The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-26

Hardly a the dignitary of the
black republic reached the fore-well
han a pandemonium of angry yells
rose from the crowded deck, and bright
matchet-blades glittered above a maze
Of naked arms. Captain Orme, who
had been fined too many times on fri
volous pretexts to love the Liberians,
smiled grimly as the customs officer
hastily returned to the foot of the
bridge-ladder. His teeth were chatter
ing and his knees shook like an acacia
leaf in the rush Of the harmattan.
You shall pay for this" he gasped.
IF you attempt to land one boy I'll
fire on you, and advise Monrovia to
put our navy on you track"
IF the Liberian navy gets in my way
I'll run owe the thing" replied the
Captain; sit looked like an overgrown
launch the last time 1 saw it. Is your
&c on to Sierra Le-cmfww shrdl sh
western squadron like the other
h If they won't pay the Kroo-
boys must go or to Sierra Lee
one for they shall not take my boats
ashore for you to confiscate-see?
Here's a word of advice. This is a
hard crowd, a fighting tribe from the
Interior; they might fancy swimming
off in the dark. for we stay here all
night and we dare not try to stop them.
IL Nii@y W. yO0N ~ IA AeS-
member, too, that a little civility costs
nothing; and now, good-day."
The black official answered nothing.
His self esteem vas wounded, and
with a feeble attempt at a swagger he
kicked his sable clerks down the lad
der and descended into the launch. AS
the little craft steamed away a yell of
derision n hate followed her, and
matchets flashed along the Dunlin's
rail. Then the Krooboys settled down
again into their customary easy-going
good-humor, and the mate observed.
'Scene one Of the comedy. I wonder
how it will end"
mo canoe come sab; you lend us
surf boats one liz timer" asked Old
Man Trouble. But the Captain ans
wered sharply: mo, you all go on to
Sa Leone, and get back the best way
you can. Here's a dollar; get away
forward"
Darkness settled down across the
misty ocean with the suddenness Of the
tropics, INC after swallowing a hasty
meal in their sitting, cockroach-haunt-
ed mess-room, captain and mate loung-
ed about beneath the spar-deck avn
ings, trying to catch a stray breath OF
air.
"Pah! I'm half mad with prickly heat,
"iAo NAitS NH SOto ~ 49, 49, 'NSB $500
the former" This deck passenger game
is not worth the candle; look at them
now"
A wild hammering of mOnkey-skin
drums arose from the fore-well, follow
ed by -the rattle of matchet-blades.
Then two hundred lusty voices broke
out into the swinging chorus Of a war
song of the Kroo nation.
Some of their chanties are quite
musical" said the mate; land very
old too; many tell how they fought the
first white men, the Portuguese, four
hundred years ago."
Presently, by a blaze of torch-light,
for a fire of some kind is an essential
feature of a west African palaver three
wild figures danced upon the high fore
castle-head, the red glare falling upon
their naked skins as they flung their
arms about and h~arangued the excited
crowd below. A hoarse roar ofapprov-
al went up in answer then one Of the
orators appeared to dissent, and his
comrades pitched him head over heels
on to the iron deck beneath. Capt.
Orme sprang to his feet. "ThereIl be
murder DONE" he shouted, land they're
burning the new tarred gas warp too.
Tell Mao to start the big pump"
THE hose is rugged. Pairsonal clean
llQoSS is SulU, all there , HdelilIS al
settle a palaver like a pickle cauld wa
ter, with eighty pun O. steam ahint it,
observed the engineer drily; the follow
ing the cling clang of the pump below
a solid jet of water swept the deck and
aft, till the council broke up ignomi-
nOusly.
"Thank goodness" said Captain
Orme. Tn glad that's over; wonder
what it was all about anyway"
It was long past midnight when the
harassed captain was awakened by g
loud hammering at his door. Spring.
ing out of his narrow bunk, and shak-
ing down legions Of c~ockroaches from
the breast of his thin jamas, he STROBE
toward the entrance, and heard the
rough voice of the quartermaster say;
Them devils are a seiZin' the boats
sir. They've got No. 1 halfway lower
ed, and are cuttin' the falls Of the
rest" For a few moments after HI
left the doorway, Captain Orme could
see nothing but the luminous vapol
which streamed from the summit Of tn
Keeling funnel sweeping to and FRI
across the inky blackness at every roll
Then he heard the mate calling ex
| citedly for help, and striking left ant
right with his revolver-butt, he burs