The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-16

emies.
 Talbot Ward knew everybody aboard,
 from the captain down. His laughing, half aloof manner was very taking,
 and his ironical comments on the var1-
 ous points of discussion somehow con veyed no sting. He was continually
 accepting gifts of. newspapers-of
 which there were a half thousand or so brought aboard-with every appear
 apce of receiving a favor. These pa
 pers he carried down to our tiny box
 of a room and added to his bundle l
 supposed at the time he was doing all
 this on AIoliere's principle, that one
 gains more popularity by accepting a
 favor than by bestowing one
 Tn the early morning one day we
 came in sight of a round, high bluff with a castle atop, and a low shore
 running away. The ships man told
 us this was Chagres. This news caused 8 curious d1S1nte-
 grafton in the ships company. We had
 heretofore lived together a good hu-
 cnored community. Now we 1mmed1- I ately drew apart into small susp1- cious groups For we had shortly to Aand ourselves and our goods and to 1, eLtain transportation across the isth- l mus and each wanted to be ahead of lis neighbor.
 Here the owners of much freight found themselves at a disadvantage. | began to envy less the proprietors l of those enormous or heavy machines
 for the separation of gold. Each man l ran about on the deck collecting bus1- | 1y all his belongings into one pile. i When he had done that he spent the
 rest of his time trying to extract def-
 nite promises from the harassed ships
 officers that he should go ashore in | the first boat
 ] Talbot and I sat on our few pack ages and enjoyed the scene. The ship came to anchor and the sailors swung l the boat down from the davits. The
 passengers crowded around in a dense, l clamoring mob. We arose, shouldered our effects and quietly slipped around 1 to the corresponding boat on tke other i side the ship. Sure enough, that also
 was being lowered. So that we and a dozen who had made the same good guess, were, after all the first to land- l We beached in the mud and were at
 once surrounded by host of little, 1 brown, clamorous men. Talbot took l charge and began to shoot back Span
 fish at a great rate. Some of the lit
 tie men had a few words of English. |
 disappeared in a dozen directions. l
 tried to prevent this, but could only
 collar one man at time. All the 1 Americans were swearing and threat 1 ening at a great rate. I saw Johnny,
 tearing up the beach after fleet na- 1 tive, fall fiat and full length in the
 mud, to the vast delight of all who be- held.
 Finally Talbot plowed his way to me. '1It's all settled" said he. stI've made q bargain with my friend here to take us up in his boat to Cruces for $15 l apiece for four of us."
 'sWen, if you need two more, for heavens sake rescue Johnny" I ad- vised. Hell have apoplexy." We hailed Johnny and explained matters. Johnny was somewhat put to it to attain his desired air of tna- 1 perturbable calm.
 They've got every bIistered thing I own and made off with itF' he cried. 'Confound it, sir, I'm going to shoot 1 every saddle colored hound in the place 1 if I don't get back my be1ongingsy' t'They've got our stuff, too,' I, add ed.
 ''Wel1, keep calm" advised Talbot ''I don't know the game down here, but it strikes me they can't get very 1 far through these swamps, if they do try to steal, and don't believe they're stealing anyway. The whole perform ance to me bears a strong family re- | senbIance to hotel runners. Here, compadreY' | He talked a few moments with his l boatman.
 "That's right" he told us then. EtCome onr'
 | of beach, looking into each of the boats in the long row drawn up. on the shore. They were queer craft, dug out i from the trunks of trees, with small decks in bow and stern, and with a low roof of palmetto leaves amidships. l By the time we had reached the end of the row we had collected all our eff fects. Our ;<wn boatman slowed them 1 in his craft.
 1 Thereupon, our minds at rest, we re- turned to the landing to enjoy the scene. The second ships boat had beached, and the row was going on, ] worse than before. In the seething, cursing, shouting mass we caught sight l of Tanks tall figure leaning imper- turbabIy on his rifle muzzle. We made our way to him.
 "Got your boat yet?'' Talbot shouted at him.
 "Got nothin' yet but 6 headache in the ears," said Tank.
 s'Conae with US. then Where's your plunder?"
 Tank stopped and swung to his shoul- der a small bundle tied with ropes.
 "She's all thar said he.
 These matters settled, we turned with
 considerable curiosity to the village it. self It was all exotic strange. Ev-
 erything was different, and we saw it
 through the eyes of youth and romance
 as epttomizing the stor1ed tropics.
 Johnny and I wandered about com pletely fascinated. Talbot and Tank
 did not seem so impressed Finally
 rT1aJ11o+ oaTlad ha1%