El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-10

slide for the present and go into the
question OF ways and means. And on
the dry detail of this they talked till
far into the night.
Here. however, the historian may
for awhile withhold his pen, since those
in the shipping interest can FIJI in the
gap for themselves. while to all others
these small questions of ways and
means would be infinitely tedious. The
yachts voyage out to japanese waters
may also be omitted The English pa
pers announced its commencement in
one of the usual formal paragraphs:
"Mr. Martin Carnforth, N. P. for the
Munro division of Yorkshire, has start
ed in his fine steam yacht, the Vestris,
for heightened tour in China seas to
study oriental questions on the spot
and will probably be absent some con-
siderable time"
The official log kept on board was
meager and scanty, being confined to
arid statements of distances run and
| the ordinary meteorological happen
! ings of the ocean, and toward the latter
! entries even these were skillfully fic-
! titiouS. Indeed when the vessel neared
| the scene of action her yellow funnel
| changed to black, with crimson band,
| couple of squarish yards We're crossed
on her foremost, her dainty gaffsails
vanished and We're replaced by service
| able trysails. and the midship house
was soiled by the addition of a coat of
! crude white lead above the trinity pol
ished peak and straddled over by a
clumsy iron bridge, defended by i'll
fitting canvas dodgers and awnings.
There was no making the expert be-
lieve, of course, that she was a mere
trader that had always been a trader.
But to the nautical eye she was unsus-
,picious. She looked one of those e2-
yachts that have been sold out of the
petticoat cruising service of Cowes and
been adapted to the more homely needs
of the mercantile marine, and in the
Mediterranean, the s nstralian seas and
China waters there are many CT this
breed of craft making a humble living
for their owners. A couple of weeks
neglect will make any brass work look
unyachtlike and a little withholding
of the paint brush soon makes all small
traders wonderfully kin.
Rechristening, Of course, is but Il
clumsy device and one which is (the
gentle novelist notwithstanding most
seldom used. a ship at her birth is
given name and endowed with pass
port in the shape of papers" With
out her papers she cannot enter civil
lied port. She could not ''clear" at
any custom house, and to attempt do
ing so would be IL blatant confession of
something wrong. So when the
paint brushes went round and the
name NestriCS on counter. boats and
life buoys was exchanged for Governor
L. G. Walthrop (Which seemed to carry
a slight American favor, half sigh
went up from some of the ships COM
pany and a queer little thrill went
through the rest, according to their
temperaments. They were making |
themselves sea pariahs from that mo- |
ment onward until they should deem |
fit to discard the alias.
Captain Kettle himself finished let |
tering the last of the life buoys and put |
down his brush and shook his head.
CarnfOrth was watching him from |
deck chair You don't like it ?'' he
said.
Il never.did such thing before, - !;
said Kettle. land | never heard of it
being done and come to any good.
We're nobodies now, and it's every
body's business to NEEDLE with no
body, If you're a somebody, only the
proper people can interfere.
Il cant help it," said Carnforth
1.-The Vestris is well known at home.
and I'm well known too, and we've
just got to see this business through
one way or the other under purser'
names She's the Governor l.. G.
Walthrop, and I'm Mr. Martin. and
you can be what you like
''I'll still use my own name, sir. I've
carried 1t Il good plany years now,
through most kinds of weather, and its
had so many stones thrown at it that
& few more won't hurt. If we get
through with this little game, all
right; if we get interrupted l guess the
only thing left will be to attend our
own funerals I'm not going to taste
the inside of a japanese Jail at any
price.
Il never saw such a fellow as you for
looking at the gloomy side Of things,
said CarnfCrth irritably.
Its the gloomy side that's mostly
come my way, sir. >
Il wish to goodness I'd never been
idiot enough to come out here on this
harebrained scheme
why" said Kettle in surprise,
you've got the remedy to your hand
YOu give your orders, Ny. CarnfOrth,
and III bout ship this minute and take
you home.
And don't you want to go through
with it. skipper?''
Il don't see my tastes need be men
toned, said the sailor stiffiy. ''Iou
are my owner. sir I'm here to DO a.
I'm bid. -
Captain Owen Kettle" said tn
other. with a laugh that had got some