The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-02-23
ODD TALES OF CHINA.
suPeRSTiTloNs WHICH STRANGELY
INFLUENCE THE MoNeoLlANs.

INFLUENCE THE MoNeoLlANs.
A Prediction by the Blue Devil at Sea which
Was Terribly FULFILLED Belief In Trans
migration of Souls and the Magistrate's
Tiger story.
"Some years ago." said Edward S. Bed
loo, OK consul to Annoy, "the steamer Nam
Chow sailed from Singapore in the straits
for Annoy. She carried several hundred
Chinese as passengers. On the second day
out the captain from his position ON the
bridge saw great connection among his
Chinese passengers forward and sent the
mate to find out the cause Of the disturb
ance, which arose seemingly without rea-
son and grew with each moment. The
mate shortly returned from his mission,
with look OF mingled pcrplexity and
amusement on his bronzed and weather
beaten face.
"'Captain, said he, this is the FUNNIEST
lot OF heathens have struck yet, Blow
me IL can make them out. The beggars
have yarn, and they all stick to 1t like
lot of sea lawyers lying under oath. They
say that just before the rumpus began
what they call blue devil" came down
stacks and walked up to them. The whole
b'ilin Of EN- declare they saw him, and
that he said the steamer was going to be
wrecked and nearly all on board lost. He
said, so they give 1t, that there is Just one
honest Cinnamon on board, and that for
his sake he came to give them warning.
They say that when the blue devil" got
| through with his palavcr he gave an awful
| grimace, walked backward into the smoke
and disappeared. And now they are as
crazy as March hares, and every mother s
son of 'em In blue funk with fear that
the Nam Chow will go to Davy Jones'
locker in the next hour.
THE captain was visibly annoyed, but
he said little. He had sailed too long in
Chinese waters to be thrown off his bal
ance by any queer freak on the part Of u
lot Of Chinese deck passengers, but his
Scotch blood was too full Of belief In Sec
ond sight not to give him q feeling Of relief
when the harbor Of Annoy was reached In
safety. Within q week the cargo was dis
charged, and the vessel was ready for her
return trip to Singapore. But, though the
Nam Chow usually took several hundred
Chinese deck passengers, not ono was
booked or could be induced to go. The
native cooks and walters had also deserted
the ship, leaving their wages with the
purser. The story Of the blue devil had
got around, and not a Chinaman would
put his foot on the steamer for love or
money. The captain was in q quandary,
but shrcwdly set to work to find way
out. He consulted the local authorities,
and In a few hours he had every Chinese
priest in Annoy down on.the steamer beat
ing tomtoms, burning joss sticks and rails
t,,e k,,l Ato 90. . H.
blue devil and exercise his evil influence.
When this was done to the satisfaction of
the priests, they pronounced the vessel
safe, and inside the next "a hours the
missing members Of the crew and the nor
NAL passenger list put in an appearance,
and the Nam-Chow sailed. Within 4S
hours the propeller shaft broke, pounded
u hole in the bottom Of the steamer-it
was at highland of the 400 odd souls
aboard only S5 were saved.
1.-THE Chinese" continued DR.. Bedloe,
"are firm believers In INSTRUMENTATION
Of souls The dogs in the streets may con-
tain tho spirits Of ones departed ancestors,
and they treat all animals with the great
est circumspection.
II once went with a party on o tiger
hunt several days journey in the interior.
We arrived at last in the tiger country and
made inquiry at village II there were any
tigers in the neighborhood The head mag
istrate, ashrewd olu Mongolan, declared
In the most positive terms that there wers
none, nor had there Deeh, ne ainrmeu, In
many years. We had been informed other.
WISE but could learn nothing, and so pro
ceeded further into the country We had
proceeded but few miles before q runner
came from the Village we had JUST lott
win message rom the magistrase' ne
peggeu our ihos' huinpie paruoh' Dut
Wouiu 1he INDUSTRIOUS ana most pehevolen.
gentlemen DC 50 kiha AZ 70 return at once'
ne hau peeh mistaken IN saying thero
were no tigers In the neighDorhood. There
was one and 1t was q very had and most
dangerous one just AFTER our departure
IL had entereo the village, seized young
woman ana maae on WIN her INTO the
Jungle, "ouiu we DO SO eoiioescehoihg "a
W nIho up .ne ,iser ana XIII nun,
we re'urheu, goe on .ne TRACK OF the
neer, ana WIN Strong iorce OF Deaters
succeeded IN klilihg MN hter ABOUT roui
nours Oh CAUTIOUS huhHhs. we theh re
.urneu 10 Inc Vl,iase' ieaVihs 10 our az
eenaan.s ehe .osk o, Scanning the ngel
anu bringing IN the hiue' Inc ola masis
.,a'e 1ouiu no. hp''se Iiinsei, enough Ioi
+ the ialsehood ne MAD told us, put his apoi
ogy was the most remarkable feature III
saNe US eoou iaeni vi ourrieu chicKeh
bamboo sprouts, nsh ana some e1ceiieh'
r oea' anu as we aoe ne soiu US the FOLLOWING
sVory;
Ohe canno' DC 700 careiui ABOUT AMI
mas said nc. lhey may DO good AM
mas anu one own parents might nave
passed INTO them. IhihK now SAD IL would
Dc IL Olft SuOulu hlll u TtlhtlVe, thinking