A CLOSE SHAVE THOS W KNOX 104 સ્વયમના સ્થળ જા The THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIV RSITY OMNIBUS ARTIBUS * CLASS BOOK OF MINNESO 812K 777 ос Arthur. Saunders Sept 10/92. A CLOSE SHAVE OR How Major Flagg Won His Bet. A CLOSE SHAVE OR WON HIS BET How MAJOR FLAGG WON BY THOMAS W. KNOX AUTHOR OF "THE BOY TRAVELERS,” THE YOUNG NIMRODS," "OVERLAND "" " THROUGH ASIA,' MARCO POLO FOR BOYS AND GIRLS," "DECISIVE BATTLES SINCE WATERLOO," ETC., ETC. LETOILE DU NORD ST. PAUL THE PRICE-MCGILL COMPANY 350-352 SIBLEY STREET. COPYRIGHTED 1892 BY THE PRICE-MCGILL CO. PRINTED AND PLATED BY THE PRICE-MCGILL COMPANY ST. PAUL, MINN. 812K 777 ос PREFACE. The object of the following story is to show the possibility of making a journey around the world in seventy days from the time of starting, and to pre- sent the various aids to travel and communication which have appeared since Jules Verne published his famous volume entitled "Around the World in Eighty Days." Various scientific discoveries and inventions are thus brought to the reader's atten tion in their adaptation to the needs of the heroes of "A Close Shave." The geographical descriptions, routes, time-tables, monsoons, etc., may be relied upon as correct, and also the practices of pirates, boatmen, and other people encountered by the travelers in their adventurous journey. 892:01 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Major Flagg's Wager-Preparations for Departure, CHAPTER II. Farewell Dinner-Starting-Accident and Interruptions, CHAPTER III. Hot Box-Through the Rockies- Train Robbers, CHAPTER IV. Performances of the Train Robbers-A Surprise for them, CHAPTER V. Rescuing Party, How it was Obtained-Jack's Trophies, CHAPTER VI. "Too Late! The Steamer has Sailed"-A Winning Race, On the Pacific-Increasing Speed-An Alarming Incident, CHAPTER VII. CHAPTER VIII. The Cause of the Accident-"The Ship is Sinking," CHAPTER IX. The Ship Safe-Harry and Jack Preserve it from Destruction, CHAPTER X. A New Kind of Fuel-Caught in a Typhoon, CHAPTER XI. Through the Storm-A Wreck-New Passengers, CHAPTER XII. 11 19 27 35 43 51 59 67 75 83 91 Mystery of the New Arrivals-Missing the Mail Steamer, 98 CHAPTER XIII. The Major's New Plan-Working the Japanese Telegraph, 106 CHAPTER XIV. Change of Conveyance - Life on a Japanese Dispatch Boat, 114 CHAPTER XV. English Mail Steamer-How Mrs. Komaroff was Astonished 121 CHAPTER XVI. The Monsoons, a Story about them-Another Accident, 129 CHAPTER XVII. The Tanjore on a Shoal-Getting the Party out of Pawn, 138 CHAPTER XVIII. Straining the Rules of the P. and O.-Chinese Pirates, 146 CHAPTER XIX. t Piratical Practices-Preparations for Defence, CHAPTER XX. - 154 Battle with the Pirates-Mrs. Komaroff's Shot Well Aimed, 162 CHAPTER XXI. Pirates Repulsed-Relief Steamer-Major Flagg's Telegram, 169 CHAPTER XXII. Comprador-Mrs. Komaroff's Trunk-Major's Expedient, 177 CHAPTER XXIII. Running Before the Monsoon-Attacked by Malay Pirates, 185 Departure of the Pirates-Stopped by a Cuttle Fish, CHAPTER XXIV. CHAPTER XXV. Arrival at Singapore-To late for the Mail Steamer, CHAPTER XXVI. 193 201 A Run on the Stiletto-An Elephant Ride, what Happened, 209 CHAPTER XXVII. Bullock Hackerie's-How Harry Got Even with a Swindler, 218 CHAPTER XXVIII. Heat of the Red Sea-An English Trick on the French, CHAPTER XXIX. - 226 Too Late at Suez-Missing the Steamer at Alexandria, 235 CHAPTER XXX. Chasing the English Steamer-Running into a Volcano, 244 CHAPTER XXXI. Brindisi on Time-Letters from Home-Jack's Cablegram, 252 CHAPTER XXXII. The Letters-Wilson's Windfall-Jack's Discovery, CHAPTER XXXIII. Saved!- Modern Telegraphy-Mrs. Komaroff Talks, CHAPTER XXXIV. 260 - 268 A Fair Nihilist—Arrival of the Party in Paris-A Surprise, 276 CHAPTER XXXV. Farewell Dinner and a Runaway Team-The Steamer Gone, 284 CHAPTER XXXVI. Exciting Adventures in Havre-On Board at Last Moment, 292 CHAPTER XXXVII. A Glimpse of England-Too Late for the Train, CHAPTER XXXVIII. - 300. Home Again—The Dinner and Speeches — Exeunt Omnes, 313 A CLOSE SHAVE. CHAPTER I. MAJOR FLAGG'S WAGER PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. "I DON'T believe it can be done." "I believe it can.' "Well, I'll bet you the dinners for twenty you're wrong." "And I'll bet the dinners that I'm right.' "Enough said; I'll take it. How shall it be decided?" The answer was given by a tap on a bell on the small table between the two men who were talking; a servant appeared in a moment, and was told that they wished to see the steward immediately. The above conversation occurred in one of the par- lors of a well known club in New York, the speakers being two of the prominent and wealthy members 11 12 1 A CLOSE SHAVE. of that institution. They had been discussing the probable time required to make a tour around the globe, and, like many discussions among men and in clubs, their talk had become somewhat exciting, and abounded in words of contradiction. Major Flagg declared that the facilities of travel at the present time were such that it was easy enough to discount Phileas Fogg's famous tour "Around the World in Eighty Days" by at least an eighth, while his friend, Dr. Jones, pronounced such an opinion absurd. The major repeated his declaration with a good deal of emphasis, and the opposing opinions resulted in the wager as above described. A further stipula- tion was made while they waited for the steward, that, in case the major won the bet, half the expenses of the journey were to be paid by the doctor; but if he (the major) lost, he should bear all the expenses out of his own pocket. It was also decided to make the dinner-party thirty instead of twenty; twelve guests were to be named by each of the principals, and the doctor would attend to the invitations; these guests, with the prin- cipals, would fill twenty-six seats, and the remaining four places were to be at the major's disposal for such friends as he might choose to bring. By the time these preliminaries were settled the steward appeared. A CLOSE SHAVE. CL 13 "Reserve the alcove dining-room for a party of thirty ten weeks from day after to-morrow," said the major, "and have dinner ready at seven o'clock." "Yes, sir," was the reply. "Will you make out the menu now, or a few days before the dinner?" "I'll leave the menu for the doctor," the major answered. "I'll look after it," said the doctor, gaily. “And in the meantime," he continued, addressing the steward, "you may see what you can find in the market, as we want the best dinner that was ever served in the Club." gen- "Yes, sir," replied the steward, and, seeing the tlemen had nothing further to say on the subject, he retired to his office to enter the order on his memo- randum book. Of course he was somewhat surprised to receive an order for a dinner so long in advance; but it was no affair of his, and he was too discreet to ask any questions. "That ends the business for the present," said the major after the steward had gone, "and I'll be on hand to preside at that dinner.” It was on the doctor's lips to say, "I'll bet you don't," but he remembered that there was already a wager covering that point and checked himself just in time. He simply remarked that they would see about it, and the subject was dropped. 14 A CLOSE SHAVE. The major rose to go, as he had several letters to write and wished to get to bed early, in view of his preparations for departure on his journey round the world in seventy days. "How are you going?" the doctor asked. "I'm going to follow the advice of Horace Greeley to the young man who asked him what he should do for a start in life." "What was that?" "Go west, young man, go west." "So you're going west, are you? I thought possi- bly you would sail by the Guion Steamship Arizona to-morrow. She's a fast vessel, and you know her captain, Brooks." "No," replied the major, slowly, "Phileas Fogg, according to Jules Verne, made his circuit of the globe by traveling eastward. You know the French have a proverb, nous avons change tout cela, and I'm going to adopt it by reversing Fogg's route. So good-bye till to-morrow evening. Order dinner for five, and at five, in the small room over the hall, and I'll be here sharp on time. Tell the steward to serve the dinner so that we can be through in one hour and seventeen minutes.' "" "All right. How about the other three? You said dinner for five." "So I did; I'll bring the others; no dress coats; ta-ta." A CLOSE SHAVE. 15 delivered the missives Then the major went to the library, where he busied himself for an hour or more with letter writ- ing. His first three letters were sent away by mes- sengers as soon as they were written, but the others were consigned to the mail. We will know later on to whom the messengers intrusted to their hands. The letters by mail were principally cancellations of engagements to dinners and other festivities, and explained that the writer had been suddenly called out of town for a short time and might be absent several weeks. "Will let you know when I return," he wrote in concluding the greater number of his epistles, "and you hardly need expect to hear from me within the next two months." The receivers of the major's letters were moved by varied emotions when they read the postponement of his engagements. "Just what might be expected of him," said old Silversides, who had planned to inveigle the major into putting a few thousand dollars into a mining scheme which had been carefully concocted for his detriment. Silversides was well aware of the facilities afforded by a good dinner for coaxing money out of a man's pocket, and with this object in view he had carefully made up the party of which the major was to be the central figure and the object of attention in a double 16 A CLOSE SHAVE. sense. The natural conclusion of the old speculator was that the scheme had somehow been blown, and the "absence from town" was simply a figure of speech for declining to attend the dinner. "If he isn't to be here," soliloquized Silversides, "there's no use monkeying the money away on the rest of the fellows, and I'll call the dinner off.” And so he immediately wrote to the others of the intended party and announced the postponement of the festivity "for reasons to be explained when we next meet." Mrs. Adele Richemont, the widow of a gentleman who was supposed to have died possessed of a hand- some fortune, but who really departed this life leav- ing few available assets other than Mrs. R. and her lovely and accomplished daughter Marie, was another recipient of the major's regrets. Her reflec- tions concerning his hasty departure were much like those of old Silversides, as the motives on which they were based were not unlike his. The major had been marked as the prey of the artful mamma in her laudable efforts to supply Marie with a husband. The fact that the major was not inclined toward matrimony had not dampened her enthusiasm in the least; on the contrary, it had served as a stimulant on the ground that the more difficult it may be to obtain a prize the greater is the glory of securing it. The major was rich, and thus would be able to sup- A CLOSE SHAVE. 17 port her daughter handsomely; and, moreover, it had been secretly resolved that he would be com- pelled to support the mother, who was no small incumbrance-two hundred and thirty-five pounds avoirdupois at least. The dinner to which the major had been invited was for the sole purpose of throwing the lovely and lonely Marie at his head; now that he had canceled the festive engagement the widow felt very much as though he ought to be arrested for breach of promise. Had a lawyer been convenient at the moment, it is quite likely she would have consulted him as to the amount of damages to which she was fairly entitled. The fact is the major was at the time in blissful ignorance of the traps that had been laid for him in both the foregoing cases, but he was a sufficiently adult bird not to have been easily caught. He was familiar with the ways of scheming specu- lators and managing mammas and aunts; he had invested on a few occasions in enterprises of great pith and moment that ultimately came to naught, and in more than one purely innocent flirtation, as he supposed it to be, he had narrowly escaped cap- ture. Birds that have been frequently shot at are wary, and the major had come to consider himself proof against the wiles of speculators, whether of the financial or matrimonial sort. 2 18 A CLOSE SHAVE. Silversides, as we have seen, gave up the chase, but not so the enterprising mamma. "We'll have him to dinner when he comes back to town," she soliloquized, "and see how it comes out. Game like him is worth a good many candles. He shan't escape me, if I know what I'm about." The next morning the major told his valet to pack their trunks for a three months' absence, lock up whatever was to be left behind, notify the janitor, and have everything ready by four o'clock. "There'll be some other trunks around here by that time," said he, "and you can put them with mine. Have a carriage here at half past four, and a wagon for the baggage from the same stable that the car- riage comes from." The major breakfasted and then went to his banker's, where he obtained a letter of credit for fifty thousand dollars, together with five thousand dollars in United States and national bank notes of various denominations. Various matters of business and a few social calls occupied the day until four o'clock, when he promptly appeared at his lodgings and found awaiting him the persons to whom the three letters had been sent by messenger on the previous evening. CHAPTER II. THE PARTY AND THE FAREWELL DINNER-STARTING TO SWING AROUND THE GREAT CIRCLE-AN ACCI- DENT AND INTERRUPTIONS. "MAKE your preparations for a three months' jour- ney, and be at my lodgings at four o'clock to-morrow afternoon ready to start," was the laconic message conveyed in each of the three notes in question. Their recipients were the major's two nephews, Jack and Harry, and his intimate friend Wilson, who had been his companion in many previous journeys, and was always ready to start at very short notice. Jack and Harry were intelligent lads, nearly seven- teen years of age. Their mothers were the sisters of Major Flagg, and the boys were therefore related to each other as cousins. The major had a great liking for them, and out of his ample fortune he had pro- vided for their education, as their fathers had been dead several years and their mothers were in moder- ate circumstances. Their training had been of a very practical sort, as their uncle had little faith in Greek . 