The San Francisco call., 1913-08-03

I've always meant 70 go put WneH !
was nearest Ill news drew me home,
and SO never got closer than Yoko-
hama on one side and Srinagar, in
Kashmir. on the other
You've seen something OF them In
this country, SUPPOSE
No; very little ! attended 4 din
ner once at which Ii Hung Chang was
the guest Of honor and I've eaten chop
suey In one OF those Chinese eating
palaces they have in Chicago. That's
about the extent Of my personal CHI
nese experiences But have always
been interested in the country and it's
people. have read about everything
that has been published on the subject.
BY the way. did they ever find out
who killed that boy of Murphy's?'
Not yet" answered. They've
had some OF his own kind under SUR
veillance. but no more arrests have
been made.
Murphy was released?'
Yes
He took up his paper again and once
more applied myself to sea gazing.
Far away to the northeast | made
out what appeared to me to be . sea-
going tug or pilot boat. steaming,
thought, with rather unusual speed for
q vessel Of her class.
Half an hour later she had slipped
out of sight and l was busy In an ef-
fort to pick her up again. when a
cry from the lookout forward directed
my attention to floating speck possi-
bly, two miles or moro ahead and no
more than q point of our course.
Come" said to Cameron. lets go
up on the bridge and have q look!'
And have our trouble for our
pains?', he returned incredulously.
ITS probably some bit Of wfeckage. 4
box or. q cash"
Very we'll" agreed, starting of
alone. Even box or a cask ia worth
while as variation ?
When on nearer approach the drift
Ing object proved to be fisherman's
dory with man, either dead or un-
conscious. plainly discernible In the
bottom, should hardly have been hu-
man had not experienced q degree
of satisfaction over Cameron's failure
as q prophet. That however, was the
least abiding OF my sensations. In an
instant it had given way to anxiety
concerning the boats occupant and in
terest in the businesslike manner in
which Mcleod, the stocky young ex-
ecutive offer of the Sibylla, was pre-
pairing to pick up our. find.
The engine room had been signaled
half speed ahead, and already sailor
with coil of rope In hand was sta
toned at the forward lee gangway. i
never saw any steering more accur-
ately gauged than that by which Mac
Leod, here in the open sea. brought the
yacht gliding within bare three
inches Of the rolling dorys bow.
WAS leaning over the rail as we
came thus upon the castaway. Then
q sailor dropping lightly into the boat,
shut on my view for little. There
was = whir Of hung line; an exchange
Of quick spoken and to me unintel-
ligible words between the sailor in the
dory and 4 sailor standing beside me
on the yachts desk; and then, the line
was taut and strainins, and the dory,
which had sheered OF astern. was
being brought up slowly alon sside.
Now. realized for the flrst time
that our engines had stopped and that.
save for the roll. were almost sta
tionary.
They we're lifting the fisherman
aboard when Cameron. at length
aroused BY the unusual. strolled for
ward and joined me.
There's your bit Of wreckage.'
observed, smiling.
Poor devil" he exclaimed sympa-
thetically. He seems more dead than
alive
He's breathing. sir announced
Brandon. the first oficer. and not
much more. Well take him below and
see what can be done for him. sir. :
He appeared to be about IL years Of
ake, somewhat shrunken, weather
beaten creature. with face deeply lined
and hall hidden behind possibly 4
weeks growth Of dark beard. II II
not easy to read man with his eyes
closed, but was far from prspos-
sessed by what OF this fellows fea-
lures was on view. Ordinarily should
have given him scant heed. but today
was no ordinary day. and my sus-
picions were superactive. Even the
most trivial occurrences took on sig
nificance And this was not trivial
occurrence. Certainly It was not
usual. Fishermen blown to sea In
storms and overcome by exposure,
hunger and thirst were common
enough, perhaps, but within the last
week there had been no storm. How
was it possible, then, for this BIT Of
dotsam to have come where 1t was