The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-20

Inen we came back in a clumsy cir c1e. Tank yelled at us, and we yelled back at him, but so great was the crash of waters and the whistling of wind that we could make. out nothing. Then Tank, motioning us to remain where we were, disappeared, to return after a short interval with a speaking trumpet.
 Have you got your baggage with youT' he roared.
 We shook our heads and waved our arms.
 <tGo get it!' he ordered
 We screamed something back at him.
 "Go get itr' he repeated and with drew his head entirely
 We rowed back to town. It was no longer necessary to return to the ex- sight the ships. Johnny and in- dulged in much excited speculation, but Talbot refused to show curiosity.
 "He's there, and he's evidently en- gagged us passage, and he wants us aboard to claim it,'' said he, "and that's all we can know now, and that's enough for me-"
 Yank met us at the top of the gang way and assisted us in getting our baggage aboard. Johnny and I pep pcred him with questions, to which he vUlchsafed no answer. When we had paid off the boatman he led the way down a hatch into a very dark hole near the bows. A dim lantern swayed to and fro. Through the murk we could make out dozen bunks-
 1HThey call this the fo'cas'ie;"~ said Tank p1acidly. ..:Crew sleeps here. This is our happy home. Everything else full up. We four," said he, with a little flash of triumph, "are just about the only ga1oots of the whole billing at Panama that gets passage. She's loaded to the muzzle with men that's come away around the Horn In her, and the only reason she stopped in here at all is to get new thing um-a-1ig of some sort that she had lost or busted or something"
 s'Wel, I don't like my happy home while she wabb1es so," said Johnny. ssI'm going to be seasick, as usual. But for heavens sake, Tank, tell us where you came from and all about it. And make it brief, for I'm going to be sea sick pretty soon."
 He lay down in one of the hunks and closed his eyes.
 "You'd much better come up on deck into the fresh aie," said Talbot
 Fire ahead, Tank, pleaser' begged Johnny.
 well" said Tank, when I drew that steamer ticket it struck me that somebody might want it lot more than I did, especially as you fellows drew blanks So hunted up a man who was in a hurry and sold it to him for $500. Then I hired one of these gail rigged fishing boats and laid in grub for a week and went cruising out 20 sea five or six miles,"
 Johnny opened one eye.
 ''Why?" he demanded feebly.
 s'I was lingering on meeting any old ship that came along little before the crowd got at her," said Tank. '.And judging by, the gangs remarks that just left, I should think I'd hg- gered just right"
 'eYou bet you did, put in Talbot em- phatically.
 .'It must have been mighty uncom- fortab1e cruising out there in that little boat so long, said I. q wonder the men would stick"
 'I paid them and they had to-" said Tank grimly.
 why didn't you let us in on it?'' asked.
 What for? It was only one man job. So then I struck this ship and got aboard her after. a little trouble persuading her to stop. There wasn't no way of making that captain believe we'd sleep anywhere we could except cash, so I had to pay him a good deaI.''
 "How much?'' demanded Talbot.
 ''It came to two hundred apiece. Pm sorry.''
 E "Glory beg, shouted Talbot. We're ahead of the game. Yank, you long headed old pirate, let me shake you by the handv'
 "I wish you fellows would go away" :" begged Johnny.
 : Thus at last we escaped from the isthmus. At the end of twenty-four hours we had left the island of Tobago astern and were reaching to the north.