Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-13
BY ANGUS MACGREGOR.

NEW YORK, October 13 (N.A.N.A).
The Sud Americana, one of the
newer ships chasing after the South
American trade, has been having I'M
usually good luck with weather and
crew, and I asked Capt. Bjor Boettger
whether his "girr' was blessed by any
particular stars.
He dug around under the mess table
and finally dragged out a scared cat.
olaf is the planet this ship sails
under" he said. Olaf mewed and
clawed and stalked out with tail rigid
ly aloft.
THAT tail" said would make a
good spare mast"
But Capt Boetteer explained that
wasn't why he was keeping the cat.
we saved Olaf's life he said, and
he's bringing us good luck in ex-
change"
The cat is the ships mascot. He ac-
companied the Sud Americana on her
maiden voyage out of keel, having made
the ship his home simply by walking
on and refusing TO be put off. Three
days out of Kiel the ship crashed into
heavy sea. A wave Numbered and
slashed across the deck and Olaf dis
appeared in the green flood.
Rescue Boat Lowered.
Man overheard" sounded the watch,
Man overheard"
Capt Boetger ordered the Sud Amer
icano put about. Olafs fellow seamen
manned lifeboat and descended to a
flood that tipped and tilted, sank and
rose, splashed and Numbered, as it
rolled out song of death for unwary
sailors. But the lifeboat crew were
wary. They made straight for small,
dark object bobbing among the waves
Soon Olaf was lying on something solid
again.
A giant Norwegian seaman took
Olaf's slender body in his hands gave
a single, mighty squeeze, and forced
all the brine out OF the cat. Olaf never
thanked him for it. He never thanks
anybody for anything, but he certainly
is bringing his ship good luck.
common sight off the African
coast is shower of red mud called
in the old, supersttious days of the
wtndjammers The rain of blood" A
thick, red brick dust is blown to sea
from the desert. 1t hangs in clouds
until a rainStorm brings it scattering
down as sticky mud often ships are
so thoroughly coated with it that they
change color until the deckhands get
busy with their mops.
Fearful Sight to Native.
Nowadays it is regarded as little
more than nuisance. but a Lagos
cattlehand or the FL Dorado had the
FEAR OF the Almighty burned into his
soul by this simple phenomenon.
Inc native had formed a friendship
Tor Danny Duffy, ordinary seaman.
For full day the FL Dorado had
ploWed along under these finely spun
clouds OF dust. Duffy thought moth
ing OF 1t, though he wished the rain
would hold off until the Ell Dorado
worked clear, but the native gazed APP
prehensively at the sky and worried
and fretted in silence for many hours.
Duffy worked the third night watch.
He had just dropped off to sleep after
a hard siege OF work when suddenly
he was awakened by his friend. the
cattle hand, shaking him wildly by the
shoulder and screaming in mortal
terror.
Sky bleeding" shouted the native.
"Sky bleeding"
Duffy, startled, jumped out of his
bunk. Then he heard the patter of
the rain and the swish of the mud as
1t struck the ship in gooey masses. II
took an hour and great deal OF talk
to quiet his friend and restore him tC
normal.
Remedy Not Relished.
Duffy brought back another story
about his native friend. The FL Dorado
worked around the northern tip OF
Africa and started down the West
Coast. 1t put in at Lagos. hole OF
town in Nigeria. and by the time the
ship arrived Duffy had developed a
cough, which promised to LIT his chest
clear away from the rest of him.
Lagos was home 10 the cattle hand,
| and he promised Ia cure Duifys cough