cruisers were fitted with Mar- The story brought back was ooni sets, and there was there. 80 peouliar that it was oonfore no difference at all between sidered advisable to convey theirs and those of other mer- the ship at onoe to Sierra shant shipping.

Loone, for a legal investigation Onoe, when we were coming either by the Marine Court er through the Cape de Verde Prize Court as might appear group of islands, we intercepted the more suitable. some rather mangled messages, It seems that there was an undoubtedly made by Tele- old nigger, and his name was funken, and therefore, as un- Uncle Sam - Alfred Charles doubtedly, made by a German Sam, to be exact-who had, ship. They appeared to come long years before, emigrated from a vessel at no great dis- from his Gold Coast home to tance; and we proceeded on our the U.S.A. There, while comway, keenly interested, but, fortably filling his bank credit none the less, with oonsiderable account with the fruits of oaution. The latter especially, honest labour, he seems also since several warnings had to have filled his soul with reached us that certain points indignation at the treatment in the island group had been of his brudders. The two arranged by the enemy as floods, being mingled, then rendezvous for their cruisers. overflowed in a stream suffi.

Thus proceeding, wo espied, ciently deep to permit of the anchored off one of the most floating on its bosom of desert-like of the islands, & trading venture, an argosy steamer under British colours, manned exolusively by negroes, loading salt. We approached formed into an association, her and made, by signal, the whose declared intention it “ Demand." There

was to establish itself as the reply, but we saw on her stern nuoleus of a free and self# name, Liberia, not given in governing colony in the ances"Lloyd's Register of Shipping' tral African home of the raoe, (a publioation in which appears and to become the name of every vessel afloat). Liberia. The next step was The painting of the name was the conveyance of the Brudderobviously a recent and amateur hood, with its fortunes, across effort. Not only that — we the waters between America oould see that the original and Africa. Accordingly Sam, name of the ship had, as re

this second Noah (though percently, been plastered over with haps a reference to Ham, his still shiny black, to form a black son and co-navigator, baokground for the new ver- would be more suitable), purgion. Deeply suspicious, we chased, from a German firm, dropped anchor pear her and an ark of such antiquity that sent a boat to visit and inquire it might conceivably have been concerning her. Wewere both in the original and Biblical article. “neutral waters," and caution The mode of propalsion, howwas all the more necessary.

W88

no

a

second

date forty or fifty years ago, time relieved the hot tedium and the craft was now fitted of the voyage, by the most with a wheezy old boiler and energetio and reviving exposi. arthritio engines, which groaned tions of holy writ, while the aload at every revolation. ark pursued her tranquil, four

Sam paid the prioe for her knot, eastward course. -the German price-namely, Large and comfortable old £14,000, the ship being actually mammies sat round the apper worth, perhaps, the handredth deok in the soaking heat of part of that figare.

the tropioal afternoon, the These preliminaries accom- open Bible cushioned in each plished, the expedition em- ample lap. But if and when barked at Barbadoes, and set the fervour of the temperature forth across the Atlantio. mastered that of the preacher,

Its arrival in the Cape de and the tired brains glided Verde Islands must remain softly down the forty steps of one of the classio instanoes of slumber-every step a wink Heaven's reply to prayer, for-bearing forward on to the never did ship make voyage billowing black bosoms, the with less assistance from the woolly heads, bandannaarts, either of the navigator or swathed, - whack! down dethe marine engineer. Neither scended on them the Written the “captain " nor any of the Word, with all the force and "officers” possessed “tiokets" energy of missionary zeal and of any kind, deolaring their of two old but still brawny eompetence as “master mari. arms! Printed in the heaviest ner,” or even as "mate"; nor type, bound in half-oalf, boards, did the “chief engineer” hold tall quarto, nothing but the any official permission to take African skull could withstand charge of a ship's engines. such an onslaught and an

“Me, sah," said the second awakening! mate to our boarding officer, Thus were these intermin. “I done tesoh navigation, sah, able stump sermong punotu. in unahvabsaty, sah, for seven- ated, witnessed by our teen yeah, sah, but dis my fortunate Prize Officer on the fast 'speriance afloat, sah!” passage to Sierra Leone.

Said the first mate: “Dis When he and the “navigatgood ship, sah; nothing wrong ing party ” went on board, heah, sah-gawepel all de and it was ordered to put time!”

steam on the oable-winch in So it was! The enterprise order to heave up the anchor, was, apparently, not only in the steam-pipe leading along pursuit of liberty, based on the upper deok to the winch

, commerce, but also was largely from the boiler immediately concerned with religion. Mis- burst, and thick white columns sionaries were carried in the of steam were to be seen ascompany, black of face, white cending. The chief engineer, of wool, who kept themselves with oreditable promptitude, in practice, and at the same seized a length of “gennit,"

88

dashed ap the engine - room ing Nigger Party-indeed, on ladder, and, as he came out account of it and of the adon to the upper deok, caught mirable if innocent camouflage up the soir door-mat at his it provided — here we had

feet, which, with a forlorn dropped on to a “passer-on

"” hopefulness, he bound with of wireless messages between the sennit swiftly around the the German cruisers of South hissing fissure. Bat not even Amerioa and their Intelligence then could the windlass be agents ashore in Africa or in induced to revolve; SO

80 the the islands.

the islands. The Telefunken cable, quite happily, was out, note would be to them and the crazy

old craft Shibboleth, assuring them of waddled out slowly and fit. the German source of the infully to sea. Mr Heath Rob- telligence; and also that the inson alone would be oapable news sent by it could not of depioting with any oertainty possibly be an enemy decepthe scene. It went much tion, but might safely be beyond the limits of ordinary acted upo fanoy.

