Year: 1876

Tie Wrutu OI tlle uIIu tiihl ihiShS ooo'
you your position, in due course of time
you will be worn out, feeble, and inca
pacitated by old age from retaining
command. What will the merchant
with his bags of gold, which you made
for him, care for you then! Will he
take into consideration the fact that you
have braved dangers and ransacked
every cline for the articles of merchan-
disc he required3 No, he will never
give it thought, and the old shipmas-
ter, the faithful but worn. ont servant
will totter to the door of the sailor s
snug harbor, and beg for charity and
roof over his gray head, unless indeed
your wife and two girl babies can sup
port you"


The merchant blew q long cloud of
smoke from his lips as he ceased speak
ing, and eyed Jackson with very pecu-
liar look as that individual wiped the
perspiration from his brow, which had
been evolved by the artful picture por
trayed by the eloquence of the sharp,
shrewd merchant.


"Good God , Mr.. Failing, / never
looked upon it i'll that light; but l dare
say you are right But whot can do {?
The $50 get keeps my wife from starv-
ing. 4"


Exactly, and no more. Take anoth-
er glass-that's right. Your good health.
The Exporter is insured, isn't she I"


Yes, to her full value"


"And you are to insure the cargo,
also 2"


Certainly; my owners are always
very particular about that"


"Humph How would You like to
pocket $50, 900, Jackson, and weather on
your owners and the poor house, ehl"


"What a question to ask man in my
position I" and Jackson's head began to
spin about as he listened to the artfully
worded sophistry of the tempter.


1--WE can make good thing of it, and
now is your opportunity. Your owners
grind you down, now let them take the
consequences, although they will not
lose much but the anticipated profit. L
will furnish you the silk and tea, but in
stead of the best I'll give the poorest.
Don't Jump, man; there's no harm done
yet. The highest market price will be
charged, and you shall have 225, GOO to-
night, or when you sign the regular arti
cles of agreement as having received the
stipulated quality and quantity. The
other $25, 900 shall be paid when the
Exporter goes to the bottom and you re-
turn to Shanghai from the wreck. Not
a word, man, but come ashore. Well
talk it over mt my office.


And, linking his arm through Jack
sons, he assisted the shipmaster to
leave the cabin and descend the side.


The next day the first hghter-load of
cargo for the Exporter arrived, and both
bale and box was ratified rapidly vto her
capacious hold. In less than two weeks
time the ship was ready for sea, and
Jackson, who had spent the greater por-
ton of his time on shore, repaired on
board.


Not until too late did the entangled
seaman awake from the deluslve dream
into which he had been beglliled by the
skillful Failing. The ship was loaded,
the first half of the $50, 900 had been
paid, and Jackson, by the advice of the
merchantsdid not bank the amount, but
negotiated for the value in diamonds,
which he wore around his body.


1t was too late to retreat he had gone
too far /; and although his conscience
troubled him sadly, still he made up his
mind to carry out the fraud that had
been commenced.


The Exporter sailed down the mighty
Yangtee with fair wind, which fresh
ened as the good ship passed Woo Sung.
Everybody on board was in high spirits
at the idea of being homeward bound,
with the exception of poor jackson
who paced the deck i'll moody silence.
He had solemnly sworn never to taste
champagne again, and had firmly made
up his mind not TO revisit Shanghai, for
he had learned to fear the influence which
Failing exercised over him.


He kept to himself, avoided the So
ciety of his first mate, and spent most of
the time in the seclusion of his cabin,
brooding over the terrible secret which
he carried in his bosom.


The character of the cargo preyed
considerably on his mind, and, waking
or sleeping, he was continually haunted
by a nightmare. He grew nervous and
impatient, so much so that both officers
and crew wondered at the sudden change
that had come over the "old man"


When alone, in the dead hour of the
night, he would pore over his charts,
and strive in vain to fix definitely upon
some shoal or reef where he could safely
carry out his intentions, and an involun-
tary curse would escape his lips as he
felt the pressure of the belt he wore
about his body, or saw the features of
Failing which would occasionally rise
up before him.


Favored by fair weather, the feet ship
rapidly plowed her way down the China
Sea, and all hands congratulated them
selves on speedy termination of the
voyage.


No opportunity had occurred to sacri-
flee the ship, for Jackson was deter
mined not to hazard the life of any one on
board, and keeping well to the eastward,
the high mountainous island of BorEeo
loomed up blue and picturesque above
the horizon.


For two days the Exporter slirted
along in sight of the island, and then a
furious squall of mist and rain swept
over the ship.


The black, lowering clouds appeared
to envelope the mastheads, and the zig
gag sheets of vivid lightning darted
through the heavens, only e&celled in
fnrv by the apallinQ peals of thunder