chinese gang. or the China boss" as
he was called He was broad faced,
well-built fellow, with a strong chin
and intelligent eyes, and was neatly
dressed in American clothes; his queue
was bound around his head. He was
the mental superior of nine-tenths of
the white men on the expedition, and
spoke English quite well. My chum,
Charlie Smith, and l had had several in
teresting talks with him during the
voyage.
He's a hoodoo,' muttered Jim.
''Tain't no use tryin' to get nowhere
with him aboard.
stop your silly nonsense and bail
the dory out with your hats!'
The angry voice of my chum drew
all eyes toward him; and at the same
time he set the example with his own
hat.
Fortunately Charles idea took with
the fishermen. Water-dogs though
they were, the situation had now
grown serious enough to alarm even
them, and they forgot their supersti-
tious race hatred for time. All hats
went to work with will, and enough
of the water was bailed out to let us
almost reach the shore. But when we
got into the roll of the breakers in the
shallow water the dory was swamped
and every body was drenched.
I'VE were lucky to save everything"
said l, after had dragged my water
logged satchel out upon the beach.
"I'd a been willin' to lose every bit
of the stuff aboard" replied Jim
Murphy, ''if we could "a drowned that
sneakin' Chiny."
1t was amid such associates that
Charlie Smith and l arrived at the Ali
max salmon cannery, on the coast of
Alaska peninsula, where l was to be
storekeeper and he bookkeeper. We
had been schoolmates together, and
seventeen days before had shipped from
San Francisco in quest of experience.
Thus far we had had our stomachs full
of experience and painfully empty
otherwise.
We found the cannery to be long,
low frame shell of building, that
looked like machine shop inside. A
snowdrift lay along its northern side;
the huge accumulation had been even
with the comb of the roof, but the last
week in April had come, and it was
now only on level with the caves.
Charles bunk was upstairs with the
fishermen; mine was on the lower floor
in the store. In fact my boudoir was
store, office and bedroom all combined,
and was only ten feet square at that.
A bare wooden bunk, drygoods box
laid on one side for a counter, barrel
capped with salmon case by way of
desk-these were my sole articles of
furniture. The sides of the room were
crowded with shelves on which were
piled a chaotic stock that included
black sou'westers, blue wooden under
wear, plug tobacco, sugar, rubber boots,
soap, molasses and fish-oil
had not been in the place ten min
utes before my first customer appeared.
''Be you the storekeeper?"
A burly Norwegian, clad in hip boots
and torn shirt, asked the question. lie
had the grizzled head of viking and
an arm like that of prize-fghter.
Eyes, sir" said l, thinking it polite
to address such Goliath respectfully.
He glanced at his ragged clothes,
gave me look of mingled astonish-
ment and contempt, and said:
Don't sir me; were as poor as you
wunst.'
Did you want to buy something?"
asked, resolved to cover up the break 1
had made.
"Yep. Gimme lamie."
"a lamie?' l gasped. Whats it
lise?"