Connecticut western news., 1895-04-11
A MAN OF PREY.

glare, a long, slashing schooner came spanking in before the southwest mon- soon at pace which procured for hel from prahu, lorcha and sampang an un- commonly wide berth. Off Pulo Pan jan, however, the stranger put his helm down, got in his square canvas and went away, close hauled, west by north along the coast.
 ''See that, Sam:'' and Freddy of Freddy 6 Newman let his cheroot go out as he gaped after the flying schooner. Freddy had been over to Bintang, and Sam was skipper of his little steam yacht.
 "Aye, sir, sec that, and see the req son of it, too," and Sam pointed to streaming wisp of yellow at the top of a headless palm on Panjan point. "Schooner hauled her wind the instant that bit O bunting went aloft. '
 Private signal. eh? And quarantine colors tool Devilish odd! Don't concern us. thought" and Freddy, the pot bel lied, lit another Manila
 Over the domestic establishment of Simon Freddy, Esq, presided a lady who rejoiced in stearine complexion, a velvety eye and hair for length and blackness like unto horses tail, but who, despite French habiliments and an English education, was China woman pure and simple.
 "A wonderful woman, sirP' would Freddy say Worth any half dozen white women I ever knew! And the best of it is that her sisters and her cousins and her aunts are God knows where! Couldn't quite stand them, you know"
 But, all unknown to Freddy, his brevet wife possessed father-a sophis ticated old sinner, who dabbled with dubious irons in mysterious fires and carried about as much rascality to the square inch as any in Singapore. And little thought Freddy, when he one day ordered off his premises doddering, old, spectacled Chow, that into that astute brain of Mrs. Proddy's respected parent there had that very moment been born scheme for the conversion into valuable security of his, Proddy's, sub stantial person.
 Well, up the old Singapore strait the mysterious schooner had let go her anchor. In here, between the back of the island and the mainland, the sou'- wester came but faintly, and the Ra- phael H. Semmes, under lee of Tanjong Belu, lay stirless and silent upon an ink mirror. Her forestay showed no "riding light, ," nor through the tarpaulin blind ed skylight could come any glimmer from below, where lounged frook coat ed and pot halted little man of slender build and mild, reflective eye. There wasn't much to indicats the most reck- less desperado the archipelago had ever seen-a deserter from the famous Ala bama during her visit to the strait in 1865. Crocky Dixon had since sailed slap through many law of many a nation, and, though report perhaps exaggerat- ed in asserting that he ought long ago to have adorned Q yardarm, it was cer- tain that he hadn't acquired his pleas ing appellation for nothing. But now the Crocodile, with black trichinopoly in its jaws and bottle of Madeira at it's elbow, appeared "a gentle beast enough and of an excellent conscience, !" fact which, to those who knew the reptile best, boded very ill for some body. ..-... .e..
 'At here, master, now come. Very great thing to want to settle at now quick.
 Away among the jungle, toward the back of the island, Freddy had gam | bier plantation, the overseer whereof was Whang Lo, and Whang Los Eng l 1sch obora ,,roco,,tad DYolIv unaor. stood we'll enough. But what he didn t 1 understand-as he told the lemon tint ed Mrs. Proddy-was what the devil it could be that required his presence in | such hurry! If it was another cooly nabbed by tiger, he'd wake the au- thorities up to some purpose! The brutes were breeding on the island like rab- bits, and the reward wasn't quarter big | enoughl
 About an hour after Freddy, growl- ing thus, had departed isto the dark ness, Mrs. Freddy, idly turning over i Whang Los screed, discovered on the back thereof three tiny Chinese charac. ters, of which-so far had English dis | placed her hereditary language-she un- l derstood but one. That one, however, was enough---it signifed danger and in three minutes Mrs. Freddy was on her way to the nearest police tannah.
 "Do not comel' translated the old Jayani sergeant-"Danger! croco- dilel The true word, this, on back!" he added promptly. Bad men make he write the other-this when nobody look, I he put, so Missa Freddy no come'' And then, with Mrs. Freddy, the acute old man sent off peon to the central office.
 Here she had a short interview with the superintendent, who, in turn, had, %
 minutes later, short interview with the lieutenant commanding her majes tvs gunboat Ticker.
 s'Oh, that ruffian Dixonr" Lieutenant Dawson said. Why, we're getting steam up now to go around and see what
 he's about at the back of the island
 What dye make of this Freddy busi
 ness!"
 Case of ransom, I take iti Thi
 Dixon's brought off something of tn
 kind before up Penang way. They'v
 nabbed old Freddy at his plantation b
 this time, I expect, and, If they can they'll run him over to some den on tn
 Bornean coast and keep him till gov
 ernment or the merchants come dow
 with something handsome The so calle
 Mrs Proddy's father is about the big | Il T T