San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-10
snail sae the chest. /"

berth. Several persons entered; two or
three others talked at the table, appar-
emily without interest in what was pass
ing. The ladies kept their cabins.
NOW You see it." said the mate.
Hankey examined the lock and ex-
claimed, "Yes, newly smashed, by
Jove No doubt of that. p"
The second mate lifted the lid, and
Captain Trollope, looking down into
the open box over his folded arms, said,
"What were the weapons?"
"Blunderbusses, horse pistols, cut
lasses and so on" said Poole, scarcely
able to hold his face as he gave name
to the ridiculous parcel.
The mates were half stunned by the
roar of laughter that attended this.
GOOD booty" exclaimed Captain
Trollope, wiping his lips. He burst into
another laugh. "Blunderbusses and
horse pistols, ehi think see old Cap
tain Benson taking aim, the wrong eye
shut, a purple face glowing at the butt
end like the August moon at the tail of
shoal, the piece all trigger and the
flint gone"
Another shout of laughter.
Suppose we begin the search here, !"
said Mr.. Davenire, looking with crook
ed eyebrows at the portrait of Poole's
mother, while Mr.. Caldwell advanced
his black head to view the cruoifix.
The mate looked remonstranoe. He
did not relish the officiousness Of these
gentlemen. But he had overheard the
shippers answer to Captain Trollope on
the poop and bad nothing to say. The
search then began. The locker was OPEN
ed, the mattress tumbled; they peered
under the bunk; they beat the bulkheads
as though for secret panels and mystic
rious hiding places.
They next went in body to the
mates berth. Ten gentlemen were now
assisting the two officers to find the
plumber, and they made considerable
crowd in the little cabin. Their num-
Der was trouble. Nothing could be
done for elbows and showing.
''There's no good in all this skylark-
ing" said Burn. 81 mean if the thief's
to be discovered.
There's nothing here" said Captain
Trollope, looking around him with
slight disdain over the head of the mate.
'Bet your hottest prospects on that, |"
said Mr.. Matthews slowly, cap in hand,
wiping his face, for indeed the whole
of them shone with perspiration and
most of them with good spirits.
Next cabin" shouted Mr.. Masters,
and the heap dashed in huddle into
the cuddy, bearing the two mates help
less in the thick of them.
Aren't you going to search the ship
with us?" bawled Mr.. Hankey to Mr..
Storr, who stood in a posture of unoer-
tainty at the head of the table. The
little auctioneer responded with pale
smile and a weak, meaningless flourish
of the hand.
''There's the captain locking" said
Shannon in q low voice &c Caldwell,
and they both laughed. Sure enough,
in the open frame of the skylight was
the head Of the skipper. He gazed down
with his face full of blood, amazed and
enraged, but he, like his officer, had
nothing to say.
The next cabin attacked was the one
shared between Mr.. Dixie Caldwell and
Mr.. Isaac Cavendish. The 10 filled this
little room like burst of wind. There
was hardly space for an elbow to jerk
itself. Shouts of laughter reached the
captains ears. They tumbled the mat
tress; they roared over an old razor
strop. A toothbrush was flung through
the open portfolio. 1t was Caldwell's,
and he turned savagely upon the joker.
'That portmanteau?' said the mate.
"No, you don't, said Caldwell, with
one Of his ugly, black scowls, and he
sat down upon it.
"Mr. Matthews, I appeal to your
common sense" exclaimed Captain
Trollope, endeavoring to fan himself
with his hat lis it conceivable, even
supposing Mr.. Caldwell were the cul-