The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-07-28

After much hard thought, he con-
ceived his double master-stroke;
and 1t was to execute this he went
out to Australia. k a
It's first act of business, on
reaching England, was to insure
the freights of the Proserpine and
the Shannon.
He sent Michael Penfold to
Lloyd's, with the requisite vouchers
including the receipts of the gold
merchants. Penfold easily insured
the Shannon, whose freight was
valued at only six thousand pounds.
The Proserpine, with her cargo, and
10000 pounds Of specie to boot,
, was another matter.
1t took good many underwrit-
ers to insure the Proserpine's
freight; but the business was done
, at last.
Then Wardlaw, who had feigned
insOuciance SO admirably In that
part of his interview with Condell,
went, without losing an hour, and
raised large sum of money on the
insured freight, to meet the bills
that were coming due for the gold
(for he had paid for most of it In
paper at short dates), and also
other bills that were approaching
maturity. This done, he breathed
again, safe for month or two
from everything short of general
panic and full of hope for his COM
ing master-stroke.
With respect to those ships, our
readers already know two things, of
which Wardlaw himself, nota bene,
had no idea: namely that the Shan
non had sailed last, instead of first,
, and that Miss Rolleston was not on
board of her, but In the proserpine,
two thousand miles ahead.
The ship left Sydney with a fair
wind, but soon encountered adverse
weather, and made slow progress,
being close-hauled, which was her
worst point Of sailing. She pitched
a good deal. and that had a very Ill
effect on Miss Rolleston.
The young clergyman, Mr.. Hazel,
/ watched her with respectful anxi-
ETY., and this did not escape her
feminine observation. She noted
quietly that those dark eyes of his
followed her with mournful tender
ness but withdrew their gaze when
she looked at him.
No wonder then that Miss ROLES
ton, after few days, met Mr..
Hazel half way; and they made ac-
Quaintance on board the Proserpine
in monosyllables at first.
The wind steady from the west
for two whole days, and the Pros
erpine showed her best sailing quail
tiles, and ran $50 miles at that
time.
Then came a dead calm, and the
sailed tapped lazily, and the masts
| described an arc; and the sun
broiled; and the sailors whistled;
and the captain drank; and the
:. During the calm Miss Rolleston
irfell downright i'll. and Quilted the
deck. Then Mr.. Hazel was very
sad; borrowed all the books In the
ship, and read them. and took
notes; and, when he had done this,
he was at leisure to read men, and
he began to study Hiram Hudson,
JOS. Wylie, and others, and take a
few notes about them.
PASSAGES FROM MR.. HAZEL'S
DIARY.
Characters on Board the Proser.
pine.
Captain Hudson is quite a char
| acter: or. l might say two char
| acters; for he Is one man when he
is sober, and another when he is
the worse for liquor; and that I am
sorry to see is very often. Captain
Hudson, sober, is rough, bearish
seaman, with quick, experienced
eye. that takes In every rope in the
ship, as he walks up and down the
quarter deck. He either evades or
/ bluntly declines conversation, and
gives his whole mind to sailing his
ship.
Capt. Hudson, drunk, Is a garru-
lous man, who seems to have drift
ed back into the past. He comes
up to you and talks Of his own ac-
cord, and always about himself,
and what he did Is or. 90 years
since. He forgets whatever has oc-
CURED half an hour ago; and his
eye, which was an eagles, is now
a mole's, He no longer sees what
his sailors are doing aloft: to be
sure he no longer cares; his pres
ent ship may take care of herself
while he Is talking about his past
ones. But the surest indicia of in
ebrfty in Hudson are these two.
First, his nose Is red. Secondly. he
discources upon seaman's duty to
his employers.
"All this Is ridiculous enough, but
somewhat alarming. To think that
her precious life should be intrust-
ed to the care and skill of so unre.
liable cptain!
Jos, Wylie. the mate, is less &C.
centric, but even more remarkable.
He Is one of those powerfully built
fellows whom Nature. one would
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