The Press., 1894-08-30
HOOK IN FIFTY v


 was told to me some years ago by the commander of a steamship ill which was making a voyage for my health. The captain, who had himself shared in the experience he related, began his tale thus:
 "A good many years ago l was ill Cape Town, having been forced by ill- ness to quit my post as second mate of large ship bound to Bombay. A fort night after the ship sailed I recovered my health and was fit for work.
 ''I remember one of those mornings while I was hunting for berth. l was watching Malay fishing boat sliding through the water, with an occasional burst of spray off her weather bow, which arched little rainbow for her to rush through, when I was accosted. I turned It was the port captain or harbor master. I cannot remember the term by which his office was distin- guished. He had sailed with my father some years earlier, and had met him on two occasions in England. He had done me some kindness while lay in lodgings ill Cape Town and had assured me of his willinngess to help me find a ship when I should be well enough to go to sea. He was a Scotchman, with hard, weather colored face and of dry, arch expression of eye.
 Dye see anything to fit yep said he.
 "'Aye, said I, a plenty'
 "'Well, now,' said he, you're the very mon I was thinking of not half all hour ago. I was ill Adderley street and met a captain who was here last year. His names Huddersfeld. He's in charge of a colonial trader from South ment for this place, and is bound for Sydney, New South Wales, where his little ships owned, chiefly, believe, by himself
 'He pointed to large three masted schooner that was lying within 100 strokes of an oar, almost abreast of us. She looked an exceedingly fine craft. A large Dutch Indiaman was rolling upoh the swell of the sea within few cables length astern of her, and just ahead rode a Russian auxiliary frigate very heavily
 
 in her stern and network of gliding on either quarter, so that the blue brine under her counter flashed as to the dart of a sunbeam whenever she lightly sway ed. Yet the schooner held her own in all points as a picture of beauty and was not to be dwarfed. The gilded but tons of her trucks shone high in the azure of that afternoon. She was paint ed white, and gleam of dark red, like some cold, wet flash of sunset, broke from her metaled bends whenever she was moved by the infowing heave of the water.
 "When I got on board, found the lit tie ship very noble, flush decked yes sel, with clear sweep of sand bright, yachtlike pink running from the taffrail to the eyes. The brasswork was full of the stars of the western sunshine. The glass of her skylights was dark and shining. Her ropes were Flemish coiled, as though indeed she had been man. ofwar Everything was clean and neat. l guessed she was about 300 tons bur- den. Her crew had knocked off for the day and were lounging about the wind AeesoG O"O OA O11AOO OI lppCll UO the waist, washing themselves They had colonial air. This might have been owing to their dress of check shirt, open at the breast, no braces, here and there moleskins and here and there cabbage tree hat.
 "The second mate, man whose name l afterward ascertained was Curzon, was walking ill the gangway, smoking pipe. I inquired if Captain Hudders- field was on board. He asked me what my business was, as though suspicious of visit from a stranger after working hours was about to explain the reason that had brought me to the schooner, when Captain Huddersfeld himself emerged through the little companion way and stepped on deck, pausing a mo- ment, with the sharp of his hand to his brow, to gaze in the direction of Cape Town.
 ''He was a tall, gentlemanly looking person, thickly bearded, the hair of a rich auburn. The skin of his face was much burnt by the sun. His eyes were of liquid blue, and when he approach ed and directed them at me I seemed to find something glowing and tender in them, as though he were an enthusi-