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Show t JIM LAST VOYAGE OF T!fR 1 Three Were in the Party, Apparently Father, Mother and Daughter. I watching a Chinese attendant lighting the colored lanterns suspended along the balcony roof. A sudden rocket went swiftly and sizzling up from out the center of the great plaza below, and my eyes followed its swift flight into the black sky until it burst into a thousand miniature stars. When I turned once again, now hall inclined to beckon a waiter and order the serving of dinner, a newly arrived company of guests had taken possession posses-sion of the small round table just within the open window. Three were in the party, apparently father, mother moth-er and daughter, beyond question of high social class. Paterfamilias, sitting sit-ting in stately dignity at what might be considered the head of the board, a broad napkin spread across his right knee, was typically aristocratic, of spare figure, stern lean face, with iron-gray iron-gray hair, and mustaches trimmed to perfect point, his eyes, cold and emotionless, gleaming like steel points behind gold-rimmed glasses a man certainly over 60, possessing to the extreme that irritating hauteur possible pos-sible only to an Englishman of recognized recog-nized family and position. The lady occupying the seat opposite him, whom I naturally presumed' to be his wife, was fleshy enough to own an ample double chin, which drooped to a vaster expanse below; most expensively gowned, her fingers laden with diamonds, dia-monds, and a lorgnette at her eye, through which she deliberately surveyed sur-veyed the assembled company. Her evident attempt at duplicating the calm haut-ton of her emotionless companion com-panion was nevertheless somewhat of a counterfeit, as it failed to conceal wholly a slight twinkle of amusement curving the corners of her mouth, and a certain slight vulgar uneasiness of manner. His ideal was evidently that of a marble statue, cold, immaculate, his slightest movement revealing the frigidity of one born to the purple, while my lady retained some semblance sem-blance to flesh and tflood, although well veneered by long social artifice. He was nature, while she had evidently evident-ly been developed by skill; yet the matron, to my thinking, proved far the more interesting specimen of the two. I must confess, however, wasting precious little attention upon either, for my eyes early rested upon the younger woman seated between the two, and hence directly confronting me. I will not say I never saw a fairer fair-er picture of womanhood just when the lovely flower becomes a blossom fully blown, yet assuredly none other ever possessed for me the same indefinable in-definable fascination, the same ineffable in-effable charm. Twenty-two, possibly, although her age was difficult to guess, with oval face and clear, fresh skin, the rich, red blood of perfect health crimsoning the rounded cheeks; eyes of deepest, darkest gray, the kind of eyes pledging -a thoughtful soul behind be-hind to yield them such rare power of expression; a face reflecting the joy of living, yet responsive, and, in moments mo-ments of quietness, saddened beyond its years; an entrancing dimple visible in the rather broad chin; the lips moist and rosy with health, sufficiently parted to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of white, regular teeth behind; the forehead low and broad, the wealth of shadowing hair of darkest brown, yet with an odd gleam of reddish gold causing the gathered masses to seem an aureole of beauty. But it was not the outward face alone, nor any combination com-bination of pleasing features, which yielded such rare and indescribable charm it was rather a distinct and unusual personality which gave to these both life and attractiveness. Her slightest glance or movement, natural and unaffected, seemed a new revelation revela-tion of self, the outer expression of a secret inward life which I instinctively longed to penetrate, the guarded mystery mys-tery of which was invitation. The three conversed little, speaking English with that lack of restraint common to those who have been accustomed ac-customed to having discreet servants behind their chairs, the man grumbling grum-bling icily over the quality of fcod furnished fur-nished and the indifferent service, my lady commenting with audible distinctness distinct-ness on the personal appearance of the various people present, the girl contenting herself with an occasional monosyllable when directly addressed. I dispatched my own order, and, while idly waiting the return of the servant, had my attention attracted toward a group gathered about a second table just beyond the one occupied by tho English family party. (TO BE CONTINUED.) . 