Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-26


vcnturInSs. or whether shc is beating
II back now toward Germany. in tho
hope OF running tho blockade by good
chance or bad. as the Sceadlcr herself
did in the beginning with the deck
load OF lumber for y mask, is all mat
ter VIC must wait to learn OF, il VIC ever
do.
JUST A DUTY LITTLE
TRADER POkING INTO SEA
But that day It was just a question
of a dirty little trader pokins into
keeping sharp eye for tho dangers
In the channel and her mato standing
over the dozen nigGers in the crew.
She was standing In smartly when the
last OF the two motor-boats put out
from Germantown. with King. himself
In command. the machine guns forward
and crowded with fifteen. cishiccn--.a
fun score, ! guess--of sailors and petty
officers. pistols In belt, hand srenades
heaped between them. and. | dRrcsay, at
the last moment with knives between
their teeth.
They drew alongside the schooner
the French island trading schooner
Lutece, not much to speak OF in tongue.
ont OF Papcetc-and as the captain
hailed them and tried TO make out II
they were marooned from tho black
ened hull OF a three master whose hulk
and stumps OF nasts he had seen not
far from the channel entrance, the mo.
tor-boat hceled and griped q bit, and
her engines were cut off aud she swung
around broadside to while the fright
encd kanakas on the Lutece scrambled
to tho gafTs, or climbed out the bow
spirit and even tried to hide under tho
cut water. A moment later, while the
Lutcce's skipper was spluttcring
"Who?" and "What?" the Germans were
over the side. scrambling from one end
TO the other. with enough left in the
launch to keep the machine gun swung
round at its uglica., and Killing was
politely informing the master that he
had been captured by the marooned
crew OF the sea raider Seeadler,
They went through all the formall-
ties in the cabin-thc ransacking Of
papers and SO forth-that they had
learned to do SO neatly when the See
adler was afoat. but the rest OF the
procedure was different this time.
In other days. they wouldn't haro
thought much of the Lutcce. 1t would
have been a case OF Hello. you're
taken; farewell" and a bomb aboard
to knock the sides out OF her. without
much ado or mcrTymakins over such
a small prize.
But now the cards had been shufled.
, and the Lu.cce. small and dirty, md
insignificant as she was from the stand
| point of men who had set their ambi-
I tons on the capture of the biggest vcs-
sells they could overtake. was as much
TO them H. she had been a North
Atlantic liner, except that she was
easier to capture.
| Kanakatown made a jump in popu.
lntion that day which would do sood
I TO the heart. OF any boom town that
ever was--a gain of 400 per cent popu-
lation, even if it was only dozen ma
4 lAl
/ boy we had found on the atoll..
! But there was little bothering about
them on the part of Killing and his men.
! The sailors had something new now.
and the work of the moment kept them
| from thinking of their Disqualification
there were no idle hands for tho
devil though We Americans didn't
think he was such a bad devil In this
part OF his work. to find tasks for
\ light-hearted gang they wcre as
they fell to the job Of fitting up the
Lutccc for the new cSpcdltion-whether
| for raiding or trying to get half
round tho world and so home again.
! Certain II was. the Lutece was more
comfortable for such a voyage than
| the motor-boat, and no less certain
that there'd he fewer, il any Germans
20 leave behind, as there would have
been had the lauT1L Seen uscd-though
even in the business OF getting stores
and SO forth on the Iutecc it strikes
ne there were some OF the Germans
welcome as the event was who would
have preferred 10 be lief, behind and
take their chances OF failing prisoners
10 the Americana or the British.
A big crew II was for SO small q
craft-threc score and more men pack &C
into schooner that was comfortably
filled by less than n fourth OF tina,
number She was. in fact. overcrowdcd
Germans made a pile to loole at and
when you added provisions-ail thes
could acrape together. with no srca,
thought of what would happen to us
and water. and ammunition and the
machine gun, there was enough OF
board 10 make the little schooner look
like an excursion beat,
King. Priess. and even the doctor
drunk again, or yet--had their hands
fun. and at that there wasn't space
enough for the men TO sleep with any
comfort. though King. for all his
clcverneSs and knowing the business
before him was no chiid's play. didn't
overlook the things that would make
life bearable for him IN nttinE up hi:
cabin.
An the dynamite bombs were towe6
in the hold. and the motor-boat wa.
slung on dact--the schooner look &C
like a little man carrying his stripping
son plgEv mack, SO little was the diff
ference in their sizes. comparatively.
And then. without much ado or an.
ella borate leave takings. IL was w
anchor and away. and VIC were lef
on the island. the twcnty-nine of u.
from the three prizes. the four conces
sionairc kanakas and the twelve from
the Lutece. the two officers OF tn,
schooner and the IIoIlander. who hac
been valet and laundercr to the German
. officers ever since. out OF Rio. he hat
made the nasty remark about thu
German paper money In which he wa:
now, like the Americans. who worked
for pay on the raider, paid Off in full
1t was no pleasant predicament W,
were in--not much more TO eat thar
heaven and the coconut trees provided
the wireless gone, out OF the path o
ships and for trying our chances onl,
lit OF a boat with the hilge stow,
in SO she had no more bottom than
douEhnut.
Eut we had seen the last OF the Ger
mans. and we gave thanks.
come now TO what is all In ALL tn,
most disagreeable part OF my nara
, tive. but it seems to mo that frank
. ness is the better policy. and. making
allowance for human differences, tn
:, faircst