Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-02-25
An Adventure in Valparaiso.
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Twas bright morning in the sum
mer Of CO. said Capt. Handy, that Jack
Bolles and |, n couple of boys, not YET
20 years old were discharged in Val
paraiso from the whaling bark Golcon
da, of New Bedford, with hundred
and ten dollars apiece in gold ''condOrs
in our pockets. All the romance of
whaling in the South Seas and its at
tendant dangers which had filed our
imaginations when we shipped as green
hands at the "190th lay" had been ef-
fectually dissipated by the greasy real
rites of blanket and hawse pieces"
cutting up in the "blubber room,"
down scraps" and trying OUT sup
plemented by a ten hours pull in the
boats every other day, poor food, and
rough, If not brutal, treatment, from
the officers.
SO, as we stood that morning on the
1etty, clinking the money in our pock-
cts and watching our old ship disappear
in the otfing, we felt, indeed, "monarchs
of all we surveyed"
AT last she was hull down, and turn
ing away with sighs of relief, we clat-
tered once more up the ill-paved street
to the Consul's office, where we had
been paid off, and inquired of him
when we could take passage for home.
We learned, much to our dsappoint-
ment, that there were no ships in port
bound for the States, nor would there
be any, except an occasional whaler,
Tor six months to come.
I'VE must resign ourselves to the in
evitable,' said Jack, "and the next
question Is, Where are we going to
StOp?"
The Consul assured us that an Ameri-
can named Henderson kept the only
decent place in town, outside of the
rough sailor boarding houses, and rec
commended us TO go there. We found
Henderson a good fellow, who gave us
q large room with two beds in it. and
after seeing our chests safely slowed
away, we strolled out to look at the
town, and incidentally to get work.
After walking about the city for an
hour or two, we descended to the first
or commercial street to look for work.
Being young, persistent and fairly well
educated, we were lucky enough to find
employment with two English firms,
branch houses of London and Liverpool
traders. Next morning we went to
work, and for couple of months our
lives moved on, TRANQUILITY enough. In
the evenings after supper we smoked
our cigarittos, and managed, with the
aid OF an old grammar, to learn n little
spanish. Occasionally, on moonlight
nights, we walked out through the
Iown, but we never went far, as Hen.
derson warned lis that it was no un.
common thing for stranger to be
found in the outlying parts of the city
with his pockets rihed and dagger
wound in his breast.
one evening my superintendent dis.
covered that mistake had been made
in the outward manifest of the shin
Lord Palmerston, and noting that she
was lying of and on" with her an.
ehor atrip, ordered me to board her Ms
soon as possible before she SQUARED
away for old England, and rectify the
error. So, without delay, hurried to
the jetty, embarked, and in n half hour
climbed up the side of the Palmerston
My business detained me longer than
/ had anticipated, and It was fully 9
o'clock before stepped to the side. As
the tide was on the ebb, my boatman
had to land me at the nearest point and
figured that | had about four miles to
walk home.
1t was moonlight, but here and there
the dark shadows seemed to invite the
assassin, and as hurried on, | cost
many an anxious glance behind mo I
had reached the outskirts of the CITY
and was congratulatlng myself. when
suddenly, from under an oyerhanrino
palcon,' woman darted forth and
eiutched my arm, crying out in piteous
accents:
"Por ell amor de Dlos! Senior Amer
icano! Por ell amor de Dlos! For m,
love OF God, Senor AmericanD
"Que Qulere conmlgo, senorito ?,
What do you want with me, ladyD
replied, as l stepped under the soil
ary lamp on the corner and looked n
ner more closely. she was dressed II
somDer black and the mantllla she wor,
was so drawn over her face that bu
one eye was visible; that single orb