Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-07-07
An Ignoble
Secret
But II Proved 4 Valuable
One
By CHARLES LEWIS PHELPS

i-,-ss,i;is-sss-s-ss-ss-ss-s-is-ii-iisisisssss
"My son." said my father when
went to sea, you're going into the
world, and a rough one you'll find It
I've been a sailor myself, as you know
for fifty years and am glad to find
snug harbor here at nome. You'll have
to 20 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, liberty
party. was beardless boy at the
time, and my mates, who were oil old
er than I, 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 tumblel
on the table, told me to drink 1t. The
| stuff was olive 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 I can give
you, my boy. The day may come when
1t will help you out II some one is try
Ing to lay you OUT
| It would seem that this was but q
| Door auantum 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 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 ut anchor of
Kingston n 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 1t took four men to
carry it below. Considering the looks
| Of the man who brought 1t and Its
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 We're about 26 de
grees north Of the equator one morn
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 tc
bear on her. After rounding San Sal
yador she pointed due north on the
course we were sailing, but after q
few hours she seemed to be a little
nearer us.
About noon the captain called the
crew aft and told us that the ship t(
the westward looked mighty suspi
cious. True. she showed British colors
but there were plenty OF British ships
in those days that had been privateers
when the war between England ant
Spain was on that didn't have tt
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 anf
the islands. and all she had to do was
to keep getting nearer all the while til
she ioincd us. II we sheered of she
:, ,ould II she was after us, sheer Oh
too.
True enough, the ship kept edgin.
nearer to us all that afternoon. To
ward evening the captain ordered ou
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 IL she could. She ran up more
canvas, and it was soon evident tha'
her sailing qualities were Tar bette
than ours.
I'm not going to describe chase tina
soon brought the ship up with us o.
the fight that was sure to be LOSING
one for us, because these chases ant
fights are all the same. And I'm no
going to tell how the captain and mos
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 a long black curly beard
was superintending the job. and as
: was ordered on to the plank / said:
Captain. there's treasure aboard
the ship. but l don't believe you caI
find it."
A covetous look came into his face
and he ordered me to step aside.
"I'll help you to hunt for 1t ii you'll
let the rest of us off," l continued.
He agreed to the proposition at once
II there was treasure aboard n
!, didn't care to drown any man VIII
might be able to give him any infor
: nation about 1t. He could continue
the plank walking after finding 1t. g.
he ordered me and four men who hat
not yet been put into the sea to b.
left where we were and the planl
, hauled In.
"Now, young man," he said to me
tell me about the treasure"
I told him about the box that hat
been brought aboard, but since hat
= not seen 1t stored l couldn't tell hin
i, where it was. But would know 1t
I saw it again. All could do was t
3 hunt for 1t among the cargo, and tina
r was like looking for needle In hay
. stack. 1t was rather late in the da,
to begin then, for 1t was growing dark
I told him there was some choice win
in the ship which could point out
him that had been taken aboard whe
; we had touched at Spanish port o.
). our way southwark, and the ship wa
: well stocked with provisions for tn
homeward voyage.
He decided to remain aboard him
8 self with q prize crew OF eight me