The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-03

the yellow, slant-eyed face that looked down at
~ me and then to- the door as if fearful of some
+ emo lemember Cabbage Jimmy, chs Long time
ago, Observation-Disclosures n-dlought-ehe Now
And while the man spoke there to mind mem
cries of faraway land of orrd heat of dead and dying
sheep and CATTLE of all the horror of Australian
drought with amongst them grateful recollection of
patch of verdure sole thing almost that made life
''Cabbagee' and how patiently during all
those long ranles months he strove to keep the station
green stuff carrying water to the ash-heap called
garden morning noon and night in his struggle against
nature in that drear western wilderness.
bunk and looked at the buetheaded ugly beggar felt
quite pleased at the unexpected meeting little thinking
pose my face showed my thoughts grinned exhb
ting all his discolored fangs of teeth as he said AI
You look out! Bad lot salah felah. All Annoy men
You tell say,' and drawing long finger suggestive
ly his throat, Jimmy disappeared.
Talk about the world being wide! Why, it was about
ten years ago since giving up squatt1g in disgust
tised mostly since in Sydney and Melbourne Now
taking my first holiday in the east must needs stumble
Cabbage JIMMY transformed into cooks mate
of the Ly-chee coastng steamer in which making
trip from Singapore to Swallow. And sat there,
thru my mind thoughts of these longgone dreary
days of hopeless struggle with drought and disaster
everdy backcreeks Of the ultry sitting weather with
slowly out. Merryong9 Yes, sslemembered ali right
now! But what did Jimmy by his warning? It
might be serious and perhaps had better tell the skip
bridge It was beautiful morning and the Ly.chee was
hand, and whole of Chinese trying to put some
kind of order into the which numbered the craft
fore and aft.
deckcabin next to three Chinese gentlemen w
u we n to start n IN
that filled spare BERTH they seemed to have brought lots
of stock in the shape Of dollars with them. They
quiet folk welmannered after their fashion, courteous
and polite, but unable to speak word of English,
the vile "pidgn' universally in vogue; therefore
Nothing farther from my mind than pose as
an alarmist Moreover, had my doubts to how the
that he and his little iron tank owned the ocean, would
take any warning from stranger and chum Also
pirates fast becoming anomaly STILL the ex-gardener
Of Merryongs words few and slight they were, had
my badly frightened Therefore, considering all this
felt it my duty to tell the captain conversation
word for word He received it very much I expected
he would-perhaps rather so,
tPooh!' said he with supercilous laugh s'the fell
low only taking rise out of you. Of course,
years back we all had to armed and keep bright
lookout But now-why, don't think there's pistol
amongst u.s.! 1t only passengers that get
Ny crowds all right They especially recommended
by Lu-chang the companys compradore Nor any case
would they be game to play any hankypanky me- Tn
well known The other passengers yonder have got
about thirty thousand taels board you bet they
wouldn have shipped with if they d had any doubts
'Bhged to you, mister, all the same But don't be
alarmed, raise amongst the others you can
help it. You II Swallow, and the Lychee, too, safe
enough Which, after results considered, has always
struck good example of of those random re-
marks that after the event, thinks perverse
and unknd fate must have put into the speaker mouth
Besides the captain and myself, the only other Eu-
ropeans the Lychee the two the chief
engineer, the second being Malay Of peculiarly villain
aspect.
Of course my story being thus made light of by the
captain could not very WELL if had wished to do
So have with it to his subordinates
their personalities in way inviting The chief
engineer of different stamp big Aberdonian
decent enough; but who, felt would be little
inclined to trouble himself with anything of his own
beaten routine.
], however determined to have another talk with
Jimmy, and whether couldn get something little
definite from him. But he fought very shy of me-
and it late that night before succeeded in corner
ing him alone in the bit of sentry they called the
pantry.
Now Jimmy I said without preamble, ss4et :