The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-16

sAz g.
THE SCHEME BARELY TOOK A DOZEN
WORDS TO TILL
thrust out their ears. The scheme
barely took a dozen words to tell, and
when he had coGfided 1t he stepped
back and rolled a cigarette. "Well,"
he said.
Maddox shook his head. There's a
Thousand things against It," said he.
"And fifteen thousand for it," said
Fletcher, quickly, "and those are yellow
sovereigns."
"Yes; but think of the risk" said the
skipper.
sDon't T." retorted the other, "stand
chief risk myself down in my engine
room, and am 1 funlSing it? j know
what you're thinking about" he went
on, hotly, you're thinking that this
racketll bring you the credit of losing
another ship. Well, so it will, and If the
dons don't hang us after we've finished
with the business the papers will make
your name byword. But you'll be
able to sit down and just laugh at them.
You'll have four thousand pounds in
your pockets, and so shall i; and you
bet the widow'll take one of us then.
Anyway I'm fair sick TO death of the
lea, and as I've got decent hand given
me here I'm going to nap on it, and II
] don't pull In that brass I'll burst and
not mind"
"WelI." said Maddox, thoughtfully.
ssthat steering gear has broken down
four times already, hasn't It.; and
they'll know that on shore, because our
beggars will have told them; and I
don't see why. with little help, it
shouldn't break down again. It would
be the clearest Of accidents, and they
couldn't well hang us for It. The only
thing they could do would be to bring
an nction for damages, and, by gum, IL
we did the thing properly and sank
this blessed cruiser in deep water, that
would foot up to a tidy sum-"
Fletcher laughed significantly.
SWELL abandon the old Teva to satisfy
all claims" said he. Its the usual
thing. and by law they can't get moro
out of us. hope she'll pan out to their
expertations."
iernational complications might have
arisen out of this cheerful little ar
rangement; less reckless men would
have looked much askance at the
chance of death during the projected
collision, or of a summary shooting
,fter IL, or of legal hanging somewhat
la <o~ hut 3 20 ha
owners of the Teva that II they wanted
70 see their money back with usury.
.his was the only way it could be con-
trived. And so they gripped hands
over the matter and laid the necessary
plans. BY dangling out an exorbitant
wage, o crew was lured on board;
ballast was tipped into the holds as an
excuse for leaving port; and when the
Teva was ready the armed cruiser of
his most Catholic majesty of Spain,
which lay beside them in the harbor,
was ready also.
One sees in this slight coincidence,
something more than the finger of fate:
but then in civil wars each side (when
it sets its mind to the matter) can al
ways pull string or two in the enemy's
camp; and III 1t was some unconfessed
rebel who contrived that the govern
ment warship should be ordered to sea
on that precise day and hour, well, the
matter was understandable enough,
And the way, too, in which the "Teva'
rammed her was the most natural thing
In the world. The two vessels were just
clear of the harbor. the merchant tramp
leading by half a hundred yards and
lying on the starhoard hand. They
had each put on full speed, when of d
sudden the "Teva's" sarboard tiller
chain snapped, and she took quicl,
sheer TO port. There was yell. and
imprecations, and reversed engines on
both vessels; but the weigh of tn,