71 CHAPTER I. In Which Begins Adventure. Some may question the tt ith of this narrative, yet they will scarcely be found among Ihose who "go down to the sea in ships." To them the unfathomable un-fathomable mystery abiding upon the face of the great deep, the constant marvel of huge, heaving leagues of watery solitude, secret and profound, must ver remain so vast, so inexplicable, inex-plicable, as to be beyond any interrogatory interrog-atory of the finite tho strange, the unexpected, lurking everywhere. To others, mere landsmen, confidently imagining that all phenomena can be reduced within the contracted limits of human comprehension, I need say no more than that wilnesses still survive sur-vive to corroborate the principal incidents inci-dents of this story, which I now purpose pur-pose writing in the full glow of a memory mem-ory still dominated by the events to bo recorded. It had come to be the 5th day of April, the year 1 S79. I, John Stephens, aged 24, occupied a rather comfortable comfort-able seat upon the shaded balcony of that large, ultra-fashionable hotel at Valparaiso, which, as travelers will recall, clings to the steep hillside overlooking over-looking both the city and harbor beneath. be-neath. I was. alone, not having as yet ordered the serving of the evening meal. A gayly attired military band was playing noisily in a near-by plaza, and through the intervening distance I was able to distinguish plainly the patriotic patri-otic notes of national music. I even believed that a medley of shouting voices, mingled with an echo of cheers, was borne to me on the rising night wind, and I leaned above the low railing to gaze down, slightly interested,1 in-terested,1 as a regiment of Chilean infantry- regulars of the line, from their white trousers and stiff hats swept swiftly past the hotel corner in rapid time, to disappear suddenly over the steep crest in the direction of the quay. Far away, toward the right, where the long row of gray-stone gray-stone barracks was still dimly visible against the darker background of surrounding sur-rounding hills, was to be discerned a glimmer of steel, as squadrons of cavalry cav-alry and artillery engaged in dress parade, their numerous banners flapping flap-ping against the sky. At the moment these several occurrences served to awaken thex merest interest, tending rather to bring home to memory a freshening knowledge of the desperation despera-tion of my situation. It can all be told in few words: I was persona non grata to the Chilean authorities, with apparently every possible pos-sible avenue leading forth from the coKitry fully and effectively barred. personally unknown to those official, thus far successful in masking mask-ing my movements under the guise ot a foreign gentleman of leisure temporarily tem-porarily resident at a fashionable hotel, I nevertheless discovered it impossible im-possible to break through the cordon of watchful government spies and shake the Chilean dust from off my feet. A rapid explanation will suffice. A native of Massachusetts, of excellent excel-lent family connections, together with prospects of furure wealth, I early developed de-veloped the unrestrainable propensities propensi-ties of a rover, and after a vain effort to turn my reluctant ambition toward one of the learned professions my parents, par-ents, despairing of ever doing better, finally consented to apprentice me to the sea. X'nfortunately for the realization reali-zation of their more secret hopes, I took to that hard, adventurous life as a duck to water, so that, at the end of five years' service, I had risen, through the various grades, to the honorable hon-orable position of first officer in the o!d Leyland line, my steamship being the Vulcan, trading between New York and South American ports. Soon after I attained this berth my father died suddenly, leaving behind him a fair amount of property, a goodly good-ly share of which came to me in cash. It chanced that, during a previous voyage, a passenger on board had succeeded suc-ceeded in interesting me deeply in certain cer-tain miniirg operations which he was conducting under a Bolivian concession. conces-sion. Finding myself in possession of . --'abundant means, and experiencing lhat occasional disgust for sea life common to all sailor-men, I embait with boyish enthusiasm in this new enterprise, not ouly investing a considerable con-siderable amount of money, but likewise like-wise giving the company my personal s-ervices as assistant superintendent. Beyond doubt our concession was an extremely valuable one, but, as we were soon destined to discover, it came to us with an unfortunate flaw in the title, there developing a spirited controversy between the constituted authorities of Bclivia and Chile, over which country the territory involved belonged. From harsh words in public, pub-lic, and the private exchange of diplomatic dip-lomatic notes, the argument rapidly advanced to blows, and was finally referred re-ferred to the arbitrament of the rifle. As our financial interests were en tirely Bolivian and our Invested money r at stake, it was no more than natural that we should openly ally ourselves with that struggling faction which the Chilean authorities promptly denounced de-nounced as insurrectos, and proceeded to crush. It was something of a comic opera war, resulting in two or three skirmishes skir-mishes wherein ill-equipped and poorly officered paisanos were pitted against regular troops of the line, and, as we received from Bolivia no more substantial sub-stantial aid than vague promises, our resistance, though rather stubborn, was soon overcome. When the final wild stampede for safety came, I discovered dis-covered myself as quartermaster general gen-eral of the late revolutionary forces, still in possession