Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-07-09

/ noticed them OF TO the starboard,
two hunks. red with rust. awash under
the branches of the big trees that grew
low water of the lagoon. One stea mer
was wedged in between great boles,
the tops of its maSts showing oddly
above the overhanging greenery. The
other lay we'll over upon its side. like
some portly marine monster that had
taken shelter there from the tropic
sun. How any person not a positive
idiot could have Numbered into such
a place passed my comprehension.
The repeated blasts from our whistle
had reused the owner of the cocoanut
grove that was to furnish us our car
go, and presently the white drill suit
and pith helmet which we always asse-
ciate with the white man in the trop-
les appeared in the stern of a boat
which glided out from under the trees.
Before our gangplank was fairly low
cred a tall. rawboned young English
rnan. distinctly of the gentleman"
type. came over the ships side and
introduced himself as Shackleford, the
man with whom L had contracted to
carry load of nuts to Liverpool.
mo, haven't a black on the place.
he explained in response to an inquiry
of mine as we took our places In his
fat bottomed boat, manned wholly by
China and started for his bunga-
low, whose corrugated roof blazed in
the intense sunlight through a rift in
the cocoanut grove. ut costs three
times as much for Chinese labor, but
for some reason can't get niger to
come near the plantation"
That's strange
'Wait till tonight and you'll hear as
horrible row as you ever heard. Then
you'll know. The mountains back
there are alive with apes. That is
why l put up a twenty-five foot high
barbed wire fence"
That evening we were sitting in the
bungalow, slipping whisky and soda
and swapping yarns about Penang.
when a volley of barks, sharp as the
rattle of musketry, made me spring up
in alarm.
Shackleford put down his glass and
w ~nd NCd. II > OILY luOSe
apes" he explained when he had man.
aged to control his mirth. Take down
that rife and come along"
Armed with Winchesters. we made
our way to the edge of the grove near
est the spur of the mountain. AS we
approached a chorus of snarls greeted
US, and in the clear starlight I saw
host of Infatuated apes hurting them
selves against the barbed wire fence.
For time the brutes paid little heed
to our fusillade. Then. under the lead
and made for cover
The great grizzled brute was the last
to retire. and at the edge of the jungle
it turned and gibbered at us in a way
that made my flesh creep. 1t seemed
to voice the fathomlcss hatred of the
whole jungle world for the usurper
man.
The next morning on our way back
TO the steamer 1 asked Shackleford
about the two wrecks.
"Oh, fancy the fool captains could
not steer straight" he replied lightly.
'Longstreth-that's the chap bought
the grove from-said that both ships
were loaded with cocoanuts. He would
not talk much about it. though-too
sour to talk about anything"
Later. to satisfy my curiosity,
rowed over and had a look at the
hulks. and as examined them noted
two facts that kept me specializing for
days. Before either steamer went into
its present position the boats had been
hastily slashed away. and there wasn't
single cocoanut TO be seen in either
hold.
That night spent ashore again with
Shackleford. and when I returned TO
my ship the following morning found
it in an ominous state of excitement.
Usually the Chinese portion of it oc-
cupied the forward part of the main
deck. eating and sleeping in the cor
ners among the steam wtnches. The
lascars had always claimed the fore
castle head. where their tall, gaunt
bodies and swathed heads seemed an
inseparable part of the ship. Now, how
ever, race and caste were forgotten.
and turbans and pigtails mingled pro-
miscuously in groups that whispered
eagerly In a dozen corners.
At sight Of me they quickly dis
persed, but with those two rusty hulks
looming up yonder as object lessons I
took prompt measures to forestall a
possible mutiny. Summoning the first
mate-a half caste from Calcutta that
1 had picked up in Penang when
MACPHERSON died of cholera-I locked
the door behind him. left my revolver
on the table. where he could mediate
upon its use as we talked. and then
asked him a few pointed questions.
He turned white under his dinky skin.
but soon pulled himself together and
began to lie to me- I knew 1t by the
way his eyelids fickered. The bay
was too hot for even a Chlnaman to
live on: the lagoon was full of sharks;
the typhoon season was coming on
these and a dozen other reasons for
leaving at once slipped from his oily
tongue and left me more puzzled than
ever.
After. that experience I spent no