The herald., 1896-02-12
AT THE CHANGE OF WATCH.
Story Of an Adventure With Chinese
Pirates, by G.. Hawley.
TREAOHERY IN THE ENGINE ROOM.
Detected just in Time-Thrce Chi
nese Junks Full of Marauders
Bent on Murder and PilIage
RemorsclcssIy Run Down.

Our steamer had just cleared Singa-
pore. My duty in the engine room was
done, and l was sitting with the mate
on the bridge watching the downward
sweep of the tropic dusk. 1T puts me
in mind of a theatre sunset" he was
saying; 'they always go by the run.
And that was pretty theatrical bit you
had in the engine room," he said to my
chief who had joined us. We had found
all the nuts but one off the connecting
rod head; had another half-turn been
made our engines would have been
scrap heap.
"Only once has it happened before"
said my chief. land there was a grand
| tableau, as you call it. but not in the
! engine-room. Our stem and two wall
| eyed junks We're the actors. 1t was up
there jerking his head northwards.
There was nothing but thousand odd
miles of water and a busting of islands
| between us and Hong Kong" The
mate held a lighted match to the chiefs
pipe, and set him drifting on with the
current of his yarn.
You see it was years and years ago,
and | was second in a local boat-HonS
Kong to Yokohama. We were the first
to employ China firemen. We had been
repairing and had put on fresh crowd,
all except one, Ii Chin. 1t was near
monsoon time,and the second day out we
were sitting, as we might be here; but
there was no sunset on view. 1t had
been hazy all day, and we We're watch
ing the moon rising: just past full, it
looked as if someone had Dashed one
side off the true. 1t got up through the
haze, big and blood red. like fire ba-
loon ut old Cremorne. mean. stagger-
ing swell had set in, so oily that it had
no more go TO it than the slush in a grea-
ser's bucket. We were all pretty well
hipped and morose, being company for
no one except the sea, and that-well,
that looked as if it wanted to be sick
and couldn't. Ii Chin. who was decent
for heather, was in charge below. My
CHIEF was sitting on the rails, and some
how he went over the side. You know
pretty well how things like that galva-
mise everybody. Lose him? No. The
oily swell saved him, for the old man
ran the boat straight back in her own
wake. which was marked out like 4
dusty road at night through billy coun-
try. Well we came to where he was
yelling, and got him out. By all law,
the old man ought to have got into a
splutter, but instead of that he said.
Look here, Mr.. Gamwell' was my
chiefs name-I knew something had to
happen in this cock-eyed no-side-up
looking weather, but don't believe this
is the only thing tonight
"And we all said together. That's
just what l was thinking, SIR as they
do at church when the parson pipes out.
:. "'Then send her ahead again and
let's get it done WITH he said
"'Giye her steam, Ii Chin l shouted
> down the skylight. Ii Chin looked up
' and chittered Hi! no talkee talkec
!. come chop chop So l went down to
o him.
j. 81 was pretty green in those
;. days, and whatever came with
n in hairs breadth Of hap.
d pening made me feel as squeamisll
;. as if it had come Off OF course, you
grow out of that, but then felt my hail
@ creep. Our high pressure con
" Meeting rod was on the down
;. throw with only a single nu
@ on! She had4the old style of engines. re
member, and wien they went on Il burst
q they went handsomely, no tinkering up
d new engines, perhaps new ship; may b(