| Show ON OF THE L SEA AND COMEDIES OTHER dy morley roberts author of the colo asui s the fugitive copyright isoa S by pu bushong company copyright by L bomi ait incorporate ct continued it was the first time a bluejacket hid been near he place since a day or two before the admiral s disappear ance and a first when shanghai saw them come in he regretted that billy his best fighting man was by now well on his way to portland but for at least ten minutes the Triumph ants be caved haved very welli benson had a good head and had arranged matters very neatly YoU look ere he bad said the thing to look out for is the barman he keeps a gun as they calls it ere on a shelf under the bar smith ell ave one in his pocket so when I 1 says this rum would poison a dog don t wait for no back answer but lay the barkeeper out quick with a aslone matchbox or anything andy lancha nearest to smith does the same to im hell likely not be be 1 tad but it e Is bottle am too and not a word of jaw about it first or lat ad i up to the bar and ben son ordered for himself and pals p his agnf this mr smith s he asked said shanghai ere s to you I 1 ve often heard of you isitt bensun and three or tour merchant seamen sitting about the room sniggered and passed a few sheering remarks among themselves about liberty jack smith who had taken enough that night to make him rash referred to W admiral so your admiral has come back has he he lias baid the and dicky dunn is lookin for the man that played that dirty game on him and smith shrugged his shoulders I 1 au turned away taint halt so dirty as this rum said benson it would poison a dog and as th words left his mouth the ball opened with a sudden and bremen dous crash two heavy matchboxes went for tom behind the bar one laid him out as quietly da if he had been ho cussed the other smashed a bottle which held a liquor known on the barbary coast as brandy and starred the mirror behind the shelves thomas at the same moment stooped and caught shanghai smith by the ankles and pitched him on his head he never had time to reach tor hia gun the merchant seamen jumped to their feet and made for the door stop them said benson and hal a dozen blue jackets hustled them back again no you don t johnnies you can stay and ave tree drinks and look after the man behind the bar drag out that smith and get im in the open air and thomas dragged smith into the darkness by his collar there s to be no drinkin for us laid benson smash what you like and taste bothin and in less than a minute s place was a lament able and ghastly spectacle carves him right said one of the merchant seamen as he salved a hot tie of poison oh aint he a sailor robbing fetch him in and let him look at it said benson with a win thomas had been primed he s come to and run like billy oh he cried but smith was incapable of run ang he was being carried by two blue jackets after am after am said benson and in another moment the whole house was clear when tom came to he found the place a wreck and four boarders too far gone in free liquor to offer any use ful explanation of what had occurred since the rum had been pronounced fit to poison a dog I 1 know is said the soberest that he fit and we fit and fit and fit and then e run and when tom sought tor the police it was very odd that there was not one to be aund in the quarter of san francisco which most needs clubbing to keep it in order there was not even one to bear witness that a crowd ot blue jackets and an american catl caught shanghai smith by the ankles zen had come along the water front at midnight but five minutes after midnight a british lieutenant could have taken his oath that both crews were in their boats and at least mod irately sober ive seen the admiral benson said selwyn as he stepped into his boat and sat down and he may be later than he said very well sir replied benson and as soon as selwyn had disappeared into the darkness the boat with mr shanghai smith in followed suit and the bay of san francisco is not so well policed that they had any one inquiring what they were doing as they pulled across to and laid up quietly till three clock he aint dead we hopes said the crew of the boat not e said benson is eart beats all to rights and Is head Is per sound bar a lump the size of a en s egg that dodge 0 thomas is very fatal in a row oh ats very fatal it was nearly two clock before shanghai made any motion but when he did begin to get conscious he found his mind and his tongue with surprising rapidity that ead of yourn must be made of five eighths boiler plate mr smith benson as smith sat us sudden 1 what am I 1 dom herec asked smith ow do we knowd asked the de lighted crew you would come it warn t no good excusing of ourselves smith put his hand to his head who hit mea he demanded sav abely no one said the crew unanimous ly you tried 0 o stand on your ead put me ashore said amith what are you goin to do were baitin to see the arvester yonder eave er anchor up replied benson we re in the sailor supplying in line we are same aa you was he don t like to hear that said billings were cutting him out of a job and this time we ain t supplying in admirals no we ain t yah you man bryin sailor robbin swine and you dared touch our admiral oh you dog you they all took a turn at him and smith saw he was in the tightest cor he bad ever occupied this was jammed in a running bowline satisfactorily expressed for him say shanghai did you ever hea ot barney s bull and when smith refused to answer they answered for him he was jammed in a clinch and so are you you re goin to ave the finest time of all your life did you evera hear of sant of the Arvester 7 and smith tor all his brutal cour age shook in his boots give you chaps a hundred dol lars to put me ashore he cried I 1 never touched sir richard dunn dry up said benson and dont lie we wouldn t part with you my jewel not for a thousand what made you desert from the arvester a corn fordable for table ship like that with sich a duck of a 7 give you a thousand said smith desperately at four clock you re goin on the arvester and night on three now sant wouldn t miss a man like you so smart and andy for all the gold in Cali torny own up as you shanghaied the admiral 7 smith grasped at any chance of avoiding the harvester for sant had dreadful name and both Is matea were terrors if I 1 own I 1 put him away will you take me ashore and hand me over to the policed he was almost in a state of collapse benson looked at the man and in the faint light of far off day still be low the horizon the boats crew saw him wink well vote on it it you owns up what d ye say aye well vote said the men say did you do ita but smith saw how the voting would go and refused to speak they heard six bells come across the water from many ships and then they heard seven there was a grey glint in the east the sand dunes on the verge of the ocean park whitened as they pulled for the harvester they heard the clank of her windlass brakes and the bull voice of her mate as he encouraged his men to do their best by threatening them with three months of hell afloat smith offered benson two thousand dollars I 1 wouldn t part with you except to bant for all you ever robbed men of said benson and what this Is on you knows pull boys her cable s up and down no hold on a moment he must be wet of course in spite of his struggles they put him over the side and soused him thor hughly when they pulled him on board again he sat cursing now u bend your backs and when he came up alongside the harvester she was just moving under the draught of her loosed topsails harvester ahoy cried benson hallo said sant what is ita you don t happen to have lost one of your crew bryin to desert by swimming sira have you picked him up what a his nime does he saya its smith sir the man said sant want him badly but smith cried out this Is kidnapping kid mr sant I 1 refuse to go oh smith said sant take all the chances of its bein anything you like throw them a rope and the Triumph ants towed along side up you go said benson I 1 wont said smith wont youa asked benson well see about that hook on there all lings and the next moment smith was jammed in a running bowline round his waist sway him up said benson and the crew of the harvester ahe notorious robber with about the only feelings of pleasure they were likely to know till they reached new york and the Trump hants pushed off as they heard the mate address mr smith in language did his reau and the ration of the ship most ample justice there s talk an 1 anere s a tore topsail yard ahoy voice for you said benson oh mr smith will be look ed after he will now chaps pull for it for the admiral will be baitin and if that apkens twill be stand from under to be continued |
