Middletown transcript., 1921-12-10

an engineer and deck hand and went
up the Sacramento to bring the Mag
gle down to San Francisco. Upon
her arrival she was hauled out or
the marine ways at Oakland creek
cleaned, caulked, and some new cop
per sheathing put on her bottom. She
was also given a dash Of black paint
had her engines and boilers thorough.
ly overhauled and repaired, and
shipped new propeller that would
add at least knot to her speed. Al
so, she had her stern rebuilt. And
when everything was ready, she slipped
down to the Black Diamond coal bunk.
ers and took on enough fuel to car
ry her to San Pedro; after which
she steamed across the bay to San
Francisco and tied up at Fremont
street wharf.
The cargo came down in boxes, vari-
ously labeled. There were "agricul-
tural implements" "cream separat-
Or" windmill" and half a dozen
"sewing-machines," in addition to a
considerable number of kegs alleged
to contain nails. Most of it came down
after five o'clock in the afternoon
after the wharfnger had left the dock,
and as nothing but disordered brain
would have suspected the steamer Mag
gle of an attempt to break the neutral
ity laws, the entire cargo was gotten
aboard safely and without a jot of
suspicion attaching to the vessel.
When all was in readiness, Captain
Scraggs incontinently fired" his deck
hand and engineer and inducted aboard
a new crew, carefully selected for their
flibuster virtues by Scab Johnny him
self. Then while the new engineer got
up steam, Captain Scraggs went up to
Scab Johnny's Office for his final in
structions and the balance of the first
instalment due him.
Briefly, his instructions were as fol-
lows: Upon arrival off Point Dune
on the southern California coast, he
was to stand in close to Dune cove
under cover of darkness and show two
green lights on the masthead. A man
would come alongside presently in a
small boat, and climb aboard. This
man would be the supercargo and the
confidential envoy of the insurrecto
junta in Los Angeles. Captain Scraggs
was to look to this man for orders and
to obey him implicitly, as upon this
depended the success Of the expedi-
ton. This agent Of the insurrecto
forces would pay him the balance Of
five thousand dollars due him immedi-
ately upon discharge of the cargo at
Descanso bay. There was a body Of
troops encamped at Megano
rancho. a mile from the beach, and
they would have barge and small
boats in readiness to tighter the cargo.
Scab Johnny explained that he had
promised the crew double wages and
a bonus of hundred dollars each for
the trip. Don Manuel Garcia Lopez
paid over the requisite amount of cash,
and half an hour later the Maggie was
steaming down the bay on her perilous
The sun was setting as they passed
out the Golden gate and swung down
the south channel, and with the wind
on her beam, the aged Maggie did nine
knots. Late in the afternoon Of the
following day she was off the Santa
Barbara channel, and about midnight
she ran in under the lee Of Point Dune
and lay to. The mate hung out the
green signal lights, and in about an
hour Captain Scraggs heard the sound
Of oars grating in rowlocks. A few
later stentorian voice hailed
them out of the darkness. Captain
Scraggs had q Jacobs ladder slung.
over the side and the mate and two
deckhands hung over the rail with Ian
terms. lighting up the surrounding sea
feebly for the benefit of the lone ad-
venturer who sat muff}ed in a great
coat in the stern of small boat rowed
by two men. There was q very slight
sea running, and presently the men in
the small boat, watching their oppor-
tunity by the ghostly light of the Ian
terms, ran their frail craft in under
the lee Of the Maggie. The figure in
the stern sheets leaped on the instant,
caught the Jacobs ladder, climbed
nimbly over the side. and swore heart
lily in very good English as his feet
struck the deck.
"What's the name of this floating
coffn?" he demanded in a chain-locker
voice. 1t was quite evident that even
In the darkness, where her many de-
fects were mercifully hidden, the Mag
gle did not suit the special envoy of
the Mexican insurrectos.
American steamer Maggie" said
the skipper frigidly. "Scraggs is my
name, sir. And if you don't like my
"Scraggsy roared the special en-
voy. "Scraggsy, for q thousand! And
the old Maggie Of all boats! Scraggsy,
old tarpot, your fin! Duke me, you
1oggoned old salamander
"Gib, my dear boy!" shrieked Cap
tain Scraggs and cast himself into Mr..
Gibney's arms in transport Of Joy.
Mr.. Gibney, for it was indeed he.
pounded Captain Scraggs on the back
with one great hand while with the |
other he crushed the shippers fingers
to a pulp, the while he called on all
the powers of darkness to witness that
never in all his life had he received
such pleasant surprise.
It was indeed a happy moment. All
The old animosities and differences
we're swallowed up in tie glad hand |
,lncx, NTH x,,hloh AR Cfl,s,<... VI. [