19 20 A CLOSE SHAVE. and Latin as a study for boys, but a great deal in modern science, languages and other matters per- taining to the latter half of the nineteenth century. When the trip around the world was planned so suddenly it occurred to him that it would be a good opportunity to bring into practice some of the knowledge which his nephews had acquired, and hence the invitation, or command, conveyed in his message to them. They had responded with alacrity, being mindful of the advice he had frequently given them to culti- vate a habit of promptness and never keep anybody waiting even for a moment. They were at his lodg- ings fifteen or twenty minutes before four o'clock, and spent the spare time in wondering where they were going. The valet, Fritz, could tell them nothing except that he had orders to be ready at four o'clock, and that was all he knew about it. Even had he known more he would have professed the most profound ignorance, unless he had received instructions to the contrary. Fritz was a model valet, and knew the value of a controllable tongue behind lips that could remain closed at the discretion of their owner. Wilson was a thoroughly good fellow, who had once been wealthy. In an evil hour he had been tempted by the allurements of Wall street and the near certainty of accumulating, through specula- ! A CLOSE SHAVE. 21 tions in stocks, more money than he would know what to do with. The result, in his case, was like that of many others; he went for wool and came away shorn, his fortune having been swallowed in the great maelstrom where so many other fortunes have disappeared. Out of the wreck he saved enough to live upon in a modest way, but he was no longer the man of society that he had been in the days of affluence. Many of his former friends fell away and refused him only the slightest recognition or none at all, and Wilson discovered in the most practical way the force of the old adage which relates that prosperity makes friends while adversity tries them. Among the few that still adhered to him was Major Flagg, and as both were fond of travel it was the major's custom, whenever he went abroad, to invite Wilson to accompany him. He was going very much abroad just now, and therefore one of his first thoughts was to send for Wilson, as we have seen. The latter was never slow in replying, and made his appearance in "light marching order" five minutes after Jack and Harry had arrived at the major's lodgings. “All present and accounted for," said the major as the trio met him at the door of his rooms. He shook hands with them, and then turned to Fritz to give him his instructions. 22 A CLOSE SHAVE. "Check the baggage through to San Francisco," said he, “all but our hand-bags and the other things we want in the train. Wait for us at the Desbrosses Street ferry, where we'll be at a quarter before seven, for the Western Express on the Pennsylvania rail- way. Here are the tickets.” As he spoke he handed out five first-class tickets from New York to San Francisco. Fritz gave a hasty glance at them and saw that they were by the Pennsylvania railway as far as Chicago, thence to Omaha by the Rock Island line, and from Omaha to destination by the Union and Central Pacific lines. Having learned the route he thrust the printed slips into his shoulder-sachel, and with them the tickets for five sections in the Pullman sleeping and parlor cars; the major had made all his passage arrangements on the way down town in the morning in order to save the time that it would have required for Fritz to visit the ticket office of the railway company. Ordinarily his valet attended to all these matters, but the present affair was a trifle out of the ordinary, and so the major lent a hand to the details. Other instructions were given to Fritz which are not necessary for our story, though we may be per- mitted to remark that the faithful valet stopped the wagon on his way down to the ferry and disappeared for a few minutes in the establishment of a fashion- A CLOSE SHAVE. 23 able florist. An hour later the florist's boy was observed staggering under the burden of an enormous basket of flowers which was delivered at the resi- dence of Mrs. Richemont. The envelope attached to the basket contained the card of Major Flagg, who thus sought to solace the widow for her disappoint- ment at the cancellation of the engagement to din- ner, and strengthened her determination to renew her efforts at inveigling him into matrimony. "I hope you're all ready for an early dinner," said the major, turning to his friends. "It will be on the table at the Club at five sharp; rather early, I know, but we take the Western Express at seven, and must dine accordingly." "You said we'd be gone three months, I believe," Wilson remarked. "Not quite that," the major answered, "but I said three months to save words and ink in writing you. We are to dine together at the Club ten weeks from to-night, and we must keep the engagement." Then he briefly told them of his wager with Dr. Jones, and partially unfolded his plans. In due time Fritz announced the carriage to take them to the Club, and they arrived there five minutes before the hour. The doctor was waiting for them; the party sat down to dinner exactly at five and rose from their chairs at seventeen minutes past six. O 24 A CLOSE SHAVE. The carriage had been ordered to return at ten minutes past, and was at the door waiting for them when they left the table. They shook hands with Dr. Jones, who wished them a pleasant journey, then donned their overcoats, and at twenty minutes past six drove away from the Club House. They reached the ferry with three minutes to spare for the six forty- five boat, which the major preferred to the last one at seven o'clock, as it gave them time to get comfort- ably settled in the train before it rolled out of the station and put them fairly on the way for their jour- ney round the world. Away they whirled toward the West, through Philadelphia, over the Allegheny mountains to Pittsburg, where the waters of the Allegheny and Monongahela unite to form the Ohio, on through Ohio and Indiana to the southern end of Lake Michigan, and, skirting around the shore, were brought to a halt in Chicago, the Queen City of the Lakes and the metropolis of the great Northwest. The sleeping car by night gave them comfortable shelter and slumber, and the dining car by day sup- plied their meals, so that they had no occasion to leave the train during its entire run. 19 "I should have come by the Limited Express,' said the major, "but there was really nothing to be gained by it. It runs through in three hours less time than the Western, as they call the one we're A CLOSE SHAVE. 25 now on, but the Limited starts at nine in the morn- ing, and so it didn't suit my plans. I couldn't get away this morning as I had money matters to look after, besides other things, and furthermore I wanted to begin the journey in the evening, so as to have it end in the evening seventy days hence. We will have several hours in Chicago, and there take a train on the Rock Island railway that will connect us with the Overland Flyer from Council Bluffs, or Omaha, to San Francisco. The flyer takes us on to 'Frisco, and gives us three hours there to get on board the steamer for Yokohama." "Pretty close shave," said Wilson; "but of course we ought to make it.” "Of course we ought, and we will," was the reply. Jack and Harry nodded assent, but they shared the opinion of Wilson that it would be a pretty close shave. They crossed the Mississippi, and started across Iowa on time and without a mishap, and within a hundred miles of Omaha were congratulating them- selves on the good progress they were making when the train came suddenly to a halt. The boys looked out to see what station they had reached; not a house was in sight and it was evident something was wrong about the train. > 26 A CLOSE SHAVE. Then they ran to the end of the car and sprang to the ground; as soon as they were on solid earth they directed their steps to where several of the train hands and a dozen or more of the passengers were assembled at the side of one of the coaches. CHAPTER III. THE HOT BOX-A VERY CLOSE SHAVE-THROUGH THE ROCKY ROBBERS. MOUNTAINS-ENCOUNTER WITH TRAIN "WHAT'S the matter?" said both the youths in a breath. "Hot box!" was the laconic answer. "How long's it going to keep us here?" was the next query. "Don't know," replied the man who had told them the cause of the stoppage. "Anywhere from fifteen to thirty or forty minutes.” Probably most of our readers know what a hot box is on a railway carriage, but there are some who do not. We will briefly explain that the box or socket in which the journal or end of an axle rests, becomes heated by friction, owing to a lack of suf- ficient oil or in consequence of the newness of the work, and sometimes for reasons which nobody can give. In the upper part of the box there is usually a quantity of cotton-waste saturated with oil, which is expected to keep the journal properly lubricated; 27 28 A CLOSE shave. the heat sets this waste on fire, and it generally gets into a flame before it is discovered. So it was in the present instance, and the train hands were occupied for fully twenty minutes in endeavoring to cool off the heated iron. As usual in such cases, the passengers offered a great deal of advice, to which, as is also usual, the train hands paid no attention. Then the train moved on, but at a more dignified pace than before; it lost time steadily, and when it arrived at Council Bluffs, on the eastern side of the Missouri and opposite Omaha, it was an hour and eleven minutes late. Wilson and the youths were excited lest they should miss the 'Overland Flyer, but the major was as cool as an iceberg, and Fritz followed his master's example by displaying no sign of emotion. Finally Wilson asked his old friend how it happened that he was so quiet under all the circumstances. "That's easy enough to explain,” replied Major Flagg. "While you were discussing the delay I arranged with the conductor to telegraph from the first station where we stopped after the hot box affair, and have them provide for our reception in case we came in late. I also got the conductor to hurry up all he could, and he has done his best. I've promised a hundred dollars to somebody after we're on board the flyer, and the conductor already has a fifty-dollar bill safe in his pocket which he'll share A CLOSE SHAVE. 29 with the engineer. It isn't a bribe, but an induce- ment to zeal." The train on which our friends had come from Chicago was due at Council Bluffs one hour and fif- teen minutes before the departure of the flyer; ordi- narily this is ample time for changing cars and taking a meal if one is hungry, but when the time has been nearly used up by delay previous to arrival, the case is different. Only four minutes remained for our friends to change from one train to the other, includ- ing the transfer of their baggage; but owing to the remarkable zeal displayed by the people about the station, the change was effected with several seconds to spare. In going from train to train Fritz was burdened with the impedimenta of his master, while the other three members of the party acted as their own valets and transferred their traps without any- body's assistance. At one minute past noon the flyer rolled out of Council Bluffs exactly on time. On the rear platform of the last car stood Fritz, waving his cap at the group of men who had handled the baggage of the party and thrown themselves into a perspiration which would require, at least, a keg full of beer for its removal. But as they had received ample funds for the purchase of the beer they had no cause for complaint. . 30 A CLOSE SHAVE. 1 "I hope we'll have no more hot boxes," Harry remarked, as the train rolled on. "I hope so, too," said Jack. "But hot boxes are by no means the only thing that may delay us. Think of the bridges that may be down, of parts of the road that may be washed away or flooded by rains, and lots of other things." "Never mind them," responded his cousin, with a laugh. "It's October now, and May bees are not flying at this time of the year.” "That's so," said Jack; "what's the use of worry- ing? Uncle says he's going to get through on time, and let's hope he will. But wasn't that a close shave at Council Bluffs, though?" "We'll have closer shaves than that before we get through, you may depend. I'm thinking of one that may happen to us before we get to San Francisco that'll knock us out of catching the steamer com- pletely." "What is that?" "Why it's-" Before the question could be answerd, Fritz came to tell the boys that their uncle desired them to come into the next car forward, as he had met an old friend to whom he wished to introduce them. They went forward at once, and found a gentleman who had known the major years and years before, but it was a long time since they had met. He had heard A CLOSE SHAVE. 31 of the boys, and wished to have a chat about a nephew of his that had attended school with them. Westward the train wound its way along the val- ley of the Platte, and when night fell our friends were close upon the banks of that broad but shallow stream. They took supper at Grand Island station; in the night they slept comfortably in the Pullman car, and woke in the morning in time to breakfast at Laramie, five hundred and seventy-five miles from where they changed to the Overland Flyer. They missed the comfortable hotel cars which had accom- panied them from New York to the banks of the Missouri, and hoped the day was not far distant when the dining car will be a regular adjunct of the overland train all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. The major and his friend Wilson had been over the route before; but for Jack and Harry it was their first overland journey. Consequently, while the elders of the party paid little attention to the scenery, the youngsters watched every change in the land- scape and made constant use of their eyes. They were disappointed in the passage through the Rocky mountains; they had looked for rugged peaks and narrow gorges, snow-clad summits and wooded steeps, rocks rearing their heads to the skies, and rivers rolling in foaming rapids or falling over preci- pices hundreds of feet in height. 32 A CLOSE SHAVE. Rivers were conspicuous by their absence, mount- ains were only occasionally visible, wooded steeps and slopes were rare, and much of the country through which they traveled had an aspect of great dreariness. The slopes were far from abrupt, and sometimes the train rolled for miles and miles over wide areas that seemed perfectly level. A little past five o'clock in the afternoon of the fourth day from New York they stopped at Green River station and took supper. A little before nine o'clock they passed Evanston, the center of the coal mining regions of the Union Pacific Railway, and were congratulating themselves that before mid night they would be at Ogden, where the Union Pacific terminates and the Central Pacific begins. But the old adage has it that "The best laid schemes o' men and mice, Gang aft aglee." So it was with our friends. As they neared the dividing line between Wyoming and Utah the train came to a sudden halt at a small station which was not down on its schedule. The major had retired to his section in the sleeper; Wilson had followed his example; and Jack and Harry had removed their coats and boots preparatory to doing the same thing. When the train stopped the porter of the car ran to the door, and as he opened it he was confronted A CLOSE SHAVE. 