The times., 1901-05-26
The Superfluous Deckhand.

In ooRSi Ai0N
| The second officer had just come of the
| bridge and dropped his dripping water
proofs in the aneyway. The transport
was pounding badly in a quartering sea
| born of four days gale and taking the
| water over her port bow for ali the world
| like Jersey stone scow.
"Forty-two north is no place for this
! time O. year. and in a bloody old wagon
| like this, too" he grunted why in the
name of red tape can't they let us come
home Honolulu way It's all by way of
saving few ton Of coal. and then the old
man is daffy on his great circle saiIn'.
Hang the transport service, anyway he
added disgustedly.
When you've been a few more life
| times on deep water. my son" replied the
chief. you'll find there are worse berths
than an army transport and worse places
than the middle of the Pacific in bad
weather. Lord. you ought to put in
few years trading down the west coast
of Central America or poking around the
| Islands in an aged windjammer. Then
| you'll know what seafarin' is. Funny
things happen to man in those parts.
and, mind you. while I'm not cryin' about
my present job 1t don't hold the fun that
There was not so many years difference
! in the ages of the chief and his second,
but the former had been learning his sea-
manship in long night watches in the
Seven Seas when Mac was drilling ''Ele-
mentary Navigation" in a fresh-water
school. Therefore he was an infant, and,
what was better. he knew it. He also
knew better than to spoil yarn, so he
kept his peace.
Did ever tell you about my perpetual
passenger?' asked the chief Say, that
was the very funniest thing 1 ever ran
afoul of, and South America Is full OF
queer things-as full OF 'em as this old
hooker is of deaders. and that's no joke"
We only had three hundred odd quarter
masters coffins between decks that trip.
so no one thought the comparison well
taken.
Il was captain of steamship then. 1t
vas back in the sos. when Central Amerf-
ca had a good crop of revolutions. They
popped loose so often and their bloody
mushroom governments were 50 short
lived that we had to look sharp every
time We entered a port to keep from max
ing break. You never could tell who
was on top. On the down trip we would
leave a president dictator apparently
up. just as like as not. the fellow who
was In Jail before. under sentence of
death, would have the winning hand and
the old boss hiding In the woods until
he could muster following and retake
the capital. 1t made business hard. too
You see. we could not keep one set Of
port officers squared, they changed too
often, and maybe you don't know what
that meant in the old days. A Central
American port officer is little tin king
and the amount and number of port
charges he can impose on a Yankee ship
is heartbreaking- So we needed to be
friendly. Why, l remember one tinE-
but say, started in to tell you about my
perpetual passenger.
well, he came aboard one morning at
San Jose, Guatemala. He was a nice-look-
ing chap, about thirty-fiye, ! should say,
and his baggage was conspicuous Tor its
scarcity. He did not have bloody thing
except the clothes he stood III. As soon
as he got his staterOom number he diVed
below, but as he was a native that wasn't
unusual Most OF our passengers had good
reasons for a change of climate, and ii
wasn't our business to ask impertinent
questions. Now, I shan't tell you his real
name. because we afterward got to be
pretty good friends, and he is big man
in his own country, which. having gotten
some ballast in the way Of Yankee capital,
is getting along on a level keel. But well
call him Don Joe He was a Don all right
The DurSer said he was booked for La
Libertad. and on the short run down to
that port l did not see much of him. We
made Libertad early one morning, and
dropped her mud hooks TO wait for the
port officer to board US. They take their
own good time down there, and we lay out
in the baking sun until the old wagons
deck seams were bubbIing before his ex,
cellencY came alongside, and I don't see
how he stood all the brass he wore in that
hot weather. He was gotten up TO shame
an admiral of the fleet. met him at the
gangway and took him below to look at
our papers over bottle. The comman-
dante waved them all aside except the
passenger list As he ran his eye down
that he stopped his finger on the name
of Don Jose. Then a grin overspread his
face. All So my good friend, Don Jose
is aboard?' he said, softly. I knew by
his soft tones and smile that Don Jose
was in trouble, but down that way a
man learns to let the other fellow do the
talking. So l made fast to my tongue A
most excellent gentleman. Don Jose con-
tnued the commandante. smoothly. But
perhaps little, mind you. senor captain
only a little, what you call indscretion
maybe He raised his brows enquiring-
No, senor captain, he replied regret
fully, we do not. Rather Ii is that we
may not and congratulate senOr captain
that he will have Don Jose's excellent
company TO the next port
In plain sailor talk that meant that Don
Jose wasn't wanted in Honduras After
another bottle the cOmmandante and his
gold lace and long sword went over, the
side and he waved me an airy adfeu
Adios. senor.' he added mockinElv. 10
poor Don Jose. who leaned over the for
ward rail looking wistfully at the green
shore line. Don Jose bowed profoundly
and renewed his hat as he replied .Adios
tNcellency. Those South American gen
tleman do have good manners unused
the chief as he lit a fresh Manila
Well, Don Jose, you re in for n longer
ride than you thought 1 said to cheer
him up bit You can settle with the |
purser for the additional fare 'Senor
captain, I should esteem the favor of a |
confidential conversation he replied. and |
when | got him in my cabin the fellow |
confessed that he did not have even |