The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1919-05-01

spoke In q Jibbering parois which ]
could not understand. Some Of them
could speak pretty good English. The
kids, averaging from seven to fifteen
years, were running around naked, or
diving of the dock for pennies which
we threw overheard.
About two hours before sailing from
st. Lucia, n little fellow about fifteen
years of nge came to the entrance OF
the galley and in fair English told
Bin and me n pathetic story OF In
human treatment which would have
melted hearts Of stone. He wanted us
to stow him away on the ship. / was
agreeable, but Bill warned me that
this was a very grave ofrense against
the English board Of trade laws. the
maximum penalty being fourteen
years Imprisonment. ! did not wish
to incur this risk, therefore would
not listen to the entrenties OF the
young negro, explaining to him the
penalty OF the board Of trade laws.
Upon hearing this, a cunning look,
which ut the time did not appear sig.
nificant to me, came into his eyes, and
he told me that II I would stow him
away. "see how easy II will be for
you" He would do Nil OF my work,
and all I would have to do would be
TO sit on the su~perstructure md let
my feet hang. ! thought this was
worth rlsking fourteen years for. so
fell in with the plan, Bill objectlng.
The ventilators had been unshipped
while the coaling was going on, and
were lying aft on the poop deck.
Watching u chance. we sneaked aft
and hid the little fellow In one of the
ventilators. warning him, upon pain
ship was well under way. To say that
! was nervous Is putting It mildly.
We cleared st. Lucia and were soon
at sea. The islands of Martinique, st.
Lucia and Barbados were tiny gray
dots On the horizon when IN Italian
sailor. Louis Maranto, went aft TO ship
the ventilntors. In a few minutes he
came rushing forward with terror In
his eyes. AS he passed the galley I
stopped him anu asked what was the
matter. All he could gasp out was
MARY Of God. q devil ees on da ship"
"One-eyed Gibson seeing his terror,
went aft with him and soon we could
see him coming forward, leading our
little stowaway by the ear. The little
negro YVES bowling blue murder, and
the curses of the mate snapped like q
wireless message. Luckily for me the
mate stopped at the galley and said,
Keep your eye on this black skunk
until ! can take him before the old
mGl.'" For five minutes I put all my
power Of entreaty into my voice and
prayed the stowaway to stick by me;
to swear that he came aboard Of his
own volltion. He promised to do so.
Then the mate came after him and
took him before the captain. During
this fifteen minutes Of interview I
lived In an agony Of torment and sus-
pense. The little fellow came back
with q smile on his face and I knew
things were all right. He told me that
the captain had shipped him at n shill.
Ing a month for the passage. For two
days he was detailed to help me In
the galley, and ] lived the life of q
prince. We nicknamed him Monday"
the day that he came on board. His
real name was Charles Tasima Benn.
On the fourth day, Monday, after
peeling q bucket of spuds, while / was
reading and smoking, threw down
his knife and, with a cunning leer, in
q commanding tone told me to get
busy and complete the task; that he
wished to rest. ! started In to bull
doze" him, but he simply held his
hand In my direction, fingers extended,
and In q majestic voice informed me:
From now on, work for the Ameri-
cnn ] will not. I tell Mcester Captain
American Monday slowed away. Mecs.
ter American to preeson 90 fourteen
years British government" ] nearly
tainted. From that time Bill and I
were Mondays abject slaves. We
even waited on him personally. Any
article In my possession that Monday
desired was his for the asking. The
steward worIned the secret cut OF
Monday. and l was also his slave. Bill
and ! spent a life of hell on board.
After getting into the tropics lime
Juice was issued daily TO the crew to
keep away scurvy. The food was hor-
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