Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-16


The mate colored wildly, and, laughing UNI
easily, tried to pass the episode of with
statement that he had contemplated the
robbery Of some cigars. This would nave
been excusable, for Parton usually left
box of cigars on the cabin table to be USED
by both the captain and the mate If they
desired. By chance that day 1t was not
there, and itswas possible that Mr. Brown
had been looking for it. Before the South
African episode Parton would have thought
nothing of this. Now he thought great
deal about it. He did not, however, mention
it to the captain.
During the week Parton became convinced
that the man visited his state room more
than once while its proper claimant was on
deck, and his dislike for him became so
strong that it was mentally painful. Fur
thermore 1t was hard for him to conceal it.
On a small vessel like the Lydia, with only
three men with whom man may talk with
out what almost amounts to breach OF
discipline, the relations with these men
must, necessarily be almost intimate. and
the formation of dislikes toward them is
likely to be more disagreeable than wou!o
the springing UP of personal averslons IN
almost any conceivable circumstances
ashore
That very night while they were sitting
at table the captain put his hand suddenly
to his head and turned a little white
by John Quincy Adams!' said he, rip
ping out the complete expletive at once
without his usual gradual approach to It.
but that was funny" and went quickly TO
the deck.
Parton followed him at once and saw that
he had gone to the weather rail and was
holding his face into the wind. as IT the
feeling of the breeze was pleasant to his
cheeks and forehead.
whats the trouble, captain?" asked
Parton, anXiouSly.
"Oh, nothin' much. I guess" said the cap
tain. Once in while the cabin seems to
get awful stuffy. Time was when l could
sleep in III hermetic sealed fo'csle OF
Grand Banks smack, an never smell it nor
feel tn need of air. But guess I'm gettin
old. Anyhow, it's sometimes awful hard
for me to stay below for any length OF
time"
"Shan't I have your supper brought up
here?' said Parton, with some solicitude in
his voice
The captain turacd on him suddenly and
peevishly.
Now, by John!' said the old man. what
to be tended to by any passenger? There
amt nothin tn matter with me. I Jest
felt leetle mean for minute. Used to
feel mean oftener when 1 was twenty than
l do now No, I don't want my supper
brought up here. If l want to eat can go
| down an eat. Think I'm baby?'
And as Parton turned away, a very dis
agreeable thought flashed through his mind.
II anything should happen to the captain,
now would the mate, in supreme command
act about the diamonds?
A day or two after this an idea occurred
to him. 1t was while the captain was MAX
ing an inspection of the forward hold.
There was little more water than there
should be there. and he went down himself
to see what there was to see. He asked
Parton If he would like to go with him. He
had entirely recovered his old spirits, and
once or twice Parton thought he was on the
verge OF asking him to pardon. the recent
outbreak, but the request never came.
Parton had never before been in the hold
OF cargo ship, and the trip inter ested
him. To his surprise he found that she
was iaden, forward with square logs about
nd fxxyn
loot and half thick. They were mahog-
any timbers from Burmah and Siam, and
the captain considered them very good
cargo. They packed closely and were heavy
enough to ballast WELL The old man dis
prayed 2 curious miscellaneous knowledge
OF mahogany, and told Parton many things
ABOUT the timber which were entirely un-
connected with it's shipment as a sea cargo
delivering, indeed, little lecture on tropi-
cal and precious woods.
Among other things to which he called
Parton S attention was an augur hole in the
end of each of the mahogany logs He ex-
planned that these holes were bored for the
purpose OF testing the integrity of the tim
Der. He told about certain insect which
OFTEN greatly damaged mahogany by per-
1oratlng the very hearts Of the trees and
sometimes eating out tunnel through the
greater part of a timber's length This of
course, greatly decreased the value of the
timber, and the shrewd up-country dealers
sometimes tried to conceal the depreda-
tons of the pest by filling in the holes with
plugs of sawdust, covering the exposed end
over SO carefully and making it so closely
resemble the end of a sound tree heart that
buyers were deceived and paid frst-class
prices for imperfect timber
Ihls practice had become so prevalent
the captain went on, that nearly all mahog-
any timber submitted for export was now
| tested by these auger holes in each end of
! the log. few turns of the bit would
show whether the heart was sound and
solid or had been filled, and the aggregate
| damage thus done to a thousand logs would
| be much less than the loss from even a few
| timbers which were imperfect through their
| entire length
| Parton glanced at these holes careIess1v
at first, and then examined them with real
| interest, probing into one Of them with a
thin rod, and finding that 1t penetrated a
| distance of more than three feet
| Then, while they were still discussing the
! matter, Parton stepped under the omen
| hatch to see If any one were near to IT so
| that their conversation was likely to be
| heard. They were quite alone Parton
| after he had fully satisfied himself on this
point, said to the captain:
| II believe that Brown means to rob me
If he can. If he dared he would threaten
! trying to force me to give up something to
| him. He is too much afraid of you to do
| that, and so he has. I think, been trying
| to find some way of stealing some or all
| of the stones from me outright
He then gave to the captain in detail his
| reasons for being suspicious, and added:
| Now l don't want to have those dia-
| monds about me or about my cabin any
more"
You are right" said the captain. 81 was
| a fool ever to have shipped him."