The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-03-27
An Ignoble
Secret
But II Proved a Valuable
One
By CHARLES LEWIS PHELPS

MY son, Salu my IdLneT witch
went to sea. you're going into the
world, and rough one you'll find 1t.
I've been II sailor myself. as you know.
for fifty years and am glad to find
snug harbor here at home. You'll have
to go through some pretty narrow holes.
and your getting through at all will de-
pend on your courage. your GOODNESS
and your wits. | can give you way
by which | once saved myself from
being put under the table at drinking
bout. We'd gone ashore. a liberty
party. | was a beardless boy at the
time. and my mates, who were all old
err than |. thought it would be fine
thing to get me drunk We went into
an inn and called for drinks. The land
lord. seeing their game and disposed
to favor me on account Of my youth.
suppose. beckOned to me to come into
side room and, pointing to a tumbler
on the table. told me to drink It, The
stuff was Nive oil. That olive oil kept
me sober when all the rest of the gang
one by one slid down under the table.
That's all the experience ! can give
you. my boy. The day may come when
IT will help you out If some one is try
ing to lay you out"
1t would seem that this was but
poor quantum of experience for
father to give his boy. but the time did
come when it served newell. and that
time wasn't long coming. either. Any
way, it was while was still before the
mast. We sailed for the West Indies.
taking out cargo Of cotton goods to
make clothes for the negroes. and were
to bring back dried fruits and what
ever could be bought cheap and sold
dear when we got back to England.
We first struck the Bahamas. then
Haiti and lastly Jamaica: Those were
the days Of the buccaneers. and King
stOn. Jamaica, was rendezvous for
them
One>day when we were at anchor off
Kingston piratical looking chap came
aboard and had long talk with our
captain. The next day he came back
with box I'm the bottom Of his boat.
1t wasn't more than three feet square.
but It was hoisted on deck by block
and Tickle. and it took four men to
carry 1t below. Considering the looks
Of the man who brought 1t and It's
weight. l suspected that it was full Of
gold that had been looted from some
Spanish ship. to be transferred to Eng.
land.
The next day we sailed back through
the Windward passage. striking the
Atlantic to the southwark of Turks
islands and after that pointing due
north. When we were about 26 de-
grees north Of the equator one MORN
ing we noticed ship that carried a
good deal of sail for her tonnage CON-
ing out from among the Bahamas in
the neighborhood Of San Salvador.
saw that our captain had his eye on
her, suspicious like. and every few
minutes he would bring his glass to
bear on her After rounding San Sal
vador she pointed due north on the
course we were sailing, but after
few hours she seemed to be a little
nearer us.
About noon the captain called the
crew aft and told us that the ship to
the westward looked mighty suspi-
cious. True. she showed British colors.
but there were plenty Of British ships
I'm those days that had been privateers
when the war between England and
Spain was on that didn't have tn
change much to become pirates. The
vessel was apparently sailing the same
course as we. but really point or two
toward us. She was between us and
the islands, and all she had to do was
to keep getting nearer all the while till
she Joined u.s. If we sheered off she
would. if she was after us. sheer o"
too.
True enough, the ship kept edging
nearer to us all that afternoon. To
ward evening the captain ordered out
every bit of canvas we had and turned
the ships nose due eastward. The 9th
er vessel turned at once to follow us.
showing distinctly that she would over
haul us If she could. She ran up more
canvas, and II was soon evident that
her sailing qualities were far better
than ours.
I'm not going to describe chase that
soon brought the ship up with us or
the fight that was sure to be losing
one for us. because these chases and
fights are all the same. And I'm not
going to tell how the captain and most
of the crew walked the plank. watch
ing them struggling in the water.
When it came my turn an idea popped
into my head. The pirate captain.
man with n long black curly beard.
was experimenting the job. and as
was ordered on to the plank | said:
: captain. there's treasure aboard
the ship. but | don't believe you can
find 1t"
A covetous look came into his face.
and he ordered me to step aside.
= .Tll help you to hunt for it If you'll
let the rest of us Off" continued.
He agreed to the proposition ut once.
II there was treasure aboard he
didn't care TO drown any man who
might be able to give him any infor-
nation about 1t. He could continue
the plank walking after finding it. So
he ordered me and four men who had
not yet been put into the sea To be
left where we were and the plank
hauled In.
Now. young man." he said to me,