33 by two men with masks over their faces and holding drawn revolvers in their hands. Each of the strangers had two revolvers, and a glance at the weapons showed that they were cocked and ready for business. The cause of the stoppage was evident. The train was in the possession of a band of robbers of the Jesse James pattern. They were sufficiently numerous to send two or three men into each car in addition to those who were standing guard over the engineer and fireman, and also over the express messenger in the baggage car, which was next to the locomotive. "Hold up your hands!" said a gruff voice from behind one of the masks. The frightened porter obeyed, and so did all others who were in sight of the men with the revolvers. There is something very persuasive in a cocked revolver when it is held by a man who evidently doesn't mind pulling the trigger on the slightest provocation. All conversation in the car was hushed on the instant, and every passenger seemed to realize that though speech might be silver, silence, under the circumstances, was certainly golden. It happened that Jack was inside of his section at the moment the robbers appeared; he was engaged in putting his valuables in a secure place beneath his pillow, and so was out of sight of the robbers. Harry quietly but firmly told him to keep where he 3 34 A CLOSE shave. was, and at the same time obeyed the injunction to elevate his hands in the air. Jack took in the situation at once. For a few moments he kept perfectly quiet; then he managed to insert his hand in his satchel, which he had placed on the top of his bed, and out of it he drew some- thing which he slipped into his pocket. "Tell me if the fellows come near us," he whispered to Harry, "and don't notice what I'm doing." Harry slowly inclined his head to indicate that he understood what his cousin had said to him. Then he held his hands a little higher than before, while Jack proceeded to carry out the scheme which he had hastily concocted. : CHAPTER IV. PERFORMANCES OF THE TRAIN-ROBBERS-A SÜRPRISE FOR THEM. JACK managed to raise the window of the car, and, after raising it, he carefully protruded his head and took a survey of the situation. Finding that nobody was in sight, he squeezed through the opening and dropped to the ground. His section in the car was next to the major's. By tapping gently on the window with a stick that he picked from the ground, he attracted his uncle's attention. Major Flagg peered through the glass, but in the darkness he could not make out who was there; then he raised the window and soon ascer- tained the cause of the tapping on the glass. "I'm Jack," came in a sort of stage whisper-a welcome sound to the major's ears. The major had the presence of mind not to speak, and his only answer was a wave of his hand out of the window. Jack easily saw the hand, as it was between him and the light in the car, and as soon as he recognized the signal he whispered in the same tone as before: x 1 35 36% A CLOSE SHAVE. "Toss out your watch and money, uncle, and I'll hide 'em somewhere." "The major responded by handing out the little shoulder satchel which contained his bank-notes and also his letter of credit. Jack caught it as it fell, and then he disappeared in the darkness. The robbers took things leisurely, as they knew they had plenty of time. First they detached the locomotive from the rest of the train; they com- pelled the engineer to run ahead a short distance, and, after he had done so, he and the fireman were required to descend from the cab to the ground, where their hands were securely tied. They were assured that no harm should come to them if they obeyed orders, and under the circumstances there was no resistance on their part. With their hands bound and with the muzzles of two revolvers pressed against their cheeks, an attempt to regain their engine and run away with it would have been the height of folly. The first attention of the robbers, after detaching the locomotive, was directed to the baggage and express car, though, meantime, delegations had been sent to the various other cars of the train, where the passengers were held up as we have already seen. The two men inside the baggage car, the express- messenger and the baggage-man, had closed the door the moment the train stopped, and at first refused to A CLOSE SHAVE. 37 open it. Several shots were fired at the door, but without effect; it was of thick oak and lined on the inside with iron, so that it was proof against bullets from revolvers and rifles, the only weapons with which the robbers were armed. Again the concealed men were told to open the door. No answer was returned, and the robbers pro- ceeded to more earnest assaults than mere words. "Fetch along the dynamite, Jimmy," said the leader of the gang, "and we'll fetch 'em out in a hurry." "Open that door in two minutes, or we'll blow it open!" shouted the scoundrel. And still there was no reply from the defenders within. Then the robbers held a consultation, and con- cluded they would let the baggage car remain until they had gone through the passengers. This they proceeded to do, taking one car after another in suc- cession, and leaving four men on watch at the bag- gage car to make sure that nobody escaped from it. They were ordered to shoot the first man who showed himself at the door, on either side of the car, and they stood there with rifles ready cocked, so as to have sure aim and quick fire. The looting of the passengers took some time, as it was thoroughly done, and therefore could not be hurried. Every man among the passengers was 38 A close shave. compelled to empty his pockets, and turn them wrong side out. Even after this was done either the leader of the band or one of his lieutenants passed his hands up and down the back and sides of each victim, to make sure that there were no money-belts or other contrivances for the secreting of valuables. Whenever a money-belt was discovered the wearer was compelled to remove it, and, if he demurred to the proceeding, he was quickly brought to his senses by the unanswerable argument of a revolver. The robber chief was a veritable Claude Duval in the way of politeness, as he did not disturb any of the women passengers further than to demand that they should give up any money they had about them. He even grew facetious, and declared that if they cheated him he would have two or three female bandits the next time he stopped a train, so that lady travelers could be examined by one of their own sex, in the same way as they are at the custom house. It is proper to say that he was cheated a good deal; when the cause of the stoppage of the train was discovered several of the male passengers handed their pocket-books to the ladies, and thus saved them from the hands of the robbers. When the searching party reached the car where our friends were quartered, they had accumulated a good sized sack-full of pocket-books, watches and A CLOSE SHAVE. 39 loose money, and it was very evident that they had done a good business thus far. After disposing of two or three passengers they came to the sections belonging to Major Flagg's party. Fritz was the first to fall into their clutches. He had been standing in front of his berth, with his hands in the air, under the watchful eyes of the masked men with the revolvers, and was not alto- gether sorry that the end was reached, as his arms were aching severely. It was not a new experience for Fritz, as he had been in the hands of robbers in various parts of the world, including brigands in Italy, road agents in California, and those most adroit scoundrels in the world, the house-thieves of India. He knew the importance of complying with the wishes of his captors, and had not uttered a murmur in all the time he stood, "like Patience on a monument," with both hands upraised. Besides, it was not exactly his affair anyway, as he was the major's valet, and any loss incurred in the evening's entertainment would fall on that gentleman, as the servant had not brought along any money of his own. Fritz had a silver watch, which he handed over without a word, and with it the little satchel that hung over his shoulder and contained the tickets of the party together with some forty or fifty dollars 1 40 A CLOSE SHAVE. the major had given him for their incidental expenses. The money went quickly into the receptacle for the plunder, but the tickets were unceremoniously dropped on the floor, as they were of no use to the robbers, who did not expect to go west by that par- ticular train. Then Fritz obeyed the command to turn out his pockets, but the assets obtained from this operation were of no consequence. Wilson and Harry surrendered their possessions with a good grace, especially as they had very little about them to surrender. Wilson explained to the searchers that he and Harry were of the party for whom Fritz carried the tickets, and that the money which the shoulder-bag had yielded was the cash out of which their incidentals were paid. Their searcher suggested that passengers in a sleeping-car ought to have more money than that, and he made an extra examination of their pockets and clothing to satisfy himself that they were not cheating him. Now it came Major Flagg's turn to be looked after. It was evident that he did not trouble himself very seriously about the state of affairs, as he had wrapped himself in the bed clothing and gone to sleep. The robbers thought he was shamming and shook him with no gentle hand. The shaking brought him to a condition of wakefulness in a moment, and he aimed a blow at his disturber that A CLOSE SHAVE. 41 would have floored the scoundrel had its aim been equal to its force. "Come out o' that and hand over your money!" was the gruff demand that greeted the waking slum- berer. "Beg your pardon," said the major, "and let me refer you to my valet." "We don't want no valley," was the reply, "but we want your vallybles. Hand 'em over.' "You'll find my money with my valet, Fritz,” replied the major. "He has it in his satchel." "Another galoot living out o' that satchel," was the very emphatic comment upon the major's reply. Then the fellows proceeded to examine their subject's clothing, but beyond a nickle-cased watch, which he usually carried in his travels, as it was not deemed worth stealing, the search resulted in nothing. major offered to give a check on his banker in New York if it would be of any use to the uninvited visit- ors, but his suggestion was unheeded. The After finishing with the passengers the robbers returned to the baggage car, which remained closed, the watchers having failed to detect any attempt at opening the door. The summons to open it was renewed under threat of blowing the car up with dynamite, and, as no response was made, the fellows proceeded to do as they had threatened. 42 A CLOSE SHAVE. A dynamite cartridge was attached to the side of the car, and Jimmy, who appeared to be an expert in the use of this terrible explosive, warned his friends to get to a safe distance, and then struck a match to light the fuse. It was really the intention of these robbers to blow the car and the men in it to pieces rather than be foiled in their determination to rifle the Express Company's safe. But just as Jimmy was raising the match toward the fuse his attention was drawn to something which made him forget match, fuse, and everything else except his own personal safety. Instead of lighting the fuse he proceeded to light out on his own account, a performance that was destined to be a failure. We will now see what Jack had accomplished while the brigands were occupied with the train. 1 CHAPTER V. A RESCUING PARTY AND HOW IT WAS OBTAINED- JACK'S TROPHIES. THE object that attracted Jimmy's attention and caused him to drop the burning match was the head- light of a locomotive. The engine came thundering on and stopped not ten feet from the rear of the train that had been raided by the robbers. Before it had fairly halted the ground was covered with men armed with rifles and revolvers, and in less than a minute they were at the side of the delayed train. Fortunately for the robbers there was no moon in the sky, and consequently the darkness was too great to make an immediate pursuit effective. Jimmy, the manipulator of the dynamite, was caught, and so were three or four of his companions, but the rest got away under cover of the night, at least for the time. The passengers now swarmed out of the train to greet their rescuers, and wonder how the rescue had been brought about. Harry was one of the first to appear, and he shouted loudly for Jack. 43 44 A CLOSE SHAVE. The latter soon appeared with the major's satchel over his shoulder, and carrying the sack containing the passenger's valuables. His first greeting was to the conductor of the train, whom he urged to go ahead and make up for lost time. "Soon as you start I'll tell all about it," said he; "but I won't till you do." The conductor needed no urging, and in a very little while the train was ready to move on. While the locomotive was being coupled on the train, after the hands of the engineer and fireman were unbound, Jack had a talk with the leader of the rescuing party, and gave him some information which will appear presently. Then the train moved on and Jack was the center of a circle of listeners. The major went to sleep again as soon as he found they were under way, but everybody else was wakeful. "How did you manage it, and what did you do?" said the conductor to Jack when he had complied with the latter's request to move on. "I didn't do much," said Jack, "though perhaps those train robbers will think differently. I only made use of my practical knowledge. "You see, I've been learning to work the telegraph, and know as much about the business as anybody does who has been through the schools, but hasn't had actual practice in a telegraph office. A CLOSE SHAVE. 