The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-05-03
AXLE CREASE
AS DELICACY
NATIVES OF MALA5AR COAST
VERY FOND or TT.-REApY
TO TRADE cuRlos OF
THE GREATEST
VALUE.

today on the deck Of the British
freight steamer Swanley By one Jake
Brauns. the bos'un of the freighter,
as 10 the origin of the tons Of curios
that were being taken on the steamer
at the Bush Stores in South Brooklyn.
says the Brooklyn Eagle. Besides the
curios there were so many queer
things on the Swanley that she had
the appearance of an ancient treasure
ship instead of a modern freighter
plying between Brooklyn and the far
east
Jake Braun told the story of how
many of these curios came to be on
board and who secured them. They
were all traded for and the trade that
was made was almost beyond compre-
hension. Local ice cream dealers and
manufacturers of delicacies may as
well go out of business if they depend
upon shipments of their wares to the
far east, for the native of the Malabar
coast and other, .outlandish places has
openly declared himself against sweets
and caramels and solely in favor Of
axle greesei
"Yessir," began Jake Braun as he
spinned the yarn of the curio swapping
in the far east. "Yessir, We needn't
take no fancy things to China or to
Singapore with you if you want good
trade. On a previous voyage me an
the other fellows aboard the ship took
with us all the pretty things that we
could think Of These were such
things as pin cushions, roller skates,
safety pins, hair ornaments, buckles.
phonygrafts and such an we hoped for
a lively exchange with the natives
an to get enough in trade to sell here
an retire on. About six O. US went
to the coast one day with our things
and tried to swap with these fellows
all day long without getting so much
as a cocoanut.
I'VE even offered them money but
they only grinned and held on to what
they had. In the stock that he had
taken ashore was can of axle grease
that had come ashore with us against
our permission. One of the niggers
stuck his fingers In the can and eats
nv1n on' hn fo
we were offered every sort of induce
ment to leave the axle grease with
them. They even offered us the in
ducement of massacre an were only
restrained by the sight of our pistols,
for which even the natives of the
Malabar coast the most bloodthirsty
devils that ever were, have whole
some regard. Finally we lowed the
axle grease to stay with the natives,
but we took all the curios and orna-
ments they had and netted a pretty
penny on them at Colombo. So when
we comes here again, thought I'd put
in my spare money in axle grease.
got some of the other fellows on
board to do the same an when we
again struck the coast and went ashore
each of us had nothing except axle
grease to trade.
There was a cellybration among
the cannibals an they took all we had
an we took all they had, which was
no small matter. Much of what they
had come on the steamer wild us here
an we hope to realize good profit
on the same Those natives like that
axle grease better than we do ice
cream. They eats it an then, when
they can't get anymore down their
stomachs, they paints their faces and
necks with it. They look upon an
axle grease party on the Malabar
coast with great deal of pride just
now and won't be surprised If they're
waltin for the Swanley to get back In
their neighborhood again with an
other assortment of grease, for the
native supply must now be exhausted"