The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-04-10


before he answered me.
- I believe / do, but
Name your price, / said testify.
""Taint altogether a question of dol
lars he answered slowly. If you knew
as much of International politics as do
and had the same source Of information
which you have noticing H. B. M IS con-
sul-you'd know that we-taking us as a
nation-are in about the highest place on
record.
we sat smoking in dreary silence for
many minutes.
"I know that prospector,' he began
again, waving his hand eastward; hes
as British as you or I, though his names
Kopsel. But you'll have to stick to it
that he's a German, and he'll stick to It
too as long as we are down on our luck
I'll pass him the word
"'They won't believe him. 1 objected.
:" No. ne assented, but we could make
EN- h-when is that gunboat we keep
around hero coming back?'
ct replied that she was gone for a
cruise and that even IL II were possible
to wire for her at that instant it would
be a goodish while before she could drop
a party of blue-jackets on the hot white
wharf below there.
ously.
by this time felt pretty low
Cant you suggest anything? asked,
hopelessly. IF you can't, there will be 70
Brftons less in this republic this day week
| mot to mention further complications.
Let me aloner he growled savageiy,
and sucked at his new smoke with vigoc
AFTER ten minutes tobacco he spoke.
You'll have to guarantee expenses
Certainly said.
land 95OO down
Yes; 90 on
" Well, now, I'll sketch out my notion.
I've half-dismantled hulk up the coast
that was going to be rafters next week,
he commenced.
:" The Bird of Paradise? I exclaimed.
{" Yes, that's her handle You know
her? I'll ride across and stop the rafter
business. You remember the cut Of her
keel. and the blunt sweep
-" No, no. I interrupted in a hurry, /
know nothing of her-except commercial
ly. Don't waste time in describing her;
I don't want to have anything to do with
her.
Don't your rejoined he roughly. Yet
she's the only stick between you and
kingdom GOMEZ
HE put his elbows on his knees and
bent toward me-
Look here! I'm going to strip the bull
| warks Off that old wreck and ballast her
below the Plimsoll fine, he said, with an
| odd bitterness I could not then account
for, and keeping only the tail of his eye
on me to see how took it. It's useless
to enter into details with you. iii put II
round black turret on her amidships,
paint her jet black from stem to stern,
| and I'll plough her along that blooming
blue horizon to scare the nativesr
II simply stared at him; couldn't
| imagine what ne was driving at.
" Shake yourself awaker he went on,
with good deal of contempt, and lose
no time in reporting to Dom Miguel that
you expect her majesty's turret ship, the
Destroyer, along here the third day from
now
Good Lord! I said; you don't sup
pose they'll rise to crazy trick like
| thatv
Try EN-; that's all, he replied con
fdently. TITS crude and it's crazy but it
amt time-worn, anyway. It's brand new
this trick is. And whose's to say she's
not British warship? 'Taint you nor
me, Mr., Allansford, nor yet our reputa-
tons neither, that's backing that ship to
be genuine. It's the reputation of Eng
land! And 1 want to know If this republic
is likely to stand up and question that
under the arms of the Destroyer?
guess notv
but the Bird of Paradise is well
known 1 persisted.
She is. but she won't be long-not by
the time I've done with her.
4" Besides, she's not seaworthy.'
hot Ti11
and coddle her along under the shore.
I've eaten salt biscuit in my time and,
well-she's good for a couple Of hundred
knots-perhaps. If I fall in with the Al
batross, I'll send her up sharp
HE got up and stretched himself, while
I opened a bottle of fizz to drink success
| to the expedition.
You'd better go the whole hog and tell
the president that you'd take 1t kindly if
they could demonstrate a bit in our favor.
| That'll set 'em buzzingr
An right I said.
Then he stood awhile as If hesitatlng,
with his glass in his hand, and thought
he was going to say something special,
but he only added as he tossed off the
wine:
There's nothing else for it, it's got to
be done. You may rely on me, Mr.. Allans-
ford. Goodbye
"He put out not over-clean paw to
shake mine. and I'm proud to say I
grasped It heartily.
III.
After watching Scanderson's figure
| slouching away down the hill, wrote to
the president, thinking it might unduly
precipitate matters If 1 showed myself in
the town, where feeling was beginning to
run high. Dom Miguel sent me an ambigu-
Gus answer but the arrest warrant was
not executed" Allansford paused to light
another cigar. Out of the sultry darkness.
which had closed by this time, arose a
, doleful minor melody, wherein the singer
| likened his love to the urpillachay, the
| turtle-dove, Allansford shouted a remon-
STRANGE, and the sound ceased 1 could
see nothing but the glowing tip OF his
| cigar as he resumed.
For the next two days was In the
| deuce Of stew; for though lay low,
side winds brought me disquieting ru-
mors. II anything went wrong, of course.
all the blame of the MISUNDERSTANDING