The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-21

of clothes and, sewing his commission
and his authority to take command OF
the Rayenna in the lining of his coat, he
quilted London, and arriving at the port
where the Ravenna was then at anchor.
he Ioafed about the wharves until he fell
in apparently by accident, with the new
owner of the Ravenna, otherwise his CO.
worker, Kavan.
The ship had just let go her anchor,
and HazeItine who had been making anx-
ious inquiry for some vessai on wnicn ne
could work his way back u the states,
was more than delighted to meet with
the owner Of the new arrival, and, to d.
vert suspicion, the two met as utter
strangers-the one as the owner of YES
sci that had just reached port, the other
as an impecunious American anxious to
leave port. Accompanied by the consignee
the two went on board, and Kavan, being
good natured, said he would give the
impecunious stranger a passage to Mon
treal, for which port the Ravenna would
clear. But as she would prob Lrly be in
pert several weeks, he tn ought it would
be well to discharge the crew and snip
an9:hel VIXEN she was ready Cor sea. az
there was 10 use IN keeping them on
there was no use in keeping them on
board during that time.
This carefully neglected talk of future
n. ov ement was in the presence OF custom
house officials and where some of the
crew could hear. So it was 10 surprise
to them when a few minutes later they
were told to pack UP their belongings,
10 hn hat,
and discharges. Every one except the cap
tain was dismissed, and when they had
all gone ashore the custom men were in
vited to take dinner with the captain,
the agent and the owner. 1t was growing
dark, and the agent casually mentioned to
Kavan that the four barge loads of coal
which the ship was to carry as ballast
to Montreal might be taken on that night,
as the weather was good for coaling. and
in that fitful climate it might be bad in
a few days. Kavan didn't believe in night
work, owing to the extra expense, but the
agent was persistent, and through winks
and nudges made the custom house man
understand that 1t was to his interest to
get that coal off his hands as quickly as
possible. And he being a fellow towns
man of their the customs men sided with
him against this newcomer of a fore; gn
owner
So it was decided to take on The coal
that night, and an order was sent to
bring the barges alongside and TO secure
a force of longshoremen to do the work
of loading. That matter disposed Of the
custom men and the three plottecs-the
captain was one of these. having been
taken into the secret before he had been
engaged-sat down to dinner, and having
nothing else to do proceeded to MAKE a
merry evening There was a supply of
rare old Hollands in the locker-so cid
and mellow that the customs men swore
they had never tasted anything like it be-
before. The genial host pressed them to
another glass and then another and an
other, and when the barges came crunch
ing alongside they were restrained from
going on deck by a fresher bottle of rarer
vintage And when that had been emptied
they saw no reason for going on deck at
all. That old tub of Ravenna had come
over empty, she was only taking on some
coal for ballast, and she was going to
stay a month in port What was the use
of keeping on deck? They knew all there
was to know about her.
More bottles came to strengthen that
belief, and it was not long before all idea
of abandoning that cheerful cabin for the
cherries deck had gone from the Gus
toms men, Their talk grew thick and
heavy, and one by one they tumbled upon
transoms. where their deep shores told
how well If not wisely, they had drunk
of the vintages that were rare. They were
still in stupor when during the early
morning hours, other boats came olong-
side and a new crew which had been Sc
cured the evening before came scramble
ing on board. The barges had been I'M
loaded during the night, their cargoes of
smokeless powder and rapid fire projec-
tiles, all encased In innocent looking box
e5 marked merchandise" having been
carefully transferred to the hold of the
Ravenna. To conceal 1t from curious
eyes a hundred tons of briquette. a fuel
manufactured of coal dust and tar and
pressed into the shape of bricks, had
been laid over the contraband cargo SO
that none of the new crew might suspect
what was underneath.
The sleepy custom house officials were
got ashore, but how this narrative does
not say. that being one of the episodes
of this adventure which Lieutenant Haz-
eltine prefers to keep to himself. Then
oredrs were given to get under way, and
the vessel was soon on the high seas,
every on eof her crew OF forty believing
that her destination was Montreal. for
which port she har cleared, and for which
port they had shipped.
During all that time Lieutenant Hazel
tine. the .Imuecunious American" had
been on board but chad kept out OF
sight, and living up 10 the character he
had assumed, he behaved as unobtrusive-
ly. as the out-at-the-elbow who are seek
ing favors are won't to do. None OF the
new crew had seen through the disguise
and never a one Of them suspected. as
they surlily ordered him out ot their way
} that the captain of that ship was under
his orders, or that he bore the rank OF
lieutenant in the United States navy. and
had about him written document, sign
ed by the President of the United States,
authorizing him to take command. II in
his judgment such step was necessary.
This same crew is described BY the lieu
tenant as being one Of the worst that
ever worked freighter from one port 70
another. Il was a mixed lot Of riff-raff
and beach combers. which had been hur-
riedly collected BY emissaries OF the agent
Portuguese. Italians. French. Firms. and
what not? The chief engineer was an
Austrian. and his assistants were "ds-
goes" They were In no way to be trusted
so the lieutenant thought. as h looked
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