45 "Well, when those fellows stopped the train I made up my mind what to do if I could only do it. I had in my satchel a pocket instrument, a pair of nippers, and some fine copper wire; I knew that we were not more than fifteen miles or so from Evanston, and thought there was time for a train to catch us if they could know at that town what a fix we were in and would act quickly when they knew it. "So I stuck these things in my pocket," continued Jack, as he held up the tools with which he had operated; "then I got out of the window, as Harry knows, without being seen by anybody, and then, after getting the major's satchel to take care of, I hunted around for the telegraph line. I found it, and luckily found that one of the insulators was on the top of a shed, so that I didn't have to climb a pole. I cut the wire with the nippers, pieced it up with my fine wire, made a ground connection and then ‘cut in' with my pocket instrument. "Of course I didn't know the private calls for the stations, and had some trouble to get Evanston; then I had more trouble to make the operator there understand that I wasn't an interloper trying to play a joke on him. But when I did convince him they didn't lose any time. "They had a locomotive there already fired up for a west-bound freight train that was nearly due; while they were getting it ready with a couple of flat 46 A CLOSE SHAVE. cars the station master scurried around among the company's hands about the station, and among the cowboys in the saloons close by. In less than fifteen minutes they had fifty armed men together on the cars and were off as fast as they could go. You know the cowboys are armed all the time, and they like nothing better than the chance of a fight. "Soon as the operator at Evanston told me the train had started, I fastened the wires together as well as I could, pocketed my tools and came down and prowled around to see how I could help things along. "I heard some horses quarreling a little way to one side of where the train was stopped, and by creeping around I found the robbers had tied their horses to a fence, and hadn't left anybody to watch them or give the alarm in case of trouble. There were twenty-four horses in all, and I took them, six at a time, and led them to a yard about a hundred yards or so from where they were tied, and as I turned each horse into the yard I took off his bridle and flung it into a hole six or eight feet deep close by the fence." Jack's audience listened with admiration as the youth detailed his performances, and went on to say that he told the leader of the rescuing party where the horses and bridles could be found. A CLOSE SHAVE. 47 "There'll be mounts for a good sized pursuing party as soon as it's daylight," said he, "and as the robbers are now on foot they'll stand a poor chance of all getting away." We may add here that the pursuit was so well con- ducted that all but four of the robbers were either killed or captured. They proved to be a gang that had been recently organized, the most of its members having formerly been employed in the coal mines in the neighborhood of Evanston. Jimmy was an experienced miner, and hence his familiarity with dynamite, and the leader was a member of Jesse James' old gang. "But you haven't told us," said Harry, "how you got hold of the sack containing the pocket-books and other valuables which had just been taken from the passengers.' "That was simple enough," said Jack; "the fellow that was carrying the plunder set it down to see Jimmy blow up the car. I was behind a rock not ten feet from him and when he ran at the approach of the locomotive, I picked up the sack. That's all. And now let's go to bed." So ended the account of the discomfiture of the train robbers. There was some trouble about the distribution of the recovered booty, owing to the fact that the money had been dumped into a single pile and the amount claimed was nearly double what 48 A CLOSE SHAVE. the sack contained. It was finally voted to leave the distribution to Jack, and he at once decided to give each claimant fifty per cent. of what he claimed, and the balance that remained was presented to a poor woman, who, with her two children was on her way to California, and had heard only the day before of her husband's death. When we remember the weakness of human nature and its proneness to lying where money can be made by it, we may fairly conclude that some of the pas- sengers realized a profit from the distribution. The train was pushed to its highest speed, and, as there is a long stretch of down-grade to the west- ward of the scene of the adventure, the time lost by the stoppage was speedily made up. Accounts of the affair were telegraphed in every direction, and the writers of them did not allow the facts to be hidden under a bushel, or any other kind of measure. Jack's clever performance was greatly magnified, and the reporters added that the young gentleman was the leader of a party that was on its way round the world, and particularly anxious to overtake the steamer at San Francisco. The manager of the railway telegraphed orders that the train should have the right of way over every- thing else, and at all the principal stations crowds were waiting to catch a glimpse of the young hero, who was obliged to show himself on the rear plat- A CLOSE SHAVE. 49 form and acknowledge the enthusiasm with which he was greeted. At one station there was a band of music playing "Hail to the Chief!" The music ceased soon after the train halted, and then a procession of twenty girls dressed in white, each one carrying a large bou- quet, came up to the car containing our friends, and as the blushing Jack made his appearance on the platform he was fairly buried in what the newspaper writers call floral tributes. Harry declares that several of the girls kissed his modest cousin during the brief halt of the train, but the insinuation is stoutly denied by Jack, who does not, however, hesitate to admit that he wouldn't mind visiting that station again. In consideration of his prowess Jack was presented with three revolvers, two repeating rifles, ten shares in a newly organized silver mine, one bowie knife, two young bull-dogs, an Indian blanket (new), and a grizzly bear cub. He said it was a pity the railway journey couldn't last a week longer, as he would have by that time sufficient materials to start an arsenal and a menagerie. He retained all the inanimate gifts, but left the live stock in the care of the conductor with the assurance that he would never call for it. Mr. Towne, the general superintendent of the Central Pacific Railway, met the party at } 4 50 A CLOSE SHAVE. Sacramento, having come specially from San Francisco for that purpose. It was a few minutes past seven o'clock in the morning when the train stopped there, and our friends were preparing to breakfast at the station, but before they could reach the restaurant they were invited into the superin- tendent's special car, where they found an admirable breakfast waiting for them. This was a courtesy they had not expected, and it was therefore all the more agreeable for having taken them by surprise. Jack was given the seat of honor at the side of Mrs. Towne, the wife of their host, who made him feel perfectly at home long before the breakfast came to an end. N CHAPTER VI. ANOTHER DELAY "TOO LATE! THE STEAMER HAS SAILED". - A WINNING RACE. THEY were steadily nearing San Francisco, and counting the minutes that would elapse before their embarkation on the steamer, when further progress was suddenly checked by a freight train off the track. How it came to be derailed was for some time a mys- tery, but it was afterward ascertained that the wreck was caused by a friend of one of the train- robbers, who wanted to delay the major's party so that it should miss the steamer for which it was aim- ing. The freight cars were piled up on the track in such a way that they could not be removed in a hurry. A wrecking train was sent for, and in less than four hours the track was clear and the impeded train moved on. But the loss of four hours was a very serious matter to Major Flagg, as it very evidently meant missing the connection with the steamship for Japan. Everybody but the major was in a state of excite- ment. He may have been in the same condition 51 52 A CLOSE SHAVE. internally, but on the outside a cucumber could not surpass him in coolness. The place where the train had stopped was several miles from a station, but, as they had all the com- forts of the superintendent's private car, this was a matter of no consequence in the way of food and lodging. The major wanted to telegraph to the agents of the steamship company at San Francisco, asking them to stop the vessel until the arrival of the train, and promising to pay all expenses. Jack climbed a telegraph pole and severed the wire in order to send the message, but after several attempts his face assumed a blank expression that caused Harry to ask what was the matter. "The wires are cut," said Jack, "and on both sides of us, too." “And you can't get a message to anybody?" "No," was the reply; "if they'd left one of the wires whole it wouldn't have mattered much, as I could have telegraphed round by Chicago, if neces- sary, and out over the Southern Pacific line. There's some mischief up, and I can't tell what it is." When the result of the effort to send a message was reported to the major, he told the youths not to trouble themselves, as he thought there would be a way out of the difficulty. Harry suggested that he and Jack would go on ahead of the train, and if they A CLOSE SHAVE. 53 found the break in the wires they would telegraph from there; if not, they would continue on till the train overtook and picked them up. This proposition was accepted, and one of the brakemen accompanied the youths, by instruction of the superintendent, for the special purpose of stop- ping the train when it approached them. They had a long walk and a fatiguing one, and when they found the spot where the wires were cut Jack had the same difficulty as at the scene of the robbery in making the operators believe he was any- thing else than an interloper. Precious minutes were lost in one way and another, and the message to the steamship agents did not reach them until after the steamer had started from her dock for the voyage across the Pacific. Just as this unwelcome news reached the youths, the train came thundering along, and was duly flagged by the brakeman who accompanied them. It only slacked its speed sufficiently to allow the party of pedestrians to spring on the steps of the cars, and then went on as swiftly as before. Jack and Harry made their report to the major of the result of the effort to telegraph to San Francisco and stop the steamer. The major was thoughtful for a moment, and then asked Jack if he was sure his message was understood. “Oh, yes, quite sure," was the reply. 54 A CLOSE SHAVE. "And they said the steamer had just gone?" "Yes, she hadn't been gone ten minutes; but you know the old adage: 'A miss is as good as a mile.'” "I guess it will be all right," exclaimed the major. "At any rate," he added, "we won't borrow trouble about it." Then he had a quiet little talk with the superin- tendent, and at the end of it he asked the conductor to have the baggage of the party ready so that it could be taken from the train as rapidly as possible after they reached Oakland, which is opposite San Francisco, and is the terminus of the railway. "2 "You crossed the ferry from New York to Jersey City to begin your journey across the continent,' said Fritz to Harry in explanation, "and you'll cross by the ferry from Oakland to San Francisco at the journey's end. There are three thousand four hundred miles of a railway line, with its ends hang- ing in the water.' At Oakland the baggage was handled very quickly and loaded on a van that was to carry it to the fer- ryboat. A small tug or tow-boat was lying at the wharf close to the ferry; the major saw it, and in less than a minute he had bargained to pay twenty- five dollars an hour for the boat as long as he chose to keep it in his employ. The baggage was literally thrown on board; the major and his companions thanked the superintendent and his amiable wife for A CLOSE SHAVE. 55 their politeness, and in a few moments the tug was snorting violently as she plowed through the waters of the bay of San Francisco. Wilson and the youths were puzzled. Could the major have been suddenly bereft of his senses? Was he intending to cross the Pacific in a tug, without provisions, water or anything for making a voyage of even a day's duration? The steamer had been gone two hours, and the attempt to stop her by telegraph had failed. By this time she was out of sight of land, or nearly so, and they could not even follow her as a guide. Beside, their boat could not live on the ocean, and they were absolutely without provisions or even a cabin large enough for all to sleep in at once. "What wharf do you want to stop at?" queried the captain of the tow-boat. "Don't want to stop at any wharf," was the reply. "Then you want to go on board a ship; what one shall I go to?" "The City of New York.' "She's sailed for Japan and China two hours ago." "All right; go after her." The captain began to think he was dealing with a madman, and had it not been that there were five persons in the party altogether, and none of the rest 56 A CLOSE shave. appeared insane, he would have turned about at once. "But I can't go after her very far," said he in reply. "I must stop somewhere to take coal, as I've only got enough to take me across the bay." "Well, I won't take you beyond the Heads," said the major; "but you may have to go that far." Then the captain explained that his coal wouldn't last even as far as the Heads, and he must stop some- where for a fresh supply. At this the major looked serious, and then asked: "How much do you consider this boat worth?" 'About seven thousand dollars." "And how much would it cost to give her a new cabin and upper works, supposing they were all burned away?" "I don't know exactly," said the captain musingly. "Perhaps fifteen hundred dollars." "Very well," said the major, "go ahead, and, if necessary, burn all her woodwork and reduce her to hull and engines, and when we part I'll pay you two thousand dollars if you say so." And to prove that he was not trying to play a trick the major produced the money and placed it in the captain's hands. Thereupon the stoker of the tug went to work with an ax, and the cabin was quickly, as Wilson expressed it, "knocked to smith- ereens," though when questioned by Harry he admit- A CLOSE SHAVE. 