White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-07-12
sk4 II ****t ***#***
COUNT LUCkNER|
i THE SEA DEVIL
q pvuasssssr Sas by Co. BY LOWELL THOMAS |

BY LOWELL THOMAS


anything white was waved. The cook
frantically waved his apron.
"Lay to-" I shouted, "or we dis
charge our torpedoes."
There was no further sound. The
fat captain was licked, licked by the
terror the torpedo inspired In every
one who sailed on ships. He made
no further protest. He could not have
done anything with his men now, but
don't think he liked torpedoes either.
He sat down on deck chair, cursing
and wiping the sweat off his face.
We still had to be careful. There
were plenty of firearms aboard that
ship. rifles, grenades, and what not.
l kept our riflemen at the rail, ready
to cover our boarding party and to
shoot down anyone who went near the
five-inch gun. Still with the idea of
keeping the men on the steamer over.
awed, sent my eight strongest men
as the boarding crew under the COM
mand of my giant prize officer. They
had been among the strongest men in
Germany. One was the wrestling
champion of Saxony, another the
wrestling champion OF Westphalia.
One, Bavarian who had been
sculptor's model. He had been In
much demand for posing because OF
his prodigious muscular development.
Any one of these fellows could bring
up the 220-pound weight with one
hand. They went with bare arms and
shoulders. They had long bamboo
poles with hooks at the end. They
reached up with the poles, caught the
hooks over the edge of the deck OF
the captured ship, and climbed up
hand over hand The men on deck
looked down as they assembled.
"What fellows, by Joe. No. by Joe,
we're not going to fight with those
fellows!"
Our prisoners came aboard. Among
them were eight British marines who
had been assigned to the steamer as
gun crew. The fat captain looked
around our deck with sort OF bellig.
erent curiosity. he walked up to our
smokestack gun, and you couldn't
have told his face from beet.
captain, is that the thing that
made that hell Of racket"
Eyes"
"Where are your torpedoes?"
"Torpedoes? We have no torpe-
does"
mo torpedoes? That was fake,
too?"
"Yes."
"By Joe, Captain. don't report that,
BY joe"
promised him would not report
1t, and told him heartily that he had
behaved like true British skipper,
and no man could have done better.
Aye. things have changed on the
sea. When went aboard that steam.
err. had to sit there and look around
and think. She was freighter, and
what were freighters like when was
in the fo'c'sle? That wasn't so long
ago, twenty-odd years, but ships and
customs change rapidly. was in q
magnificent saloon, with heavy car.
pets, glittering candelabra, and big,
luxurious club chairs. Paintings in
heavy frames hung on the wall In
one corner was Steinway grand
piano and beside 1t music rack.
There were other musical Instruments
melodeon, violin, guitar,
ukuele.
The hold of the steamer was no
less interesting than the officers sa.
loon. The cargo was valued at q
million pounds sterling. 1t included
five hundred cases of rare cognac and
twenty-three hundred cases OF cham.
payne, veuve Cliquot That was some.
thing.
"Ho! boys" called, lend a hand
There's a bit of work here"
We took the musical instruments,
the piano, violin, cello, melodeon, and
all. We had aboard the Seeadler O
pianist and vioinist, both excellent
musicians out of the German con
servatories. We had no room In GU,
cabins to hang the paintings, so gave
them to our captive captains to take
with them when they left our shin.
Some of the expensive furniture fitted
nicely in the Seeadler's cabins. OF the
cognac and champagne we ferried
aboard as much as we could stow
away. We opened the sea cocks OF
the steamer, and she settled down
peacefully beneath the waves.
ITO BE CONTINUED.)