The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-15

the bone-weary crew were but fesbly
competent to give.
The dreaded bay, tickle as usual, saw
fit to receive them at first with srnil-
ing face. During the afternoon they
spied the brown sails CT a Portuguese
fishing schooner, and Kettle headed
/ toward her.
Let his crew be as willing as they
would, there was no doubt that this
murderous work at the pumps could
not be kept up for a voyage to Eng
/ land. If he could not get further rein
] ship into the nearest foreign port to
/ barely save her from sinking. And then,
where would be his Sighed-fOr salvage?
j Woefully thinned, he thought. or more
probably whisked away altogether.
1 Captain Kettle had vast distrust for
the shore foreigner over questions of
law proceedings and money matters. So
he made for the schooner. hove his own
vessel to, and signaled that he wished
! to speak
A boat was stopped into the water
from the schooner's deck. and ten
swarthy, ragged Portuguese fishermen
crammed into her. Two or three of
them had a working knowledge of Eng
! lish; their captain spoke it with fluent
| i1accuracy, and before any of them had
gone aft to Kettle, who stood at the
wheel, they had heard the whole story
of the ship being found derelict, and
| very naturally were anxious enough
! by some means or another to finger
share of the salvage. Even a ragged
| Portuguese baccalhao-maker can have
his ambitions for prosperity like other
people.
Their leader made his proposal at
once. "All right-a, captain. 1 see how
you want. We take charge now. and
take-a you into Ferrol without you be-
ing at more trouble"
Nothing of the kind" said Kettle.
I'm just wanting the loan of two or
three hands to give my. fellows a spell
or two at that pump. We're bit short
handed, that's all. But otherwise we're
quite comfortable. Illspay A B. wages
on Liverpool scale, and that's lot more
than you Dagos give among yourselves,
and if the men work we'll I'll ttrow in
dash besides for 'bacca money"
''Ta-ta-ta," said the Portuguese, with
a wave of his yellow fist. 1T cannot be
done, and L will not lend you men. 1t
shall be as l say: We, take-a you into
Ferrol. Do not fear-a, captain; you
shall have money for finding sheep;
you shall have some of our salvage"
Dayton-Phillips, who was standing
near, and knew the little sailors views,
looked for an outbreak. But Kettle held
himself in, and still spoke to the man
civilly
That's good English you talk he
said. DO all Your crowd understand
the language?"
NO" said the fellow, readily enough,
that man does not, nor does he, nor
him
''Right-O.' said Kettle. Then. as
those three men can't kick up bob
berry at the other end. they've just got
to stay here and help work this vessel
home. AS for the rest of you filthy,
sinking, scale-covered cousins of apes,
over the side of the vessel you go be-
fore you're put. Thought you were go
ing to steal my lawful salvage, did
you, you crawling, notwithstanding
The hot-tempered Portuguese was not
man to stand this TRADE (aS Kettle
anticipated) unmoved. His fingers made
a vengeful snatch toward the knife in
his belt, but Kettle was ready for this,
and caught it first and flung it over
board. Then, with a clever heave, he
picked up the man and sent him after
the knife. He tripped up one of the
Portuguese who couldn't speak Eng
lish, dragged him to the cabin COM
panion, and toppled him down the lad
der. Dayton-Phillips Surprised at him
self for abetting such lawlessness) cap
tured a second in like fashion, and the
English fireman and coal trimmer
picked up the third and dropped him
down an open hatchway into the grain !
in the hold beneath.
But there were six os the fishermen !
left upon the deck, and these did not !
look upon the proceedings unmoved. |
They had been slow to act at first, but
when the initial surprise was over they |
were blazing with rage and eager to 90 !
murder. The Italian and the Sierra !
Leone negro ran out of their way on !
to the forecastle head, and they came |
on, Vainglorious in numbers. and |
armed with their deadly knives. < ut the /
two English roughs, the English gen. |
tleman and the little English sailor |
ere all OF them men well accustomed !
to take care of their own skins; the |
Delaying pins out of the pinrail seemed !
to come by instinct into their hands, |
and not one of them got so TIuch as a !
scratch
1t was ell the affair Of a minute. It
does not do to let these little impromp- |
tn scrimmage simmer over long. In /
fact. the whole affair was decided in |
the first rush. The quarter of English !
went in. despising the dagos, and quite /
intending to clear them off the ship. |
The invaders were driven overheard by |
sheer weight Of blows and prestige, and |
the victors leaned on the bulwark, puff
fng and gasping, and watched them
swim away to their boat through the |
clear wafer below.
Set of blooming pirates said Ket-
tie.
But Dayton-Phillips seemed to view
the situation from a different point.
I'm rather thinking we are the pirates.
How about those three we've got on
board? This sort of press gang work
isn't quite approved of nowadays, is
it. skiDper?''
They no speakee English" said Ket-
tie. dryly. You might have heard me
ask that, sir, before I started to talk
to that skipper to make him begin the
show And he did begin it, and that's
the great point. If ever you've been in
a police court, you'll always find the
magistrate ask, Who began this trou-
ble? And when he finds out, that's
the man he logs No, those fishermen
won't kick up Robbery when they get
back to happy Portugal again, and as
for our own crowd here on board, they
aren't likely to talk when they get
ashore and have money due to them
We'll, 1 suppose there's reason in
that. though 1 should have my doubts
about the stone mason. He comes from
Sierra Leone, remember, and they're
great on the rights of man there"
quite So said Kettle. TN see the
stone mason gets packed off TO sea
again in a stokehold before he has a
chance of stirring up the mud ashore.
When the black man gets too pampered
he has to be brought low again with a
rush"
II see'' said Dayton Phillips, and
then he laughed.
There's something that ticlles Won /