Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-11-02
CONTINUED from Previous rssue.l
CHAPTER XIII
unbookcd pansenrers

GHBQOANu FoSSEUEcfS.
Il think it's risky said Neal Har-
din. Let rne see that ad again.
Annette handed him the Providence,
Rhode Island. morning paper. Under
the head of ship notices appeared this
item:
Fruit Steamer Coronado sails 18th
this month. Bound fer Bahamas,
co'cn, Panama. Lever California ports
and san francisco. onen for limited
booking Of passengers. Pier 1910
Providence, r. I.
PETER HANDY, Master.
Neal read The advertisement over
and shook his head again
Risky. | tell you" he repeated.
Annette's eyes flashed "But what
am I to do. she protested. You
don't-you can't understand. Her
lips quivared for a moment. Il have
got to find my father. Neal. and for
his sake. IL not for my own, / have
got to find my fortune. I've got to
so some time. Why not now? The
message was plain enough-the Fa.
theirs of the Santa Maria mission in
Lower California; must see them.
This is the easy way"
Neal folded up the paper and thrust
it in his pocket. "At any rate" he
said. 'I'lI look this captain up. II
the Coronado Is a likely ship and il
you are bound to go. God speed
He looked the Coronado up and
found her quite a likely ship. He
saw her captain and found him salts.
factory.
The next day Annette and her
friends, including Welcher, booked
for the cheap trip on the Coronado.
You're my only passengers so far
said Captain Handy. ''and l don't care
IL don't have any more"
Capt Peter Handy sauntered down
the wharf. A big. staggering individ-
ual was looking the Coronado over.
BILL" said Capt. Peter Handy, "I'n
tell you how it is. ! picked you out
as cheap bargain and took a chance
on you, not knowing you before. This
is cheap trip down, Bill; Ill leave it
to you to pick your crew. Pick them
cheap, Bill; coming back / can make
It up to you. Get the best for the
money, Bill. and get 'em cheap"
81 got 'em already" returned Bill.
"and / got 'em cheap. Leave that to
me-"
On the evening of the fourteenth,
the four booked passengers boarded
the Coronado and were assigned to
staterooms.
Bill left the captain snoring in his
bunk and stole across the deck and
down the gangplank to the wharf be-
yond. Once upon the river front he
turned east and strobe on rapidly for
a quarter OF mile. He darted into
a narrow alleyway. reached a dimly
lighted window in an old board house
on the shore and raped sharply on
the window pane. A door was opened
stealthily and he shambled in.
Huddled at tables and flung care
lessly in corners were the forms of
sailors, supine. drunk, drugged. Bill
took an electric flash light from his
pocket and examined carefully each
of these slumbering objects of hui
manity.
'I'll take him." said Bill, "and him
there with the broken face; and him
and that chap over there"
Ten minutes later he nodded in a
self-satisfied way and jerked his
thumb over his shoulder toward an
other door,
l. he inside?" he queried
"oh," said the proprietor. the three
OF 'em is there"
There were three men in that small
room, strangely assorted trio. One
was huge individual, bigger and
stronger than Bill himself: another
was an uncanny, fat, little Mexican
with dangerous eyes: the third was
Portuguese with a saber cut cross his
face.
Bill grinned. "Huh," he said,
we're all here, mates. Outside
picked up enough men to fill up the
Coronado's crew and here / run
against three of her passengers"
Hernandez smiled and showed his
teeth. Three unlocked passengers"
he said.