The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-30

back there, and be a hermit. and live
honestly on his own fish and fruit. 1
believe l could live there and be de-
cent, and perhaps in time 1 should for
get things"
Don't YOU try it. The mosquitoes are
shocking"
There are worse devils than mosqui-
toes. Now. l should have thought there
was something about those everglades
that would have appealed to you, skip
per-"
There isn't. and I've been there.
You want a shotgun in Florida to shoot
callers with; not eatables. I've written
verse there, but it was the same old
tale. sir, that brought it up to my fin
gers ends. No. Mr.. Hamilton. you go
home and find a country place, and get
on a farm and watch the corn growing
and hear the birds sing, and get hold of
the smells of the fields and the odors
of the trees, and then you'll enjoy life
and turn out poetry you can be proud
off,
Doesn't appeal to me- You see. you
look upon the country with country
mans eye
"Me?" said Kettle. I'm seaport and
seabred and brought up, and all know
of fields and a farm is what I've seen
from a railway carriage window. No,
I've had to work too hard for my living
to have any time for that sort of en-
ioyment: but that's what I'm aiming
at, and it's for that I'm scratching to-
gether every sixpence of money l can
lay hands on"
You want to be farmer?'
That's me. l could be God-fearing
every day of the week then, instead of
just when I'm ashore, as ii is now.
That's been the dream of my life, Mr..
Hamilton, to live a pastoral life like
Abraham's, and ride about around a
farm and boss the hands,
But here a sudden outcry below broke
in upon their talk That's Mr..
Cranze." said Kettle. Hell be going
too far in his tantrums one of these
days"
I'm piously hoping the drunken
brute will tumble overheard" Hamilton
muttered. 'Eh, well, l suppose I'd bet
ter go and look after him." And he
got up and went below.
Captain Kettle sat where he was,
musing. He had no fear that Crane
would murder his man in broad star
ing daylight. But he did not see his
way to earning that extra 600. which
he would very much like to have fin
gered. To let this vulgar, drunken
ruffian commit some overt act against
Hamilton's life without doing him ac-
tual damage. seemed an impossibilty
Had Crane been any other passen-
ger, he would have stopped his drunken
riotings by taking away the drink. But
Crane sober might be dangerous,
whilst Crane tipsy was merely a fig
ure of ridicule.
At some twenty ports the Flamingo
came to an anchor six miles offshore.
and footed with her syren till lighters
came off through the surf and the shall
lows with cargo.
There was small ferrying business
done also between neighboring ports in
unclean native passengers, who har-
bored on the foredeck and complained
of want of Difference from the crew
Crane passed insults to casual stran-
gers who came on board. and did not
know his little ways, and the casual
strangers tried to knife him, but were
always knocked over in the nick OF
time by some member of the Flamin-
COS crew. Kettle tried hard to interest
Hamilton in the mysteries of hold
stowage, in order to keep him under his
Immediate eye. But Hamilton bluntly
confessed to loathing anything that
was at all useful, and so he, perforce
had to be left to pick his own position
under the awnings.
1t was off one of the ports of Yucca
tan, toward the bay of Campeachy,
that Crane chose to fall overheard
The name of the place was announced
by some one when they brought up. and
Crane asked where it was. Kettle