American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-03-11
cHGPTER XII.

bailormen In Jerseys and tarry caps,
of rolling gaits, strong tobacco and d.
verse profanity; OF cutters, and blunt
nose ~schooners, and tramps, canvas
and steam, some OF them honest, some
of them shady. and some OF them pi-
rates Of the first water who did not
find II necessary to hoist aloft the
skull and bones. The seas are dotted
with them. They remind you of the
once prosperous merchant, run down
at the heel, who sinks along the side
streets, ashamed to meet those he
knew In the past. You never hear
them mentioned in the maritime news.
which Is the society column Of the
ships; you know OF their existence
only by the bleached bones OF them,
Btrewn along the coast.
You who crave adventures on high
seas. you purchase n ticket. a steamer
chair. and n couple OF popular novels.
go on board to the blare of a very
indifferent brass band, and believe you
are adventuring; when, as a matter OF
fact, you are about to spend a dull
week or fortnight on a water hotel,
where the most exciting thing Ia the
lbuglo's call TO meals or the discovery
Iof a card sharp In the smoking room.
Take a real ship, go as supercargo, to
1.-THE South seas; take the side streets
Iof the ocean, and learn what 1t can
do with Neutrality-suspicious. blister
ing Gains, and mems souls. There will
be adventure enough then. II you are
a weakling, either you are made
strong. or you die.
An honest ship. but run down al
the heel, rode at anchor In the sound,
4 fourth.rater of the hooker breed;
that Is. her principal line OF business
was hauling barges up and down the
coast. When she could not pick up
enough barges to make IL pay, why,
Ishe'd 40 ~gallivanting down to Cuba for
bales OF tobacco or even TO the Ber-
mudas for the heaven smelling onion.
To-day she was an onion ship; which
lprecludes any idea OF adventure. She
twas about four thousand tons, and her
Iengines were sternward and not
Iamidship. She carried two masts and
T. half dozen hoist booma, and the only
visible sign Of anything new on her
WAS her bowsprit. This was new doubt.
|ies- because she had poked her nose
too far into her last slip.
He crew was orderly and tractable.
TThere we're shore DRINKS, to be sure,
because they were sailors; but they
twere ut work. They moved about
briskly. for they were on the point of
Ealing for the Bahamas-perhaps for
moro onions. Presently the windlass
Icreaked and shrilled, and the bobby
lhnks, much In need OF tar paint, red
las hsh gills. clattered down into the
lbow. Sometimes they painted the
'chain as II came over; but paint was
costly. and this was done only when
the anchor threatened to stay on the
bottom.
There was a sailor among this crew.
n ne went by the name OF Steve
biossom; and he was one OF his kind. A
griny dime novel protruded rakisbly
IRON his hip pocket, and his right
cheek was swollen as with the tooth.
ache, due, probably, to a generous
chaw" Of seaman's Delight. He was
a real tobacco cnewer. for he rarely
spat. He was as peaceful as a back.
water pay In summer; non-argumenta-
Owe and passive, he stood his watch
In fair weather and foul.
No n gave the anchor any moro
attention after It came to rest. The
great city over the way was fairy-like
In Its haziness and softened lines. II
was the poetry OF angles, OF shafts
and spars OF stone; and Steve Bios
SON. having a moment to himself,
leaned against the rail and stared re-
gretfully. He had been generously
drunk the night before. and It was a
pleasant recollection. Chance led his
glance to trail down the cutwater. His
neck stretched IRON mis- collar like a
turtles from Its shell,
We'll. I'll be hornswoggled!" he
murmured. shifting his cud from star
board to port.
Caught on the fuke Of the anchor
was the strangest looking box he had
laid eyes on. There we're leather
and steel bands and diamonds shaped
'|s ~ w i'Hti anu ~ Huuk !
.jauntily on the point of the rusty auke.
Anybody would be hornswoggied TO
glimpse such a droll Jest Of fate. On
the fuke Of the old mudhook, by a
hair. you might say. In all tho wild
sea yarns he had ever read or heard
there was nothing to match this.
Treasured
And Steve was destined never to be
passive again. His FIRST impulse was
TO call his companions: his second Inn
pulse was to say nothing NJ all, and
walt for an opportunity to get the box
to his bunk without being detected.
TREASURED Diamonds and rubIes and
pearls and old Spanish gold; all hang
ing to the nuke of the anchor.
"Hornswoggled!" In q kind OF awe
some whisper this time. AN we
aheadin' for tn Bahamas," For under
his feet he could hear the rhythm OF
engines. "Whatu | dor II | leave Il.
some one else1n see IT," He scratched
his chin ~perplexedly; and the cud went
back to starboard. Il got III"