Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-28

being impressed by the heathen's con-
stancy. They might die, but they forbore
to curse God in doing it, and the omission
gave him an insight into the workings of
fatalism, which made him think more of
what Cortolvin had said. Every man
among the pilgrims had sword or spear or
mace rifle within grip of his fist, and
as a fighting force-with fatalism to back
them-he began to realize that they could
make a very ugly company to maneuver
against. regulation of the pilgrim trade
requires that all weapons shall be taken
from this class of passengers during the
voyage, but Kettle had omitted to disarm
them through sheer contempt for what they
could do. If they chose to fight among
themselves, that was their own concern: it
never even occurred to him as they came
off Jeddah quay. noisy and odorous. that
they would dare to contend against his i'm
perial will. but now he sincerely wished
that the means of serious offense were not
so handy to their fingers. l do not say
that he was afraid, for. knowing him well,
l honestly believe that the little ruffian has
never yet feared man that was born of
woman, but the safety of the Saigon was
a matter just then very near to his heart,
and he had forebodings as to what might
happen to her.
He went back again inside the chart
house, sat himself upon the sofa, and ran
a finger round inside the collar of his white
drill coat.
DO you like cheroots, sir?" he said to
his tattered guest.
Mice cberootS," said Cortolyin, Two
der how many I'll smoke. Those True Be-
levers are a pretty tough crowd, aren't
they? There's one Soudanese fellow in a
Darfur suit of mail Did you notice him {?
He's been big war shek in his day. He
helped to smash I'D Hicks Pasha's army,
and commanded a thousand men at the
storming of Khartoum: but he got sick of
Mahdisni about year back, and set out
n hn Iahi tAt, g.
fighting you'll see that man will shine"
He shall have my first shot," said Ket-
tie.
1T surprises me-" said Cortolvin, "that
you ever went in for this pilgrim-carrying
business at all. You must have been pretty
hard pushed, captain?"
Hard wasn't the word for It," said the
shipmaster with a sigh. Il met misfor-
tune, sir, in Chile disagreed with my
employer, who was a lady. and went off
cruising in boat by myself. a tea steam
er picked me up and put me in Columbia
got from there to Bombay as second mate
OF a tramp but couldn't stand the old
mans tongue, and went ashore without my
wages l guess, sir, I'm no good except in
command: / can't take an order civilIy
Wen. in Bombay I'd regular nipgut time
OF 1t. l bummed round the agents offices
till l almost blushed to look at their nun
KAN coolies: but I'd no papers to show that
would do me any good: and none of them
would give me ship the size of rice mat
AT iaSt When was getting desperate. and
pretty near put to going to sea before the
mast. Cardiff man l once knew came IN
.he LOGGING and gave me tip. He'd been
master OF country steamer: he'd been
Sdcheu tne didn't deny it, for drunkenness
ne not Drawn sober breath for rnonths
ana didn't see any prospect of cbanaion -. ,
naoiIs ana there was the berth vac.nt
anu might have it for the asking
n mon+P wasn't much, only Rs 100
and the ou au percentage on profits
peen low enough down to sign nm Irdes =
piack man before, but / guess 7 vas 80
Teins very Lice in my tastes Just then
a tbi r~n nn wa was lat and oldsh. and wore
d ..iing on his head like a top had Turned
Upside down, and 1 will say did not giva
nm, mGcn poiiteness. But he knew bis
pace ne sahibed me quite respectfnIIw.
steam me SAD red be honored If I'd take his
SteS mer under my charge. She was ali
ne d got. he said; he loved her liz hia
lie. and he'd not trust her to anv one ex'
eept a pukka sahib.' OF course, he lied a
g'od deal; all natives do that: ana be 49,
up our bargain so that I'd little tn win a nd
ned good deal; which is those Parseas,
way But 1 will say he was alwavs noost
rospectfui and In the matter of victualine
NE he really surprised me. WHY he
actually put Bass ale on board at annas
the bottlei "ielS
We cleared from Bombay in corn ara
s s ana earthenware consigned to Jed
dah and the owner told me I'd have M
trouble in getting a cargo of dates and
Gomez to bring back. But the Jeddah mer-
chants seemed to think different Ont
dcwn freights to near vanishing point Int
Trey wouldn't icck at them ANYHOW 7
Couldn't get ton of cargo on board for
any spot on the globe no, rot II T ofYsred
| 10 carry it for nothing. The Saigon nieht
nave swung there at moorings till the hot
tom rotted out of her; and expenses wero
running up all the time The climate We
sickiy, too. 1 lost my serang before ia
been there week. and two more ~ ~
coolies died in the next ten DAYS So wha,
this cargo OF pilgrims offered I tell vo,, T
just Jumped at It. OF course this old
wreck vas not fitted for the trade She's
small; she's iron decks: she's only two
boats, anc she's not near enough water
| caught. But shipped a second rice steam1
er and signed the charter party, smiling.
IL wasn't as If I'd got to go through the
Dltch to one OF the Morocco ports. the
| pilgrims had only to be taken across no
kosseir; and squaring an Egyptian custom
| shish."
| You do know your trade" said Cor
! tolvin.
The under side of it." said Kettle. with
| a sigh. "A man with luck like mine has
| to. He never gets on with the decent lines
where everything Is square and above
| board He can only get the little and cor
| FER owners. who you've got to make div
| idends for somehow and no questions ask
| ed. or elIe just up and take the dirty sack
| I'm man." he added. with frown, "that
! can do the job well. and they know it, and
keep me TO II. But | despise myself all
| the time. 1t isn't in my nature, Mr. Cor
| toivfn. Put me ashore. give me farm
| and let me bend yellow CATERS and q large
| pattern coat. and there wouldn't be q
| stra;ghter. sweeter-naturcd man between
| here and heaven"
Il rf,o hnH H.