The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-31
Mad
What Became of a
Cargo of Cocoanuts
o, CHARLES EDWARD
BANGS

.,ooa of to the starboard two
:. I'd with rust, awash under the
~ .obes of the big trees that grew in
,.,.s forest far out into the shallow
,.r Of the lagoon One steamer was
..s,ss in between great boles, the tops
: =, masts showing oddly above the
.,.rbsnging greenery. The other lay
w aver upon its side. like some port
m.r,ne monster that had taken shell
,bere from the tropic sun. How
W. nerson not a positive idiot could
nave Numbered into such place pass
4 nv comprehension.
The repeated blasts from our whistle
=, reused the owner Of the cocoanut
wa that was TO furnish us our car
% and presently the white drill suit
IA nth helmet which we always asso-
~ with the white man in the trop-
!. opnearel in the stern of a boat
anicb rllied out from under the trees.
pesore our gangplank was fairly low
,-od a tall, rawboned young English
man distinctly of the gentleman"
,rno came over the ships side and in
,,oluced himself as Shackleford, the
man with whom l had contracted to
,,rrr load Of nuts to Liverpool.
ayo haven't a black on the place"
hs pxplained in response to an inquiry
A mine as we took our places In his
sat bottomed boat, manned wholly by
cinnamon. and started for his bunga-
law whose corrugated roof blazed in
,ho intense sunlight through rift in
me cocoanut grove. 1T costs three
fines as much for Chinese labor, but
for some reason / can't get a niger to
come near the plantation"
That's strange"
wait till tonight and you'll hear as
horible row as you ever heard. Then
ycull know. The mountains back there
are alive with apes. That is why l put
ND twenty-five foot high barbed wire
fence"
That evening we were sitting In the
bungalow, slipping whisky and soda
md swapping yarns about Penang,
when volcy Of banks, sharp as the
ntte Of musketry. made me spring up
b alarm.
Shackleford put down his glass and
hw.hawed. Its only those blasted
ips,' he explained when he had man.
aged to control his mirth. "Take down
that rife and come along"
Armed with the rifles, we made our
way to the edge of the grove near
est the spur Of the mountain. AS we
approached chorus Of snarls greeted
Us, and in the clear starlight l saw
ihost of infatuated apes hurting them
selves against the barbed wire fence.
For time the brutes paid little heed
TO our fusillade. Then. under the lead.
snhlp of huge gray ape, they broke
md made for cover.
The great grizzled brute was the last
70 retire, aud at the edge Of the jungle
aurned and gihhered at us In a way
mat made my flesh creep. 1t seemed
% Voice the fathomless hatred Of the
whole jungle world for the usurper
nan
Inc next morning on our way back
Tue steamer | asked Shackleford
aoout the two wrecks.
oh, fancy the fool captains could
l@ steer straight" he replied lightly.
lOnsstreth-that's the chap I bought
M grove from-said that both ships
'ele loaded with cocoanuts. He would
~ 'alk much about it, though-too
WI 10 talk about anything"
Ia'er' TO satisfy my curiosity, l row.
~"er and had a look at the hulks,
w Us l examined them l noted two
!. .s1 that kept me specializing for
!. - Before either steamer went into
neseht Position the boats had been
'is slashed away, and there wasn't
L,a use eocoanut to be seen In either
"a. ilight ! spent ashore again with
-ealeiord, and when I returned IN
sup The following morning | found
rn.rn luminous state Of excitement.
r,.-s Inc Chinese portion Of 1t oc.
~ Tue forward part of the main
eaung aud sleeping in the cor.
sIons the steam winches. The
A.. nad always claimed the fore
NJ. uead' where their tall, gaunt
~ ana swathed heads seemed an
~ . aoe Part Of the ship. Now, how.
~ 40. .aVe and caste were forgotten,
Sna ,usns and pigtails mingled pro.
a., :, IN groups that whispered
n ~ 10 dozen corners.
su. or me they quickly dis.
~ ~ out with those two rusty hulks
\ 1.. ~ yonder as object lessons l
~. enpt measures to forestall a
\. mutiRy. Summonine the first
la ~, sat caste from Calcutta that
Ason Nsed up In Penang when Mac
n hh' rieo Of cholera. locked the
Z asIa a him. left my revolver on
u n Where he could mediate
III NJ, use as we talked, and then
kenss q lew pointed questions.
Son "nite under bis inky skin.
IA - pulled himself together and
~, e to me. | knew It by