The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-01-27
A VITAL
MOMENT
BY T. B. ANDERSON

He was not the man | was after,
yet | experienced a glow OF satistac-
ton as my eyes fell upon him. 1t was
in slip of the San Francisco har6or
and he was working about the deck OF
trim little schooner, bearing the
name Neptune" The man | had
been seeking for the detective agency
with which | was connected was Ly-
man Britt, a notorious criminal. The
man before me | recognized as his
close friend, Martin Briefly.
did not think he noticed me as
StrOlled towards the craft, but he had,
shrewd alert character that he was,
as | was to learn to my cost later.
1t CHANGED that | was acquainted with
the captain of the Neptune. | went
aboard but Captain MOultrie was alb
sent until noon. | returned to the
Neptune about noon. The captain was
there, received me cordially and |
asked about Briefly
you call him Briefly" he said. 1--WE
know him as Matson, assistant to the
cook. But he gave up his job two
hours ago. Said a dying relative had
sent for him. Paid him off, and that's
ALL"
| doubted not now that Briefly had
recognized me and had been scared
away by my appearance. l wondered
at his being in the humble employment
Of a cook, for he was not given to
hard work As an expert coiner he
had always been able to secure plenty
Of money.
I'VE are to carry to the island of
Baranta, in the South Pacific, new
coinage for its king, amounting to
something over a Million" Captain
Moultre told me. ut has been beads
and shells for current money there
heretofore The coin is a thin silver
one of small denomination, and while
they have no metals at Baranta they
have plenty of diamonds, and we are
to deliver the boxes of coins and re-
ceive back for The Goldsmiths Com
pany the pay in the sparklers."
Although the suspicion that Briefly
was up to something was strong in
my mind, | could not connect him up
in a tangible way with the same. |
was considerably put out, however, in
losing sight of a man who in time
might aid me in finding Lyman Britt.
| was gratifed the following day to
run across Briefly entering a drinking
place. l had assumed disguise and
felt safe in mixing in with the crowd,
keeping a close eye upon him.
When he left the place l Swallowed
him cautiously. He took a round
about course to the waterside and
went aboard a trim little craft there.
| hung about the dock and observed
two men finally leave the vessel. They
passed me without paying any particu-
lar attention to me, but, turning
quickly, knocked me senseless.
awoke a close prisoner in room
in the hold. The craft was aflOat.
Water and food were brought to me
for ten days. | was fed, but left to
my own devices. One night l heard
voices beyond my prison door. They
belonged to Britt and Briefly and
was fully enlightened as to their pur-
poses from what | caught of their con-
versation.
1t seemed that Briefly had been a
spy aboard of the Neptune to learn
the details of the coin shipment. He
and his cOnfederates saw q clever OPP
pOrtunity to profit by what he had
learned. Expert coiners that they
were, they had duplicated the ordered
coinage, except that they had EN-
plOyed a cheap baser metal, and with
it boxed in their hold were on their
way to get first to Barata impose
themselves as agents of The Gold
smiths Company upon its king receive
their pay, divide, and disappear. There
was not the slightest prospect Of es-
cape for me. For five weeks | was
I kept a close prisoner. | could trace
the arrival of the craft at Barata, the
unloading, a departure, and one morn
ing was apprized by the overhead talk
of two of the crew in the hold that
we were at anchor at PrOda, town
on the Chilean coast The men were
under the influence of liquor and one
Of them, unlocking the doors of several
below-deCk apartments, by mistake
turned a key in the door of my own.
| waited until they had disappeared,
and then stole forth. After some eau
tious wanderings finding myself at an
entrance of the cabin. There, regal
ing themselves with liquor and glOat-
ing over snakesldn bag before them
which held the diamonds paid for the
coins, they discussed glowingly a fu-
ture of Opulence.
acted on a wild impulse, | hardly
knew how quickly and WELL until |
had sprung between them, snatched up
the precious treasure, was on deck
then ashore, then making for the bust.
ness part of the town. | was pur-
sued, but ! ran like a deer. A sign
showed me the official police office of
the town. ! dashed In breathlessly
told my story, saw the snakeskln de.
posted In a safe, several officers sent
out to apprehend my recent captors
and collapsed.
Three rewards came to me from my
adventure One was for Lyman Britt
badly wanted, second from The
Goldsmiths Company for saving them
a large loss, the third
A wife, Margaret, to whom | had
been engaged for year, and whom
now was able to present with the
home we had so planned for.