Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-13

| -~-y>e having PufSHhStH II,
made a contract with
Capt. George Brown,
now Rear Admiral Brown. to deliver it in
the Bay of Yokohama. He was to receive
| some fifty thousand dollars for the venture,
| but he was to provide his own crew and
| take all risks. Capt. Brown happened not
| to be on any regular duty at the time, and
the Navy Department made no objections
| to his undertaking this commission In a
private capacity.
| To sail a monitor across two oceans was
no easy undertaking. OF course, he went
| around Cape Horn, and, of course, he had
to make frequent stops for coal. One of his
stopping places for this purpose was Punta
! Arenas, in the Straits Of Magellan. While
the coal was being slowed the captain went
| ashore, and among the interesting things he
found there was a camp of giant Patagoni-
ans fellows whose dress consisted of a
| bunch Of feathers on their heads and
shoestring around the loins. One day while
| he was straying along through their camp
| he was decidedly surprised upon hearing
| himself accosted by one Of them, in good
| English, with: How are you, George
| Brown The man was dressed like the
| rest of his companions and was duly paint
| ed according to the custom of the Patagoni-
| ans and the captain did not recognize him
| as any one whom he had ever seen before;
| but he soon found that his acquaintance
was an old schoolmate whom he had known
| in Indiana when he was a boy, and who
was here masquerading as a savage. Capt
| Browns friend had gone to sea when a boy.
| been stranded in that region, joined the
! tribe adopted the Patagonian customs and
was then one of their big Injuns."
The captain saw his acquaintance several
! times. At first he seemed contented with
| his lot, but after few interviews he con-
| fdeG to the captain that the meeting with
! him had made him home5ick for the United
States, and when the vessel was ready to
leave he asked to be allowed to come aboard
and to be carried to San Francisco. He
said that he would have TO wait until the
last moment and then watch his oIpor-
| tunity to slip aboard unseen, his COM
panions would kill him If they knew he
was intending to leave them The captain
consented, and when the monitor got under
way the false Patagonian emerged from
the hold, where he had concealed himself
and was supplied with suit of United
States clothes.
Hoodwinking a Chilean.
The vessels next stop was in the bay of
Valparaiso Chile. Some portion of the en-
CINE had given out, and it was necessary
to stop for repairs. Upon examination 1t
was found that the repairs required were
most important; that in fact the vessel
| could not proceed until they were made
The captain was experienced enough to
know that the Valparaiso mechanic whom
he would have to call upon to make the
repairs would "stick' him for five OF six
times what the job was worth II he found
out that the vessel could not sail unless
the repairs were made, and as the sum
would have to come out Of his own pocket
he wanted to avoid any extravagant
charge. Accordingly, he gave out that he
had put in for coal, and while the coal was
being slowed he sauntered into town IN a
state OF mind Of apparent unconcer1. Drop
ping into the machine shop of the place, as
| If casually, he talked about things in gen.
eral, and finally mentioning the fact that
his vessel needed some repairs, he rema led
that he didn't know but that he might
have them made in Valparaiso II they could
be done without causing him delay.
The mechanic was anxious to get the job,
and offered to examine the vessel and make
a bid. This was just what the captain did
not propose that he should do, at least not
until the bargain was concluded, for if the
machinist saw what state his vessel was in
he would have him at his mercy.
"Oh. you Needn't take that trouble" said
| the captain What want Is a new cylinder
head Tor whatever it was that was out of
| order).
The mechanic wanted five thousand dol
lars.
Five thousand dollars! Oh, well: 1 see
that you don't want the job. I'll wait till i
get to Sen Francisco"
Finally. after a good deal Of dickering-
the captain all the while saying that he
| guessed he would wait till he got to San
Francisco-a price was agreed upon and a
contract was drawn up and signed. When
the shipmender saw the state that the YES
sci was in, and that II could not possibly
nave reached San Francisco without the re-
pairs, ne realized that the Yankee captain
had outwitted him.
In u Quandary.
Finally, after many stops and all sorts of
delays, the monitor steamed Into the harbor
of Yokohama. Capt. Brown congratulated
himself upon the successful issue of his
risky undertaking, and contemplated with
satisfaction the prospect Of receiving the
comfortable sum for which he had contract
| ed to deliver the vessel but when he went
ashore he found that complication had
arisen. Since he left the United States there
had been rebellion in Japan and two par
! ties were then contending for the control of
the government. He had contracted to de-
| liver the vessel to the japanese government.
| But which was the government? Who rep
resented it? He conferred with the Ameri-
can representatives in Japan but they
were unable to decide the question. They
| advised him to wait until 1t appeared which
party constituted the de facto government,
and this he decided to do.
| The contest was so close that Ii was be-
heVed that the possession of the monitor
would turn the scale in favor of the party
| that obtained it. Representatives from
| both sides besieged him to deliver the YES
| sci to them, and both offered him the stipu-
| lated sum for it's delivery. 1t was a great
| temptation. The captain wanted money
| badly. His crew had not been paid. and
1t was becoming clamorous. Besides there
was danger that the vessel would be forci-
| bly, seized during the night, and in that
event he would probably lose his pay alto
gether.
1t was a trying situation. The harbor
was dotted with ships of half a dozen La
tionalfties, all watching the course of
events and waiting the outcome of the
struggle. Such was the state Of things
that for any one Of these nations to have
decided that one or the other party repre-
sented the rightful government would have
been disregard of international courtesy
and might have involved serious complica-
tions with other countries. Captain Brown
was there as a private citizen of the United
states. but he was in fact an officer in the
navy OF the United States. and he realized
that 1t would not do for him to take any
action favoring either side, especially as
| his action, II taken, would probably settle
| the conflict in favor of the side whom he
| favored.
He kept his crew aboard the monitor and
stayed aboard himself every night, taking
every precaution against a surprise and
seizure.
| Big Bride.
Matters had gone on in this way for sew
eral weeks when one day he was ap-
| preached by a japanese, who told him that
a man OF high standing In one Of the con-
| tending parties wished to see him: that this
L