Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-12-06

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81. By c. A. Stephens.
There were but six passengers ON
che Pacific Mail steamer on that
"trip from Panama up to San Fran.
cisco. So we were all at the cap.
tetn's table, There was good cook,
and one night we had roast Panama
pig. The purser alone refused 1t.
+ None OF 1t for me. thank you,'' said
ne. and he told the following story:
Thirteen years ago l was at Ma
satian, out of cash and out Of jon.
Aazatlan is not pleasure resort. /
fought feas and greasers there for
eight or nine days. and then, to get
away. signed on fishing vessel. It
was tight, heavy-canvased little
schooner, called the Lark, and the
skipper was a Mobile man, named
Y Ifmmons.
had been 30 anxious 10 get away
from Mazatlan that did not ask many
questions, and 1t was not until we
were at sea, bound up the coast. that
4 learned what they were going to fish
Tor. They had a dredge Of peculiar
Z construction, instead OF hooks and
linea. and the fish they hoped to
catch lived inside of shells.
In short, the Lark was a pear.
y usher and. not to pick words, pearl.
Doacher. She was making for Costa
Qsican waters, where the gove rnment
then claimed and tried to enforce a
monopoly Of pearlfishing. In the way
OF q coast patrol there was wheezy,
Six.mile-an-hour little harbor steamer
With an old brass how;tzer at the
bows. This was the navy Skipper
Itmmons held 1t in, disdain.
Unlawful enterprises are not 10
Il my liking. but after we were at sea
eheres VAS MOI much thatSI could say.
& had to 90 along and do my part. Z
There Ia little inlet down In those
j waters. called Montuosa. The word
itself means mountainous. The island
y OF NO more than nifty acres extent,
out rises at the center in rocky
peak two hundred feet in height. All
! round Montuosa there.i good pearl
dshing, and Skipper Timmons used to
lie In the lee Of the islet and keep
man ashore on the peak to watch for
the 'gunboat. II It was sighted, the
sookouts instructions were to soho
down to the Lark, and by signs to In.
dictate which side OF Montuosa thu
warship' was heading for.
The skipper then got out the boat
and slowly lowed the Lark round to
the other side Just fast enough to keep
her out OF sight behind the cliffs. Ii
sSne gunboat changed its cour,x, the
( manoeuver was reversed. Timmons
had actually played this game sue.
csssfully.
As i had had little experience pearl
fishing, the skipper put me ashore as
lookout. 1t was not bad berth. The
sun was hot up there. but a fresh
breeze blew nearly all the time. /
carried up sun upbrella the second
day. and sat under that. having moth
ing to do but scan the distant head
lands Of Central America.
We were not really expecting to be
molested; but a little before noon OF
the third day saw steamers smoke
some fifteen miles up the coast. and
7 with my glass soon made sure that
II was indeed the enemy bearing
down on Montuosa.
4 sohoed, and the skipper got out
his boat to play the game OF dodge.
But this time the Costa Ricans were
too bright for him. They bore down
on the islet to come round on the
coastwise side of it, but let down an
armed boat to row round on the ocean
side In considerable excitement L
signaled this new vancouver down to
the Lark; and the skipper hoisted all
sail and put to sea.
A. soon as the boats crew sighted
the schooner, they hailed and fired
their rifles after her: and when the
{ gunbOat came round from the other
side It gave chase.
For several miles the two craft
seemed to have about equal speed. IN !:
gunboat doomed away with its brass
4 gun, and for a time 1t was very excit-
ing. The range was too great, how
ever, or the gunnery too bad, to do
execution; and the Lark, gaining more
wind as 1t got to sea, sailed clean
away from the cruiser.
Finding that 1t was wasting Its
coal, the gunboat turned back; and
now. thought !, they will get me and
no mistake. for l knew they must
have seen me signaling on the peak.
In fact, l wanted them to get me. I
didn't want to be left there on Mon.
tuosa with nothing to eat. So as soon
o. the warship came near enough, ]
swung my umbrella and shouted:
Ship ahoy! Here's a passenger
left behind
They saw me. But perhaps they
took my halls for shouts Of defiance.
: The hard-hearted wretches began
airing at me with their rifles! Bullets
dropped ON the rocks about me, and
Twas glad to hunt for q hiding place.
/ stu supposed that they would land
and capture me, but apparently they
i thought was not worth the trouble.
When I ventured to look again the
gnnboat was three or four miles away,
konI - hAu h a phnv