of a considerable sum of money, to which no one else possessed any better claim, the unhealed un-healed scar of a Chilean bullet in my shoulder, and an exceedingly flattering chance of being summarily shot by drumhead court-martial if caught. All opportunity for retreat across the Bolivian Bo-livian frontier was already effectively blocked, but, after several weeks of excessive hardship, skulking amid the dark recesses of Indian huts in the mountains, I succeeded in stealing unobserved un-observed into Valparaiso, feeling confident con-fident that, as a sailor, I should be able to discover in that busy seaport some early opportunity for escape. . This confidence w-as doomed to bitter bit-ter disappointment. The Chilean authorities au-thorities were especially desirous of apprehending me, inspired doubtless by visions of the war-chest, rumored to be of far greater value than truth could justify. They were both alert and suspicious. The American consul was obdurate to pleading, refusing peremptorily to become involved in the affair, while no war vessel floating the flag of the United States, to which I might flee for protection, entered the harbor. Manifestly it was impossible impos-sible for me to depart on any foreigr. vessel as a passenger without possessing possess-ing the necessary papers properly vised, nor could I even ship as sea-I sea-I man before the mast without running I the gantlet of numerous suspicious j officials especially warned to appre-I appre-I hend me. In brief, though possessing ample means, I was a helpless prisoner, pris-oner, my only safety the keeping out of sight from all in authority within the narrow confines of the hotel. I Sitting there in solitude that evening even-ing I thought it out all over a-in for the hundredth time, bitterly ' cursing myself for a stupid fool, yet utterly unable to discover any venturesome prospect of ultimate escape. I was trapped as securely as though the hand of actual arrest was about to be placed upon my shoulder. I might, I by thus continuing to skulk in the dark, delay the result, yet the final ending was inevitable. Beyond doubt I was cornered, and the time was ripe Tor the eager acceptance of any reel:-I reel:-I less opportunity. Yet, desperate as was, I could perceive none; everywhere every-where arose the same blank wall of Chilean power, impassable, unassailable, unassail-able, insurmountable. Saint Andrew! mine was a situation to chill the blood. The stars began to gleam in the black void of sky overhead, those brilliant, bril-liant, scintillating stars of the south in their unfamiliar constellations, forever for-ever reminding me that I was an alien and a stranger. The city itself, wrapped within the deepening folds of this early night mantle, appeared unusually un-usually ' noisy and demonstrative. I dimly wondered at it. There was a ceaseless blare of bands, a medley of inarticulate cries, mingled with the continuous disorder of shuffling feet along the roughly paved streets. I could distinguish nothing definite as I hung curiously over the balcony bal-cony rail, staring idly down, yet it was plainly evident that the entire population was astir with some increasing in-creasing excitement. Far out toward the distant mouth of the harbor a fortress fort-ress battery w-as firing salvos of artillery, ar-tillery, the swift flames of discharge cleaving the black shadows in vicious spurts of yellowish red, the sullen reverberations re-verberations of sound shaking the hotel ho-tel casements. Some Holy Saint's da. I imagined, wondering idly what special spe-cial devotion of the church could be responsible for so much of uproar, so general an outpouring of enthusiasm. Still, the thought held me barely for a moment; my own personal affairs were far too serious and insistent for ahy wasted attention upon the saints. I turned back from the rail and glanced carelessly within. The great dining hall was already brilliantly illuminated, il-luminated, and a number of the tables were surrounded by guests. It formed a cosmopolitan scene, the grouped faces being representative of a wide variety of races, the scraps of conversation conver-sation which floated to me through the open window revealing half the languages lan-guages of Europe. Swarthy Spaniards, volatile Frenchmen, silent sons of Albion, Al-bion, talkative Yankess. bewhiskered and bespectacled Germans, blonde, rosy-cheeked Swedes, together with representatives from half a dozen South American countries, were indiscriminately indis-criminately mingled in sudden brotherhood. broth-erhood. This motley, interesting company com-pany was composed principally of men, exhibiting here and there the glitter of military uniforms, or some peculiarity of attire attesting the presence pres-ence of the inevitable globe-trotter, although al-though the majority were plainly enough commercial gentlemen, interested inter-ested in various lines of trade, and drawn into this vortex from the four corners of the globe in the wild scramble scram-ble after gold. No foreign passenger steamer had entered the harbor within with-in the past 24 hours, and I had already al-ready studied those faces before in the vague, shadowy hope of discovering a friend. I lit another cigarro, out of sheer nervousness, and sat silently |
