Cañon City record., 1906-09-06
GETTING EVEN
By CHARLES GREY GREY


took her so regularly round the Mexican
Gulf ports that she almost came to itnag-
inc herself liner between London, the
West Indies and the Gulf.
Billy wasn't naturally depraved, but
those West Indian ports wsre too much
for the virtue of the descend ant of many
generations of Cornish smhgglers, and
Captain Treharne fell awayl from grace,
He started in quite small way, SNUG
Cling odd boxes of extra special Ha-
vanas and odd pounds OF selected Vir-
ginia, which came to him Via New Or
leans. Then he started playing the game
heavily, and that was where lnis fall hurt
When they did get him he Suffered heav-
ily. lost many pounds of excellent to-
bacco, and, as the lawyers put it, was
"mulct in heavy fine"
Captain Treharne, of the Rathcoole,
resolved to get even, and hext trip he
ran some more of his faJorite blends
and brands, which by extra judicious
slowing in unconsidered rifles of cargo
he got ashore safe That hid him well
and nearly squared up thel loss on the
conhscated cargo. Still hd wanted to
get his own back'-te Use his own
phrase-and for that end concocted a
deep and skillful plot. Accordingly, next
trip he carefully slowed a fw boxes Of
cigars and few poundj of tobacco
where they would be foundry the keen
noscd customs officer. These being
found. he was fined again arn rata, but,
the quantity being small, the fine WIS
small, too He knew that nbw he would
be marked as a confirmed funner,' and
that was where the plot bme in, also
where the skipper of the }athcoole be-
gan to feel pleased with himself.
When he next visited New. Orleans,
Billy Treharne expended aportion of his
ill-gottcn gains on buying p few hun
dred weight of scrap tobIto, sweepnas
of the warehouses, and soon. Billy, be-
ing part owner of the R:thcoole. could
do pretty well as he likd, so he ex
pended more wealth on a ruher unncces-
sarily large supply of coal, and coal costs
money in the Gulf pots Then he
started for home. When lie little Rath-
coole had kicked and wrigled herself to
within few hours of sieit, Of England
the skipper called the crev aft, individu-
ally swore them TO secrecyand explained
the plot. The crew saw the humor of
the situation and CRIME. Then Billy
produced the scrap Tobacco and sent for
the ships cook.
For several hours the :ook and Billy
were busy boiling up trong solution
of nicotine, until the cooks galley reeked
like a docker's dirty cls pipe, Then
Billy sent for the chief engineer, and
remarked: Mister Mcray, will you
kindly have few wee sfaves dug on
the top of all that extra ,dal you've got
left over this tripa" \
Mckay, who was in tln joke, retired
to his bunkers and had Me necessary
graves dug as required.
Then the skipper, the cpok and Nc
Kay proceeded to scientifically distribute
that nicotine solution bc.w4 II the graves
in the coal, SO that it sLou{ pcrcolate to
the bottommost plate in t!e|bunkers.
By this time they were nearing their
first port of call. Everything was made
t'shipshapc and Bristol fshion" below,
and into port they went, he Rathcoole's S
bunkers and galley smelliig like cut
plug factory.
As soon as the revenu, officer came
aboard Billy gratuitously declared five
hundred cigars and twelve pounds of to-
bacco, and offered duty or the same.
Now that alone, from a twice con-
victed smuggler, was enough to rouse
suspicion, so off went Mr.. Revenue Off
Ger on the spy-around. He tackled
Billy's cabin first; nothing to be found
there; then the mates quiiters, nothing
there; then the fo'c'sle, ope man found
with two hundred cigars, nothing to do
with the skipper, though. Then he
tackled the galley.
"Ah," said the revenue Imam, "therc's
nothing to see, but this smells suspi-
cious."
Cant say it's pleasant" replied Billy ;
Seems to me that dam .6ok has been
smoking some unholy muck in the to-
bacco line here. Sort of seems more a
case for quarantine officer than reve-
nue man, though"
THAT don't go here snapped the
revenue man; you'd far better declare
the stuff right off than let us find it and
get fined yourself; though, to tell the
truth, you'll sight m,re likely get
juGged the third time. Come, now,
where is it? / tell you, bluff don't go
down here"
Who's blufing7' an;wered Billy.
I've declared all the tobacco I've got
aboard, and you can turn the darned
old Rathcoole inside out. but you won't
find another ounce"
We'll see about that liter," said the
revenue man.
Well. nothing was found in the galley,
and nothing elsewhere, till they came to
the stoke-hold, and thencs to the bunk
ers. Here the revenue man was struck
by the quantity of coal on hand for an
inbound ship, and his suspicious rose
like the comb on an angry cuckatoo.
Seems you've got lot Of coal aboard,
Captain Treharne," he said
Eyes. Good coal that" replied Billy.
Never used SO little coal on a trip since