Evening star., 1898-03-12


of course; who hasn't? And for the mat
ter of that. I've had on a diving suit my
self and gone to see if the divers that had
been sent down to look at some started
plates had brought up a true report. But
I've never done more than pass through
those North Australian seas. They tell me
the pearl fishing's done from small luggers
of some ten or fourteen tons, sailing out of
Thursday island
1T is, said the big man. and
We'll sir. you'd better get another cap
tain. I'm steamer sailor by bringing up
and on a steamer l know my business and
can 30 it with any other man alive. But
you d not find me much good a little
wind jammer like Thursday Island pearl
er- I'm hard-up man, MIR. Carnforth, and
desperately in want of berth. l hope
too. you'll not think it undue familiarity
when | say that | like you personally; but
honestly. don't think you'd better engage
me as your skipper for this trip. You
could get a so much better man for your
money
Carnforth laughed. My dear Kettle" he
said. Il don't think l ever came across a
fellow with less real notion OF looking after
his own interests. As you are aware.
Know your peculiar qualfica tions pretty
thoroughly. I'm an eminently practical
business man; | offer you handsome SAL
airy with both eyes open, and yet you re-
fuse because you are afraid of robbing me
of my money
Mr. Carnforth.'' said the little sailor.
Stitiiy. 4 have my own ideas of what's
right You have seen me at sea using vio-
lence and ugly words. But YOU will kindly
remember that l was in service of an en-
pioyer then. and was earning his paw by
driving his crew. It's another thing now
We are ashore here, and / would have YOU
Know that ashore | am a strict chapel
member with q high-pressure conscience
II hot
after. | could never forgive nnvscIf if
thought | was taking your pay without
earning il thoroughly
If you'll let me get word in edge
ways. said the other. irritably, and not
be 50 heastly cncksure that you can rob me
which you could 10 more do than fly
perhaps You Il understand what I'm Cffer-
ing. ard not sneeze at good chance. The
IuEger = Your own invention. and so is the
idea that ! n merely going pearl fishing in
the ordinary way. My notion is to go pearl
poachiES. which is a very different matter:
10 get rich quick and take the risks and
get over them; and to so at the business in
steamer with q strong enough crew to
er-do what's needful'
PIRACY. suggested Kettle. gloomily
PIRACY he hanged. The Japs have an
EeNef certain peariug islands and have
declared them closed. At the outside we
should be only guilty of poachfng. and
that's toleTahly mild offense. and one I
want - S-e both sides Of I've got pheas-
pnached. i amUsss me to chase the poach-
eTs. and occasionally / catch them and
-hen do. | go for them hot ard hcayy
20 l kno" the joys of the game preserver,
J"u see. and l want To taste the excite
ment-dnd the prOtits-of the poacher"
And y"a're rich man. said Kettle.
With fire position in the country and
a seat in parliament Some people never
q" knoE when they're we'll Off
Some people DON'T" said Carnforlh.
and you're another of them skipper For
myself, | do d mad thing now and again
- cS1nse-ph because l Ike the excitement
ara hurry Of II. But you, You go and re-
1uSe a profitable billet that would fit yo.,
down TO the boots. merely for the sake Of
a whlm y quarter of an hour ago YOU
told me You were practically 6estitute-ec-
on the streets your own words were: and
here You are chucking up a certain faO n
month. and possible 800. when it's ready
to your hand"
Il didn't know about the steamer" said
Kettle and that's a fact"
ell. / m telling you now, captain ana
II You don't take charge of her upper
hridSe II Will be your own fault. Why
nan. there isn't a job between here and
New Jerusalem that would suit you better;
and. besides. I'm keen to go there myself
ard You are tho one man in the world |
want 10 have as shipmate, and L ask
you 20 come as personal favor
I'm sick Of this SNUG. orderly frock-
coated life here Nature intended me fer d
pirate. and fate has made me a successful
IL sii4t4ia 'tiitI L We tasted the Wild, Unro-
generate life Of the open air once under
your auspices and rubbed against men who
were men. and / want to be there again
I'm tired of fiddling among men and wo-
men WI" are merely dollar millers and
dress pegs I'm sick of what they call sue
cess I'm sick of the whole blessed 0usi-
EesS"
Capt Kettle thought of Mrs Kettle and
her children in the squald house in South
Shields, with the slender income and the
slim prospects. and he sighed drearily But
he did not utter those thoughts aloud He
said instead that he was very grateful to
Mr.. Carnforth for his magnificent Offer
and would DO his best to earn thoroughly
the lavish income which was held out 70
him.
Carnforth reached out and gripped his
hand Thanky. Kettle. he said and
mind. I'm going to try and lug you into Il
competency over this. You might Just as
vel have given way before. / always get
my own way over these sort of things
Anu row probably you'd like to hear a bit
more about the pcaching ground"
If you please. sir
Well l can't quote you latitude and
longitude offhand. but I'll show you the
whereabouts Of the place marked on the
chart afterward. It's Japan way and the
Japs have chosen to claim all the bits Of
REFS thereab1uts and to proclaim sort
OF close season against all foreign pearl
ers Now the place I've got news of is in
their area. but so far it has never been
fished- It's enormously rich. and it's abso-
utely virgin Why. man, II we can put in
SIX months work there undisturbed. we
can easily carry off a million pounds
worth uf shell and pearls
Six months said Kettle That's A
Dig order I've no doubt that, with a de.
cent steamer and few rifles, we could
peat on one OF their gunboaIs when We
got there. and. say, a weeks fishing But
II that SunbOat steams back 10 Nagasakt
or wE'TeFer her port is. and brings out a
wh0ie blessed navy at her heels We NAV
md the contract outside our size OF
course. II yoI are going to hit out a real big.
s.eamhoat with gun two ana a hun
cred mea-"
tarnf0rth laughed. Wait a bit" said
re y ca re going ahead too fast There's
no question of fighting a whole navy. In
l"ct. We mustn't tight at all if thcre's ary
n ''iHN ti "riSSling out of it. 1 believe
IEhtlnS would amount to piracy and
PIRACY TOO lively even for my tastes Hc-
S-i'N' u "" got very noisy we'd have SOM
cruiser OF the British China sqaadroa pok-
HiS h~r ugly nose in. and that's a thir @
" 90 uidh &nord TO risk at any price"
lhen how are You going to manage it2''
" M; We must hope Cor is 20 be left
uhHl~turted There's every chance Of il
ne reef l. ont OF all the steam lanes and
circle tracks, and the Jap's gunboat patrol
Is NOT Ftry close. In fact, the place has
onIy been newly charted II was found
quite b. accident by the skipper of a sea
sealing schooner and he missed ,bo -.