Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-19
IOOKOUT FOR THE ADDED
STARTER" SAY THE SHREWD ONES

70, the race, and they were perfectly will
ing to depend upon their experience and
team work to pub them through. as It had
pulled them through many hard-fought
long-boat battle in far-distant waters on
the other side Of the world.
The Fourth of July race between the
three long-boat crews quickly developed in
gamblerish lot down on the islands when
they've got anything to bet on They
didn't have much to bet on In those days,
for there was no base bali or racing in
Honolulu at that period. SO that the
three-cornered long-boat race gave the bet
ting bunch down there a chance to unbelt
on the crew they liked. The Honolulu folks
couldn't exactly make out how any mere
beat two crews Of Kanakas in boat race
of any kind in the Kanakas' own waters,
and they evinced a disposition from the
outset Of the betting to take one or the
six hand-books started up on the race about
the LIST Of July and big money began to
show. The officers OF the Bennington
quietly tipped off their friends ashore in
Honolulu that there was hardly a way in
the world that the Bennington crew could
lose, and this caused weight Of heavy
coin to flow into the hand-books on the
Bennington crews chance-more than
enough to offset the betting on the two
Kanaka crews.
The bluejackets of the Bennington, most
OF whom were men whose time was nearly
out and who consequently had plenty of
gold piled up with the paymaster, drew
down punches of their money and went
ashore and spraddled 1t on the chance Of
the Bennington long-boat crew. Reports of
the fine progress being made by the Kama
ka fshermens crew kept coming along,
however, SO that, two days before the race,
the betting in the hand-books stood this
way:
= Even money and take your pick between
the Remington and the Kanaka fish,
ermen's crew; to 1 and / to 2 the place
against the Kanaka cops crew. kanakas
of means from all over the islands came
down to Honolulu to root for one or other
o. the Kanaka crews and to get their
checks down. Most of them bet on the
fishermen crew. and this held the price
against the Bennington outfit steady at
even money. The two Honolulu papers
were full Of the preparations for the race,
with speculations as to the probable win
ner, and the handbook makers wore out
pencil after pencil recording the wagers
that flowed in on the outcome.
On the ID Of July, two days before the
race, a very beautiful white steam yacht
entered the harbor Of Honolulu and an
chored. She was the Eleanor, one Of the
most sumptuously fitted yachts In the
whole world. The Eleanor was direct from
Japan. Her owner, Rhode Island wooden
manufacturing millionaire, Mr.. Slater, had
been on three years cruise of the world
stenographer before their marriage, only a
short time before the cruise began. The
Eleanor was on her way to San Francisco
and dropped into Honolulu harbor to en-
able the owner and his wife to renew
friendly social relations with Honolulu peo-
pie whom they had met several years be-
fore.
The Eleanor had hardly been at anchor
in the harbor for an hour before moon
faced, understanding bluejacket from
the yacht boarded the Bennington and
hunted up the cox'un OF the Bennington
long-boat crew.
He had heard said the moon-face from
the Eleanor, that there was going to be
some kind of long-boat race in the har-
Dor on the Fourth Of July. Well. the
Eleanor had a sort of a scrub crew that
would like to get into the race, il that
would be agreeable. Tho Eleanor fellows
weren't regular long-boat racing men and
they didn't expect to get anything. but
they'd like the exercise and the fun Of com
peting. and would the Bennington crew be
willing to allow the Eleanor long-boat to
get into the race If the other two crews
were willing?
Sure. the Bennington crew would The
more the merrier, said the cox'un. drawing
the members of the crew together under
the foosle for consultation. They want
ed to be hospitable, too, and q four-cor-
nered race would be a sweller thing for the
folks from the shore to look at anyhow,
than three-cornered affair.
The moon-face from the Eleanor looked
duly graterui. Then ne went ashore and
hunted up the cox'uns Of the two Kanaka
crews and put the matter to them in the
same way. The Eleanor long-boat crew
wanted to get into the race merely for the
| sport Of the thing, and the Bennington
folks were willing, and would the Kanakas
stand for another contesting crew? The
Kanaka race are the most agreeable people
| in the world. and they hadn't the least
objection.
So that night the handbook men had
another crew tackled onto the LIST. Some
of the bettors put up sort of roar over