57 ted that he hadn't the least idea what a smithereen was. Away they went, passing Yerba Buena, or Goat Island, then Angel Island, and then Alcatraz, with its frowning fortress, and leaving the great city of the Golden Gate on their left. As they swept around the end of Alcatraz, about four miles from the entrance from the Pacific through the Golden Gate, Harry was the first to catch sight of the great steamship lying peacefully on the waters as though waiting their arrival. And that is exactly what she was doing. As she saw the tug approaching she lowered her gangway ladder. Half a dozen men came down to assist in passing up the baggage, and in less than five minutes the work of transferring to the City of New York was completed, and the steamer was under way with her prow in the direction of Japan. The captain of the tow-boat thought a thousand dollars would compensate him for all damage to the upper works of his craft, as he intended to put in at North Point and pick up a supply of coal before returning. So the major received back an even half of what he had placed in the captain's hands as a guarantee, and out of that amount he gave the cap- tain two notes of fifty dollars each, which he sug- gested might be souvenirs of an interesting episode in the history of the tug. 58 A CLOSE SHAVE. } * "But how did the major know the steamer was waiting for him?" was the question which ran in the minds of his companions. CHAPTER VII. OVER THE PACIFIC-HOW THE SPEED WAS INCREASED -AN ALARMING INCIDENT. WILSON told the major that they were unable to solve the riddle, and asked his assistance to do so. "That's easy enough," was the reply. "I knew I'd find the steamer there." "But how did you know it? Jack didn't get any such message." "Of course he didn't," responded Major Flagg, "but I simply guessed it.' There was a brief pause, and then he continued: 'The steamer had been gone ten minutes when they received Jack's message. Very well. The agent knew we wanted to catch her, and, as he is undoubt- edly a man of intelligence, he knew how much we've been talked about in the newspapers for the last two days. I felt sure he would telegraph to the Heads for them to signal to the steamer to stop; then he would send a boat on board with a message explain- ing why the order was given, and of course the steamer would wait for us, as an hour or two would make no great difference on her voyage. I 59 60 A CLOSE SHAVE. was counting on the intelligence and enterprise of an American steamship agent, and that's what I was talking about to the superintendent of the rail- way.' The major's explanation was appreciated by all the party, and not the least appreciative of them was Jack, who suggested that the stoppage of the train by the robbers was a good thing for them- selves, though not very profitable to those who stopped it. The fares of the travelers were paid for out of the supply of money in the major's satchel, rooms were quickly assigned, and the party settled down for a voyage across the Pacific. Harry and Jack watched the receding shores of America, which faded into a cloud-like line on the horizon as the sun went down and night settled over the ocean. In the morning no land was in sight; around all the curving rim of their area of vision sea and sky met in one unbroken circle. For the first time in their lives they realized what it was to be all at sea. Harry had been appointed time-keeper of the expe- dition, and as the journey began in the evening he made his record every day at sunset. For the first six days the account ran thus: “End of first day, approaching Chicago; second day, half way from Chicago to Omaha; third day, Grand Island, Nebraska; A CLOSE shave. 61 fourth day, between Green River and Evanston; fifth day, Granite Point, Nevada; sixth day, passed San Francisco and steaming on the Pacific Ocean." "Not a bad showing," said Jack, as Harry read over his notes on the first morning of their sea voyage. "We've had some close shaves, and several times it has looked as though we'd fail to connect with the steamer. I wonder how long it will take us to get to Japan?" "That's what we must find out," was the reply. "Here comes Mr. Wilson, and we'll get him to help us." Wilson had already investigated the subject, and found that the running time westward was nineteen days. "It is about four thousand seven hundred and fifty miles from San Francisco to Yokohama," said he, "by the course the steamer takes, and they run as nearly as they can at a speed of two hundred and fifty miles a day. They can do much better than this, but they don't care to, as the consumption of coal increases very rapidly in proportion as they increase the speed. On most steamships it will take twice as much coal to run twenty miles an hour as it will to run sixteen, and there are many steamers out of which you could n't get a speed of twenty miles, no matter how much coal you burn. One of the officers told me that the screw is now making forty- five revolutions a minute; sometimes when they are 62 A CLOSE SHAVE. going eastward with a cargo of new tea which they want to get to a port as soon as possible, they push the engines up to seventy-five revolutions a minute, and make the voyage in fourteen or fifteen days. But it costs a great deal of money to do this, and so they don't try it unless they have good reason. "The major's up to something," continued Wilson, "but I don't exactly know what. He's been talking with the captain and the engineer and the purser, and I shouldn't wonder if we saw the steamer increasing her speed before the day is out. It would be just like him to offer to pay for all the extra coal they would burn to increase the speed a mile or two miles an hour, pay a handsome bonus to the company, and a premium to the officers and crew for their extra exertions. We shall see what we shall see, as the old adage has it.” During this conversation the three friends had been leaning over the rail at the stern of the ship watch- ing the wake of foam raised by the screw as it whirled in the clear blue water of the Pacific. In a little while there was a perceptible increase in the width and length of this foaming wake, and as they turned toward the funnels they saw that the smoke was streaming from them in a greater volume than they had before observed. It was evident to them that the major's negotiations had not been without result. A CLOSE SHAVE. 63 For the exact character of these negotiations we refer our readers to the log-book of the steamer and the reports of her officers to the managers of the company. The log-book showed a run for the next twenty-four hours considerably greater than for the corresponding time on any previous voyage to the westward, and there was unusual activity, so the stewards said, both above and below the deck. Day by day Harry made his record; but as it simply included the number of miles accomplished and the latitude and longitude at the noon observa- tion, we will not attempt to repeat it. Not a vessel of any kind was sighted, and this we may remark, is the usual experience of travelers crossing the Pacific. That ocean is so vast and the craft that navigate it are so few compared with the North Atlantic that it well deserves the appellation of a trackless and sightless waste. One of the officers gave the youths an interesting reminiscence of the early days of the navigation of the Pacific by steamships. "When the Pacific Mail Company first started its trans-Pacific line," said he, "we used to arrange to meet midway in the ocean. Once a month a steamer left San Francisco for Yokohama, and, on the same day another left Yokohama for San Francisco. They took a course straight across, and so we knew exactly when and where we would meet. For a day : 64 A CLOSE SHAVE. or two before this everybody was busy writing let- ters to friends at home, and a prodigious quantity of ink was used up, not to mention paper and brains. On the day we were to meet everybody was on the lookout for the streak of smoke on the horizon that indicated the coming of the other ship. If the weather was fine we stopped within a hundred yards or so of each other, letter-bags and newspapers were exchanged, and then we went on again, each to his destination. But there were always some of our passengers who didn't like this sort of thing." "Who were they?" Harry asked. "I should think it would be pleasant for everybody, as it would break the monotony of the long voyage." "The stowaways didn't like it for a cent," was the reply; "they didn't like it for a cent because they were sent back to where they started from," said the officer, smiling at his own feeble joke. "We always have two or three stowaways on every trip, and formerly we used to trade them off when the steamers met and put them back to where they begun the voyage. When that became known we didn't have so many, but since we quit meeting in mid-ocean the number has increased. When they once get out of sight of land they know they're safe, though they have to work their passage in the furnace-room, which isn't any fun, you can bet." A CLOSE SHAVE. 65 San Francisco is in latitude thirty-eight degrees north, and Yokohama in latitude thirty-five degrees. In the early days the steamers ran on the thirty- seventh parallel, but at present every captain takes the route that suits him best. In winter the steam- ers cross the Pacific on the thirty-eighth parallel, or very nearly, but in summer they run to the north- ward, and for a week or more are fully fifty degrees from the equator, in order to take advantage of the great circle and make the shortest course. So it was in the present instance, and on the third day at sea our friends were shivering in the frosty air, and required all the warm clothing they had brought along. Day by day they steamed onward and the youths were congratulating themselves that they would reach Yokohama two or three days ahead of the regular time and astonish everybody in that famous Japanese port. They arranged a small wager as to who should be the first to catch a glimpse of Fusiyama, whose white cone pushes far into the sky and is a familiar object in pictures of Japanese scenery. Then they studied the map of Asia to form plans for the rest of the journey, and wondered how near the plans would come to the reality. One evening, just as they were going to bed after a late promenade on deck, they were engaged at their 5 66 A CLOSE SHAVE. usual occupation of building castles in the air. Harry had previously entered the last twenty-four hours' run, and noted that they were then at the end of the eighteenth day from New York. All at once there was a tremor of the ship from stem to stern, and the great craft was shaken so that the boys were fairly thrown from their feet. There was running to and fro on the deck, orders were shouted in the loudest tones, the trembling of the ship continued and the engines came to a sudden stop. Harry and Jack rushed to the deck along with the other passengers, many of them only scantily clad, each and every one asking what had happened, and most of them in great alarm. CHAPTER VIII. THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT-"THE SHIP IS SINKING." SOME of the passengers had buckled on life-preserv- ers and made the best preparations they could for a serious accident. One man was clad only in a night- shirt and two life-preservers; in this odd toilet he ran furiously about, and was only prevented from jumping overboard by the earnest efforts of those with cooler heads. Another had mistaken a pillow for a life-preserver, and presented a ludicrous appearance with that article fastened around his waist by means of a red sash that he had purchased a few days before from one of the Chinese passengers in the steerage. Another had thrust his legs through the sleeves of a dressing-gown, mistaking it for his trousers; he seemed to be greatly troubled that he could not make the garment fit properly at the waist, and also because he could not find the suspenders to hold it in place over his shoulders. 67 68 A CLOSE shave. Still another had brought up a water pitcher, the first article he was able to lay hands on, under the vague impression that it would serve to keep him afloat when the ship should go down. Harry and Jack donned all their customary gar- ments, and so did Wilson, who followed close behind them as they ascended the cabin stairs. The major did not make his appearance, but summoned Fritz to go on deck and see what all the fuss was about, and then report to him with the particulars. "We're lost! We're lost!" shouted the man with the water-pitcher as he frantically waved it above his head. "Where are we? Where are we?" queried he of the dressing-gown, as he struggled with the ample folds that encumbered his waist and would not get into their proper place. Another asked where they'd gone ashore; another suggested that they'd run into a ship or been run into; one man thought they had been blown up by dynamite or gunpowder, and another was sure the boilers had blown up. One of our young friends suggested that probably the ship had struck a shoal, and, therefore, whatever the ultimate peril, there was no immediate danger of sinking. This was a reassuring idea and was eagerly seized by some of the listeners, though by no means A CLOSE SHAVE. 69 was it unanimous. There was too much excitement for any calm consideration of the state of affairs. Harry added that they had better wait and see, and said that as soon as the officers had ascertained the cause of the accident they would make it known to the passengers. Jack and Wilson joined their efforts to his, and together they managed to secure something like order in the course of the next five or ten minutes. "We're still afloat, that's certain," said Harry, as he called attention to the motion of the vessel under the slight rolling of the waters in that long swell peculiar to the Pacific. "Yes," added Jack; "and I don't see any signs that we're sinking, so the ship is safe for awhile, any- how." A boat was lowered, and the men pulled away into the darkness ahead of the great hull that lay with- out any progress, now that the engines were still. Everybody watched and listened, and for a time hardly a sound could be heard save the roaring of the steam from the escape-pipe, which the engineer had opened to prevent too great a pressure upon the boilers that no longer supplied vapor to the engines. Yes, there was another sound. Off in the darkness there was something like the splash and roar of breakers that caused more than one of the alarmed passengers to believe they had gone ashore, and were 70 A CLOSE shave. hopelessly wrecked where no relief was likely to reach them. And, very strangely, the sound was not only before them but on each side and astern. To judge by the noise that came to their ears, they were in the midst of breakers and escape was hopeless. Several rounded rocks were visible at intervals, and some of them were close to the steamer. The boat was gone for twenty or thirty minutes, but the time seemed as many hours to the waiting and anxious passengers. When it came back they all crowded to the rail, and the majority of them felt that they had been personally insulted when the officer who had commanded it went straight to the bridge and reported to the captain without stopping first to inform them of the cause of the accident. But they had not long to wait, as he soon descended to the deck and announced that they were in no danger. "Have we gone ashore?" asked at least a dozen, almost in the same breath. "Not a bit of it," was the reassuring reply. "There's two miles of water under us, and no shore within five hundred miles." "Has the other ship sunk?" was the next ques- tion. "There isn't any other ship-anyhow, none that I know of." "What have we run into, then?" A CLOSE SHAVE. 71 "We've run into a school of whales," said the officer, "and there's a lot of 'em, enough to make the fortune of a dozen whaleships if they could catch 'em all. There's two dead whales out there that we cut into, and the sea all round here is full of 'em." “But there are breakers all round us," said one of the timid ones; "we all heard them while you were away with the boat." 