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Show F TV THE PROMOTION OF! THE ADMIRAL aBf33aSS By Morley Roherta Author of "The CoIomub." "Th FurtXtvce." PoyyrtgAi, ttot, by L, 0, rag, g, Oo,npanVl (intorporSud.) (Continued.) Ho spent the Interval at lutch with tho Drltlsh consul. "I toll you what, Stanley," said tho admiral, "I don't caro what they did to mo, for It's dono mo no harm. Uut after this you should bo nblo to make them enforce tho laws. If they would only do that tho Pacific coast wouldn't stink so In tho nostrils of shipmasters and shipowners." Tho consul explained tho local system sys-tem of politics. It appeared that ovory ono with any business on tho borders of crlmo Insured against tho results of accidents by being In politics. "And If tho thieving 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? Whv, ho 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," -crlofl Dicky Dunn. Ho found Sant waiting at Cart-wright's Cart-wright's omco. Ho was a hard-bitted, weather-beaten gentleman, and half his face 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 como out, but by agreement tho admiral was Introduced Intro-duced an Mr. Dunn. "you havo reason not to Uko Shanghai Shang-hai Smith?" said Potcr. "That's so," nodded Bant. "Mr. Dunn docs not liko him -either. Could you malto any uso of him on board tho Harvester?" "I could," said Sant, grinning; "ho'd bo n useful man." "If you Imagined you missed a man to-morrow morning Just as you wero getting up your anchor, and somo ono hailed you and said they had picked ono up, you would tako him aboard?" "Wot or dry," said Sant. "I'll undertake ho shall bo wot," 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. ad-miral. "And it's understood, of course," said Peter, "that you gentlemen nover saw each other and don't know each othor when you moot, It being a matter mat-ter of mutual obligation." "I agreo," said Sant. "And of course," Cartwrlght added as ho escorted tho admiral a'hd Selwyn Sel-wyn Into tho passage "if thcro should 1)0 a shindy at Smith's and any of your men arc in it, wo shall all explain ex-plain that It was owing to your having hav-ing boon put away. And two wrongs thon will roako It right. I guess the nowspapcrs will call It square." "Exactly so," said tho admiral. And whon ho reached tho Trium- pliant 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 I cabin again. "Now you must remom- ber I rely on your discretion. A wrong step may land us In troublo with tho authorities and tho admlral- ty." "Well, what do you proposo, Sir ltlcha'rd?" asked Selwyn. "This Is rightly your show and i mlno," said tho admiral. "I won't havo any ono elso- In It that I can help. I ought to speak to Hamilton, I "I rely on your discretion." but I won't. I'll keop him out of tho troublo" for Hamilton was tho captain cap-tain of tho Triumphant. "I supposo tho mon horo aro roally fond of mo?" said tho admiral lntorrogatlvoly. "Tlioy hnvo no monopoly of that," said Solwyn. "Is there uny ono of thorn you could drop a hint to, that you could trust?" "Of courso," said Solwyn: "thoro's Donson, whoso father works for mlno aa gardener." "Do you mean Bonson, my coxs'n?" "Yos, sir." "Ho's tho vory man. You might lot him know that If ho should got Into any troublo, ho will bo paid for It I leavo tho rest to you. You can go ashoro now, with this noto to Stanloy. That will glvo you a chanco to tako ' Honson with you ami speak to him on tho nulot. I don't know that I caro particularly to hear any moro about It till tho day after to-morrow, unless I havo to. Ultimately all tho responsibility Is mine, of course." And by that Selwyn understood rightly enough that Dicky Dunn, for all his cunning, had no Intention of shirking trouble if troublo came. Ho went ashoro and took Hcnson up town with him. "Do you men think It wns Shanghai Smith that laid for us, and put the admiral away, Uonson?" he asked as they went up Market street. "Thcro ain't tho shnddcr of a doubt 'o dono It, Blr," said Benson. . "And they don't liko It?" "Lord bless you. sir. It's very 'ard 'avln' all liberty stopped, but between you nnd mo It was wlso to stop It. They would 'avo rooted 'Is 'otiso up and shied tho wreckage Into tho bay." "It's a pity that you and about twenty moro couldn't do it," said Selwyn. "And If ono could only catch hold of tho man himself and put him on board an outward-bound ship, It would do him good." Uonson slappod his leg. "Oh, sir, thcro ain't a man on board tho Triumphant that wquldn't do six months with pleasure to 'avo tho 'andlln' of 'im," "No?" "For sure, sir." "I was lying awako last night thinking think-ing of it," said Selwyn; "at least, I bollovo I was awako perhaps I was dreaming. But I scorned to think that a couplo of boats' crows wero