The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-07-28
90 100000. Observation-Disclosures.
A Tramp In Command.
g. $50: 90. {. *.

among the crew Il shanghaied man en-
tered by the name of Jones. He hat
been tramp along the water front
He had conversed with sailors. II,
knew all about first mates and secont
mates. TO have back talked would
nave been to solicit broken head
The part of wisdom was to saw Woo
and say nothing until the steamer RAJ
! into Key West or some other port and
then seek to make his escape She ran
down to the port named with the tramp
keeping quiet. but doing great deal
of thinking. He wanted to take care of
Jones and get back to New York with
out any sears to boast Of
The trampS plan to desert the steam
| err didn't pan out. Men were stationed
at the gangways to watch. The cargo
| of sewing machines" as the boxes
were marked. came aboard through the
efforts of strange men. and when duly
stored away under the matches the
| CurleW put to sea. As she left the har-
Dor revenue cutter sent in search of
| her entered it. 1t was q bright. clear
morning, but the captain of the cutter
| didn't see her. Even when his atten-
| ton was called to her name he screwed
up his eyes and winked and blinked
and read her name backward and said
he had never heard of such craft as
the Welruc. Jones had been patient
and hopeful. Now he was mad and
desperate. The others might run their
heads into the lions jaws if they
would. but their death would not mat
ter to the SO.OOO.OOO of Americans left
on. AS Il tramp he was expected to live
on. He had aims and ambitions to be
carried out before being hanged or shot.
He therefore informed the second
mate that he had objections to filibus-
tering and demanded that the steamer
at once be headed back In return he
was knocked down and jumped on
For the next three days. while the
Curlew was sneaking her way across
the gulf and keeping an eye open for
Spanish gunboats, all the officers and
most of the crew made q football of
Tramp Jones. Every few minutes he
was knocked down or kicked or cuffed
fight in which he was invariably worst
ed. They tried to batter the life out
of him. but only succeeded in making
him the madden. He had just been
kicked for the five hundredth time
since leaving Key West when the sun
went down. the tropical darkness de-
scended. and with it came n fog thick
enough to be cut with a knife
The steamer had been crawling along
the Cuban shore to hit the rendezvous.
In bay not two miles away when
the fog came down was a gunboat in
ambush. She heard enough to be
sure that a smuggler was at hand.
but when she crept out of the bay the
lookouts might as well have been blind
men. She drifted and the smuggIer
drifted. and by and by they were with
In quarter of mile of each other. |
The Spaniards gave themselves away
by their voices. The crew of the Cur
lew We're as whist as mice Orders
were issued to brain any man who |
minutes there was the silence of death |
aboard. Then the gunboat began firing |
into the fog at random. She fred shells |
that went screaming into space in a
way to make the h:t1 stand up. She fred |
solid shot that whizzed and groaned |
and hunted for something to mash
She fired grapeshot that came aboard
and struck down four trembling men,
A shot tore through the pilot house. a
shell made matchwood of n boat hang
ing at the davits. The Spaniards didn't
know that they were hitting anything,
but it was good time to practice
There were brave men aboard the
cover. and they crouched and trem-
bled like children. She was under
haphaZard fire for half an hour. hav-
ing four men killed and six wounded
and then the Spaniards steamed back
into the bay and dropped anchor. She
had blown the United States sky high,
and her commander patted himself Oh
the back. When the firing ceased
Tramp Jones looked around 20 find
himself the only man on deck He
had been kicked so often that he no
onger felt fear. He realized that now
was the time for the steamer to es-,
cape. and he went man hunting. He
found the engineers and tiremen in
hiding in the coal bunkers. He hauled
hem forth and kicked them to their
POSTS. He found captain and mates
hiding in their staterooms He swore
1t them. He cuffed them He gave 4
hem the boot He played basket ball
With their carcasses until he had {
lriven them to their stations. He
Ound the roustabOuts lurking and
hivering and wondering why death
fingered. and he tired his arms with
uffing and his legs with kicking 1t {
vas he who gave the order for the en- ,
ines to back. 1t was he who gave q {
curse out to sea. 1t was he who held 7
he whole outfit up to the mark for 7
hree long hours. or until the Curlew ,
na!ly crept into the rendezvous
Thpp fhQrn WnC an av-nI-aniD.r n, J