'There isn't a breaker within days and days of us," was the reply. What you heard was the splashing and spouting of the whales." "But I saw some rocks, I'm sure," persisted the passenger, who was evidently very fixed in his opinion. "Your rocks are nothing but whales' backs, replied the officer, "and that's the kind of rocks you've got on. They're not nice things for a ship to run foul of, but there's a big difference between 'em and real rocks." Fritz heard the officer's explanation of the trouble and duly reported to the major. The latter listened through the narrative and was far less excited about it than was the servant. Then he briefly said "All right,” and Fritz discreetly retired while his master turned on his side and went to sleep again. It is related of the major that he was once asleep in a hotel, the room assigned to him being number one hundred and fifty. About four o'clock in the 72 A CLOSE SHAVE. morning he was awakened by a vigorous thumping on the door, and as he did not respond immediately it was unceremoniously broken in. "What's the matter?" said the major, slowly rais- ing his head. "Git up, sah! Git up, sah! Right away, sah! House afire, sah. Fire got to number hundred already!" said a colored porter, his eyes half start- ing out of his head. "All right," was the calm reply; "when the fire gets to number hundred forty-five call me again, and bring my boots and a cup of coffee." The passengers quieted down a good deal after the reassuring information by the officer, but they were so thoroughly wakened that nobody thought of going to sleep again. The thinly clad ones went below and donned their ordinary apparel; the man with the water-pitcher and also he with the pillow around his waist did not show up again on deck for some time, and when they did appear they had doffed their ornamental equipments. The life-pre- servers were temporarily laid aside, but their late wearers did not consider it judicious to have them out of reach. Who could tell what the morrow would bring forth? At best the situation was an unpleasant one. It was quite possible that the steamer had sustained injuries to hull or machinery, or both, in her encoun- A CLOSE SHAVE. 73 ter with the whales; the engines were without motion, and no report had been given as to their condition. In answer to a question one of the officers said the engineer was below, and they hadn't yet heard from him. "Why doesn't he go ahead, then," queried the passenger, "if the engines are all right?" "The whales are so thick he's afraid of breaking the ship all to pieces," said another; "at least that's what it may be." The officers left them. The passengers who had come on deck assembled in a group near the cabin gangway, discussing the accident and the probabili- ties concerning it. A serious question was as to what might happen on the morrow, and especially what would be the conduct of that immense school of whales when they saw the bodies of their dead comrades and the great monster that had killed them. "Who knows but they'll pitch into the ship?" said one. "That's all nonsense," replied another; "whales don't do that sort of thing." "You're wrong there," was the reply; "whales attack boats, and ships too; I've read about it, and the ships were sunk." "Where were the ships and what were their names?” 74 A CLOSE SHAVE. "I can't remember, but I know it's so." Harry came to the aid of the last speaker by tell- ing him the names of the two ships that had been attacked and sunk by whales. "They were," said he, "the Essex and the Union, the former in the Pacific ocean and the latter in the Atlantic. The Essex was stove in by a whale that her boats had been fighting, and she sunk in a few hours. The crew escaped in three boats; one of them was never heard from, and more than half the men in the other boats died of thirst and starvation. As for the Union-" The story was interrupted by one of the passen- gers, who came running aft with his hair on end and his face so pale that it made a spot in the night. "We're sinking!" said he; "we're sinking! They've just been sounding the well. I saw them doing it, and heard the officer say there was ten feet of water in it!" CHAPTER IX. THE SHIP SAFE-HOW HARRY AND JACK PRESERVED IT FROM DESTRUCTION. THIS was an alarming piece of information, and consternation reigned again among those who heard it. Some ran one way and some another, while several of them stood with pale cheeks, wondering what they should do. “Are you sure of it?" said one of the party, as he turned to the man who had brought the terrible news. "Sure of it! I saw them sounding the well, and wasn't three yards from the officer when he said there were ten feet of water. Just think of it! Ten feet in so short a time! The ship can't float through the night; we'll be at the bottom before morning." Jack and Harry went forward and soon returned with an explanation that quieted the fears of the timorous ones. It was not the well that was being sounded to ascertain if the ship had sprung a leak, but a tank 75 76 A CLOSE SHAVE. containing fresh water for the use of passengers and crew. Ordinarily the daily supply of water was obtained by condensing the exhaust steam from the engines; most modern steamships are supplied in that way, as it is found preferable to carrying a large quantity in tanks and casks, but there are certain tanks where water is stored for use in emergencies. In case it becomes necessary to put out the fires from any cause, this stored water is brought into use. As it might be necessary to put out the fires in the present instance, one of the first things to be looked after was the supply of water. The engineer reported a derangement to the engine that would take several hours to repair. A connect- ing rod had broken in consequence of the shock at the time of the collision with the whales, and the damage would need to be repaired before the engines could operate again. The assistant engineers were set to work immediately, and orders were given to let the fires go down, as there would be no need of them until the restoration of the machinery was completed. There was a question whether the screw had been injured by contact with the whales; the engineer said it sometimes happened that one or more of the blades of the screw were broken off by hitting against a whale, and he mentioned the experience of one of the Cunard steamers whose screw was rendered use- A CLOSE SHAVE. 77 less in this way. She was steaming along on her voyage from Liverpool to New York; when she was not far from the coast of Ireland, her propeller struck against a whale with such violence that two blades were broken off. She managed to get to Queenstown, where the passengers were placed on another ship. The whale was found dead the next day with a gash about twenty feet long and five or six feet deep in his side. It was bad for the steamer but worse for the whale. That reminded some of his listeners of the answer of George Stephenson, the builder of the first locomo- tive, when somebody asked him what would happen in case a cow should get on the track and be in the way of his engine. With his broad Scotch accent Stephenson replied: "It would be bad for the coo." The mention of the whales brought back the sub- ject of Harry's interrupted story of how the whale- ship Union was destroyed by one of the monsters of the deep. He was asked to continue the story, which he did as follows: "She sailed from Nantucket under command of Captain Gardiner, and it was his first voyage as master. Twelve days out from port the forward watch one night saw a sperm whale coming, head on, straight for the ship; there was no way of avoiding the blow, and it stove in the bows of the 78 A CLOSE SHAVE. Union with such force as to knock every man who was below clear out of his berth. The ship began to fill and the captain put all the crew into three boats, with such water and provisions as they could hastily pick up. The next morning he gathered them all into two boats, but long before he did so the ship had gone down into the depths of the ocean, leaving them afloat about seven hundred miles from the Azores, which were the nearest land." "Did they get safe to shore?" some one asked. "Eight days after the accident they reached the Azores; they had suffered much from exposure, hunger and thirst, but not a life was lost, and as soon as the captain got home the owners gave him another ship. After that he went to sea for twenty years as master, and had a good many narrow escapes." Stories of whaling experiences followed, and some of them were more interesting than veracious. Harry and Jack had been reading about the whale fishery, and it was admitted by the listeners that their stories were ahead of the majority of the others. Harry told about the champion harpooner of New Bedford, who used to throw a harpoon clear through a whale so that it came out on the other side, and sometimes when he had two whales in range he would fasten them together with a single harpoon, A CLOSE SHAVE. 79 throwing the iron through one and well into the flesh of the second. Jack followed with the account of a whale that had so successfully defended himself against a great many attacks that he was finally so completely filled with harpoons, which had been lost in him, that at a little distance he seemed to be covered with large bristles or stubble. Another passenger assayed the narrative of the sailor that was swallowed by an old whale, and on looking around in the inside of his stomach found an inscription on one of the bones which read, "Jonah, B. C. 1683." He was going on to tell how the sailor nauseated the whale by sprinkling tobacco along the stomach floor and thus caused himself to be thrown on shore, when somebody called out: "Castanea vesca!" "What's the meaning of that?" queried the teller of the story. "Chestnut!" was the laconic reply, whereupon the anecdote came to a sudden termination. Some went to bed after awhile, but others remained on deck till daylight. When day broke the horizon, as far as the eye could reach, was dotted and stippled with whales. Harry said it was hard to say whether there were more whales than water in sight; and Jack insisted that all the cetaceans of the Pacific ocean had assembled for a presidential convention. 80 A CLOSE SHAVE. For the exact description of the scene we refer to Wilson's note-book and the memoranda written on the spot: "There must have been several thousands of whales in sight at once. They came around the ship and looked at us, and several times acted as though they would show fight; doubtless they would have done so had it not been for Harry and Jack, who managed to draw away their attention, and they managed it so well that the whole immense school was coaxed off and we were saved. There are a lot of Japanese curios on board which are being sent back because they wouldn't sell in San Francisco. Harry was allowed to look them over by the man who has charge of them, and yester- day he came across a balloon, about ten feet long, made in the shape of a fish. He bought the baloon, intending to let it off among the birds to-day, and he and Jack rigged up an arrangement for making gas to fill it with. "Early this morning they began to fill it, and just as the whales seemed to have made up their minds to attack the ship in revenge for having killed two of their number, Harry remembered something about an old adage which speaks of throwing a tub to amuse a whale. 'Why not amuse these whales with the balloon?' he asked of Jack, and they agreed to try it. A CLOSE SHAVE. 81 "When they got the balloon filled, they fastened a large billet of wood to it and let go. It couldn't raise the wood as it hadn't lifting power enough, but it dragged it through the water with the force of the gentle breeze which came up with the sun. The whales were astonished to see a fish going through the air, and they forgot all about the ship in their eagerness to look at it. They followed it as a procession on St. Patrick's day follows the green flag, and as the balloon drifted away to leeward, every marine mother's son of 'em fell into line and went after it. In two hours after that balloon was launched there wasn't a whale to be seen, excepting the two dead ones you know about. "We are saved by the ingenuity of these boys, and if we ever get to land we shall pass resolutions, and give them suitable testimonials by which they will long remember our gratitude. "" The repairs to the engine consumed the greater part of that day until well along in the afternoon. At the suggestion of a passenger one of the whales was brought alongside, and a hundred tons or more of blubber (the fat skin from which the oil is taken) were secured below for use as fuel, to help out the supply of coal. None of the officers or crew had ever served on board of whale ships, neither had any of the pas- sengers, but the studies of Harry on the subject of 6 82 A CLOSE SHAVE. whale fishery gave a good idea how to proceed. Whenever the youth found himself at fault, he ran below and refreshed his memory by a glance at the pages of the volume from which his information had been drawn. CHAPTER X. A NEW KIND OF FUEL-CAUGHT IN A TYPHOON. WE fastened some large meat-choppers to the ends of poles," said Jack, in describing their performances with the dead whales, "and thus made the long- handled chisels used by whalemen. Then we chopped into the dead whale that lay alongside, and started a strip of blubber just back of his eye, and as soon as it was started one of the sailors went down and hooked in the end of a tackle. I wouldn't have been that sailor for a good deal. "In the first place the back of a whale isn't good standing ground. You could n't stay there ten see- onds with boots on, and at Harry's suggestion the sailor covered his feet with old woolen stockings, and he had three or four stockings on each loot. Then he was lowered down by what the sailors call a monkey-rope tied under his arms, and four or five men stood there to hoist away whenever the signal was given. "The whale bobbed up and down in the swell of the sea so that the man had to work with his feet in 83 84 A CLOSE SHAVE. the water about half the time. And it wasn't a bit safe in the water, as the sea was full of sharks that had been attracted by the smell of blood. Ordinarily you don't see many sharks in the Pacific, but when- ever a whale is killed they seem to spring up as if by magic. We hadn't seen one for days until we got among the whales and then the water was full of 'em. And they weren't small sharks, either, but great fellows that wouldn't have made any bones of swallowing a man if they got hold of him. They weren't after us particularly, but were hungry for blubber, and probably anything edible would have been blubber to them. "Once the sailor slipped off the whale's back and a shark was after him in a second, but the officer on the watch shouted to the fellows with the monkey- rope and they hauled away so as to fetch him out and up with a jerk. It was a close shave, and if it hadn't been that the shark has his mouth set low down under his jaw and was obliged to turn on his back to make a bite he would have had one of the man's legs, sure, if not the whole of him. "After a while the sailors thought they would have some fun with the sharks, and so they heated a brick red-hot at the cook's galley and then put it inside a chunk of blubber and tossed the chunk overboard. A shark took it down in a gulp, and in a little while, when the heat of the brick got through the blubber, A CLOSE SHAVE. 