Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-16


little confidence in her Jim ordered the big
rustling mat sails to be hauled up tighter
and tighter. He did not know their names
at least any name that would be likely
to interest Chinaman-but Erh-Tze had
not banged about the waters Of the Malay
archipelago for nothing, and as he went. he
rolled forward with the bamboo the sails
rose like eastern incantations.
Early as they were the river big
American kerosene ship was ahead of
them in tow, and when Jim saw her through
the driving morning mist he was thankful.
She would draw all Of seventeen feet, and
If he could steer by her they would be safe.
1t is one thing to scurry up and down the
James and Mary In a police tug without
responsibility. and quite another to cram
hard-mouthed old junk across the same
sands alone, with the certainty of a thrash
ing If you came out alive. Jim glued his eyes
to the American and saw that at Fultah
she dropped her tug and stood down the
river under sail. He all but whooped aloud,
for he knew that the number of pilots who
preferred to work ship through the James
and Mary without q tug was strictly linn
tied. IF 1t isn't father it's Dearsley," said
Jim. land Dearsley went down yesterday
with the Bancoora. If I'd gone home last
night instead Of going to Pedro I'd have
met father. He must have got his ship
quick, but-father Is very quick man."
Then Jim reflected that they kept piece
of knotted rope on the pilot brig that stung
like a wasp-but this thought he dismissed
as beneath the dignity of an officiating pi-
lot who need only nod his head to set Erh-
TEES bamboo at work. AS the American
Jim raked her with his spyglass and saw
his father on the poop with an unlighted
cigar between his teeth. That cigar, Jim
knew, would never be smoked on the other
side of the James and Mary. and Jim felt
so entirely safe and happy that he lit a
cigar on his own account. This kind of
plotting was chld's playI His father could
not make mistake If he tried; and Jim
with his six faithful pigtails in his two
hands had leisure to admire the perfect
style In which the American was handled
how she would point her bowsprit jeeringly
at a hidden bank as much as to say. mot
today. thank you, DEAR" and bow down
lovingly over buoy, as much as to say,
You're q gentleman, at any rate" and
come round sharp on her heel with a flut-
ter and a rustic and slow steady swing
something like woman staring round
theater through opera glasses.
1t was not hard work to keep the Junk
near her, though Erh-Tze set everything
that was by any means settable and used
were almost under her counter and a
little to the left, Jim would feel warm and
happy all ever, thinking Of the nautical
and pilotic things he knew When they
fell more than half a mile behind he was
cold and miserable. thinking Of all the
things that he did not know or was not
quite sure of. And SO they went down,
Jim steering by his father, turn for turn
over the Maepur bar with the semaphores
on each bank signaling the depth Of water
through the Western Cat and round the
Makoaputti Jumps and In and out of TWEEN
ty places each more exciting than the last,
and Jim nearly pulled the six pig tails out
for pure Joy when the last of the James
and Mary had been left astern and they
were walking through Diamond harbor
From there to the mouth Of tho Hugh
things are not so bad, at least that was
what Jim thought, and held on till the
swell from the Bay Of Bengal made the old
Junk heave and snort and the river broad
eIied into an inland sea, with islands only
a foot or two high scattered about it. The
American walked away from the junk as
soon as they were beyond Kedgeree, and
the night came on and the water looked
very big and desolate, SO Jim promptly
anC hored somewhere in the gray water,
with the Saugor light away off toward the
east He had great respect for the Hugh
and no desire whatever to find himself on
the Gaspar sand or any other little shoal
Erh-Tze and the crew highly approved Of
this piece of seamanship. They set no
watch, lit no lights and at once went to
sleep. Jim lay down between a red and
black lacquer coffin and little live pig in
a basket. AS soon as 1t was light he be-
gan studying his chart of the Hugh mouth
and trying to find out where In the river he
might be. He decided to be on the safe
side and walt for another sailing ship and