The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-22
part III.

PART III.
1t was the firing that did il. They
should have said nothing about il, but
when a few thousand foreigners are
bursting with JOY over the fact that a
ship under the British flag had been
fred at on the high seas, news travels
uuickly; and when il came out that the
pearl-stealing crew had not been allowed
Rccess to their consul (there was no
consul within n few hundred miles of
that lonely port) even the friendliest Of
powers has a right to ask questions.
The great heart of the British public
was beating f~uriously on account of the
performance of a notorious race horse,
and had not a throb TO waste on distant
accidents; but somewhere deep in the
hull of the ship of state there is machin-
cry which more or less accurately takes
charge of foreign affairs. That ma
chinery began TO ~revolve, and who SO
panied and surprised as the power that
hadfcaptured the Haliotis? II explained
that colonial governors and far away
men-of-war were difficult 10 control,
and promised hat il would most GER
1ainlv make an exemple both of the gov
ernor ana the vessel. AS 10 the crew re-
ported to be pressed into military serv-
ice in tropical climes il would produce
them as soon as possible. and il would
apologize If necessary. Now no apollo
,cies were needed. When one nation
apologies to another millions of anna
teurs who have no earthly concern with
the difficulty hurl themselves into the
strife and embarrass the trained spe-
cialist. 1t was requested that the crew
be found IL they were still ~alive-they
had been eight months beyond knowl-
edge-and IL was promised that all
would be forgotten.
The little governor of the little port
was pleased with himself. Seven-and-
twenty white men made Il very compact
force to throw away on n war that had
neither beginning nor end-a Jungle
and-stockade fight hat flickered and
smouldered through the wet hot years
en- the hills a hundred miles away, and
was the heritage of every wearied Off
ciaI. He had, he thought, deserved well
of his country; and if only some N
would buy the unhappy Haliotis moored
in the barbor below his veranda his cup
would be full. He looked at the neatly
silvered lamps that he had taken from
her cabins, and thought of much that
might be turned to account. But his
lcountrymen in that moist climate a
no spirit. They would peep into the ST.
lent enpine-room and shake their heads.
Even the men-of-war would not tow her
further up the coast, where the gov
ernor believed hat she could be re-
lpaired. She was a bad bargain; but
her cabin carpets were u~ndeniably
beautiful, and his wife approved of her
mirrors.
Three hours later cables were burst
ing round him like shells, for, though
he knew il not, he was being offered as
a sacrifice by the neither to the upper
milestone, and his superiors had no re-
gard for his feelings. He was, said the
cables. an ass who had exceeded his
power, and failed to report on events.
He would, therefore-atthish he cast him
self back in his hammock-he would
produce the crew of the Haliotis. He
would send for them, and il that failed
he would put his dignity on a pony and
fetch them himself. He had no con-
lceivable right TO make pearl-poachers
serve in any war. lie would be hello
responsible.
Next morning the cables wished to
know whether he had found the crew
,of the Haliotis. There were TO be found
and freed and fed-he was TO feed them
IT'LL such time as they could be sent to
Fthe nearest English port in IA man-of-
war. If you abuse a man long enough
in great words flashed over the sea-beds
things happen. The governor sent iu-
land swiftly for his prisoners, who were
also soldiers, and never was n militia
regiment more llxious 20 reduce its
strength. No power short of death
could make these mad men wear the
uniform of their service; they would
not fight except with their fellows, and
il was for hat reason the regiment had
not gone 10 war, but stayed i'm n stock
nde, reasoning with the new troops.
The autumn campaign had been a
lfasco, but here were the Englishmen.