Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1915-06-25
CHAPTER I.
His Britannia Males.y's Service.

ieS, blBHOTe, TeplleO tne TAIL tnln
Italian consular clerk. speaking with
q strong accent. AN English steam
yacht ran aground on the Mcloria
about ten miles out and was discov-
cred by fishing boat that brought
the news to harbor. The admiral sent
out two torpedo boats. which managed
after lot OF difficulty to bring In the
yacht safely, but the captain OF the
port has suspicion that the crew
were trying to make away with the
vessel"
ITO lose her. you mean7"
Francesca nodded
Sounds curious" I remarked.
Since the consul went away on leave
things seem TO have been humming--
two stabbing ARRAYS. eight drunken
seamen locked up. a mutiny on a
tramp steamer, and now a yacht being
cast away--a fairly decent listi And
yet some stay-at-home people com
plain that British consuls are only
paid to be ornamental They should
spend a week here. at Leghorn. and
they'd soon alter their opinion"
Yes. they would. signore." respond.
ed the thin-lipped old fellow with a
grin, as he twisted his fierce gray mus
tache. Franceso Carducci was we'll
known character In Leghorn. An
honest, good-hearted. easy-going Eel.
low. who for twenty years had occu.
pied the same position under half a
dozen different consuls.
My old friend. Frank Hutchinson. his
Britannia majesty's vice-consul at the
port OF Leghorn, was away on leave
In England. his duties being relegated
TO young Bertram Cavendlsh, the pro-
consul. The latter. however. had gone
down with a bad touch OF malaria. and
i, the only other EnglIshman In Leg
horn. had been asked by the consul.
general In Florence to act as pro-con-
sui until Hutcheson's return.
1t was midJuly. and the weather
was blazing In the glaring sun.
blanched Mediterranean town. II you
know Leghorn. you probably know
the consulate. large. handsome suite
OF huge. airy Offices facing the cathe.
dral The legend painted upon the
door. "Oflice hours, 10 to g." gives
one the idea OF an easy appointment,
but such is certainly not the case, for
consul's life at a port OF discharge
must necessarily be a very active one.
Carducci had left me TO the CORE.
spondenee for half an hour or so,
when he re entered. saylng:
There is an English slgnore walt.
ing to see you"
who is hep
u don't know him. He will give no
name. hlt wants to see the signore
console"
"All right, show him in" said lazi.
iy, and a few moments later tall.
smar,ly.dressed, middle-aged English.
man entered. and bowling. inquired
whether was the British consul,
When he had seated himself | ex-
planned my position, whereupon he
said; Il couldn't make much out OF
your clerk. He speaks so brokenly,
and ] don't know word OF Italian.
But perhaps | ought to first introduce
myself My name Is Philip Hornby."
hHo hhhdth ht u tuiu DtdTlnk the
name with the addresses "Woodcroft
Park, Somerset 49, Brooks" Then
he added: Il am cruising on board
my yacht, the Lola. and last night we
unfortunately went aground on the
Meloria. Very fortunately for us a
fishing boat saw our plight and gave
the alarm at port. The admiral sent
out two torpedo.boats and a tug. and
after about three hours they managed
TO get us on"
And you are now In harbor?"
"Yes. But the reason I've called is
TO ask you to do me a favor and write
me letter OF thanks in Italian to the
admiral. and one to the captain OF the
port-polite letters that can copy
and send to them. 70. know the kind
OF thing"
Certainly" | replied. the more In
terested in him on account of the Gu
rious suspicion that the port /. lthorl
ties seemed TO entertain. lie was eyI
IDENTIFY a gentleman. and after | had
been with him ten minutes | secuted
the idea that he had ,endeavored to
cast away the Lola.
scrubbed III drafts OF two letters
"Forti aly. left my wife in Eng.
land, or she would have been ter.
ribly frightened he remarked pres.
emily There was nasty wind blow.
Ing all night. and the fool OF cap
tain SEEMED TO add to our peril by
every oruvr he gave"
examined him critically as he sat
facing me. He was aboL. forty five,
with merry. round, od.natured
face, red with the southef sun. blue
eyes, and a short fair beard His
speech was refined and cultivated,
and as We chatted he gave me the i'm.
preston that as an enthusiastic lover
Of the sea he had cruised the Mediter.
ranean many times from Gibraltar up
TO Smyrna He had. however. never
before put into Leghorn.
After we had arranged hat his cap
tain should come 10 me In the after
noon and make formal report OF the