ashoro, and that you went to Shanghai's Shang-hai's placo for a drink." , "I'vo dono that samo, sir," said Benson, "and tho liquor was cruel bad." "And I droamed yes, I supposo It was a dream that you started a row and mado hay of his bar and collared col-lared him, and took him in tho cutter cut-ter nnd rowed 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 Benson. "And I dreamed you camo to tho Harvester " "Her that's lying In tho bay tho ship with tho bad nnmo among sailor-men?," sailor-men?," "That's tho ship," said Selwyn; "and you hailed her and asked the captain If a man had tried to cscapo by swimming. And ho said 'Yes and thon you said you'd picked him up." Bonson looked at him quickly. "But ho wouldn't bo wot, sir." "Oh, yes, ho would, Bonson. You could easily duck hira overboard." Benson stared very hard at tho lieutenant. lieu-tenant. ',' "Of course. I could very easy duck him nnd lovo to do it, too. And did tho captain of tho Harvester own to him, sir?" Solwyn nodded. "Ho would, Bonson I moan ho did, of courso." "I suppose," nskod Benson, with hla eyes on tho pavomont, "that It had been arranged so?" "In (tho dream, yes," said tho lieutenant. lieu-tenant. "Was It for to-morrow evening, sir?" "I thought so," said Solwyn. "And tho curious thing about it was that tho wholo thing was dono as quietly as possible All you mon wont to work in silence without as much as n hurrah. And ono of the boats brought mo ashoro and tho othor brought 1,ho admiral. And it was only after you had put tho man on board tho Harvester Har-vester that you camo back for .tho admiral at flvo o'clock In tho morning, Bonson." "And what about tho boat as brought you, sir?" "I camo back at twclvo and went on board with thorn, after tho light, and while you wero rowing Mr. Smith about the bay, cheering hlra up." "Was there anything elso, sir?"' "Nothing," said Selwyn, "only that I forgot whether It camo out. If It did, tho mon said it was a gamo all of tholr ow And I think no', I'm suro that if any ono got into troublo it paid him well, after all." "Of courso it would, sir," said Benson Ben-son warmly. "I wish It could really como off. You novor know your luck, sir." "And I think Mr. Smith doesn't," said Selwyn. "And whon Bonson wont on board again nnd had a long confabulation with two boats' crows, thcro was a unanimous opinion among thorn that Mr. Smith had plied his ship up with a vongoanco when he ran against a British admiral. "Thcro ain't to bo no weopons," said Bonson "nothln' worse nor moro cuttln' than a staysail 'ank as n knucklo-dustor, nnd ovon tfint I don't rocommoiid, An odd stretcher or two nnd tho bottles thcro will do tho Job. And tho word Is sllcnco, now and thon." "Mum's tho word," said tho mon. And liko tho children that they wore, they wrought tho wholo ship's com-pnny com-pnny Into a frenzy of excitement, by dropping Jilnts nbout as heavy as a half-hundredwolght on every ono who was not In tho gamo. Had thoro boen much longer to wait than twonty-four hours, they must have told, or burst. And If thoy had not burst, tho othors would havo Anally roachod tho truth by tho process of exhaustion. It was nono o'clock on tho following follow-ing ovonlng that tho admiral went on shoro to dlno with tho British consul, (Ha told Benson that ho might bo later than elovon. And as Benson touched his cap ho took tho llborty offbcllev-ing offbcllev-ing ho might bo as lato as' flvo In.tbo morning. And Just tbout clovdn Solwyn Sol-wyn camo ashoro In another boat with papers 'which had to go' to tho admiral. ad-miral. "t shall bo back In an hour,' Thomas." Thom-as." said Selwyn. And tho two coxs'ns were left in command of tho cutting out expedition Tho wholo business wns nearly wrecked at tho outset by tho scttlomont of thOi question ques-tion as to who was to bo left In charge of tho boats. Finally Thomas and Benson ordered two mon to stay, and tho defrauded mon Bat back and growled most horribly us the rest moved off towards Shanghai Smith's In loose order. "Look 'ere," said Billings to Oravea as thoy wero left alono, "It's hobvlous ono must stay with tho boats; but one's enough, and on nu hexpedltlori like this, borders ain't worth a damn. I'll howe 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, the samo terms both sides." And tho spin of coin sent Billings running after tho rest. Ho was ro-. celvod by Benson with curses, liiu ho' stuck to tho party 'all tho same. "Vory well, you report mo! You Took Benson up-town with him. 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 Benson. "All right," ho said. "But if I can't report you for this, I can tho next time." "Next tlmo bo damned," cried Billings; Bil-lings; " 'oo cares about next tlmo, now?" , And thoy hovo in sight of Shanghai Smith's. (To bo continued.) |