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Show Ithe promotion ofI THE ADMIRAL swADcgLfEg By MorloVRoherts Author of "Tho Colous." "The Furtltlv" oSbSpiSai' llll' "V nV ht 0rtf I'ublt.King Vo,npanV. oopyrlfMt iot, jv L, 0i Pagt A 0o,npanVi (incorporatd.) (Continued.) Ho spent the Interval at lutch with the nrltlsh consul. "I tell you what, Btanlcy," said tho admiral, "I don't caro what they did to me, for It's dono mo no harm. Uut after this you should bo ablo to mako them enforce tho laws. If they would only do that tho Pacific coast wouldn't stink so in tho nostrils of shipmasters nnd shipowners." ' Tho consul explained tho local system sys-tem of politics. It appeared that every ono with any business on tho borders of crlmo Insured against tho results of accidents by being In politics. "And If tho thlovlng politicians appoint ap-point tho man to control them, what's tho result?" "Tho result Is Shanghai Smith," said tho admiral. "Well, I'll sco you later. I've an appointment with Mr. Sant, of tho Harvester." Tho consul stared. "What, with Sant? Why, he got eighteen months' hard labor for killing kill-ing a man six months ago." "Hut ho's not in prison?" "Of course not," said tho consul. "Ho was pardoned by tho governor." "Ho's Just tho man I wish to see," :rle(l Dicky Dunn. He found Snnt waiting at Cart-wrlght's Cart-wrlght's omcc. Ho was a hard-bitted, weather-beaten gentleman, and half his faco was Jaw. That Jaw had hold of a long cigar with his back tooth. Ho continued smoking and chowlng, and did both savagely. What Peter had said to him did not coma out, but by agreement tho admiral was introduced intro-duced as Mr. Dunn. "you havo reason not to llko Shanghai Shang-hai Smith?" said Peter. "That's so," nodded Sant. "Mr. Dunn docs not llko hlra either. Could you mako any uso of him on bonrd tho Harvester?" "I could," said Sant, grinning; "ho'd bo a useful man." "If you imagined you missed a man to-morrow morning Just as you wcro getting up your anchor, and so mo ono hailed you and said they had picked ono up, you would tako him aboard?" "Wot or dry," said Sant. "I'll undertako ho shall bo wot," I said tho admiral. "Eh?" And ho turned to Solwyn. "Yes, sir," replied tho lieutenant, "'that could bo arranged." "Very well, Mr. Sant," said tho admiral. "And it's understood, of courso," said Peter, "that you eontlomen novor saw each other and dqn't know each othor when you moot, It being a matter mat-ter of mutual obligation." "I agree," said Sant. "And of courso," Cartwrlght added as ho escorted tho admiral and Sol-wyn Sol-wyn Into tho passage "it Micro should ho a shindy at Smith's and any of your men aro in it, wo shall all explain ex-plain that it was owing to your having hav-ing been put away. And two wrongs then will mako It right. I guess tho nowspapors will call It squaro." "Exactly so," said tho admiral. And when ho reached tho Triumphant Trium-phant ho had very nearly worked out tho plan by which tho row at Shanghai Shang-hai Smith's was to occur. "I'll Just go over it with you, Solwyn," Sol-wyn," ho said, when ho reached his cabin again. "Now you must rcmem-bor rcmem-bor I rely on your discretion. A wrong stop may land us In trouble with tho authorities and tho admiral- ty." "Well, what do you proposo, Sir Richard?" asked Selwyn. "This Is rightly your show and mine," said tho admiral. "I won't havo any ono clso In It that I can help. I ought to speak to Hamilton, I "I rely on your discretion." flj but I won't. I'll hoop him out of tho I troublo" for Hamlfton was tho cp- H tain of tho Triumphant. "I supposo flj tho mon horo nro roally fond of mo?" said tho admiral Interrogatively. I "Thoy havo no monopoly of that," said Solwyn. "Is thoro any ono of them you could I drop n hint to, that you could trust?" "Of courso," said Solwyn; "thoro'a I Bonson, whoso father works for mlno as gardenor." "Do you moan Bonson, my coxs'n?" I "Yos, Hlr." "Ho's tho very man. You might lot him know that If ho should get Into any troublo, ho will bo paid for It. I lenvo tho rest to you. You can go I ashoro now, with this noto to Stanloy. S That will glvo you a clmnco to tako DonBon with you nnd speak to him on tho qulot. I don't know that I I caro particularly to hoar any moro 1 about It till tho day after to-morrow, H H I unless I have to. Ultimately all tho responsibility Is mine, of courso." And by that Selwyn understood rightly enough thnt Dicky Dunn, for nil his cunning, had no intention of shirking troublo If troublo came. Ho went ashore and took Hanson up town with him. "Do you men think It was Shanghai Smith that laid for us, and put tho admiral nwoy, Ucnson7" ho asked as thoy went up Market street. "Thoro ain't tho shndder of n doubt 'o dono It, sir," said Henson. , "And thoy don't llko It?" "Lord bless you, sir. It's very 'nrd 'avln' nil liberty stopppj, but between you nnd mo it was wlso to stop It. Thoy would 'av0 rooted 'Is 'ouso up and shied tho wreckago into tho bay." "It's a pity that you and about twenty moro couldn't do It." said Solwyn. "And It ono could only catch hold of tho man himself nnd put him on board nn outwnrd-bound ship, It would do him good." Donson slappod his leg. "Oh, sir, there nln't a man on board tho Triumphant that wouldn't do six months with