The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-08-16
/ had drained the last drop of 1t the mate

had drained the last drop of 1t the mate
turned to him curiously:
Where did you get the powder"
We'll" said ME master, stroking his
forehead with the four fingers of his right
hand, that's the curious part OF it. I got
that stuff from an old pal of mine"
A cid pal?"
Yes; Jack Fenwick. We were In a ut
tie game together about ten years ago.
He got pinched and I escaped. Some peo-
pie said l saved myself at his expense
Anyhow, he got five years in the penlten-
tiary. Well, l met him a few weeks ago
! for the first time s~lnce-since the unfortu-
, nate occurrence. l was a bit chary OF mn.
at first, but Jack didn't bear me any III
will. No, not at all. He heard that 7 was
in the filibustering line and was making
q little money selling supplies to the In
surgents, and he offered to put me on to g
good thing. a week after he took me TO
a place where they had these hundred
casks OF powder. I gave him a hundred
dollars for the lot. and if I donS get
twenty times that much for EN- III eat
my shirt"
After this candid recital the master took
another drink, He forgot to ask the mate
to Join him, but that functionary. not AZ
all abashed, found another cup and helped
himself literally. The men had been
drinking for some time. and their faces
were flushed and their voices husky. POLK
struggled to express a question that had
been shaping itself in his muddled mind
for many minutes.
How'd you fool the customs%"
The query hit the master plump on the
funny bone. He laid his tin cup down
and, leaning back in his chair, reared with
laughter. Polk smiled feebly. surprised
hat anything he could say should be
conducive to such pronounced mtrth. Fin
ally the other paused in his hilartty hAu.
wiping the tears from his eyes with a pair
of dirty knuchles, said:
ut was as easy as dropping anchor. We
put EN- on the ship papers as mixed
pickles. When the inspector came foolinE
round l had a cask opened and showed EN-
pickles. But it was the only cask of
pickles we had. Everyone of the other
blessed ~ninety-nine packages was filled
with AL g~unpoWder."
The chief mate thought this was good
enough TO deserve another drink: so did
the master. On the theory that one good
turn deserves another they took Il second
drink. a loud knock at the cabin door dis
turbed the rotations.
What dye want?" growlcd the master
in deep bass tones.
"Nothing, sir" called out the voice of
the cabin boy, except to say that the AL
batross is in sight
The look of stupid Incidence on the mans
: face disappeared. The veins in the bull
j neck stuck out in purplish lines. An angry
4 light flashed from under the heavy eye
lids and the straight lips shut very tight.
y He jumped to his feet and in the act over
| turned the decanter and the tin cup half
filled with whisky. A cloud of Thoughts
y filled his half awakened mind, but only
e two words came from his mouth:
n THE devil!'
He staggered unsteady up the stairway
> The chief mate looked lDDyi0plV al the
e spilled liquor, and then regretfully fol
e lowed his master onto the main deck.
Barnes, whose eye had been fastened to
n the knot hole all this time, withdrew ii
and, jumping out of the bunk hastened to
/ the deck, followed by Clancy. Cross was
standing in the stern of the boat with 6
telescope to his eye. He closed the spy
glass with "a click and hurried down to the
engine room.
a Put all the speed on he shouted t.
y the engineer.
. Were going as fast as we cam" replied
II the grimy faced individual.
II know better" shrieked the master
'e You can go faster-you must go faster.
A fireman was placidly smoking a pipe
L. der roughly.
Here, you pile on more coal there, an
lie keep piling it on-d'ye hear
lie The fireman obeyed. He shcVelled tn
is coal on in wholesale quantities. The fire
id already at white heat. cracked furiousls
n The engineer put on more steam, and i
10 the course of ten or fifteen minutes tn
lg Golden Rod was doubling its speed.
he The master stood in the pilot house an
encouraged the crew with the fiercest pre-
family Barnes had ever heard. A half ho,
J. and an hour passed. and the chief inspec
a tor of customs noted with delight that tn
revenue cutter was gaining on the tram
I'd steamer. Her handsome white bow wa
ne in sight. and Captain Farewell could b
I.-r,,, -, Ia ~ -~ ;,. 80, sc, VOC ry, t,tf "
ne lieutenant. Cross realized that the Golde
a Rod was losing ground, and he storme
about the deck like a crazy man.
to You laundering FOOLS he shouted
of the crew. ARE We going to stand there an
us let this hell hound of a government boz
e run We down? Why don't We do some
in thing? What are We s1nirking about
I'D What good are ye, anyhow"
at The first mate. in a last effort to kee
of up the dignity of his position, tipped h
ed forefinger to his cap.
a "Cap'n, the men are doing all the
can"
At. The masters face flushed. The brutau
nd seemed to ooze from the pores of his ski
"a You, too he shrieked, you dirty do
I'D to go back on me. l have a notion
throw you overheard"
he The frenzied man made a menacing m
on ton toward the mate. Polk. regardir
he discretion as the better part of valor, ex
OF cuted a mastery retreat. This policy
1r- non-resistance upset the captains plan
TX and he decided TO go into the cabin.
ps. the meantime the AlbatrosS steamed ahes
.rs with unerring certainty. Every revohtIt
oe of the wheels brought her nearer to II
liff Golden Rod. Both boats were coming o
to Of the bay and emerging into the bros
"a ocean. Cross came out Of the cabin, wi
le- ing his mouth with the back Of his han
lite He could see the Albatross now witho
ed the aid of his telescope. Just as he locke
tie, the captain of the revenue cutter signall
at a request for surrender.
he BLAST his im~pudence!" shouted eros
Wen show him how we'll surrender"
ee. Once more he retreated into the cabi
he During the next ten minutes he we
ng downstairs three or four times. On ca
of trip he turned the spigot OF an ice cool
he and took a drink out of the rusty tin GU
ZEN On his last return to the deck he walk
IN aft to give some directions to the me
ap- Barnes, taking advantage OF his absent
slipped down the stairway and peeped IN
to the ice cooler. His worst fears were co
ne- tirmcd. The cooler contained Jamai
rum.