The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1916-04-13
ADVENTURE IN FOREIGN LANDS
The Happenings To A Party of Venturesome Spirits
In Their Travels on Foreign Seas and Islands
By Mr.. M.

me, and the next morning each went to lay
our plans before his incubus to be; while
was elected to call on Babcock and Wal
lace and put the proposition to them.
Wallace, like myself was bachelor,
and on him l decided to call fist. On
reaching his qunrters and after considerable
pounding on his door, managed to get
him out and open the door.
"Hello, you dough-head pirate" was
my greeting to him, ''you should have been
out of bed two hours ago.
Gee, SLIM says he, sit was so cold
and dreary outside, l hated to get up.
What is the matter, somebody sick?''
"Oh, no, l thought you might want to
go for walk in the park and listen to the
birds sing
birds sing snorted Wallace, ''the
birds up here don't sing. am going back
| where they never have snow, and the birds
sing all the time
81 am glad you are in that hnmor,'' l
replied, "for have come to ask you to GO
to Raol Island with US
GLOW are you going to get there and
who else is going?''
explained to him the plans that Smith
and Jackson had agreed on, and he was
ready to start at once.
."Slm' he say; 81 am ready to sign
articles right now
Every well, my man. replied, with
mock dignity, 'but in the future, / am
Captain Gordon. When you address me,
you will salute and say, "sir.'' Aye, Aye,
SIR said Wallace, ''but first | must see
you use the hog yoke, before call you
| captain
We had better go down and see Babcock
now, and see if he will go with us. We
found Babcock at home and told him of
our plans and asked him to go with u.s..
will. ave to consu wi my
my wife" said Babcock, but l will go if
she is willing to go along. He said he
would talk to Mrs. 'Bab' and meet us at
the waterfront and give us his final answer
After hasty dinner, Wallace and l went
down to the waterfront and hired a boat to
row out to the vessel we had come to ex-
anime. The yacht, for that is what it
really was, was lying out about two hundred
yards from shore, and at nrst sight, both
Wallace and | picked her for a stopper.
We found the ship-keeper aboard and ex-
planned our business. He said he had been
instructed to show any prospective pur-
chasers over the boat and that if we meant
business, he would show US around and give
us all the information he could. He was as
good as his word, ior he showed us over
every inch of the boat and gave us great
deal of information. The boat was one
hundred and twenty feet in length, with
twentysix foot beam. She was equipped
with two engines driving twin screws, and an
auxiliary engine for drawing an electricity
generator. There were five single and two
double state rooms, all lighted by electricity;
and large cabin, with the galley and eng
inc room aft. The yacht was also equip
ped with wireless apparatus. According
to the ship-keeper, she was but two years
old and was in good condition. She GER
tainty seemed to have been well cared for,
for everything was neat and shipshape.
While we were still on board, the rest of
our party arrived and were shown over the
yacht. All agreed that she was beauty.
The ship-keeper was instructed to call
the owner, and tell him that we would buy
the boat if the price was satisfactory. 1t
seems the owner had given the keeper
great deal of authority, for he promptly
told us the price the owner wanted, and
said that if we would call the next morning,
he would take US for run down the bay to
show what the yacht could do. We made
trial run in the yacht on Monday morn
ing, and as she seemed to be satisfactory in
every way; we decided to purchase her.
The deal was closed the same afternoon,
and all OF those who were going on the
cruise, began to make preparations to leave
the country.
Just one week from the day we bought
the boat, we were ready to 60 to sea. ANY
one who did not know what we intended to
do, would have taken us for pirates. We
had a three-pounder rapid-hre gun mounted
on the forward deck, and half dozen
rifles and shot guns in rack in the main
cabin. The rapid-fre gun was Wsllace's
idea; he said it was to be used for saluting
purposes; but he failed to explain what he
was going to do with one hundred and fifty
rounds of ammunition containing steel pro-
jectles.
The morning of our departure we all
met at the dock and went aboard the yacht.
There was quite crowd to see us off i.
The newlyweds as we termed Smith and
Jackson. who had been spliced during the