White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-06-07

stroyers as otherwise. l still hoped
that, If only detained day or SO, we
might yet be able to slip across the
North Sea ahead of the Maleta. But
we lay there for three and half
weeks, and the sad news came that
the real Maleta had sailed and passed
through the blockade. If we now at
tempted to use her name and search
party boarded us, the Jig would be up.
So we hurriedly examined Lloyd's-
Register in the hope Of finding anoth-
er Norwegian ship that might CORE
spond to us. We picked out one
called the Carmoe. We had no idea
where she was, but hoped she might
be In some distant port unbeknown to
the wary British. It was long
chance, but we could think of nothing
better. Now we had to change our
ship from the Maleta to the Carmoe.
Paint out one name and substituting
another was easy enough, but chang.
ing all our ships papers was far more
difficult. But with much use of chem
ical eraser we finally accomplished it,
and we had papers that would pass If
the visibility was not too bright dur
ing the search. Then, when we were
all set again, we picked up copy of
a Norwegian commercial paper and
found that the real Carmoe had just
been seized by the British and taken
to Kirkwall for examination.
Now, If you haven't any luck, you
must go and get somel All you have
to do is know how to do that, and
you will be great success at sea, or
anywhere! al
So away with Lloyds Register!
Let's take life's register and name our
sea eagle after the girl Of my heart.
Surely she will bring us luck. So, out
with the paint and on with another
new name-the name Of my sweet
heart, Irma.
In that name was concentrated most
of the beauty that had found in life.
1t symbolized strange moments of
beauty that had crossed my path dur
ing the most trying days had so far
known. 1t seemed to be lovely
siIken thread that had run through
the years since that first voyage, when
as miserable cabin boy sailed to
Australia on that Russian tramp.
OF course, there was no such name
as 1rma listed with Lloyd's, and all
any British officer would have to do
would be to consult his register and
the Jig would be up. But somehow
1 had premonition that the name
Irma would bring us through.
When we applied eraser and ink to
our shipping papers and wrote in the
name Of Irma-disaster. Two erasures
were too much. The ink blotted. If
we should be stupid enough to take
the British for fools, then we our
selves would be the real fools. Where
was our luck now? Fate seemed to
be against us, but had no intention
of giving up. Calling the carpenter, ]
said:
"Come on, Chips, am going to
make you admiral of the day. Get the
ak and smash all the bulIs-eyes, win
dows, portfolios, and everything"
Poor Chipsl He thought had gone
off my head, but he obeyed. The
smashing began.
"Bo's'n," called, "half a dozen men
with buckets of sea water! Throw 1t
around, drench everything"
And now the water flew in the cab
ms, in the drawers of chests, in the
officers bunks all over my Norwegian
library, water everywhere. took my
shipping papers and put each page be-
tween sheets of wet plotting paper so
that not only the name of Trma and
the other entries we had changed were
blotted but every line. even soused
the log book in bucket Of water.
Then / called the carpenter again.
'Now repair everything you have
smashed, Chips. Nail everything"
He hammered planks over the
smashed portfolios and bull's-eyes, and
put the smashed chairs together as
we'll as he could.
Now, if the Britisher came aboard
he would say:
by Joe, captain, you must have had
a hard blow to get knocked about like
this"
And would growl. "Yes, by Joe, ev.
erything is drenched, even my papers"
Two days later southwest wind
sprang up. The moment was at hand.
To 60 raiding in sailing ship and
that sailing ship with the name Of
Irma painted on her bows-ah, 1t
seemed more like dream than like
setting out on real adventure. It
seemed as though all the events of my
life had been designed to converge to
this one glorious point. Our one hun