Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-02-16

VI course lhGAN & NtstA AA+--7f Ns'
least $4,000 month, if you keep SHOW
ing II knots out Of her. She'll burn
over SO tons a day at that speed, and
you can't get decent, free-burning coal
In Manila for less than eight dollars.
Then there are port charges, consul's
fees, demurrage and numerous Incl
dentals, all of which fall upon the
charterer. The owner pays the sal
aries of officers and crew, repairs and
the special expenses of the ship"
so that we'd blow in the who
twenty thousand on the mere use e..
the steamer for a month";
"H'm,well, at least eighteen, should
say. \ 3,00o-ton yacht is pretty CT-
pensfve luxury; and she'd be pr" .
cally nothing more than yacL Tor
our purpose. There's no cargo at
Guajan worth handling"
Seems to me a steamer ought TO be
! a pretty good investment"
THAT depends great deal upon the
cargo and the time of year she's in
commission. Freights are so low at
present that half of them don't pay
| expenses; still, the tramps that make
over 12 knots are doing most of the
business, and at something of n
profit"
"Dick, we've got to buy the Countess;
that's what we've got to do. How
much would Ramirez take for herr"
HIN! she cost & $4,000 to build on
the Clyde, and she's as good com
pound tramp as there is on salt wa
ter. But the triple expansion boats
that they're turning out carry more
cargo with less coal, and he couldn't
begin to get that for her now. If we
were TO offer 500, ,Oo0-S10,000 down
and the balance within six months
and he were satisfied as to our respon-
sibility, l think he'd let US have her"
Then we'll take her. If you don't
care about the Investment I'll buy her
myself. Now, how soon can you get
back to Agana?"
I'D want at least six days in Manila
to discharge, coal up and settle mat
ters with Ramirez. The government
may kick a little if they want the
steamer for another trip, but l guess
the old man can fix that; We'll pay
them a few thousand rather than have
any hitch about it. Say IS days from
now; how would that do? viii you be
able to manage it, and beat the padre
for that length of time ?"
"Y-e-s, that's fairly safe. No matter
what he may discover, it will be inn
possible for him to head you off in
Manila this trip; and when we own the
ship the passenger list will be as linn
tied as the mail contract. Then, again,
you'll have an entirely new crew, regu-
larly shipped for our own voyage. BY
the way, why did you speak of making
Hong Kong first?"
Because the Hong-Kong & Shang-
hal Banking corporation will undoubt-
eddy be able to handle the silver for
us. They have a capital of ten millions,
reserve fund of four and half, and
Mexican dollars, coined even as far
back as 1900, are the current medium
Of exchange in China to-day. Any
where else the discount on silver-es-
pecially old silrer-would be so heavy
that we'd have to sell the stuff by
weight; so we would get more for them
on the Chinese coast than in any other
locality"
Guess you're right. didn't think of
that. Now, how about getting it on
board without showing what the car
go really is?"
"Well, let's see. Have you noticed
whether any of the fshermsn STAY
upe- --Ir--.. 10y
Don't believe there's one. Even the
Kanakus that Sebastiano brought
down on the big proa walk over to
town as soon as they've made fast for
the night, and those who belong in
Agat sail away up to the neck of the
peninsula, so they'll only have mile
to tramp"
That's what | thought. You've no.
ticed the stone building and sheds be-
longing to the harbormaster, haven't
you?-about 500 yards from the land
ing pier at Punta Piti?"
"On The road to Agana? Yes, fre-
quently."
"Well, have you also seen the big lot
Of copra, in bags, under another shed
about half way between them and the
pier?"
"I remember the bags, but | didn't
know what was in them; copra's dried
cocoanut meat, isn't It, ready to have
the oil tried out when It gets to civili-
zation 2"
"That's right. There wasn't full
shipment Of the stuff when we arrived,
on the 4th, so | told De Garma that
I'd take all he could get together next
trip. It'll come Gribbling along, two
or three bags at time, according to
how the islanders happen to feel about
working; and there isn't man In the
western Pacific who would steal the
stuff, or handle any more of II than he
was actually obliged to-that Is,
among the native population. Where
those bags are dumped, under that
shed, there they stay until the steam
er comes to ship them. don't believe
Sebnstlano himself could induce n ma
tive to disturb them; and the whites
out here don't believe in manual labor
at ALL"
"Ohl begin to catch the ideu. Pack
the treasure inside OF them at night
and let it lie in those innocent-looklng
copra bugs until you come back, ehP
ny JpNtt olh tilupt bHdb btuiS my
ghost~haunted fssure all hollow
Wen call that settled. I guess we've
covered everything likely to come up
before you get back. Now, what day
shall look for your"
This is Sunday, the 10th. I'll get
away from here by Tuesday morning
Mt the latest-tho 2lst. Two weeks
from that would be Mny 5-nnd four
daysmore2 You can look for the steam
er off Orote Saturday morning, May
., about sunrise. And be mighty care
full you don't let anyone suspect she's
coming before the middle Of July; not
even Senorita Dorotca. by the way,
what are you going to do about that
young ladyY
For instance?
"Oh, shucks, Harryl don't beat about
the bush. IL that girl continues to help
you as she has, and keeps her mouth
shut, she's trump. Are you going to
suil awny and leave her at the end Of
the world with merely conventional
promise to call II you ever happen to be
I'm Spain when she's living thcre?"
"No, I'm not, old one. When the
Countess Of Devon change owners, 1t Is
possible that Scnorita Dorotca mny
har AN interest In her. My mil.l has
be pretty well occupied with this
81 alton Of ours for the past two
weeks, but-well- Hows Gracia?"
you'll see for yourself when we go