Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-19

action they had taken away some stems.
Hs started to walk down them. and
they weren't there. and so he went to
the sick bay with the other casualties.
EASY TO GUY HIM ABOUT
FEATHERS OF PACIFIC BIRDS
But for all know positively. that
servant may just have been spitefuI.
This much L do know. howcver-it
was easy to guy him.
There's bird in the South Pacific
which sailors call tho b6sun. II has a
spiked tail OF two long red feathers.
Some officer. for a Joke. told the count
these feathers were valuable The
count cam, TO me, asking II that
wcro so.
Sure said rashly.
How much arc they worth in your
money"
Fifty dollars apiece"
darcsay You could buy a mattress
full of them for cents.
And after that, for days and dave.
while we drifted around, the com
mandcr sat on the bridge with n rife
In his hand, taking pot shots at every
bosun bird that came within range.
and ordering boats lowered to retrieve
those he hit. and telling exactly how
lie was going to have the birds set for
some duchess Of lady love Of his
Every hour they lowered away The
boats, and every hour the pile Of tail
feathers grew. til there were red
epikes all over tho ship. And thew
couldn't head him ofr-no one dared
TO tell him. They just had to let the
craze hurn Itself out
Not an officer Of tho lot wasn't on
10 him. once told The count a
whopper Gust TO amuse him) about a
hity-iooi shark I had seen in the
islands once, which ate four natives
at sitting and then nosed around
alter coconuts for dessert, and it
seemed to make a great impression on
MN. lieutenant came TO me on the
- T. that evening and said: He told
Us All about the shark yarn of yours.
After you're landed he'll tell il to the
next batch OF prisoners. only it'll he
SIX natives then. and alligator pears
as we'll as coconuts, and himself that
saw It ALL
Which very likely would have proven
true IL there had been A next baton OF
prisoners.
Time hung heavy on his hands. too
and one form OF diversion he took up
was shark hunting. He'd sit IN in tn 8
moonlight trailing line over tin 3 in
tho morning, and when "a shark bit.
he'd call one OF the men and turn the
rest OF the job over TO him. having the
head cut OF as the shark came up out
or tho water, and then throwing the
" hole thing back and starting again
Rather poor fishing II was more run
one night when the officers put hand
grenade in a piece Of fat and trailed
the line well out. They had planned
TO iet nature take it's course. to the
surprise of the shark, but it didn't
work that way. The line broke, and
tho shark boltcd the lump of fat with
out exploding the hand grenade. and
for days We waited for the shark TO
come Dumping against the vessel a
living mine, and very likely blow a
hole that would need some patching.
II II didn't SGT OF tho magazine. If
that shark ever dives careiessly. Il,
Viii Get a shock that will shake It's
midrif. and the Lord only knows
whether or not some kanaka hasn't
found nice shark dead of indigestion
and vanished mysteriously and sud
denly while performing an autopsy.
All this helped To keep us amused
enough not to jump overheard and try
winning 10 tho nearest port, and
there was much that we found of in.
terest At the time about the Secadlcr
herself.
IT took little Echemins to get n
piece OF tho story here and another
there, and time. too, but in the end
cot tho confidence Of several. and Ly
playing one end against tho other. put
together u story OF the raiders career
twenty years ago the Sccadler
started putting into san Francisco oc-
casionally. while in the grain trade
for tho most part, carrying barley
from Portland ia tho United Kingdom.
She came consigned 10 various firms
in san Francisco. The last time she
touched this port was in June, 1906
when she came in for provisions while
bound from Salina Cruz to Port Town
send.
AZ tina, time she was the Pass Bal
maha.
y year ago the British seized her
while She was bound from Boston to
Scandinavia with contraband. She wa,
headed for Liverpool. when a German
submarine emerged alongeidc. took
possession and sent her to German
port.
DIESEL ENGINES on RAIDER
EQUIPPED WITH POWER
There she was fitted with a powerful
set OF Diesel engines. which the Ger
mans mad taken over at the beginning
OF the war. They were Danish en-
Gincs, sent 20 Belgium for exhibition.
ara had been built for a steamer OF
1000 tons. Two cylinders had TO be-
taken out before they wero Of any
use III the submarines prize.
The Sccadlcr was a three stcd
ship of about 900 tons.
tor the raidinE cruise she was lifted
out Ike Norwegian. 4 score of the
ere" talked Norwegian like natives
and these were left for the actual work
OF taking the ship by the British lines.
the rest hiding below.
Her papers. OF course, were Nor.
"eSlan' and SO was tho flag painted
on the frecbonrd. but they carried II
OUT inner than that-Norwegian down
70 inc records for the photograph and
'"e pictures and books in the cabin.
Shc sailed from Bremen December 81.
I''o' win a deckload Of lumber and
four days later came mighty near bny
ing her career cut short then and
there, Tor she was boarded by officers
from British cruiser--thc Highland