Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-08-01
DAILY STOR Y
A TRAMP IN COMMAND.

Copyright. 1897 by {. II. SutcliYe.I
During the Cuban revolution the
American ship Curlew. carrying arms
and ammunition to the CubauS. had
among the crew a shaughaied man en-
tered by the name Of Jones. He had
been Il tramp along the water front.
He had cOnvcrScd with sailors. He
knew all about first mates and second
mates. To have back talked" would
have been to solicit n broken head.
The part of wisdom was TO saw wood
and say nothing until the steamer ran
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 Il great deal
of thinking. He wanted to take care of
Jones and get back to New York with
out any scars to boast of.
The tramp'S plan to desert the steam
er 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 Il revenue cutter sent in search of
her entered it. 1t was a bright, clear
morning, but the captain of the cutter
didn't see her. Even when his attcn-
ton was called to her name he screwed
up his eyes and winked and bIinked
and read her name backward and said
| he had never heard of such craft rs
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 SOOD.000 of Americans left
| behind. As for him. he wanted to live
| on. As tramp he was expected to live
on. He had aims and ambitions to lie
carried out before being hanged or shot
| He therefore Informed the second
| mate that he had objections to filbus.
| 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 thC
| Curiew was sneabing her way across
the gulf and keeping an eye open fol
| Spanish gunboats. all the officers anG
most of the crew made a football OF
| Tramp Jones. Every few minutes he
| was knocked down or kicked or cuffcd
| AT least once an hour he euga ged in
| fight in which he was invariably worst
ed. They tried to batter the life on
of him. but only succeeded in making
him the madden. lie had just beer
kicked for the five hundrcdth tim,
since leaving Key West when the SUI
went down. the tropical darkness de
scended, and with it came Il fog thicl
enough to be cut with knife.
The steamer had been crawling alOn:
the Cuban shore to- hit the rendezvous
In bay not two miles away whel
the fog came down was Il gunboat il
ambush. She heard enough TO b
sure that a smuggler was at hand
! but when she crept out of the bay tn
lookouts might as well have been bin
men. She drifted and the Smuggle
drifted. and by and by they We're Will
! in quarter of mile of each Other
The Spaniards gave themselves ava
q by their voices. The crew of the Cul
lew We're as whist as mice. Order
We're issued to brain any man VIII
spoke above n whisper. For fiftee
minutes there was the silence of deaf
aboard. Then the gunboat began firm
into the fog at random. She fired shell
that went screaming into space in
way to make the hair stand up. She fire
Il solid shot that whizzed and groane
and hunted for something to masl
SheAfred grapeshot that came aboar