Evening star., 1926-06-13

~ II f.ttf. y a SlOWdWaN, cap
tain. What shall we do
with him." The skipper
4 looking at me sternlN;
heard my case stated by
the officers who had found me in hid
ing. knowing that he would not turn
back the 80 miles to Surabaya for one
stoWawav. and that even though |
were jailed on reaching Singapore
that would he better than being out of
Jail in Java. | could not repress a
smile of triumph as | stood before
him.
This SNUG attitude on my part was
disastrous.
Drop him with the pilot" was the
captains only remark.
Pilot, Holy smoke I'd forgotten
all about that. Hadn't we been sail
ing 3 hours?
1t had seemed three years. With
only Sl3 left on my return to Sura-
baya from Bali. and with a consum-
ing desire to get away from Java and
on to China, | had reluctantly taken
the only course open to me-stow-
away.
Presently. in midocean. it seemed.
we stopped: a skiff emerged out of
the blacknesS: a rope ladder was drop
ped overheard. and | was roughly
ordered to climb down it behind the
pilot. Seated in the gyrating row
boat I watched my ship sail on and
disappear, followed by all the vocif
erous vituperation in my vocabulary
The pilot ship was only a few hun
dred feet away. and on il was as vel
come as the black plague. l slept in
vacant bunk that night, far out at
sea. mad enough and humiliat ted
enough to die: and next morning went
aboard an inbound Dutch steamer. re-
turning to that hell-hole. Surahaya.
Next day the steamship Minerva
mot her namel, an American freighter
put into port sailing for Hongkong
via Singapore. and before the captain
a grand old man with a magnificent
sense of humOr. could get ashore
called on him and brazenly asked for
a. free ride.
He was so astOnished he gave it to
me, with qualifications. since, such a
gift was absolutely defendu with the
United States Shipping Board, He
said if l could come aboard at mid
night he would have the chief officer
hide me in the vacant hospital where
l must stay hidden for at leas. A
hours.
l obeyed his instructions to the let
ter. and for q hours was secretly
fed and cared for. Then the chief
officer. who had been my keeper,
caught" me and in a perfectly
feigned rage marched me, gulping with
fright" before the blessed old skip
per- who, with twinkling eyes. played
the role of indignation until the entire
crew fully expected to see me hung
from a yardarm.
When he was sure everybody had
heard this terrible tongue flashing. he
took me into his cabin, gave me
cigar and ordered me to smoke it
This was my first offense with cigars,
and when. | began to turn a bit pale,
the old skipper roared with amuse
ment and thrust half a dozen more
upon me with the suggestion that
smoke them all and learn how. The
moment l got on deck the half dozen
Havanas We're fed to the sharks
which no doubt died of apopleXy in
short order.
The Minerva had to tarry as hours
in Singapore, where the captain. of
course. permitted me to slip ashore lln-
noticed. Straight to the American
consulate | went and with little diff
Guilty arranged for a deck passage to
HonCkOng. The consul asked:
What ship do YOU want to go on?"
THE Minerva" | replied unblush.
tngly.
This matter being settled. | hurried
to present a letter of introduction
sent me in Calcutta and fortunately
HlunS to) from the president of an
American rubber company to Mr. X,
the local English manager in this rub