The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-10-07

about Billy EnSIendrL aIouhu Wy
ands,' said the commodore, and We
never yet heard of his refusing to take
a chance. I've got to pull this tnlng
through, Billy, and you We got to help
me. Every dollar [ have in the world
is on board that schooner, and as long
as YOU we got some inkling as to the
true state of affairs | may as well tell
you that the schooner don't belong to
me and never did. | stole her right out
of New York harbor!
EngIehart puffed brlskly at his cigar:
81 Proceed said he, '' IN interested.
EWell, about three years ago | need
ed a schooner yacht to carry through
certain schemes / had in mind, and l
chose the handsomest and ablest one L
knew of. Being without dollar, L APP
preached syndicate of-of gentlemen,
with proposal full of romantic and
pecuniary possibilities. 1t was no less
than a venture to the South Seas to loot
shell beds. You see, I had cruised with
some of the syndicate before and knew
my men. The syndicate was to charter
the schooner and take me along as sail
and captain. Sounds fishy
to you, of course, but this syndicate had
lots of money and was full of romance.
-, L
and told a pretty plausible yarn, not
mentioning the gunboats and cruisers
that hang around the charted shell peas.
What was the use2
"Well, once / had my fingers on the
masters papers, the rest was easy. [
dropped part of the syndicate at Kings
ton, Jamaica. and the rest at Rio. The
cruise thus far was full of romance and
ashore. Billy, for three years I've
knocked about the world in that yacht.
| have been an honored guest at the
clubs in all the ports of the world. I've
flown commodore and vice commodore
flags and, actually, [ we been disguised
myself, at times, to see how shockingly
ignorant people are of the yacht regis
ter
81 see, - said Englehart, "that Hayes
and Ben Pease were only a couple of
rough niger compared with
you. How did you live all this time and
pay your crew and port feesa I've seen
you put up some pretty gaudy entertain
ments right here in this town, and it
WASH It done on wind. -
"Wen,' said the commodore, 81
know something about various games of
skill, for one thing, and | have pro-
noted several enterprises that have paid
fairly well. You will observe that I am
a man of resource and-and there are a
lot of people like that syndicate. Now,
here s the point: l need this money as
badly as I needed the Hermione three
years ago. Her term of usefulness is
over, for the syndicate is closing in on
me and the jig's about up. There is
hardly a port | can put into where there
ism It an injunction or detective. If
this don't go through I'm bust bust!
With your help and All Chuck 8 it win
go through. The little things you have
heard 1 have allowed to leak out dis
creetly. 1t is part of the scheme. There
is so much stuff aboard the Hermione
that no one will bother about you or me
or the ship. They will want the stuff
and, Billy, I've just squeezed that slip
perry old Chinaman for fifty dollars a
poundi''
"Whatl' cried Englehart. "Well,
in that case-''
"Exactlyln said the commodore, 81
thought you would listen to reason, and
now pay attention.
For the space of half an hour the
two held close converse. Then Engle
hart spat dryly, though there was a
CLEAN of inward excitement in his eye.
81 II see you through said he. "I I'll
tell you plain that I'm pretty rough
myself, but you re mighty shady com
pany even for Billy Englehart. I'm
sticking by you just because l admire
your nerve.'
Hanama Bay is small, obscure inlet
on &ha or 90 ,, &c Of
oval contour and walled about with
steep cliffs that form a natural amphi-
theater. On either side tower the loft
Ter headlands of Koko Head and Ka-
mookane. The bay is choked with coral
and affords no anchorage, though a
small boat may thread it's way among
the channels in the reef to the narrow
strip of beach 1t is wild and DESC
late spot. The cross-sea running
athwart the Moiokai Channel roars con-
tinually upon the reef and the clouds
break free from the pointed peaks like
bubbles from pipe to pour their mois-
ture into the bay. A few plover piping
cheerlessly among the weedy rocks and
the hos 'n-birds wheeling overhead are
the only permanent inhabitants of the
neighborhood, which bears a dark repu-
tation for unlawful traffic. Much illicit
merchandise has been landed hereabout,
and many gallon of fiery liquid dis
titled from juicy roots over fire of
guava wood to animate the forbidden
hula.
Late in the afternoon of November
day four Hawaiians stood waist deep in
the waters of the bay, holding with
some labor to the gunwales of a whale
boat in the endeavor to keep her bow-on
to the great, Kissing combers pouring in.
The wind was strong from the south and
the coming Kona storm was sending for
ward its advance guard. The sea was
leaden of hue and the breeze lad a
dead, stale odor.
At the summit of the ridge overlook.
ing the sea to the south Billy Englehart
stood watching a small speck rapidly
enlarging over the horizon. This soon
resolved itself into a schooner running
before the wind, her course being laid
for the near vicinity of Hanama. She