The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-26


You, Jim, how many cords?"
-Four cord"
~How much?"
Give dollar
"All trade? All right. Get to WORK
an chuck her on board Hey there
mate, tear yourself away from the lady
passenger and lend a hand to measure
ND this wood. She wont elope with
the captain while you're on shore"
IT was sure of that when I saw you
go ashore an leave her." and the mate
started sheepishly from the side of the
half-breed Indian girl who was leaning
over the rail of the steamer watching
the scene on the shore.
1T wouldn't be anything that's on
shore that would keep me from elop-
ing with the captain" cried the girl,
pertly, CHANGING mischievously toward
the bow of the boat, where the cap
tain's broad back was visible.
mot unless the captains wife hap
pened to be on shore, eh, sister Susy2"
"Heave to there, young fellers, this
here aint no taffy pull. Plenty of time
to hand out them punches of nonsense
after that woods on board" remarked
the captain, grimly, and the work on
shore went forward briskly.
The steamer Alice was on her last
trip of the season from Dawson to st.
Michael, with few belated passengers,
a full cargo of provisions and instruc-
tons to deliver to the latter port every
available stick of wood between the
two ports.
AT eleven o'clock the last stick on
the little dock at Coltag was in the
hold and the Indians gathered around
the door of the purser's room, perspir-
ing and noisy.
"Alle board"
.An aboard? All right Now, Jim.
you first You had four cords, that's
twenty dollars. What do you want?"
Tree sackfour, ten pounds rice, five
pound tea, five pound coffee, ten pound
tobacco
Hold on there, don't ask for the
whole cargo. This company amt no
fairy godmother. Flours five dollars
q sack. Three sacks fifteen dollars.
Ten pounds of rice at twenty-five cents
q pound"
But a storm of protest drowned the
reckoning.
Five dollar a sack too much! Tree
dollar all Summer. Tree dollar nuff.
Why five dollar?''
Look here, you noisy heathens, who |
owns this flour?" demanded the purser. |
s.You set your own price on wood. |
That's been three dollars all Summer; |
why do you charge five now for that?" |
Tree dollar not huff now. Winter |
comm, wood worth more. Winter very |
long, can't sell no more till Spring. |
Worth five dollar now"
well, Winters comm in flour, too. |
Five dollars is what we ask and five |
dollars is what you pay. So speel out |
and say what you want and let's get /
settled up here"
There was more angry remonstrance
and sullen murmurings among the In
dams, but the boatmen had the advan-
tage. and the natives must yield to
their masters. So they selected each
one his merchandise upon the basis of
a sack of -four, for a cord of wood, with
other merchandise at proportionate {
value, and, following the deck hands
below. received their goods and de-
parted suilenly, muttering imprecations
against the "big thief company. and
swearing vengeance for the following
season. Ii
And the Alice cast off lines and pur-
sued her way down stream to where
another pile of wood and another crowd t
Df eager Indians awaited her arrival IL
As they approached the second land I
ng the purser, standing beside Ram S
part Liz watching the crowd of In +
iians on the little dock, heard her call t
teross in the cultural accents of her a
native tongue to the apparent leader o
'f the Indians, and saw the mans alert
interest awakened by her words il
What did you tell him?'' asked the !, t
,urser.
asked him how much wood was Il
worth, SO you wouldn't make a mis- {
AXE" answered Liz.
How much did he say?" IS
He said, How much is flour Il
yorth?''' Ia
urser, quickly. II
Il said. It's worth what you have p
o pay for it, - drawled Liz, hooking
Little girls shouldn't talk to stran- II
ers," he remarked, with an air of e.
arental severity. "Ill have to send e.
GU inside to keep you from breaking
he hearts of the natives" b
How thoughtful you are of 'the ma h
ives" she retorted. Were you ever
missionary, Mr.. williams?'' Il
mo, but I find the native heart a Il
cry fascinating study and with this "
arting shot the purser swung himself 81
shore and opened negotiations with r.
he Indians for the purchase of their p
rood n
How much is -four worth?" demand
d the Indians as counter question Il
o his query for the price of wood. c,
s'Tll have to ask the captain" re- Il
lied the purser. IF you want to sell fl
our wood set a price on it and Wen ii
NY it, et
Thus urged. the Indians named a d
rice. "Seven dollars" ii
"All right, Wen take it. You put 1t
n board and do it quick. Tobacco'n g
e worth two bits more pound after n
xo O'clock a
When they gathered about his door "
n hour later he had their individual ii
counts ready. fl
Now. then, Pete, you've got thirty W
We dollars coming. Let's hear what RI
on want. Go easy. though: f1our's et
even dollars a sack, rice six bits p
Ound, sugar four bits a pound" VI
But again roar of protest drowned g