The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-25
AN OLD SAILORS STORY.
Varied and Strange Experiences in
the Orient.

the Orient.
From the N Y. Commercial Advertiser.
In the back parlor of a Bowery saloon
two men were seated at the table. The
door opened quietly. and there entered a
man who nodded to the other two and
slowly drew his hands from his pockets.
NO" he said. in answer TO the question,
mo, not taking a quarter Of what used
to. Gained two pounds in the last
month"
lie was a tall man, with long neck.
looking somewhat though he had been
put through a clothes-wringer. He per-
formed the slight operation with won
derful regard for details; then carefully
wlping the needle. he closed the syringe
case and settled himself languidly in a
low chair. A full minute passed in ST.
lence.
IF l don't raise two dollars before sun
down." he began, they'll shut Off all the
gas In the house II isn't pleasant TO be
In the dark. Folks gone away. I'm go
ing soon. Guess I'll catch a vessel for
Hong Kong next month. / used to work
In that town once had TO superintend the
unloading of the kerosene ships. II
coolie found broken can he got 10 cents.
and my job was TO settle all disputes be-
tween the captains ana tHc men, LOf X
the coolie didn't get the dime the whole
push knocked off work. It was cinch
job, steaming round the harbor In the
companys launch. Why, do you know,
was through for the day by 10 O'Clock In
the morning, and l kept a houseful CT
servants on the pay.
That was the funniest JAIN ever was In.
They jagged us because we didn't chew
llcorice when they hauled a native god
he Nlaxy ant ne IN xU0
in a treadmill for the opium factory, but
the guard made such racket going his
rounds that we rugged up trapezc inside
the box where we could sit quite COM
Portable swapping stories. l only knew
one man who tried monkey games with Il
Chinese religion and came out anywhere
near the top. That fellow faxed up god
with megaphone and a photograph and
started a religion OF his own. He's living
in New York now, on Fifth avenue, and
wears a silk hat to breakfast.
II remember an odd-looking fellow I
had In my boat. He wore a tall hat that
was yellow. ! had twelve OF the passen-
gers with me- the captain had fourteen.
A squaH struck us the first night after
the vessel foundered. We never saw the
captains boat again. Five days later
when we reached the Java coast there
were four of us and a nfty-pound bale
Of jup. Those savage fellows were all
right When the cuss in the yellow hat
finished with the fever they buried him
for us with a heap of fusslng, and stuck
up his hat on a pole. But we had to lug
that hfty-pound bale some 200 miles
through the bush.
That's the way my brother was lost.
He was first mate on a Clyde-built ship.
which cleared from Yokohama on the 18TH
of the month, and was never heard OF. A
squat must have come upon her sudden.
II was just at the changing of the mon
soon when navigating down there 10
mighty ticklish. AS a rule, the captains
Of sailing vessels send two men aloft to
keep an eye out for those floating islands
that scarcely show broken water Just a
little hutter like tide rip that you can't
see from below till you're almost on Il.
/ was up there with a Teller once, and he
took It into his head to have fit. You
ought to have seen him wlggling al the
end Of the rope. l wanted,to quit lower
ing and leave him hanging, he looked so
funny. would never ship again with
man who is subject to fits. / know Tn
a bit particular, but it's unhealthy. and
there's bad luck In IL besides.
1--WE had TO hang onto that bale of jup.
you see, so that the men could get their
wages Il got heavier as the fever grew
stronger. But at the end of three weeks
we managed to drag into Pensacola and
find the consul He said he didn't be-
lieve was an American. / showed him
a certificate of birth and a New York life
insurance policy. The consul said git
out. About a year later was working
for my borther, who was managing editor
Of a paper here. One day in came that
consul and wanted 10 do the maritime
column. My brother was just about TO
give him the job when recognized him.
and asked him IL he knew me. Why, GER
tainy,'. he said / remember you very
well How fortunate 1t Is for me that il
is your brother who Is the managing ed
itor.' Cit out, said l, and kicked him
down the three flights OF stairs and half
way to the corner for luck.
"WelL it's come near time 1 was hitting
along the road. Say, you couldn't lend
me Is cents, could you; or a dollar may
be. / hate 10 be left in the dark"