The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-09-06
THE LONE CORVET.


commission to see him again.
Captain Richard Debney Of the British
navy, commander of the man of war Cor
morant, was entertaining some friends in
the harbor of San Francisco, and the talk
turned upon Ted Debnoy, his brother, who
had resigned from the navy several years
before because he had chiyalrously pre-
vented French cruiser from boring holes
in wretched opium smuggling craft
Ted was impulsive, brave, daring and
loved alike by his supcriors and his men.
Have you ever got on the track of Tedi"
"Once thought / had at Singapore,
but nothing came OF it. No doubt he
changed his name Ho never asked for,
nor got, the legacy which my poor father
left him."
An hour later they were aboard tho Cor
morant dining with number of men
asked to come and say goodby to Mostyn,
who was starting for England the second
day following, after pleasant cruise and
visit with Debney.
Meanwhile, from far beyond that yell
low lane of Hight running out from Golden
Gate there came q vessel, sailing straight
for harbor. She was large old fashioned
cruiser carrying guns, and when she
passed another vessel she hoisted tho Brit
ish ensign She looked like half obsolete
coryet, spruccd up, made modern by ey.
cry possible device, and all her appoint
ments were shapely and In order. She was
clearly a British man. ofwar, as shown in
her trim dressed sailors, her good handful
of marines, but her second and third lieu
tenants seemed little like Englishmen, and
indeed one was an American and one was
Hollander. There were gun drill and cut
lass drill every day, and, what was also
singular, thure was boat drill twice day,
80 that the crew of this man of-war, an
they saw Golden Gate ahead of them, were
perhaps more expert at boat drill than any
boat that sailed. Thoy could lower and
raise boat with wonderful expertness in
a bad sea, and they rowed with clocklike
precision and machinelikc force,
Their general discipline did credit to
the British navy. But they were not given
to understand that by their commander,
Captain Shewell, who had an eye like u
spot OF steel and tongue like aloes or
honey as the mood was on him.
This was most noticeable when he was
shut away from the others in his cabin
Then his whole body seemed to change
The eye became softer and yet full of u
sort of genial devltry the body had a
careless alertness and elasticity, the whole
NAL and his face had IA hearty sort of hu.
NOR which the slightly lifting lip In its
bizarre disdain could not greatly modify,
Ho certainly seemed well pleased with
himself, and more than once, as he sat
Alone he laughed outright and once he
said aloud as his fingers ran up and down
a schedulo-not man of wars schedule
laughing softly:
Poor old Farquhar, If he could see me
nowp Then to himself: "Well, ss | told
him, was Violently tossed like a ball into
the large country, and I've had lot oi
adventure and sport. But hero's some
thing more-the biggest game ever played
between nations by a private person-witf
$500, 900 as the end thereof, If all goes well
with my lone corvetl'
Tho next evening, just before dusk, after
having idled about out Of sight of the sig
nal station nearly all day, Captain She
well entered Golden Gate with the Hornet
of no squadron. But the officers at tht
signal station did not know that and sim
ply telegraphed to the harbor in reply tc
the signals from tho coryet that Britisi
man-of-war was arriving She came lei
surely up the bay, with Captain Showell OF
the bridge He gave low whistle as HI
saw the Cormorant in the distance II,
knew the harbor we'll, and he saw that tht
Cormorant had gone to a new anchorage
not the same as British mon of-war tool
formerly He drew away to the old anchor
ago. He need not be supposed to know
that change was expected. Besides, ant
this was important to Captain Shewell
the old anchorage was nearer the docks
and 1t was clear, save for one little life
boat and a schooner which was making
out as ho came up.
As he came to anchor the Cormoran
salutod her, and she replied instantly
Customs officers who were watching tn
craft from tho shore or from their boat
gave up hopo of any excitement when the
saw and heard the salutcs. But two wen
out to the Hornet, were received gracious
Iy by Captain Shewell, who, over glas
of wine In his cabin-appropriately hun
with pictures of Nelson and Collingwood-
said that he was proceeding to Alaska t
rescue crew shipwrecked on an island
and TINT ho was leaving the next day a
soon as he could get some coal, though h
fearcd 1t would bo difficult eoaling up tina
night Still, he did not need a great deal
| he said-which was indeed the ease-hI
he did need some, and he knew that 70
his own safety and the Hornets he mus
have 10. After this, with cheerful com
pliments and the perfunct0ry declaratio
on his part that there was nothing uutl
1 able on board, the officers left him. great
pleased with his courtesy, saluted US the
left the ships side by the marines an
sailors standing at tho gangway, Th
officers did not notice that one of thes
sailors winked an eye at another, and tina
/ both then grinned and were promptly oI
dered aft by tho second lieutenant.
| As soon as 1t was very dark two or thre
boats pushed out from tho Hornet an
rowed swiftly to shore, passing custom
boat as they went, which was sAluted b
the officers In command. After this, boat
| kept passing back and forth for Ion
time between the Hornet and tho shor,
which was natural. seeing that n FIR,
night in port is sort Of holiday for of
GERS and men. II these sailors had bee
watched closely. however, it would has
been seen that they visited but few salooi
on shore and drank little, and then ev
IDENTIFY as blind. Close Watching woul
also have discovered the fact that the,
were few people on shore who were gla
TO see the safe arrival of the Hornet, an
who about o'clock In tho morning, a
| mosb fell on the neck Of Captain Shcwe
as they babe him goodby. Then for th
rest Of the night eeal was carried out I
the Hornet In boats instead of her comm
to dook TO load.
| BY daybreak her coal was aboard clear
ing up then came, and preparations to 4,
part, Captain ehewell's eye was no
much on tho cormorant. DC had escape
ons danger--he had landed $500, 900 wort
of opium In the night, under the Ser
nose of the law, and while customs boat
wase patrollpg the bay, ppt thsEs Yas al