Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1906-02-03
Valuable Antidote
[original.l


truth Indeed, an ounce of fluid once
saved my life, AS a medicine7 Well.
no. l wasn't sick, and l hadn't been
poisoned. Nevertheless that ounce
saved my life.
My father had been an officer In the
United States navy-not when orr
ships had come to be big machine
shops, but light wooden affairs that
SKINNED the waves like a bird He
went aloft just before the struggle no
tween the states, and l, being about
sixteen at the time, preferred to 90 in
TO active service afioat rather than To
me Naval academy. AS 1t was. 7 saw
nothing but blockading service. and
after the war was doomed to the NOR
chant service.
This is only preliminary to what Tn,
gong TO tell you. In the last year of
the sixties | was mate Of brigantine
and we were picking up goods In ports
on the China sea. One evening we
were coming down through the strait
Of Malacea when, after passing one of
Gle Islands at the southern end. we
saw on our port quarter and nearly
abreast of us as queer looking little
trait as ever sat on the water. She
wasn't Il common trader, for she was
shaped for speed, She wasn't yacht:
she wasn't sleek enough for yacht
Besides, she didn't carry a yachting
nY,tr do,
matter-which set our teeth to chatter
ing in no time, for | never knew but
one kind of craft that didn't show
colorS, and when that kind do show
them they invariably hoist the skull
and crossbones
1T wasn't long before we could see
that she was shaping her course to mar
row the distance between US, and we
shaped ours to keep apart. This didn't
suit the suspicious vessel, and she put
her nose closer still and before long
was heading right for us. Then we
could see the smoke bullying out of her
stack, and she came through the water
like Il present day motor boat
You couldn't get me to go over what
followed for the biggest farm or the
biggest ship in the world After the
crew, captain and first mate had step
Oed off the plank and it came my turn
one Of the pirate crew came up to the
captain and said something to him
The captain turned to me.
Where's the treasure box| he
asked
There was no treasure box worthy
IF the name aboard but | caught at a
straw and pretended to try to remem-
Der.
Come, hurry up with your think
Ing if you want "A comfortable death in
cool water. There are hot irons for
people with poor memories.
1 don't really know, captain, but
suspect there's a lot of money in the
ship, and if any one can find it / can.
Well. hunt for it.
Since my life depended on finding
money, | hunted for my life 1t was
dusk when l began, and l worked hard
till 8 o'clock, when the captain sent
for me to come into the cabin. He had
4 fine dinner set before him and was
found the treasure, and | admitted that
| had not.
Sit down here and tell me what
yJu know about it,
Il concocted yarn about a suspi
cious looking box that the captain had
watched while it was being brought |
aboard and made the story plausible, |
/ let out that had been in the United |
States navy. The pirate pricked up his |
ears at this and passed me the bottle.
An idea, a hope, Il straw to catch at |
could l drink the man drunk? | re.
mcmbered how my father when in the |
navy had told me of terrible drinking
bouts between the American and Brit I
ISL naval officers and how a dirty, vel
low faced, pigtailed man had put him
Oh to Il secret whereby he could go
through the worst bibular contest and
come out perfectly sober. There was
bottle of olive oil on the table-some
we had taken i'll at LeghOrn--that the
pirate had used to make potato salad
with. | clumsily knocked it over,
picked it up and with a spoon ladled
the spilled oil into my wineglass
Then | looked for something to turn
it into from the glass and, not see
ing anything, drank it off My host
remarked that to do such thing would
make him sick as dog, but took no
further notice of my act. AS | had Il
supposed, he was hard drinker, and
we sat pouring down one bottle after
another. Now and again l would pique
him by suggesting that he had had I
enough, whereupon he would call for
fresh bottle, and l could see he was
bent on laying me out His original in
tention was to find out if really knew
anything about the ships treasure, but I
as we proceeded he became interested I
III showing me that he could put me
under the table. / drank every time
nc dld, and as l did not show any eff
zee. OF the liquor the captain was as
,onisned But he wouldn't give up, and
fro. frank on. l could hear sounds
had without, indicating that his men
inc dnr INTO our liquor and were roar
lsfac utonk. At midnight had the sat
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