The daily Alaskan., 1906-04-25
AValuable Antidote
lOrlgiuaLI

| am a practical illustration of It's truth. Indeed, an ounce of fluid once saved my life. As Q medicine? Well, no. I wasn't sick, and I hadn't been | poisoned Nevertheless that ounce | saved my life
 My father had been an officer in the United States navy-not when our ships had come to be big machine shops, but light wooden affairs that skimmed the waves like a bird. He went alOtt just before the struggle be- tween the states, and I, being about sixteen at the time, preferred to go in- to active service afoat rather than to the Naval academy. AS it was, saw nothing but blockading service, and after the war was doomed to the mer- chant service.
 This is only preliminary to what I'm going tO tell you. In the last year of the sixties l was mate of brigantine and we were picking up goods in ports On the China sea. Que evening we were coming down through the strait of Malacca when. after passing one of the islands at the southern end, we saw on our port quarter and nearly ,brCaSt of Us as queer looking little craft as ever sat on the water. She wasn't a common trader, for she was shaped for speed. She wasn't yacht; she wasn't sleek enough for a yacht Besides. she didn't carry a yachting dag-or any flag whatever, for that matter-which set our teeth to chatter ing in no time, for l 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 CrOSSbOueS.
 Tt 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 bulging out of her stack. and she came through the water ike 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. ped off the plank aud it came my turn one of the pirate crew came up to tue captain and said something to him The captain turned to me.
 Where's the treasure bOX| he asked.
 There was no treasure box worthy of the name aboard. but 1 caught at a straw and pretended to try to remem. Der.
 "'Come, hurry up with your think ing if you want comfortable death in cool water. There are hot irons for people with poor memories
 "I don't really know, captain, but l 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. 1 hunted for my life. It was dusk when began. and l worked hard till 9 o'clock. when the captain sent for me Co come into the cabin. He had a fine dinner set before him and was just falling to. He asked me if had found tbe treasure, and admitted that I had not.
 Sit down here and tell me what you know about it.
 ''I concOcteI yarn about suspl' cious looking box that the captain had watched while it was being brought lboard and made the story plausible [ let out that l had been in the United States navy. The pirate pricked up his .lrs at this and passed me the bottle,
 An idea. a hope, a straw to catch at! Could l drink the man drunk? l re- uembered how my father when in the navy had told me of terrible drinking bouts between the American and Brit ish naval officers and how a dirty, vel low faced. pigtailed man had put him on to a secret whereby he could go through the worst bibular contest and come out perfectly sober. There was a bottle of olive oil on the table-sOme we had taken in at LeghOrn-that the pirate had used to make potato salad with I clumsily knocked it over' picked it up and with a spoon ladled the spilled oil into my wlnegIass. Then l looked for something to tur2 it into from the glass and, not see ing anything. drank it of. My hosl remarked that to do such thing would make him sick as a dog, but took no further notice of my act. AS l had supposed, be was a hard drinker, and we sat pouring down one bottle after another. Now and again I would pique him by suggesting that he had had enough. whereupOn he would call for fresh bottle. and 1 could see be was bent on laying me out. His original in- tention was to find out if really knew anything about the ships treasure, but as we proceeded he became interested in showing me that he could put me under the table. I drank every time he did. and as I did not show any eff feet of the liquor the captain was as tonished. But he wouldn't give up, and ,-r- ,, op,,l6 -hnor spuN6S