plcasuro to 'avo tho andlln' of 'im." "No?" "For sure, sir." "I was lying nwako last night thinking think-ing of It," said Solwyn; "at least, I bellovo I was nwako perhaps I was dreaming. Uut I seemed to think that a couplo of boats' crows wero sshoro, and that you went to Shanghai's Shang-hai's placo for n drink." "I'vo dono that same, sir," said Denson, "nnd tho liquor was cruol bad." "And I dreamed yes, I supposo It was a dream that you started a row and mado hay of his bar nnd collared col-lared him, and took him in tho cut-tor cut-tor and rowod him about tho bay till about four In tho morning." "You always was very Imaginary and dreamy as a boy, sir, begging your pardon, sir," said Henson. "And I dreamed you cauio to tho Harvester " "Her that's lying in tho bay tho ship with tho bad namo among sailor-men?," sailor-men?," "That's tho ship," said Selwyn; "and you hailed her and asked tho captain If a man had tried to cscapo by swimming. And ho said 'Yes and then you said you'd picked him up." Henson looked at him oulcklv. "But ho wouldn't bo wot, sir." "Oh, yes, ho would, HonBon. You could easily duck him overboard." Bonson stared very hard at tho lieutenant. lieu-tenant. V "Of course. I could very easy duck him and lovo to do It, too. And did tho captain of tho Harvester own to him, sir?" Solwyn nodded. "Ho would, Benson I mean ho did, of courso." "I suppose," asked Bonson, with his eyos on tho pavement, "thnt it had been arranged so?" "In ho dream, yos," said tho lieutenant. lieu-tenant. "Was It for to-morrow evening, sir?" "I thought so," Bald Selwyn. "And tho curious thing about It was that tho wholo thing was dono as quietly as posslblo. All you mon wont to work in silence without as much as a hurrah. And ono of tho boats bruught mo ashoro and tho othor brought tho admiral. And it was only after you had put tho man on board tho Harvester Har-vester that you came back for tho admiral at flvo o'clock in tho morning, Benson." "And what about tho boat as brought vnn. nlr?" "I camo back at twclvo and went on board with thorn, after tho fight, and whllo you wcro rowing Mr. Smith about tho bay, chcorlng him up." "Was thoro anything else, sir?"' "Nothing," said Solwyn, "only thnt I forgot whether It camo out. If It did, the mon Bald It was n game all of tholr owifc And I think no', I'm sure that If any ono got Into troublo It paid him well, after all." "Of courso it would, sir," said Bonson Bon-son warmly. "I wish It could renlly como off. You novor know your luck, sir." "And I think Mr. Smith doosn't," said Solwyn. "And when Bonson wont on board ngaln and had a long confabulation with two boats' crows, thoro was a unnnlmous opinion among thorn thnt Mr. Smith had plied tils Bhlp up with a vengeance when he ran against a British admiral. "Thoro ain't to bo no wooponB," said Bonson "nothln" worso nor moro cuttln' than a staysail ank ns n knucklo-dustor, nnd ovon tfiat I don't rocoinmorid, An odd stretcher or two and tho bottles thero will do tho job. And tho word is sllenco, now and then." "Mum's tho word," sa'd tho mon. And llko tho chlldron thnt thoy wore, thoy wrought tho wholo ship's company com-pany Into a frenzy of cxcltemont, by dropping .hints about as heavy as a half-hundrcdwelght on overy ono who was not in tho gnmo. Had thoro boon much longor to wait than twenty-four hours, thoy must havo told, or burst. And If thoy had not burst, tho others would havo Anally roached tho truth by tho process of exhaustion. It was none o'clock on tho following follow-ing ovpnlng that tho admiral wont on shoro to dlno with tho British consul, i Ho told Bonson that ho might bo later than cloven. And ns Benson touched his cap ho took tho liberty of'bollov-Ing of'bollov-Ing ho might bo as lato a flvo ln'.the morning. And Just about oloven Selwyn Sel-wyn camo ashoro In another boat with papers which had to go' to tho admiral. ad-miral. "I shall bo back In nn hour," Thomas." Thom-as." said Selwyn. And tho two coxs'iis were left In command of tho cutting out expedition. The' wholo business was nearly wrecked at tho outset by the scttlomont-of the question ques-tion ns to who was to bo left In chnrgo of the boats. Finally Thomas and Bonson ordered two mon to stay, and tho defrauded mon sat back nnd growled most horribly ns tho rest moved olT towards Shanghai Smith's In loose order. "Look 'cro," said Billings to Graves as thoy were left nlono, "It's hobvlous ono miiBt stay with tho boats; but ono's enough, and on an hexpedltton llko this, borders nln't worth a damn. I'll howo you a quid, a wholo quid, and my grog for a month If you'll be tho man to stay." "No, I'll toss you, tho snmo terms both sides." And tho spin of coin scut Hillings running after tho rest. Ho was received re-ceived by Benson with curses, but ho stuck to tho pnrty -all the same. "Very well, yon report mo! You Took Benson up-town with htm. know you can't," ho said defiantly. "And I'vo glvo Graves a thick 'un and my grog for a month to bo lot come." This awful sacrifice appealed ovon to Bonson. "All right," ho snld. "Dut If I can't roport you for this, I can tho next time." "Noxt tlmo be damned," cried Billings; Bil-lings; " 'oo cares about next timo, now?" And thoy hovo In sight of Shanghai Smith's. (To bo continued.) |