The Press., 1914-07-08
An Ignoble Secret
 < But 1t Proved a Valuable One
By CHARLES LEWIS PHELPS

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 My son." said my father when ]
 went to sea. you're going into the world, and a rough one you'll find 1t
 I've been sailor myself, as you know. for fifty years and am glad to find a 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 coolness and your wits: can give you way by which l 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
 CT than l, thought 1t 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 a side room and, pointing to tumbier on the table, told me to drink it. The stuff was olive oil. That olive oil kept me sober when all the rest of the gang one by one slid down uI.der the table That's all the experience can give you. my boy. The day may come wheh 1t will help you out if some one is try ing to lay you out"
 It would seem that this was but 9 poor Quantum of experience for a father to give his boy, but the time did come when it served me well. and that time wasn't long coming, either. Any way, 1t was while was still before the mast. We sailed for the West Indies. taking out cargo of cotton goods tD make clothes for the negroes. and werr 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 a rendezvous for them
 One day when we were at anchor off Kingston q piratical looking chap came aboard and had long talk with our captain. The next day he came back with box in the bottom of his boat 1t wasn't more than three feet square. but it was hOisted on deck by block and tackle. and it took four men to carry 1t below. Considering the looks of the man who brought 1t and itS weight. I suspected that it was full of gold that had been footed 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 sOuthward of Turks islands and after that pointing due north When we were about 2G de- grees north of the equator one mOrns ing we noticed a ship that carried a good deal of sail for her tonnage com. 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 Sals vador she pointed due north on the course we were sailing, but after d few hours she seemed to be a little nearer US. z
 About noon the captain called tho crew aft and told us that the ship tQ the westward looked mighty suspis cious. True. she showed British colors$ but there were plenty of British ships in those days that had been privateegS when the war between England and Spain was on that didn't have to 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 us. If we sheered off she M Mould. if she was after us. sheer of too.
 True enough, the ship kept edgingt 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 oth CT vessel turned at once to follow us. showing distinctly that she would over haul us if she could. She ran up more canvas, and 1t 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 ors the fight that was sure to be a 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 Il of the crew walked the plank. watch ] Ing them struggling in the water $I When 1t came my turn an idea popped into my head. The pirate captain. man with long black curly beard Al was experimenting the job. and as ] was ordered on to the plank said:
 Captain. there's a treasure aboard the ship. hut don't believe you can find it'' :x ..na
 A covetous look came into his. face RI and he ordered me to step aside.
 I'll help you to hunt for 1t if you'll let the rest of us off," continued
 He agreed t0 the proposition at once If there was treasure aboard he didn't care u IfrU-~ any man who might be able tO give him any infOr nation about 1t. He could continue the plank walking after finding 1t. So he ordered me and four men who had I 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. tell me about the treasure"
 told him about the box that had | been brought abOard, but since l had ! not seen 1t stored couldn't tell him I where it was. But l would know 1t If | saw it again. All could do was to | hunt for it alnong the cargo. and that | was like looking for d needle in a hay | stack. It was rather late in the day | to begin then. for it was growing dark ! I told him there was some choice wine in the ship which could point out to him that had been taken aboard when we had touched at a Spanish port on our way southward, and the ship was well stocked with provisions for the ! homeward voyage.
 He decided to remain aboard him.