On our arrival at Sierra But the points about the Leone we handed the Liberia ship which really interested over, with the necessary doonas much more than any more ments, to the authorities. We illegalities of the navigating then almost immediately reand engineering officers were beived orders to leave for -first, the Telefunken wireless other soenes. This W88 un"get" with which she was fortunate; for, so far as we fitted; and secondly, the man could learn later, no inquiries who worked it.

were made as to the bona fides The apparatus itself was un. of Mr Sohneider, and nothing doubtedly German (the vessel was done either to ship, officers, herself having so recently been or passengers, save to prevent in German ownership); and its the latter from establishing operator, who was the only the Free Colony of their white man in the ship, while dreams. This idea was, inproolaiming himself to be a deed, not weloomed in Sierra oitizen of the United States, Leone. The existing Black bore the unpleasing name of Repablio of Liberia, their Sohneider, He had no “cer- next-door neighbour - now & tificate" enabling him to oper- sanotaary for every known ate on board ship; but that variety of blaokguard — was was & trifle light as air by considered amply sufficient for comparison with the suspi- the present, thank you, withoious character of the whole out starting a similar show galère.

having similar future possi. It was this “Telefunken” bilities, even though it was whose voice we had heard in to be inaugurated by saints. startling propinquity the day As regards the undoubted before; and it seemed likely illegal status of the ship as a that, in spite of the envelop- merohant veggel, and the irreg

alar "olearance" she had re- have not been taught to ceived at Barbadoes, it was fight, and have no desire to apparently considered inadvis- learn. able by the officials at Sierra Had we seized, without refLeone to make too drastio an erence to the courts, that Teleinvestigation into the affair. funken set and installed it in Sierra Leone and Barbadoes our own ship, what fun might are, each of them, Crown colo- we not have had with it, using nies. Dog will not eat dog. it as a decoy for the German Perhaps the other dog could cruisers! It might have probite too!

duoed wonderful results. This Ag to the "wireless " oonsid- notion, though advooated, erations, inoluding the status simple as it sounds, could not, of Schneider, these were as however, penetrate (owing posusual outside the shore-going sibly to the depth of the wig) brain capacity, not only for to the legal brain. comprehension but for taking So the budding negro reany action. “There was no publio wilted and fell to the precedent”-and that was all ground antimely. As little about it! In the next war the trace must by now remain of sailor, warned by this as by it, as of the rusty old box of many another instance, will trioks which carried its foraet for himself, and will not tanes across the broad Atlanbe so hopeful of assistance tio. And Sohneider, where is from those whose fingers he? Quien sabe s

(To be continued.)

FOLLOW THE LITTLE PICTURES!

BY ALAN GRAHAM.

CHAPTER VI.

My fortnight in London form at the little station of passed very agreeably. I saw Kilbrennan. I had not warned all the sights, visited most of the Tanishes of my arrival, the theatres, and dined at for it had struok me that as many of the more expensive I was going to Hopeton in restaurants. Sight - seeing, the capaoity of tutor, it might however, soon grows

weari. be well not to presume upon some, and I was not sorry the reception acoorded to a when the time arrived for guest. I had expeoted that me to journey north.

I would be able to get a oab I travelled from St Panoras, at the station, that would by Mr Tanish's instruotions, carry both me and my beas the Midland is the only longings to my destination. line which touches Kilmarnock, But the solitary porter was my junotion for Kilbrennan, struck garrulous at the idea This last part of the journey, of a oab being at the station after leaving the express, was merely on spooulation. & gorgeous revelation to me. “Cab? Ha'e ye orrderred The looal train followed the the oab, for if ye did it's no' Ayrshire coast-line along the here?” Firth of Clyde, and I looked I explained meekly that I out of the carriage window had not ordered a cab, but at the grandeur of the Arran expeoted to find one, if not hills with the April sun low several, in waiting. behind the northern end of “It's easy seen ye're no' the island. Farther south to- used tae this pairish, or ye wards the open sea, I could wudna expeo' to fin' Rab distinguish the solitary outline Wulson yokin' his auld mare of Ailea Craig hazily in the speo.

Whaur wis yo evening mist, posted there like wantin' tae gang?” some stern guardian of the I should explain that, to great waterway. And all be- judge from his rough harsh fore me stretched the Firth, speech,

would have its waters of a depth and thought this porter had a purity of blue that I had most violent grudge against believed was only to be seen me. It only dawned upon me in the Mediterranean.

slowly that he was, sooordIt was about half-past six ing to his lights, quite civil when I alighted on the plat- and helpful, though he ob

on

one

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