85 he began to dance and whirl around at a great rate. His agony must have been terrible, and I couldn't bear to look at it; as for the sailors, they enjoyed the performance, as they regard the shark as their natural enemy and are willing to inflict any punish- ment on him that they can. "The shark is certainly the most pitiless creature that swims or lives, with the possible exception of the crocodile or the alligator, and some of the mem- bers of the snake family. I haven't any sympathy or friendship for him, you may be sure, but I can't endure the sight of suffering in any living thing. "So I told the sailors I'd show them a more merci- ful way of killing a shark, and one that would have as much fun about it. I filled a two-ounce vial with gunpowder, put a piece of Chinese punk in the neck of the vial, and, after setting the punk on fire, put the vial in the middle of a chunk of blubber and tossed it overboard. "A shark took the blubber down at a single mouthful, as I knew he would, and then he swam around among the rest of them, looking for more. We kept on feeding them with pieces of blubber, partly to attract him and his friends from where the men were at work, and partly so as to keep that particular one in sight when the explosion should come off. 86 A CLOSE SHAVE. } "Well, it must have been ten minutes before the. punk got to the powder, but when it reached it there was a regular Fourth of July in that creature's stomach. There wasn't any preliminary trembling as we read about in earthquakes and other convul- sions of nature, but a regular blowing-up and that was all. The shark was on the surface of the water with his back fin just in sight above it; that back fin and the back with it rose right up in the air and fell away to one side. There was a lot of smoke and then the body of the shark was floating on the water. He ceased to be of any further use as a shark and couldn't have harmed a fly. It is not likely he ever knew what hurt him, as there is no reason to believe that he had heard of Berthold Schwartz and his invention of gunpowder five hundred years ago. "The other sharks were scared for a moment, but if you think they were paralyzed or anything like it, you are mistaken. They went off just a little way till the smoke had disappeared and then came back to see what had happened. When they saw their late associate lying there, a shapeless mass, they went at him, and in five minutes there wasn't so much as a scrap of him left. This is the way of the shark and some other inhabitants of the sea; when one of their number is wounded they rush upon him and kill him, and as he isn't good for anything after 1 A CLOSE SHAVE. 87 his death, except for food, why they just turn in and eat him. "But I'm getting away from the 'cutting in' of the whale. When the strip of blubber was started it was hauled in by the windlass as far as the tackle would carry it, and then another tackle was made fast lower down. The strip was cut off just above the second tackle and lowered down below, and then the operation was repeated until we had all we wanted on board. The blubber was peeled off in a long strip from the whale, just as you would peel an apple, and the great carcass turned over and over while the 'blanket,' as the whalemen call it, was unwound. When we had all we wanted we cast the carcass loose and it slowly drifted away followed by all the troop of sharks and the myriads of sea birds that had gathered for a share in the feast.' Some of our readers may wonder of what use the blubber of a whale would be as fuel for a steamship. The blubber is a sort of thick skin containing fat, and in a large whale is from eighteen to fifty inches in thickness. It is not unlike the "clear pork" of the hog, and travelers on the Mississippi river are well aware that hogs make excellent fuel for a steamboat, especially when it is desired to run fast in order to beat a rival craft. The engineer of the steamship said the blubber of the whale would be excellent to mix with the coal; it was cut up into lumps of a 88 A CLOSE SHAVE. cubic foot or so and tossed into the furnaces along with the coal, where it made a fierce fire and sent the ship along in fine style. The great quantity of oil in the blubber made it an economical kind of fuel, in view of the fact that it had cost nothing except the work of getting it on board and the scouring of the decks that was afterward requisite in order to remove the traces of the not altogether cleanly work. In due time the engines were in order and the City of New York resumed her voyage. The loss of time had made the major somewhat uneasy, but not half so much so as it did his companions, at least to out- ward appearances. Wilson paced the deck in a very unhappy frame of mind, and suggested that if he only had sufficient strength in his arms he would go below and turn the engines himself rather than that the voyage should be interrupted. Harry and Jack were equally on the alert, and if anything had been proposed that could accelerate their movements they would have jumped to it at once. But they could do nothing and consequently nothing was done. Under the influence of her new fuel the ship went gaily along, and the youths con- soled themselves with the reflection that, after all they would reach Yokohama very nearly within the time they had counted upon, as their gain after the A CLOSE SHAVE. 89 incident of the whales had made up for a consider- able part of the lost time. They were already begin- ning to count the hours that would elapse before they would be in port, when there came a new turn to affairs. Harry observed that the sky was more overcast than usual and the wind was increasing. The officers appeared to be out of sorts about something, and in response to several questions they gave only the briefest answers. Every little while there came a sprinkling of rain, which at first didn't amount to much, but after a while became so severe as to sug- gest the necessity of waterproof garments, or a retirement to shelter in the cabin. Harry went below to get his rain-coat, and as he did so he gave a casual glance at the barometer which hung in the gangway. A single glance told him the story. The barometer had tumbled rapidly since he looked at it a few hours before; a rapid fall in the barometer in that part of the world presages something serious. Jack followed close on Harry's heels, and the two reached their room together. "We're in for it now," said Harry. "What do you mean?" “We're in for a typhoon. "What makes you think so?" 90 A CLOSE SHAVE. Because the glass has been falling very fast, the sky is like lead, rain is beginning to fall and the officers are as grumpy as though they had been ordered to attend their own funerals within forty- eight hours." "Won't that be fun?" said Jack. "I was afraid we wouldn't have a storm all the way over the Pacific.' "I don't see the fun in it," replied Harry, "espe- cially as it may delay us in our journey and make our uncle lose his wager about his trip round the world. Besides, there's a good deal of danger in a typhoon, and many a ship that goes into one never comes out." On second thoughts Jack was not half so keen for a typhoon as he had been at first, and before ten minutes had gone by he very much wished he were anywhere else than there. But wishing could do no good, and, donning his waterproof overcoat, he joined his cousin and went to the deck again. CHAPTER XI. THROUGH THE STORM-A WRECK-NEW PASSENGERS. WILSON came on deck about the same time, and as soon as he joined the youths he confirmed their fears by telling them that a typhoon was coming, in fact it was then upon them. "You see," said he, "the wind is now blowing very hard, and almost takes you from your feet; well, if we get right in the strong part of the typhoon, we'll have a wind compared to which the one we are now experiencing is the merest zephyr.' "Will it blow the hair off the back of a dog?" queried Jack, adding that he had heard so. "That's what the sailors say," Wilson answered, "and I've heard them declare that it often tore out a man's shoestrings and shaved his beard as clean as though he had been in the hands of a barber in a penitentiary. I've heard an old sailor tell how he had seen a typhoon that blew the sea away and left the ground bare for miles and miles; it carried whales up into the air, not the biggest ones, but ordinary fifty and sixty-barrel whales, that were as helpless in • 91 92 A CLOSE SHAVE. the grasp of the wind as they would have been in the Niagara whirlpool. "But, really," he continued, "it does blow so hard in a typhoon that the waves can't form against it, and the surface of the water is blown nearly smooth. Their crests are carried away before they can rise to a height that amounts to anything. It is a fort- unate thing that this happens, for no ship in the world could stand the effect of a typhoon and a heavy sea at the same time. "A cyclone in the Western hemisphere is a typhoon in the Eastern one; the name comes from two Japanese words, 'ty foon' which mean 'high wind.' 'Ty' means high or great, and 'foon' is the Japanese for wind. "The typhoon is a whirlwind on an enormous scale; it is from two hundred to five hundred miles in diameter, and is strongest near the center, where there is generally a calm. It moves along the surface of the earth at the same time that it whirls. Ships usually endeavor to get to the outer circle of a typhoon, and sometimes when they find they have come within the reach of one they steer at right angles to the direction of the wind." Jack ran to the binnacle and found that the steamer's course had been changed a few points, and the wind was on her starboard beam. A CLOSE SHAVE. 93 "That's the correct thing," said Wilson, "the captain knows what he is about. In the Northern hemisphere the rule is to keep the wind on the star- board, and in the Southern hemisphere to keep it on the port side." "Why do they do that?" "Because the southern typhoon or cyclone whirls in exactly the opposite direction; here it goes the same as the hands of a watch, while in the South it is like setting your watch back." "How funny!" exclaimed Jack. Every minute the wind increased, and soon the water began to come on deck in masses that seemed to be lifted out by the wind. The captain gave orders for the passengers to go below, and very reluctantly the youths disappeared down the cabin stairs. The clouds were thick, rain was falling pretty heavily, and altogether it was much safer and far more comfortable in the shelter of the cabin. Nevertheless, Harry and Jack didn't like the idea of missing the sight, which is an interesting though a dangerous one. The ship labored a good deal in spite of the absence of a heavy sea, her laboring being due mainly to the force of the wind. She heeled steadily over on the port side, and every little while a huge mass of water swept over her that would have made it very dangerous for any one but a thorough sailor to 94 A CLOSE SHAVE. be on deck. When the sailors moved about they kept constantly hold of something, and the officers on the bridge lashed themselves, so that a sea break- ing over that part of the vessel would not carry them adrift. For several hours this sort of thing continued, and there was a frequent consultation of the barometer in the gangway. After a time it ceased to fall; it remained stationary, then it began to rise, and then the passengers were informed that the danger was past, and the worst of the typhoon was over. As the barometer foretells the coming of a storm, so it foretells the cessation of it. "It's a shame to keep us here below deck," said Jack; "if the steamer should go down there would n't be any chance for us." "We'd be better off here than on deck," responded the major, who heard the remark of his nephew. "How so?" "Because we would be drowned sooner, and wouldn't have the agony of floating in the water. When a ship is lost in a typhoon nobody escapes, at least I've never heard of anybody getting away." This was a philosophical way of regarding it, and though nobody received the suggestion favorably, there was no comment upon the subject. The major added that he hoped nothing of the kind would occur, Page Missing in Original Volume Page Missing in Original Volume A CLOSE SHAVE. 97 had been passengers on the unfortunate schooner. The officer who commanded the boat reported that the captain of the schooner said he would rig up jury-masts and try to get into Yokohama; it was about the end of the typhoon season, and this was probably the last one until next year, the wind would be favorable, and the coast was not far away. His crew would stay with him, and he would be greatly obliged if the captain of the steamer would take the three passengers that came in the boat. In two minutes the boat swung at the davits, and the steamer was on her course again. The major had been an attentive listener to the dialogue between the officer and the captain, and, had the latter evinced the slightest inclination to tow the wreck to port, Major Flagg was prepared to offer a sum equal to all the salvage if he would leave her alone, also to pay the Englishman the full value of his craft. Happily no such liberality was required, and the only thing to regret was the loss of half an hour or so, in the time required to send the boat and bring it back. Of course this was not objected to, as the major was as full of the milk of human kindness as anybody else, and would have lost his wager rather than anybody's life should be endangered. Curiosity was aroused as to who and what were the three passengers. We shall see. 7 CHAPTER XII. THE MYSTERY OF THE NEW ARRIVALS-THE COAST OF JAPAN-MISSING THE MAIL STEAMER. THEY were in a sadly dilapidated condition as the water had make a clean break over the schooner after the wind had dismasted her; the cabin had been filled with water and the whole party narrowly missed going to the bottom of the Pacific. They were devoutly thankful for their escape and spoke warmly in praise of their captain, who had shown the most undaunted courage throughout the storm and persuaded his crew to remain with him, in the fullest confidence of being able to reach Yokohama, as the entrance of the bay where that city is located was estimated to be little more than two hundred miles away. C Through the kindness of the officers of the City of New York and her passengers the three shipwrecked travelers were furnished with dry clothing, the ladies on board the steamer providing abundantly for the one of their sex while the masculine passengers cared for the others. 