Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-26
I haven't penny in my pocket. Byw

do you mean by cheap?"
We'll, she certainly wasn't OUT in the
hear they'd hauled her up creek. But If
she hasn't sunk at mornings. and the ants
haven't walked or with her, I.shopld think
you could get the bits that rust couldn't eat
for three ten-pound notes.
Does she burn gasoline?"
mo. ordinary canned parafin. I know
that was supposed to be the great point
about her when she was brought out. Only
trouble was she didn't seem to be an anna
tours boat at all, and after the first week
or SO there wasn't a soul in the factory
tied her up to buoy and did their business
In the old dugouts and the surf boats as
formerly"
| II wonder II, the old chief has got an
emery wheel down in your engine room?'
Capt. Image stared at this change Of SUBJ
ject and ran finger round inside his collar
to Shift the perspiration. What do you
want an emery wheel for? Sharpen your
wits on?'
mo. my razor. II go and try and buy
a motor launch with this red wool on my
chin they'll take me for the wild man down
from the back Of beyond and stick up the
price,
Quite right. You've very sound bust
ness mind, Carter-me-lad You can, 1 be-
lieve. get a very sound thing in razors for a
shilling at that fo'c'sle shop If Chips is still
keeping one, and whilst I was buying
should get bottle or two of Emo, If 1 were
you. Capital thing to keep your liver down
10 gauge.
II want to get all these things" said Car
ter, emphatically. II daresay, indeed, 1
should like to buy up practically the whole
OF Chips remaining stock. partly for my
But the fact still remains unaltered that
until can get an advance against bills Of
lading, am without a copper in my pock-
ct. suppose that greedy hound Balgarnie
is the man to see about finance, though"
He is a greedy hound, Carter-me-lad,
between you and me. Let me fill up your
glass. No. don't put your hand across it.
Well. I'll finish the bottle if you won't.
You're open, just as matter of FORM to
giving lien on that cargo you're shipping?
Just as a matter of form, OF. course, in case
you peg out before things can be squared
Certainly, and I'm willing to give per
cent per month for the Accommodation
"Oh. come now, me-lad, 10 per cents the
| usual But don't want to be stiff with an
old friend like you, SO we'll call it IN"
chart table and unlocked it. Come, now,
say what you want. Anywhere up to fifty
pounds :
IT couldn't possibly do with less than a
hundred" said Carter definitely, and with
/ that they began openly to wrangle. But it
turned out that Capt. Image, even with the
help of his financial partner, Mr.. Balgarnie.
could only raise seventy-four sovereigns,
and with that the other had to be content.
He gave his bond, and stood at the head Of
the M'posos ladder ready to go back to
l his DOdl. but capt. Image WIN genuine
hospitality dragged him back.
I'm not going to let you go like this, me
lad. I've one turkey left in the refrig-
orator. and If you peg out afterward up
I'd stood you one good dinner when the
! chance came in my way. Come now
Carter-me-lad; turkey-chop? There's not
another skipper on the coast that would
make you an offer like that"
Carter laughed and gave in and turned
| toward the flesh-pots. He did not like tur-
| key. Once in Upper Wharfedale his ia
Their had come home from Skipton with
reared with very vast care, and thereafter
had to eat. Turkey once per annum is a
| luxury: twice clogs; but thirty times, when
| legs follow breast, and wings are succeeded
by side-bones, would weary any man living
| But by custom in West Africa turkey from
steamers refrigerator is the height OF
luxury, and Carter recognized the hospit-
able motive.
Capt. Image, when mellowed by food and
wine that night, talked of Miss Kate
O'Neill, and Carter behind an elaborate in
difference listened with a hungry interest.
She was floating rubber companies 1t APP
peared with enormous success. She had
very nearly been engaged to a law-sharp
named Austin. but had got out of 1t in
time. She was reported in Liverpool to be
struck some palm oil clerk on the coast,
but Capt Image proclaimed that to be rot,
and what did Carter-me-lad think?
We'll. Of course there was Cascaes."
there was any one else. AL the rest of the
men she met out here We're either married
or engaged"
BIT George Carter whistled cheerfully to
the stars as his boat boys padded him up
through the steaming mangroves to his
abiding place that night, and Mr.. Balgar-
ME and Capt. Image nudged one another
delightedly they listened to his music.
DuttOn & Maidson's launch, that ought to
have served the factory in Copper. river
turssed out upon inspection to be even worse
han Capt Image had forecasted, and the
agent in charge was most enthusiastic in
accepting the two fve-pound notes that
were offered for her. And thereafter for
Carter and White-Man s-Trouble began a
period of savage toll.
The white man was a mechanic born, but
he had never seen an Oil engine in his life,
knew nothing Of clutch, water jackets or
reversing gear, and had to make his first
acquaintanceship with a carburetor The
men at the factory were frankly ignorant
of the launch'S mechanism; said so, in
deed. before they sold her.
But know we have got plan-thing of
agent stated. Can you understand ma
chine from seeing drawing?
Rather" said Carter.
well, we'll find it," said the agent, and
they wasted two days in turning over every
scrap of paper the factory contained, but
the blue prints refused to discover them
selves.
Let you off your bargain If you like"
said the agent, ruefully, when the place had
been searched through without success.
Not a bit" said Carter. Lend me a
couple of boys and I'll take those engines
down and learn EN- for myself"
Now. to any one who does not know the
hot. steamy climate of West African river
from personal experience, the manner in
which unguarded ironwork can decay
would sound beyond the borderland of
fact. A nut left long enough on a bolt in
that moist stew of heat does not always
rust fast. AS often as not, when one takes
sold Of it with a spanner, the whole thing
crumbles away into oxide.
The forty-five-foot launch when Carter
first took her over, lay half logged
In the middle of Shiny creek. She was
an open boat, with her engines housed
under wooden hutch aft which had been
further reinforced by some rotten tar
paulin. She had no inboard reversing gear.
but was fitted with feathering propeller,
which If all went well would drive her
astern.
AS she lay there she was perfect picture
of what could be done by neglect and ig-
norant handling, and there was not an
other man then resident under that ener-
waiting west African climate who would
have thought her worthy of salvage. But
Carter had got just that logged drop in
him that brings men out to the 'front.' and
he proceeded to clean up the launch's