Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1906-12-27

city. They taught me there that con-
sciousness of ignorance which is half an
education and being the son of a man
who starved on fine ability for model
ling things in clay, and plaster moulding,
| went out presently to make my living.
First to America, to get the experience
of coming home again; then to the Cape,
to watch other men dig diamonds; to
Rome to Naples, to Genoa, that | might
know what it was to want food; to South
America as an able seaman; to Australia
in the stoke-hole of a South Sea liner !;
home again to my poor father, who lay
dead when l reached Liverpool.
Il was twenty-five years old then, and
glutted with life. BY what chance it was
cannot tell, but l drifted like living
log into the detective force of my city,
and after working up for a few years
through the grades, they put me on the
landing stage at Liverpool, to watch for
men who wished to emigrate. 1t was mis-
cradle employment, but educating, for it
taught me to read faces that were dis
guised, old men become beardless, young
men made old. l suppose | had more
than common success, for when | had
been so employed for five years | was
sent to London by our people, and there
commanded to go to the Admiralty and
get new instructions. Regard this, please,
as the first mark in this record am max
ing. OF my work for our own people
may not tell even you, since | engaged
upon it under solemn bond of secrecy; but
l can indicate that l was sent to Italy
to pick up facts in the dock yards there,
and that our people relied on my gifts
of disguise, and on my knowledge of 1tal-
ian. In short, ! was expected to provide
plans and accounts of many things mate
rial to our own service, and | entered on
the business with alacrity, gained admit
tance to the public dock yards, and knew
in a twelvemonth all that any man could
learn who had his wits only to guide him.
1t was in Italy during my second year
of work that | had cause to be at Spezia,
inspecting there a new type of gunboat
about which there was much talk and
many opinions. 1t was an evening late
in the year. and the sun was just setting
| watched the changing hues of the peaks
as the light spread from point to point
upon the castle roof, upon the steel hulls
of great ships. And then | saw strange
thing, for amongst all the vessels l saw
one that stood out beyond them all,
great globe. not of silver, but of golden
fire. There was no doubt about it at all
| rubbed my eyes. l used the glass | al
ways carried with me viewed the hull
| saw lying there from half a dozen
heights and | was sure that what l saw
was no effect of evening light or strange
refraction. The ship | looked on was
built either of brass, or of some alloy of
brass, as it seemed to me, for the notion
that she could be plated with gold was
preposterous; and yet the more | exam
ined her, the more clearly did make out
that her hull was constructed of a metal
infinitely gold-like, and Of so beautiful a
color in the redeemed stream which shone
upon it that the whole ship had the aspect
of a mirror of the purest gold had ever
seen.
The dark fell. returned to the town
quickly. | went raight to the sea front
and began, if l could, to find whore the
water Jay wherein this extraordinary
steamer was locked | had taken the
bearings of it from the hills, and I was
very quickly at that spot where | thought
to have seen the strange vessel. There,
truly enough, was dock in which two
small coasting steamers were mOored, but
of sign of that which | sought there
was none. / should have had the matter
out there and then, searching the place
to its extremity; but | had not been at
my work ten minutes when | knew that
| was watched. \ man, dressed a rough
sailor, and remarkable for the hideousness
of his face and a curious malformatiOn of
one tooth, lurked behind the heaps of sea
lumber ard followed me from point to
point | returned in good disguise Of
A common English seaman on the follow
ing evening. and again entered the dock
yard. The same man was watching, but
he had no suspicion of me.
"'Any job going| | asked, and the
question seemed to interest him.
~ reckon that depends on the man..
he replied, sticking his hands deep into
his pockets. What's a little wien chap
like you good for except to get yer neck
broken"
"'All in my line answered jauntily.
having fixed my plan; I'm starving
amongst these cutthroats here, and I'm
ready for anything
| chatted with him. and later on with
his companions. about as fine a dozen of
self-stamped raSrals as ever ] wish to
see. Next day. ! came again to the dock
wards. convinced that | was at the foot of
a mystery, and. to my delight. got en-
ployment from the chief Of the gang,
named Roaring John by his friends; and
was soon al work on the simple and mat
ter-of- fact business OF cutting panks. This
gave me an entry TO the dock yard-all
| wished al the moment.
Il had got admission to the dock. but
had learnt nothing of the vessel. | was
admitted only to the outer basin. where
the coasting steamers lay. sld Roaring
John threatened me if | passed the gate
which opened into the dock beyond. Min
ute by minute and hour by hour, | wait
ed my opportunity. II came to me on
the morning Of the eighth day, when |
reached the yard at four O'Clock and the
gate being uno-,en. ! lurked in hiding
until the first man should come He was
no other than the one who had engaged
me and when he had gone ip he did not
close the second door after him. there
being no men then at their work. ! need
not tell you that ] used my eyes well in
those minute. There. sure enough. lay
the most remarkable warship | had ever
great. well-armed cruiser, whose
dccks were bright with quick firing guns,
whose lines showed novelty in every inch