Williams news., 1922-05-19
CHAPTER x-Continued.


 There's one thing more that we mustn't neglect" warned MT. Gibney before the meeting broke up. 'We've got to run this little vessel into some dog-hoie where there's a nice beach and smooth water, and change her name. I 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. weu snip 'em off, sandpaper every spot where there's a letter, and re- paint 1t; after which we'll rig up stagin' over her bow and stern, and cut her new name, Maggie II, right into her pIankin' Nobody'H ever sus- pect her names been changed l mo- tice that the official letters and num- bers cut into her main beam is F-C-P -9o57. I'll change the F to B. and the c to O, and the P to R. A handy man with a wood chiSel can do lots of things He can change those hines to eigLLs. the five to six, and the seven to nine. I've seen 1t done before. Then we'll rig a foretopmast and spinnaker boom on her, and bend fshermans 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 H. As for our armament, we'll 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 blanks in her decks where the old plankin' has been scored by shrap- nel. 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 ama.'
 "Gib,'' said Captain Scraggs, earnest ly. 'TlI keeI-haul and shulI-drag the man that says you ain't got a great head"
 By the lord" supplemented McGuf- fey, you haye.''
 The commodore smiled and tapped his frontal bone with his forefnger. 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 MT. Gfbney 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.
 MT. Gibney had her painted a creamy white with a dark blue waterline. She hoh h0r hnf oln 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, MT. Gib- ney, upon motion duly made by him md seconded by McGuffey (to whom the secOnding of the Gibney motions had developed into a habiD, purchased an extra suit of new sails. The en- zines were overhauled by the faith ful McGuffey and a 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 McGufrey before he had taken time to consider it's import) pro- viding for the abolition of the office of chief engineer while the Maggie II was under sail, at which time the
 
 under the orders of the commodore and be transferred to the deck department If necessary. MT. 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.
 MT. Gibney made a splendid job of changing the vessels name, and as she chugged laziIy 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 Gib- ney's heart swelled with pride as he stocd aft. coming the man at the wheel, and looked her over. It seemed like a sacrilege now, when he reflected how he had trained the gun of the old Maggie on her that day off the Coro- nados, and 1t seemed to him now even Q greater sacrilege to have brazenly planned to enter her as privateer in the struggles of the republic Of Colom- bia- The past tense Is used advisedIy, 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 iD another. In Panama the free tnoters of the Maggie II learned that