Evening star., 1907-11-19
CHAPTER XI-Continued.

the silence which had fallen on tn,
watchers from the ship. Walker hat
slipped back to his beloved engines Hat
he not vowed that the massive pistons
should again thrust forth their willin.
arms on or about New Year day? H,
had forgotten the cannibals and thei
threats ere he was at the foot of th-
engine room ladder. Courtenay and Tol
lemache Joined him; Christobal went Il
the saloon to visit his patients; Elsie wa
left with Mr.. Boyle, who forthwith fel
into doze, being worn out by the fresl
air and the excitement.
joey. having followed Courtenay to tn,
one doorway in the ship which he coult
not enter, trotted back to find Elsie. Sh
greeted him with enthusiasm.
Hail. friend" she said. You, at least
are not jealous if speak to your master
wherein you show your exceeding wisdom
NOW. since you and I are persons o
leisure, tell me. Joey. what we shall do Il
make ourselves useful?"
Inc dog was accustomed to beips
spoken to. He awaited developm ITS.
1t seems to me, Joey" she continued
that Guiielmo FrasCuelo is the one per
son on board who claims our attention
There is mystery to be solved. Bound
op III IL are my poor 1SODel. Ilat beast
Ventana, and drunken coal-trimmer. Ar
odd assortment to rub shoulders, don't
you thnk?'
joey still reserved his opinion. When
the girl went to the forecastle by climb
ing down the sailors ladder to the lower
deck. he thought she was making mis-
take, but she held her arms for his spring
and all was well. She had not previously
VISITED the quarters set apart for the
crew: Puzzled by the large number OF
small cabins with names of subordinate
ofncers painted on them, she paused and
cried loudly:
Are you there, Frascuelo? May 1
speak to you?"
An exclamation of surprise, a somewhat
1ofclbie exclamation. too, answered her
from an inner berth. Frascuelo had
heard from the Chilean who brought his
meals that there was an Englishwoman
on board, but he did not know that she
spoke Spanish fiuently. He answered her
question politely enough in the next
breath, and the dog indicated the right
door by hopping inside
Frascuelo was reclining on a lower
punk. His injured leg was well on the
way toward recovery, but the wound and
It's resultant confinement had cnastened
him; he had lost the brigandish swagger
winch was his most cherished asset.
After acknowledging inquiries as to his
progress. he showed such eagerness for
caused the latest uproar. She cheered
MN, TOO, with the announcement made by
the engineer, and then led him to the
topic on which she sought information.
In some ways I regard you as most un-
fortunate" she said. Il have been told
you are here by accident-that you never
meant to take the voyage at all. Is that
true?"
Frascuelo, delighted to have secured a
sympatheuc listener, poured forth his
sorrows volubiy. He bore no ill will
against the captain, he said He knew
chief officer, as his tale was an unlikely
one. and he ought to have trusted to a
more orderly recital of the facts to OBJ
tain credence.
But l was that mad. senorita, | just
saw red. and the drink was yet surging
up in me. felt l must fight somebody,
whatever the consequences
can you tell me why any one had
such a grievance against you that you
should be thrown into the hold and near
ly killed? That was a strange thing to
do, especially as you came aboard too
late for your work.
'Ah that is the point, senorita You
see, we trimmerS work in gangs, and the
man who flung me through the hatch
was the man who had taken my place.
see no reason to doubt that it was he who
made me drunk the previous evening, and
know who did that
What was his name?"
Jose Aracleto-Jose the Wine-bag'
we call him on the plaza. 1 ought to
have smelt mischief when Jose paid.
Never before had l seen him do such
thing. And a good liquor, too. Dios, 1t
must have cost him dollars
What object had he in coming on
board instead of you?'
'Ah. there you beat me, senorita
have twisted my poor brain with think
no nf hot
head, and bunkering ship from a. fiat is
hard, work while it lasts, whereas one
would expect Jose to ride twenty miles
the other way to escape such a task
But he was in the plot, and he shall tell
ne why, Or"
light hand to his belt, but his sheath
knife had been taken from him. He smil d
;heepishly; yet his black eyes twinkled
Plot! Why do you speak of a plot?"
asked the girl, hoping that the word be
okened some more promising clue than
she could discern thus far.
why did the furnaces blow up? Tell
ne that and I can answer you Good
honest coal isn't made of gunpowder
lose, or some one behind him, meant to
'ink the ship, and. as l might have
proved o "a awkward, they were willing that
shall meet Jose if we get out of this rat
rap; then we shall have a little talk"
Again. his hand wandered toward his
waist but he bethought himself, and bent
n pretense that the bandage on his leg
leeded readjuSting.
Despite the mans shreWd guess as to
he cause of the accident in the stoke
loid, Elsie was at loss to connect the
reak of some Valparaiso loafer with tn
eep-laid scheme which contemplated tn.
destruction of the Kansas She had fol-
owed the discussion in the chartroom
With full appreciation of its significance,
as the ship and cargo were
here was far more at stake in the effect
II the loss on the copper markets of the
World. The most important copper-ex-
'orting firm in Chile would practically be
unned. while the Paris ring" of which
he had read in the newspapers, would
laVe matters its own way. Financial in
erests or such magnitude would hardly
'e bound up with the carousals and quar-
els of Frascuelo and Jose the Wine-bag
let
Have you ever heard OF a Senior Pedro
'entana?" she asked suddenly
Has he to do with mines?" inquired
he Chilean, tentatively
"Yes"
II know him by sight, senorita.'
Would he be acquainted with this man.
do you think?"
can say Jose would know anybody /
hon he could touch for few pesatas. "
she left him, promising to visit him
ally in the future. AS she walked back
oward the bridge companion, she met DR..
His fit of ill-humor had gone !
e was all smiles; but Elsie, having ex-
racted such information as FrascueIo
assessed, was bent on adding to her
tore of knowledge. Incidentally, she
leant to widen the Doctors views.
why have you taken to lecturing me ?"
he asked, with simple directnoss which
hrlStODal was NOT slow tn r,rnft b,y