The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-10

with wet sand. This was done by en-
ployes who could be trusted. After
midnight, one night, the money boxes
were carried aboard of the Gull" and
slowed away in the lazarette under
the cabin, while the boxes of sand were
carried aboard the steamer in broad
daylight. on the third day both the
steamer and the bark were ready to
leave. Both crafts had shipped short
handed crews, and with a purpose in
view. We killed time from mid-after-
noon till 10 o'clock at night. Then the
steamer cast off and headed toward the
north. Two hours later Captain Ray
nor was ready to put to sea. Our men
came aboard one by one during the
evening and had been smuggled into
the cabin. We had on deck six Chin
ese sailors, not one of whom were able
seamen, and they were floundering
about and growing at our being short
handed, when the ten Americans
walked out of the cabin and there was
change in the programme. 1t would
not do to send these fellows ashore in
boat, and we did not want them un-
derfoot. II was therefore decided to
imprison them on the ballast. 1t was
q INNS VIC illlSnI HuNt TO answer Tor
in court later on, but Captain Raynor
took the bull by the horns, and it trans
pired that he never did a more lucky
thing.
"We may have thrown dust in the
eyes of Wong-Lee, or we may have
missed it," he explained "If we happen
to encounter him, we don't want these
scoundrels against us as well. Three
of them have such hang-dog looks that
we may suspect them of anything"
While / had been shipping the crew
the captain had seen to arming the
bark. He had put aboard a dozen
muskets, as many cutlasses, plenty of
cartridges and two double-barreled
American shotguns. Even If he could
have bought cannon, there was no one
aboard who knew anything of gun
merry. Counting the cook and steward.
who We're Malays and hatens of the
Chinese, there were fifteen of us in the
crew, and we felt we ought to be able
to give fair account of ourselves if
laid aboard. The steamer made a run
OF 100 miles to the north, and then, as
planned beforehand, something went
wrong with her machinery. A day was
spent in making repairs, and she
limped back to Saigon and her crew
were discharged. She had seen nothing
of Wong-Lee, but Lnere was a good rea-
son for 1t, as we afterwards ascer-
tanned In spite of all our sharpness
and secrecy, the pirates spies got on 70
our little game and knew that only the
boxes of sand went by the steamer.
Wong-Lee knew our destination, the
course we must take with the prevail
ing winds, and he was in the wake of
the Gull before she had sailed twen-
ty miles. When morning came we had
a fine working breeze and crowded the
bark along, but there was junk astern
which held her position so steadily that
we knew she was something better than
a trader. In a run of four hours we
did not gain a foot on her, though the
Gull" would pass the average mer-
chant junk with everything double
reefed. Wong-Lee had the fastest ma
tive craft ahoat, and when noon came
and our pursuer still maintained her
position, we tried little experiment
In hopes 10 settle her identity.
TITS my opinion that some of the fell
lows down in the hold are pirates and
have sailed with Wong-Lee," said Can
tain Raynor. "If so, they will know
his craft on sight. Wen rouse 'em up
Tor an airing and then watch EN-"
The prisoners lashing were cast off
and they We're brought on deck and
crowded forward into the bows, and
the crew watched them in a furtive
mile away the crew pulled and hauled
sulky, and 1t was,perhaps fifteen min
utes before they made out the junk
astern. There We're no less than seven