The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-02-17
CHAPTER x-Continued.


before the meeting broke up. We've
got to run this little vessel into some
dog-hoe where there's a nice beach
and smooth water, and change her
name. l notice that her old name
Reina Maria is screwed into her bows
and across her stern in raised gilt let
ters, contrary to law and custom.
Wen snip 'em off, sandpaper every
spot where there's a letter, and re-
paint it; after which We'll rig up
stagin' over her bow and stern, and
cut her new name, Maggie H. right
into her plankin'. Nobody'll ever sus-
pect her names been changed. l no.
tice that the official letters and num-
bers cut into her main beam is F-C-P
--9957. I'll change the f to E, and the
G to o, and the to r. A handy man
with a wood chisel can do lots of
things. He can change those mines to
eightS the five TO a six, and the seven
to nine. I've seen it done before.
Then We'll rig a foretopmast and a
spinnaker boom on her, and bend a
fisherman's staysail. Nothing like it
when you're sailing a little off the
wind. Scraggs, you have the papers
of the old Maggie. and we all have
our licenses regular enough. Dig up
the old papers, Scraggsy, and I'll doctor
'em up to fit the Maggie II. AS for
our armament, Well dismount the
guns and stow 'em away in the hold
until we get down on the Colombian
coast, and while we're lying In Pan
anna repairing the holes where my
shots went through her, and putin
new planks in her decks where the
old plankin' has been scored by shrap-
mel, those paraqueets will think we're
as peaceful as chipmunks. Better look
over your supplies, McGuffey, and see
If there's any paint aboard. I'd just
as lief give the old girl a different
dress before we drop anchor in Pan
anna"
Glib" said Captain Scraggs, earnest
ly, III keel-haul and Shull-drag the
man that says you amt got a great
head
by the lord" supplemented McGuf-
fey, you have"
The commodore smiled and tapped
his frontal bone with his forefinger.
imagination, my lads, imagination"
he said, and reached for the last OF the
punch.
Exactly three weeks from the date of
the naval battle which took place off
the Coronado islands, and whereby Mr..
Gibney became commodore and man.
aging owner of the erstwhile Mexican
coast patrol schooner Reina Maria, that
vessel sailed out of the harbor of Pan
anna completely rejuvenated. Not
scar on her shapely lines gave evil
dence of the sanguinary engagement
through which she had passed.
& Mr.. Gibney had her painted a creamy
white with dark blue waterline. She
had had her bottom cleaned and
scraped and the copper sheathing over
hauled and patched up. Her sails
had been Overhauled, inspected, and
repaired wherever necessary, and in
order to be on the safe side, Mr.. Glib
ney, upon motion duly made by him
and seconded by McGuffey Ito whom
the seconding of the Gibney motions
had developed into habiD, purchased
an extra suit of new sails. The en-
gines were overhauled by the faith
full McGuffey and large store of dis
tillate stored in the hold. Captain
ScraggS, with his old-time aversion to
expense, made a motion (Which was
seconded by McGuffey before he had
taken time to consider its import) pro-
viding for the abolition of the office
of chief engineer while the Maggie ii
was under sail, at which time the
chief eX-officio was to hold himself
under the orders of the commodore and
be transferred to the deck department
If necessary. Mr.. Gibney approved the
measure and it went into effect. Only
on entering or leaving a port, or in
case of chase by an enemy, were the
engines to be used and McGuffey was
warned to be extremely saving of his
distillate.
. Mr.. Gibney made a splendid lob of
changing the vessels name. and as
she chugged lazily out of Panama bay
and lifted to the long ground-swell of
the Pacific, it is doubtful if even her
late Mexican commander would have
recognized her. She was indeed a
beautiful craft, and Commodore Glib
ney's heart swelled with pride as he
stood aft, coming the man at the
wheel, and looked her over 1t seemed
like sacrilege now, when he reflected
how he had trained the gun of the old
Maggie on her that day off the Core
nadoS and it seemed to him now even
greater Sacrilege to have braZenly
planned to enter her as a privateer in
the struggles of the republic of Colon
bia. The past tense is used advisedly,
for that project was now entirely off,
much to the secret delight of CAPTAIN
Scraggs. who. if the hero of one naval
engagement, was not anxious to take
part in another. In Panama the free.
hooters of the Maggie ii learned that
during Mr.. Gibney's absence on his
f1libustering trip the Colombian reyolu-
tionists had risen and struck their
blow. After the fashion of a hot
headed and impetuous people. they had
entered the contest absolutely un-
trained. As result. the war had last
ed just two weeks. the leaders had
been incontinently shot, and the white
winged dove of peace had once more
spread her pinions along the borders
OF the Gold coast.
Commodore Chimney was Disguised be-
you'd measure. and at special meet
%, no syndicate. called I'm the
=. Maggie II that same eve