Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-27

| p0nner descended with thud upon hi
yooly head. and the gaunt figure of tn
.hief engineer leaped into the circle oil
ilght. while the negro. staggering side
ways. fell grooming upon the deck. Mex
moment a wedge OF sooty fremen and
greascrs. with shovels and rabbles In
their hands, cleft the crowd apart. and
the kroOboys gave suilenly back on
either side.
Nov" said the captain. take that
man away and pump on him. IL there:
one OF you left on the spar deck In three
minutes I'll shoot him" The negroes
went slowly forward IL was the old
story-the calmness and contemptuous
fearlessness OF the European had trl-
umphed over the tickle impulses OF
the African. The negro savage Is rarely
a coward, in some circumstances he Is
recklessly brave; but he Is always loath
10 face n determined white man. Ii Is
not unusual to see score OF stalwart
bushmen flying In terror from the wrath
OF n sickly white trader. who would be as
helpless as a child in their muscular grip.
This is the more strange. as all the
traders are by no means remarkable for
nerve or courage. while the negroes have
probably faced swift death at the point
of a barbed spear several times before.
"A wee bit firmness gangs lang
way" said the engineer painting; IAN I'm
thinkn' it's gey hard skull he has ony-
| way; the bit tap wull no trouble MIN
lang
The mate burst out into laugh to re-
lieve his pent-up excitement, as he an
swered IF It had been any one but
Niger, the bit tap would have killed him
on the spot"
I'm dead tired OF them, anyway, OBJ
| served Captain Orme. slowly. Five dol
| lore haaI from TnUOg doesn't cover
this kind of thing. / wonder what they'll
be up to next" Even as he spoke wild
yell rose from the foredeck. followed by
la succession of splashes in the sea,
| Come back therel Stop them! Light an
other portfire," he reared
This time a crimson flame blazed out
from the rail of the spar-deck, and by
| the ruddy glare the Europeans saw the
Krooboys hurting their gin cases over the
iron bulwarks, while already four or f1ve
sable figures were shooting through the
circle of light which fell upon the long,
CLASSY, undulations, as the steamer rolled
and wallowed in the steep swell. The
white seamen descended the iron-runged
ladder, but glistening matchet-blades bar
red their way, and Oldham Trouble stood
upon the winch-drum ana lifted up his
voice.
Listen III word Captain sah," he said.
1--WE dun pay you all five dollah fer land
on Palm Bluff beach. Liberia men say no;
Captain say no boat. Krooboy swim; II
white man say no, we chop him. Live fer
quiet; we go chop Liberia man instead"
LET them CO., advised the mate; I'VE
can't stop them now, and would only get
hurt If we tried. There's no surf in Africa
big enough to drown a Krooboy."
AS he spoke a crowd Of naked figures
flung themselves over the rail, and the
sea was dotted with swimming heads;
man after man followed in rapid success !
sion, until the deck was empty Of all |
save those bound for Sierra Leone. The !
sight was no unusual one, for when, as !
occasionally happens, the canoes do not |
come off to meet the coasting-steamers, |
the KroOboy passengers swim ashore half |
q mile or more, pushing their gin cases
before them.'
Il wanda care tae be in the shoon O.
that custom-man II they devils wake him
up the NIGHT" said the engineer.
ITS not our business" rejoned the
mate land he probably deserves IT, II
won't be the first Liberian station the
willy Krooboy has cleaned out L am
most of the two French traders;
1 don't suppose they'll be molested, but
Wen warn them anyway"
Inc long, TtNeIDeldllnR DoOTn OL lut
steam whistle rang out four times across
the misty darkness, and then all was ST.
lence again.
1t is hard enough at any time 10 sleep
in the tropics during the sitting heat or
the rains, and after what had happened
none of the spectators cared to return TO
their berths again. They sat smoking in
stead upon the spar-deck, listening TO the
weller of water along the bends, each
time the punlin rolling heavily down
buried her rusty plates In a trimming
swell. At last shortly after dawn. the
Captain sprang to his feet. They're
burning the custom-house. by George!
Look there" he said, pointing 10 broad
sheet of red flame which roared aloft from
the shadowy loom Of the bluff, lighting
up the fringe of foaming breakers which
hurled themselves upon the sand. "rhat
officer is probably having a bad time
now; the Kroomen have no particular
reverence for the majesty of the Black
he added. II wish It was day
light, so we could send a boat in for the
sake of the Frenchmen; but shed never
get through the surf in the dark"
"Tl chance 1t, sir; Wen get through
somehow" answered the mate. They
were very kind last time we called ana
even If it were only on account of the
black officer, we can't sit here and do
"WeH" said the Captain, 'Tr you like
to risk it, go. Mac is itching to go too.
It's none of his business, but he's never