, 1921-11-26

At Eix O'Clock next morning the
Maggie was rounding Point Lomn.
heading In for San Diego bay. and
captain scrngEs went below and
awakened Mr.. Gibney.
-whats for breakfast. scrnggsy. old
kdT" asked Mr.. olbney-
Fried eggs" said Captain scrsm
remembering Mr.. Gibney's partially
for that form of nutriment In the van
ished days Of the green-pea trade.
Ham an fried Eggs an q sizziin' pot
o coffee. Thought q way out o our
mess, Chi"
mot yeti replied Mr.. oibney ss he
rolled out Of bed. but eggs Is always
stimuintin'. and ] don't give up hope
on a full stomach
An hour later they were tied up IN
der the coai bunkers. and at Mr.. Glib
ney's suggestion some twenty toni of
sacked coal wers piled on top Of the
fo'castie head and On the main deck
ford. In case Of emergency. They lay
In the harbor all day until about four
o'clock. when Mr.. Gibney, by virtue of
his authority as ~supercargo. ordered
the lines cast on and the Maggie
steamed out Of the harbor. on Point
Iona they veered to the south, leav-
Ing the Coronado Islands on the star
board quarter, ten miles to the west
Mr.. Gibney. was below with Captain
scraggs. battling with the problem
that confronted them. when the mate
stuck his head down the companion
way to report a large power schooner
coming out from the lee OF the Coro-
nados and standing OF on a course cal
culated TO intercept the Maggie in IN
hour or two.
Captain scraggs and Mr.. Gibney
sprnng up on the bridge at once. the
latter with scrnggs' long glass up to
his eye.
"She was hove to under the lee of
the Island. and the minute we came
out OF the harbor and turned south
she come nosin' after u.s." said the
mate.
Hum, =" muttered Mr.. Gibney. "Gaso-
line schooner. Two masts and bald
headed. About a hundred and twenty
ton. ! should say. and shown n,pretty
pair OF heels. There's somethin' up
for'd-yes-iet me see-ye-es. there's
two more-hosy saiiori IT'S n gunbcnti
One OF those ~doggoned gasoline coast
patrol boats. and there's the federal
nng flying at the fore"
Lets put back to San Diego bay
quavered Captain Scraggs. I'll be
burned If ! relish the dee o. lcsin' the
Maggie
eToo late said the philosophical
Gihnes. 'we're in Mexican waters
uow. and she can cut US OF from the
bay. The only thing we can doris TO
run for 1t and try to lose her after
dark. Tell the engineer 10 crowd her
to the limit. There amt much win 20
speak Of. SO / guess we can manage
10 hold our own for a while. Never
theless, I've got a bunch that Wen be
o~verhauled. OF course. you aIn't got
nc papers to show. seraggs. and they'll
search the cargo. and confiscate us,
and shoot the whole bloomln' crowd
of US. / bet a dollar 10 a %soughnut
that fellow Lopez sold us out, after
the fashion OF the country. ! can't help
thinkin' that that gunboat was there
just a-waitin' for as to show up"
For several minutes Mr.. Gibney con-
tinued to study the gunboat until
there could no longer be any doubt
that she intended TO overhaul them.
He made out that she had a long gun
-for'd, with a battery OF two one-pound-
ers on top of her house and something
on her port quarter that looked like a
Maxim rapid-fre gun. About twenty
men. dressed in white cloth. corld be
seen on her decks.
Presently Mr. lGibney was inter-
rupted by Captain Scraggs pulling at
his sleeve.
-You was a unner once. wasn't you.
Gtbgvs said Captain Scraggs In
trembling voice.
you bet I was" replied Mr.. Gibney.
my shootin' won the trophy three
times In succession when I was on
the old K~earsarge. II / had one good
gun and a half-decent crew. I'd knock
that gunboat silly before she knew
what had hit her"
"GIb. I've got an idee," said Captain
Scraggs.
"out with it" said Mr.. cibney cheer
fully.
There was four little cannon low
cred into the hold the last thing before
we put on the main hatch, and the am
munition to load 'em with is slowed In
the after hold and very easy to get
at"
Mr.. GIhncy turned q peamins face to
the skipper. reached out his arms. and
folded Captain Scraggs in an embrace
that would have done credit to a
grizzly bear. There were genuine tears
Of admiration In his eyes and In his
voice when he could master his 'smo-
lions sufficiently to speak.
"Scraggsy. old tarpot. you've been 4
long time comm through on the imagi-
nation, but you've sure arrived with
all sail set. ! always thought you had
about as much nerve az an oyster. but
I take It all back. Wen get out them
two little 5ackass runs and fight q
nsval battle. and II I don't sink that
Mexican gunboat, and a " the Mag
-. <..a - - <h~ ~l,-rrr Fr r-1rs<