Phoenix tribune., 1922-05-06

anna"
Glib" said Captain Scraggs, ernest
ly '.Pll 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 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 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
denee Of the sanguinary engagement
through which she had passed.
Mr.. Gibney had her painted a creamy
white with a 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 a habit, purchased
an extra suit of new sails. The en-
gines were overhauled by the faith
ful McGuffey and large store of dis
tillate stored in the hold Captain
Scraggs, with his old-time aversion to
expense, made motion (Which was
seconded by McGufTey 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-oilicio 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 job of
changing the vessei's name, and as
she chugged lazily out of Panama bay
and lifted to the long ground-swen 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 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 it seemed to him now even
a 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
flibustering trip the Colombian revOlu-
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 a 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 Gibney was disgusted be-
yond measure, and at special meet
ing of the syndicate called in the
cabin of the Maggie II that same eve
ming, it was finally decided that they
should embark on an indefinite trad
ing cruise in the South seas, or until
such time as it seemed their services
must be required to free a downtrod-
den people from tyrant's yoke.
Captain Scraggs and McGuffey had
never been in the South seas, but they
had heard that fair margin of profit
was to be wrung from trade in copra,
SHE'LL coconuts, and kindred tropical
products. They so expressed them
selves. To this suggestion however,
Commodore Gibney waved deprecat-
ing paw.
Legitimate tradin', boys" he said,
lis nice, sane, healthy business, but
the profits is SLOW What we want is
quick profits, and while it amt set
down in black and white, one of the
principal objects of this syndicate is
TO lead a life of wild adventure. In
tradin', there amt no adventure to
speak of. We ought to do little
hIack-birdin', or raid some of those
Jap pearl fisheries off the northern
coast of Formosa."
But Wen be chased by real gun
boats if we do that" objected Captain
Scraggs. ''Those Jap gunboats shoot
to kill. Can't you think of somethin'
else, Gib?'