Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-14
CHAPTER IX.-(Continued.)


me I'll go and give the mate bit of
brisk-up. That mans not served
with me long enough even yet to
learn my ways. He's letting those
hands mutter while they paint"
Sir George Chesterman turned his
tired eyes to the sea, and watched the
fleets of pink-sailed Portuguese men
of-war that cruised placidly over the
dark blue swells alongside. II won
der" said he. to himself, what sort
of a time a nautilus has Of it? Seems
a nice easy life. No cables. or party
whips writing unpleasant letters, or
wives with taste for everything you
happen to dislike, or-Pah!-whata
sickly minded ass am. The odds are
they have the whole lot-especially
the cables. There must be rum Gus
toms and inventions among these
navigating shell-fish. Cad, believe
II I'd the chance of swap I'd risk it..
The more I think back of England,
home and beauty, the more sick seem
to be of the whole lot of it"
The big retriever, seeming trouble,
muzzled a sympathetic wet nose into
his masters hand.
He drank the cocktail which the
steward brought him, and laughed at
a new idea. Cad, 1t would be great
joke to diddle her. If she does turn up.
and leave her to cool her heels among
the Liverpool weekend trippers at Las
Palmas. I've a monstrous great mind
to do it. All, there's the luncheon
bell! Skipper, half moment"
'"Sir?"
Il say, couldn't you put in at Ian.
zerote or one of these other islands,
and do your coaling there?'
1T would be long slow job. You
see Lanzerote has no harbors, only
open roadsteads, and as likely as not
we'd have to hang there rolling to our
anchors for good fortnight before
we could arrange with these manana
Spaniards to find a bottom which
would bring the coal across from
Grand Canary. And then, you see,
you'd be fortnight's grub and water
to the bad which would have to be
replaced, not to mention fortnight
on your charter and insurance, and a
fortnights wages, which would all be
to the bad anyway. But I know what
you're thinking Of"
"Oh, do you?"
Eyes, sir. It's those cases Of rifles
and the ammunition boxes in number
two hold"
I'm afraid you're wrong. hadn't
given them a thought. But what's the
point?"
well, of course, in spite Of prom
ises, some one at the English end may
have blown the gaff and told the Gus
toms at Las Palmas."
"Well?"
III somebody definitely accuses me
of attempting to import arms of pre-
cision into Africa, against interna-
tional law, they'll try and stop us. BY
James, l should like to see them do
it,"
The tired eyes frightened. why,
would you kick?'
eyes, sir, I'd kick good and hard,
and I'd take the old girl out of their
harbor in spite of all the teeth they
could show"
THAT sounds interesting. But isn't
there a fort or something's"
IL believe they've some guns. They
were lying on one of the quays with
their tails wrapped up in packing
cases when I was round there year
ago. They were going to haul them
on to hill at the back Of the Catalina
and mount them-manana. | know,
because I asked. You'll see when we
get there they'll still be on the quay,
all except the packing cases which
some one will have pinched for fire
wood
But supposing somebody had in
vented an energetic Spaniard, and
they had been hauled up to the hill
top and mounted, and there is a filled
magazine alongside, and they gave
you fair warning that If you didn't
stop they'd blow you into the middle
Of next week, what them"
/ II should steam out and let them
see the red buster blowing at my
poop staff, and should break out two
more at my fore and main trucks, and
I should like to see the beastly dagos
dare to FIRE on those. And if they did,
by James, I'd let them fire and be
hanged to them, but I should be cock.
sure they never could hit me. And
now, sir, if you please, dinners cool
ing"
II WISH" thought Sir George visit
fully, II had half this little mans en-.
thusiasm, though the Lord only knows
what mess he's going to land me into
If he has only half his own way
Las Palmas harbor, tucked away
under the decayed volcano of the
Isleta, displayed the usual collection
of British steamers, Canary bacalao
schooners, and coal dust, and the
warmth of the sun overhead was cool
ed by a racing trade-wind, which car
ried with it strong scour of African
sand. On the quays and in the coal
lighters Spanish cargadores shouted
unsteady, but did little work until
they we're urged thereto by profane
British mates, and those units of the
army of Spain which happened to be
of duty appeared to be dangling their
cotton trousered legs over the edges
of the concrete walls, and smoking in
terminable cigarets. And over the
whole harbor water was spread scum
of coal dust, and an odor Of bacalao,
imperfectly cured.
A grinning Parsee in an deliberately
embroidered smoking cap brought his
, boat alongside as Captain Kettle hum
ored his precious Kangaroo up to the