The times., 1901-06-16

too, rs mate. We've been together now
for the last three years And Mrs Briggs
is respectable. woman and a house own
err / added, earnestly. for 1 was desper-
ately anxious to obtain what seemed to
promise a rafting good thing.
Very likely he replied. in a somewhat
arcastiC tone But hardly the kind of
security I should care about at present
prices Of sydney freeholdS. However,
he Immediately added, II m a pretty keen
Judge of character, captain. ana have al
ready made up my mind to trust yCu
wholly in this affair. Enquire tomorrow
at the Jnion Bank in Pitt Street, and you
VIII find a credit account opened IN your
name to the extent of 600 only, reUcm-
her, l want secrecy. Report progress as
often as YOU think necessary to the Cen
eral POStoffiCe box. And lest you may
consider these conditions strange, and
perhaps a little bit suspicious, ! had bet
ter briefly tell you my reasons for impos-
ing upon you the most absolute caution
and TeticCnCe.
A good many years ago, when mYSelf
and my partner were comparatively
young men, we represented a large Lon
don mercantile house in st. Petersburg.
Wen, ! dare say you've heard OF certain
people called Nihilists? Yes of course
Young, foolish, and enthusiastic, we al
lowed ourselves to be persuaded into Jolh-
ing one of their associations. thinking,
perhaps. that nothing would be easier
than to IrOD the affair again when we
wished Indeed, we looked upon the en-
tire business more as a joke than other
wise. But we were very quickly uhue-
ceived- Chosen for a special duty. need
less to particulariZe here. we refused, ana
soon learned that the last dread sentence
had been pronounced against us. No +, W
er than four attempts were made with
oI!t success to murder us. Thoroughly
frs Ehten,d, and at last realizing, when too
late. the mistake We had made, We fled
and went to London, embarking there in
trade on our own account. For some time
we were left in peace. Then-but there
No noe -GFf a n
it TO say that to escape our prosecutors
we wound UP our affairs and came TO
Australia. Here we were unmolested for
a long time Last week my partner was
nearly stabbed in George Street by an ap-
parently drunken foreign sailor. Two
days ago / was fired at in the Domain.
and since then We know that we have
been constantly ShadOwed Police pro-
lection would be useless. We have there
fore resolved to quietly dispose of our
concerns in this country and disappear,
leaving, if possible, no cine behind.
l have been told since that this was n
lame kind of yarn capable Of belief only
by sailor or a very green hand indeed.
But If you'd seen the man as he leant
forward on his chair. speaking IN hoarSe,
earnest whispers and pauSing at intervals
10 look nervouSly over his shoulder, you
might have taken it all in as l did. Ike
a cat tapping cream, and promised falth-
fully to keep his secret and help hln IN
every way. Besides. there was no haS-
Cling or hesitation as to wages. ! asked
e26 per month for myself and f15 for
Phil. And he agreed in minute. And
you know when man trusts you with
a lot Of money. taking your bare word as
a stranger that you Il do the square thing
by him il kind Of warns you up and
gives You good opinion OF human ma
ture in general and your own honesty IN
particular. So it never occurred to me
for one minutes to question the truth OF
his story.
And now. captain" concluded Benton.
impressively, as he rose to leave, i have
put myself entirely in your hands. If you
like to play the rogue. of course, there's
nothing TO prevent you doing SO. But II
You do. be sure the Lord viii requite you
in full measure, some day, heaped up and
overfiOwing.
We shook hands on that. Then produc-
ing a big silk kerchief. he muffied 1t
round his neck. so as to conceal the low
er portion of his face, pulled his hat wei
down. raised the window blinds and peer
ed out into the street; ostentatiously drew
back and examined a revolver. slipped it
back into his pocket: and then, asking
me not to follow him for some minutes,
he left the room.
found Phil still stretched on Mrs.
Briggs hard hOrsehair sofa, steadily
working through his "DreadfuIs' to the
accompaniment Of a pint of Colonial
and endless pipes.
Well" he remarked. as told my yarn.
its rather rum go, isn't it2 But I'm
inclined to think all the same. that it's
a genuine one. And look at the co-thin-
gumbOb. Harry he continued, exposing
to view the book he was reading, and
upon whose cover. surrounding a thunder
and lightning picture. was the title:
Nick the Nihilist; or the Romanoff' Re
Yenge.'
i shall think more Of the coincidence
tomorrow morning at II O'Clock II l ind
an open account at the Union Bank, l
replied. laughing
"ItH be there. old man" said my mate,
in a tone OF conviction. as l finished the
beer. And really. ! think we might ven
ture over TO Chinnerys and treat our
luck to stout and oysters before turning
in"
Sure enough when. half-doubtfuIIy. I
enquired at the bank next day. an hour
after opening, ] found to my intense sat
isfaction that the money had already
been lodged to my credit.
For nearly a week Phil and ! searched
in vain. high and low, for the sort Of
craft ! had in my minds eye. OF course,
We might have advertised. but ! prefer
red to treat privately, If possible. in place
OF through the host Of agents that ! knew
such course would stir up. However,
we found her at last-a cutter Of some
sixty tons or so. lying alongside wood
yard wharf on whose water frontage was
upreared d board with an inscription COM
mencing with the Ominous words: BY
order Of the mortgages
There was nobody about. and we made
an inspection Of the AIine there and then
on the chance that she might-as proved
the case-alsO be included in the fleTi IA
cias business as duly set forth on the
poster.
by much carrying OF firewoOd from coast
al bays and inlets to feed the now silent
circular saws Of the bankrupt timber
merchant she had evidently seen far bet
ter days. Her hull and spars, too. We're
1.aTH 4 s4f s.u-
peciaily took my fancy, for off II, aStern,
was large berth that would do eX-
wei for Mr. Benton and his
partner: whilst, fOr'ard, facing on 10 the
deck one to port and the other TO star
board with a miscrOpic pantry between
them. were two others equally suitable
for Phil and myself. In lower fore
castle We're five or six hunks for the
crew: square galley with Il floor OF tiles
now all chipped and broken. stood amid
ships Her lines were good. she was cop
prrrd well up 10 her bends. but carried
q ton of weeds and sheilhsh on the
sheathiug: and her Tunning-Eear was
wreck and no part Of her had sHelied
paint for many mouth. Otherwise she
looked fit % 90 round the Horn in. Be
fore noon the next day she WAS mine for
El5u. gladly accepted by the mortgage,
building contractor on the North Shore.
who knew nothing whatever OF the poor
things past history. and cared less An
other two days and she came off a float
ing slip with her bottom shining like
new kettle, spars scraped. hull painted
white with a gold beading; some new
standing rigging and all new running
gear blocks. ctc.-looking. indeed, such
trim yacht that the Oldest harbor pirate
in Port jackson would never have rocOg-
nized in the graceful, spick. and span
Darthea-Phil got the name out OF some
book he had read--the grimy, old timber
drogher. Aline, bought for a song.
The pair Of Us worked like niggers, anN-
ious TO do something FOR our money. And
W.. were amply satisfied with the result.
During all this time / had heard no
word from Benton, although keeping him