The times., 1901-06-16
H0v ne W/eHf Yachting
/ III the South Pacific

lug.D1g ri references tit-
..HaHaa." said to Phil, as we sat hay
ing an after-brealfast pipe in the shabby
rarlcr of our boardins-house in Lower
Fort street. Sydney. \. : w. "Halloa'
PHI tbat reads curiousIy. ] wonder what
the game is. Shall ! have try for it,
and handed nay mate the daily paper in
the wanted" column Of which the ad-
vertisorncnt had caught my eye.
Might as well" replied Phil, after read
ing #. There may be something in the
business. and you about meet the bill.
FuuaiIy put. though, isn't it? Kind O
thing a man says when he wants gar
deuer or station hand. However. l
think ere full up of big ships, eh. Har-
ry? ] was going to propose shark fishing
down the harbor for a change. Go in and
win. old man, It's about time YOU made
use Of that ticket OF yours.
So inclosing copies of discharges, with
short note to the effect that l held "A mas
ter's certificate and possessed lots Of eN-
perience, I strolied down to the G. 2. O.,
dropped the packet in, and forgot all
about it.
We had been rather unlucky, Phil and
I. of late in our attempts to get a snip.
All the coastinE boats We knew of were
full-ha nded, and there didn't seem any
chance Of a vacancy fore or aft until a
death happened our money too. was
running low; and although old Mrs.
BRIGGS. we were certain, would never
trouble US. still we felt it was time TO
make a start. if only in the last ship the
hard-up seaman seeks refuge ina coast
ing collier. And even in these, at present,
berths. were scarce. You see, it was just
after the big Australian maritime strike.
And before Phil and ! arrived in that old
rattletrap the Ocean Rover-four months
from Monte Eideo-the rush back to work
had finished. Three weeks now we had
been pottering about Sydney's wharves
and its Shipping Office to no purpose. In
deed. if something did not soon turn up,
it was our intention to take to the bush
again and either try our luck on the dig
gings or. as We so often had done before
go driving. fencing. or buIlock-driVing, all
jobs that we had in our time tackled dur
ing seafaring intervals.
Two or three evenings after sending off
my references Phil and !, coming home
late from having a bobs'-worth of lean
over in the toprCst tier of the Tivoii
Music Hail. found a letter addressed to
CAPTAIN Ward" and running as follows:
Dear Sir-Your credentials. forwarded
in reply to my advertisement, are salts
mentioned in the letter I shall be pleased
to see YOU at see tomorrow night. If you
viii ask at the private bar of the First
Favourite Hotel for J. Benton you Till
be told where 70 find me
We'll Captain said Phil laughing,
that looks promising. if a bit mysterious
Rather a low sort Of pub, though, isn't
it2 You'd better take a gun with you,
fancy 1t might be a trap, you know
Precious little anybody'd get" I re
piled. However, you can come, too, If
you like Surprising the thing pans out
payable 1 can introduce you But Phil
at the last moment decided to stay at
home and finish some Penny Dreadfuls'
while waiting for my return. The pair Of
US used lots of that sort Of stuff to pass
the time away after our unsuccessful
rounds Of wharves and Shipping Office.
PunctuaIly to time ! pushed open the
swinging doors of the .Favourite's" six
penny bar and asked a young woman be
hind the counter if she could tell ne
where Mr Benton was. She directed me
TO the biIHard-room. and I mounted the
stairs Guided by the click Of ivory,
soon found the billiard-room. small one
with one table, and empty but for a man
who was idly knocking the balls about
Turning as he caught sight Of me, he
threw the cue down and came round to
where stood, saying, Captain Ward2'
AT your service, sir" I replied, If
you're Mr.. Benton?"
My name, Captain Joshua Benton
replied the man, pressing button as he
spoke. I'm order drinks and then we can
talk. This place IS perfectly private
Scarcely anyone comes up here. The class
Of customers who frequent this no Sc do
not, 1 fancy, 20 in for billiards much
There IS 10 marker even.
Nj Joshua Benton was stout and pow
erfully built with q long face topped by
a great forehead that stood out and over
hung pair of spectacled eyes whose col
or. in the uncertain light Of the one shad-
ed gas burner. puzzled me
HIS nose was large and curved; he wore
side-whisllers with a moUstached upper
Ii0 and showed q clean-shaven. massive
chin. His voice was soft and suaFe; and,
presently as he took off his hat ! saw the
doued forehead ran up into bald pate
that shone as he polished il with a SILK
'kerchief He was dressed in sac suit
Of dark serge. which sat on him as II he
wore it for the first time in his life. l
noticed that his hands We're large and soft
and white, and that on one finger CLEANED
a handsome ring. The man was palpably
out of gear with his get-up. and thought
would have been more al home in a bell
topper. frock crost. and patent feathers.
4 dirty pOt-bOy took our orders; and as
soon as he had brought the liquor and re-
had been taking stock Of me pretty close
y from behind his glasses, and ! suppose
felt satisfied, at once began:
y and a friend wish TO go on a long
yaching cruise" said he, and We are
looking for man and q vessel. a dozen
applications have come To hand in reply
to CslT advertisement Some OF the men |
have seen. I think you are the fourth.
As yet ! have come to no decision. What
Is required IS a small yacht. which you
or the person ultimately chosen will pur-
chase and fit out for a trip. perhaps as
Tar as South America. The Her she
is and the fewer men she carries the bet
ter. What would be the cost Of such
Now it happened that being well ac-
ouaintc3 with the Colonial cgasting trade
having spent good few years in il. !
was able 10 answer at once and 10 the
Pour pounds a ton-at the outside
four-ten-inciudlng 4 couple OF suits Of
sails and all requisite furniture. At odd
times q bargain cal be picked up for half
the money But IL s no use counting on
that"
'.Ah." he replied. evidently well pleased
NOW. what's the lowest tonnage that
would serve compatible with a fair
amount Of comfort and seawort hiness2'
Nothing under fifty I answered. "Of
course q much smaller boat could be sail
ed across the Pacific. But Gftys little
enough and another ten wouldn't hurt
whore the comfort part comes in
Say. then, E240.' he remarked. for
the vessel alone. Would another two hun
dred cover everything wages, provisions,
etc.?'
Impossible to say" ! replied. AN
depends on the weather But it should do
.And you would engage to furnish me
with "A yacht. hire men-not too many
and keep her in readiness to start at a
moments notice for any part Indicated TO