El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-19

.t came to me. He's got in trouble
ashore. and / suppose I must go and
see the cadi and get him bailed out"
The second mate -Ziped the husband
perspiration from his face with his
bare arm and leaned on the tally desk
and grinned Here seemed to be an
opportunity for the relaxation of stiff
official relations. whats tripped
lhim?'' he asked. skirt or photo
'graphing|'
HE will probably tell you himself
when he comes back said Kettle
icoldIy. Il shall send him to his room
for three days when he gets on board"
The second mate pulled his face into
seriousness. 81 don't suppose he got
Into trouble Intentionally, sir"
Probably not. But that doesn't al
ter the fact that he has managed II
somehow. I don't engage my mates
flor amusements of that kind, Mr..
Grain. I've got them here to work and
help me do my duty by the owners. IT
they take up low class trades. like ar
listing, they must be prepared to stand
the consequences. You'll remember
the orders I've given you. If I'm
wanted, you'll say I shall probably be
back by tea"
Captain Kettle went Off then In q
shore boat, past a small fleet of pearl
ing dhows which rolled at their an
chors and after a long pull, for the sea
was shallow and the anchorage lay i've
miles out, stepped on to the back OF
burly Arab and was carried the last
mile dry shod. Parallel to him were
lines of men carrying out cargo to the
lighters, which would transship it to
the Parakeet, and Kettle looked upon
these with n fine complacency. His
tramping for cargo had been phenom-
enally successful. He was filling his
holds at astonishingly heavy freights
And not only would this bring him
credit with his owners. which meant
promotion in due course to larger
ship, but in the meantime. as he drew
his 21a per cent on the profits. 1t rep
resented very comfortable matter
of solid cash for that much needing
person himself. He Rugged himself
with pleasure when he thought of this
new found prosperity. That represent
ed so many things which he would be
able to do for his wife and family.
which, through SO many years, narrow
circumstances had made impossible
The burly Arab on whom he rode
pickaback stepped out of the water
at last, and Kettle jumped down from
his perch and picked his way daintily
among the litter of the fore shore to-
ward the white houses of the town
which lay beyond.
1t was the first time he had set foot
there. So great was his luck at the
time that he had not been forced to
go ashore in the usual way drumming
up cargo. The shippers had come off
begging him to become their carrier,
and he had mulcted them in heavy
freights accordingly. So he stepped
into the town with many of the feel
ings of a conqueror and demanded to
be led to the office of a man with
whom he had done profitable business
that very morning.
OF course office in the western
meaning of the term. there was none.
The worthy Rad el Moussa transacted
affairs on the floor of his general sit
ting room and stored his merchandise
in the bedchamhers or wherever it
! would be out of reach of pilfering fin
gers. But he received the little sailor
with fine protestations of regard and
women withdrew, indicted him into
the dark interior of his house and set
| before him delicious coffee and some
doubtful SweetmeatS
Kettle knew enough about oriental
etiquette not to introduce the matter
on which he had come ut the outset of
the converse ton He passed and re-
/ ceived the necessary compliments first.
II 10
prospects and then by an easy grat.a
ton led up to the powers IF the local
cadi. He did not speak Arabic him
self. and Rad 81 Moussa had no Eng
fish. But they had both served n life's
apprenticeship To sea trading. and the
| curse of the tower of Babel had very
little power over them. In the memo
ries of each there were garnered scraps
from a score of spoken languages. and
when these failed they could always
draw on the unlimited vocabulary Of
the gestures and the eyes. and for
points that were really abtruSe or
, which required definite understanding
there always remained the charcoal
stick and the explanatory drawing on
the face of a whitewashed wall.
When the conversation had lasted
some half an hour by the clock and q
slave brought in a second relay Of
sweetmeats and thick coffee. the sailor
mentioned, as 1t were incidentally, that
one of his officers had got into trouble
in the town. Its quite a small thing"
he said lightly, but l want him back
as soon as possible. because there's
work for him to do on the steamer. See
what l meanT
Rad el Moussa nodded gravely
''Savey plenty" said he.