Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-05
CHAPTER I.
A West Coast Welcome.

the purSer.
Mr.. Balgarnie tossed his cigarette over
the lee rail and tucked sheaf of papers
into his mouth so as to have two spare
hands Day had ten minutes before glared
up over an oily swell writhing sea of bot
tle-green; dew lay In fat greasy gouts on
the deck planks and the skylight frames,
foretelling in clear prophecy another spell
of scalding West African sunshine; and
mile out from the crashing believing surf
that smoked along the beach the steam
ship M'poso buttocked sullenly over the
swels, with engines rung off. and sweat
ing firemen on the top of the fddley, slew
ing ventlators to catch a flavor of the
breeze.
They've seen us. sir. at the factory
said Mr. Balgarnie. IAN the boys are out
working cargo and there's old Swizzle-
Stick Smith sucking his eternal pipe and
hustling them with chiquot. l can catch
the CLINT of his eyeglass. Wonder how
long that mans been out on the coast?
Must be a matter of twenty years now by
all accounts since he had his last run
home. He's found the right kind of ju-ju
TO dodge fever-palaver, anyhow. They
says he's a lazy old beach comber
general thing but he's up bright and early
this morning"
Wouldn't YOU rouse out in hurry if you
only saw a Christian steamboat once In
three months at the oftenest? l told the
second mate to make fast the whistle string
to the bridge rail when he judged he was
five miles off the old sinners beach, and l
guess SwizzleStck Smith jumped slap
through his mosquito bar at the first foot.
See those pyjamas he's wearing? He
bought them at the forecastle shop aboard
here Just six months ago"
blue with a pink stripe, so they are.
This is rare good glass of yours. sir.
Yes. | remember Chips telling me Three
1irS no pnf ut MI hnh NAH In
pay siXpence more. And tried to get
a bottle of Emo thrown in as a make
weight. Phew! but this days going to be
ringtailed SCorcher. Look at the mist clear
ing away from those hills at the back al
ready.
Capt Image stuffed pipe and lit it. ITS
a numbering bad beach today he repeated.
always is when there's a few tons of
cargo waiting for me to get commission
on"
The purser touched no cargo commission
and so had but small sympathy for cargo
gathering. II see old Swizzle- Stick s MAXI
ing his boys run down the oil casks into
the surf. They'll never swim them through.
Rather pity, isn't it, sir. to stay on here
and let them try? They're bound to get
half of them stove at the very least"
That's his palaver. l missed calling
here last round. There a swell like
cliff that day. but then there always is
bad beach along this run of the coast. and
so he could have double lot of cargo ready
for me. Therell be oil and there'l be rub
Der, and | shouldn't wonder but what he's
a few bags of kernels as we'll / bet that
factory on the beach there is just bullying
with cargo. 1t ought to tally up to quite
fifty tons, and m not going to have some
other captain swapping up old Swizzle-
Stick Smiths trade if | know it. Balgarnie,
my lad, I'd the straight tip given from
O'Neill and Craven's in Liverpool when l
was home. If we don't make it handy to
call at their factories along this coast the
Hamburg boats will They've shipped a
new director or something at O'Neill &
Cravens-k. O'Neill he signs himself-and
that man intends to make things hum
My whiskers," said the purser. Il clean
forgot. We've a clerk for ONell and
Craven's here at Malla-Nulla It's that
red-haired young chap, Carter. in the Sec
Ond class
Last three d-haired passengers l knew
all pegged out within three months of be-
ing put ashore. Color of the hair seems
to counteract the effects of drugs. Purser,
I'll bet you just two cocktails Carriers
planted before we're here again next trip"
. It's on" said Mr.. Balgarnie, land I
shall remember it. The young chaps made
me picture frame for my room good
as you could buy in shop. and he's built
the Doc some barbed arrows just like those
Kasaia ones the old chief brought along
from the Congo when he on the Ant
werp run. He's a handy young fellow
That doesn't get over the red hair, pur-
ser You'll lose that cocktail. Bet you
another cocktail. if you like. he gets split
In the surf getting ashore"
Mr.. Balgarnie winked pleasantly Then
well consider that. last one lost already"
He put his head inside the chart house and
called out the captains krooboy steward
''BrassPan?"
"Yessar"
We fit for two cocktail"
"Savvy."
You lib for my room, you fetch dem
gin bottle. an give him to bar steward
"Savvy."
We'll. what are you waiting for? Get
along. you bushman, one time . That's
how I f,-af -
'Pipe-clays shoes very neatly" said Capt.
Image. "Oh. you've brought those papers
for me to sign. Well. come into the chart
house, purser, and we'll get them through
Hope that fool of a boy will bring the
cocktails quick. These early morning chills
are dangerous unless you take the proper
preVentiVeS."
Meanwhile the brazen day had grown and
work proceeded at forced speed both on
the steamer and on the beach Ashore the
lonely factory hustled with evil-scented
negroes. who strained at huge white-ended
palm oil puncheons. On the M'poso a crew
of chatterng krooboys busted themselves
aft and presently under the guidance of a
profane third mate brace of surf boats
jerked down toward the water, the tackles
squealing like a parcel of angry cats as
they rendered through the blocks. The
boats spurned away into the clear sea be-
fore the steamers rusty iron side crashed
down onto them; the Krooboys perched
themselves ape-like the gunwales pad
die in hand and in the stern of each strad-
died noisy headman, in billycOCk and
trousers, straining and swaying at the steer
ing car.
The headman was in charge, and the we'll
spced official English of shipboard ceased.
The speech in the boats was one of the
barbaric tongues of savage Africa. But
the work they got through and the skill
they showed exceeded by far that which
could have been put forth by any crew of
white men. Indeed, in his more pious mo-
ments Capt. Image in common with other
mariners OF his kind. firmly believed that
God had invented certain of the West Afri-
can coast tribes for the sole purpose of
handling the boats of the Liverpool oil
tanks on surf-smitten beaches
Now, Capt. Image not in the least
degree a snob and he did not take even
first-class passengers their face value
AS he would explain to intimates he was
not out on the coast for his health; he
very much wished TO be able some day to
retire on a competency and grow cabbages
outside OF Cardiff. and so he dispensed
his affability on nicely regulated scale.
If man could influence cargo In the direc-
ton of the M'poso, Capt. Image was ready
at all times to extend to him the rough
red hand of friendship and to supply gin
cocktails and German champagne till con-
versation flowed into the desired CONNER
cial channel. He called this casting bread
upon the waters and could always rely on
getting the prime cost back in commission
IgN la. I'll Il