98 A CLOSE SHAVE. 99 The transformation was a remarkable one, especially with the addition of a well cooked and bountiful meal which had been ordered as soon as the boat left the schooner's side. Major Flagg told Fritz to ascertain if there was anything that his party, could do for the unfortunates, and to do it at once without waiting for orders. The new arrivals were allowed to be very much by themselves until evening, when they joined the pas- sengers in the saloon by invitation of the captain of the steamer. With a little encouragement they told about their experience in the storm, and also where they had come from on the schooner that so narrowly missed being their coffin. The rescued woman was not far from twenty- five years of age; at least so thought the major, but as she did not volunteer any information on that subject, and politeness forbids one to ask the ques- tion, it remained entirely a matter of conjecture. One of the men was not far from forty, while the other, who turned out to be the brother of the woman, was about twenty. The elder man was English, while the woman and her brother were Russian, though both spoke the English language almost as fluently as their native tongue. It is hardly fair to make the latter assertion, as there was nobody on board who could test them in Russian, and consequently their abilities in that line could 100 A CLOSE SHAVE. not be determined. But they spoke English fluently, and that's sufficient for our purpose. at They had embarked on the schooner Petropaulovski, in Kamchatka, and met with no incident of moment until overtaken by the typhoon. Hong Kong was their destination, at least that was where the schooner was bound, but under the circum- stances she would now seek the nearest port, which happened to be Yokohama. As the time of her arrival would be uncertain and provisions might run short, the passengers were very glad to change to the steamer, and were willing to be put on shore wherever the captain chose to land them. As for Hayden, the Englishman, he was willing to go anywhere, and it made no difference to him whether he reached Hong Kong that season or the next. At any rate that was what he pretended, but it was observed that he was not on specially friendly terms with his companions in misfortune, though on the other hand there was no evidence of actual hos- tility. Apparently there was a mystery about the party which could not be penetrated at once. "There's something wrong somewhere," said Harry to Jack, as soon as they reached the deck after the scene in the saloon was over. "So I think," was the reply, "but what it is I can't guess just now." A CLOSE SHAVE. 101 "Nor I, either," answered Harry; "and the time's so short we shan't be likely to find out before the end of the voyage." "I wouldn't wonder if there's been some running away or perhaps a crime committed that they're trying to conceal," Harry continued. "You know Kamchatka is in Siberia, and Siberia is where the Russians send their exiles. Perhaps these two Russians are exiles who've run away from the country by the connivance of the captain of the schooner."" "Yes, that may be so," said Jack, with emphasis, as the new light opened upon him. "I've read of such things. Perhaps they're members of some great family, and we're entertaining titled personages without knowing it. "Yes, who knows?" responded his cousin; "but I wish we could find out. The old adage says, 'Where there's a will there's a way,' and if the way waits on our will, we'll have the secret before we get to port." "But what do you think of the Englishman?" interposed Jack, "and what's he got to do with the Russians, anyway?" "That's another part of the mystery, and if you'll try for that, I'll make an effort to sound the young Russian. He's so near our age that we ought to get acquainted with them without much trouble." 102 A CLOSE SHAVE. "Yes: but who's to cultivate the young man's sister?" "Leave her to Mr. Wilson," replied Harry; "he's the lady's man of our party, and I'm sure he'll enjoy cultivating her acquaintance. See, he's already doing so." As he spoke he pointed to the saloon gangway, where Wilson had just appeared with the heroine of the shipwreck. The boys were too well bred to remain within hearing distance when they could avoid doing so, and consequently we have no report of the conversation during the promenade which occupied the next half hour. But we violate no con- fidence in saying that it was devoted more to becom ing acquainted, than to any effort on the part of Wilson to ascertain the history of his fair companion, and how she happened to be a passenger on a schooner from Kamchatka to Hong Kong. It may interest some of our readers to know that Petropaulovski is out of the ordinary line of travel, and no steamers or other craft make regular visits to . the port. During the winter months it is completely closed by ice; in summer a few sailing vessels, less than a dozen in all, call there for trading purposes to carry goods for the local merchants, and to bring away the furs and other products of the country that have been collected. Occasionally a Russian war vessel puts in an appearance, and then there. is A CLOSE SHAVE. 103 great rejoicing among the two or three hundred people who make the place their home. It is a curious circumstance that the first voyage from Petropaulovski to a foreign port was made under the Polish flag. It was in 1771, and occurred in this way: There were many Polish exiles in Kamchatka at the time, and one day several of them seized a small vessel that was in the harbor, and under the leader- ship of one Benyowski they put to sea. There were no nautical instruments of any kind on board the vessel, and even had there been any they would have been useless, as nobody in the party had any knowl- edge of navigation. Nevertheless, they managed to get away safely, and, after touching at Japan and Loo Choo for water and provisions, they ultimately reached the Portuguese port of Macao, near Canton, after suffering great hardships. But to return to our narrative. The morning after the incident of the rescue, on the seventeenth day of the voyage and the twenty-third of the jour- ney, the steamer sighted Mount Fusiyama, the great landmark for mariners nearing the eastern coast of Japan in the direction of Yokohama. The snow- covered peak seemed to pierce the sky, and our young friends readily recognized it as an old friend from having seen it so frequently in Japanese pictures. 104 A CLOSE SHAVE. Harry was the first of the youths to catch sight of it, though it had been visible to the sailors some time before and also to some of the other passengers. There it stood straight ahead of them, and the exact- ness with which the steamer's course had been laid was a wonder to Harry and Jack. "Just think of it," said Harry. "When we left San Francisco, nearly five thousand miles away, the captain steered for this mountain, and in spite of all the fog and wind, and the storm that might have sent us to the bottom of the ocean, he has kept his course and brought the ship exactly where he intended." "That's all due to the science of navigation," replied Jack, "and it seems to me one of the most exact sciences that could be devised." "If I didn't know it was science and the result of mathematical calculations," was the reply, "I should think it was the work of a magician. It seems to be wonderfully like what they call the black art, but of course it isn't anything of the kind." Early in the afternoon the steamer was off Cape King, near the entrance of Yedo Bay, on which Yokohama and Tokio were situated, and soon afterward it turned around Mcla Cape and entered Uraga Channel, which connects the bay with the ocean. A CLOSE SHAVE. 105 Everybody was on deck, and it was noticeable that Major Flagg was more than ordinarily interested in the situation. He cared little, however, for the coast Scenery of the Land of the Rising Sun and the junks and other native craft that covered the waters, but was especially interested in obtaining information from the steam launch that came alongside bringing the pilot. As the pilot mounted to the deck the major stepped to his side and asked when the P. & O. mail steamer for Hong Kong would leave. "She's gone already," was the reply. "She passed Cape Sagani two hours ago, and that's her smoke you can just see on the southern horizon." Cape Sagani is the point which is turned by vessels pro- ceeding southward as they leave Yedo Bay. Here was a sad blow to the major's hopes. It was to catch this steamer that he had accelerated the progress of the City of New York in the way we have described, and but for the accident with the whales he would have succeeded. CHAPTER XIII. THE MAJOR'S NEW PLAN-WORKING THE JAPANESE TELEGRAPH. WHEN the major asked for the P. & O. steamer, he referred to the mail packet of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which has its headquarters in London, and is one of the largest and most powerful steamship companies in the world. Its vessels ply from England to India, China, Japan, and Australia, where they are well known in all the principal ports. The company was formed in 1840 with two steam- ers, of sixteen hundred tons burden; at present it has a fleet of sixty or more first-class steamers, some of them of five or six thousand tons burden, and running at a speed hardly dreamed of at the inception of the company. It gives employment to more than twelve thousand persons on its vessels, and nearly as many on shore. The P. & O. Company works harmoniously with the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, better known to English-speaking people in the Orient as 106 A CLOSE SHAVE. 107 the "French Mail," and it-the M. M.-is to France what the P. & O. Company is to England. The French mail has its European starting point at Marseilles, and runs over the greater part of the route traversed by the P. & O. boats. Its fleet is nearly as large as that of its friendly rival, and its ships are as large and as well equipped; the two lines work in harmony by carrying the mails alter- nately, as we shall see. There is a weekly service each way between Yokohama and Hong Kong, where connection is made with steamers plying to Europe. One week the mails are carried by the P. & O. steamer and the next by the French mail, and so on alternately from week to week and from year to year. Major Flagg had made his calculations to catch the regular mail steamer, and for that particular week it was the English one instead of the French. With this object in view he had endeavored to shorten the voyage from San Francisco to Yokohama, and it was for this he had been so willing to pay for the extra coal consumed by the City of New York in making an increase of her speed. But for those stupid whales that got in his way he would have done it, and had ample time to change from one vessel to the other in the picturesque harbor of Yokohama. 108 A CLOSE SHAVE. Even if he fell short in his calculation he had counted on the possibility of meeting the steamer between Cape King and Yokohama, where he could have arranged to transfer from the American to the English boat, in the comparatively calm waters of the bay. But now his plans were broken by the departure of the packet, and her passage out to sea two hours before his arrival. It was true he could remain on board the City of New York, which was to continue to Hong Kong, but she would be detained at Yokohama two days, or a day and a half at the least, for the landing of a considerable part of her cargo and the shipment of other freight, and this time he could not well afford to lose. Besides, she would not connect at Hong Kong with the mail steamer for Singapore, and this again was a loss he could not afford. As soon as he learned the unpleasant intelligence brought by the pilot he exchanged a few words with the captain of the steamer and then a few more with Wilson. He had come on deck with his satchel over his shoulder, and, telling Jack to follow him, he went down the gangway steps, which had been lowered for the pilot, and stepped on board the steam launch. It is about sixty miles from Cape King to Yokohama, along the beautiful bay of Yedo, which is set in a framework of green shores and picturesque A CLOSE SHAVE. 109 villages, with a background of mountains of which Fusiyama is the greatest and most beautiful. About halfway to Yokohama from the entrance of the bay is Yokosuka, and beyond it lies Tomioka, the latter a famous bathing place to which the inhabitants of Yokohama throng in summer time for a dip in the cooling waters. This is the scene which has been described in a Japanese love story, rendered into English verse as follows: "On the white sands of Homoku, Past the bridge of Negishi, Stood a little maiden, idly Gazing o'er the summer sea. Gazing at the white sails gliding To the distant fishery. Round the point of Tomioka Came the rolling of the sea." At Yokosuka there is a naval station of the Japanese government, and on the hill back of the town is the grave of Will Adams, who lived here at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and rose so high in the favor of the government that he received the lordship of the village of Hemi. He died May 6, 1620, leaving a Japanese widow and child to mourn his retirement from the concerns of this checkered and weary world. But it was not to ask about the grave of Will Adams or think of his romantic story that the major descended into the steam launch and after 110 A CLOSE SHAVE. making his way to the telegraph station, near the lighthouse, asked to be put in communication with Yokosuka. His mission was of a more modern and practical character. Yokosuka was "called" on the telegraph wire and the operator responded promptly. Then the major asked if Chief Engineer Watson was at the naval station. "He was in the office five minutes ago," came the reply ticked off from the instrument, "and isn't far away now." "Please call him into the office," slowly spelled the telegraph, "and say Major Flagg wishes to talk with him." In two minutes Mr. Watson was announced. Meantime the major asked the operator to allow Jack to take his place at the key for a conversation with the engineer. The operator consented, but only on the condition that he should hear and know everything that passed over the wire. "Tell him our predicament," said the major to Jack, "and ask him if he can help us out." Jack did as the major ordered, and the message was ticked off, letter by letter, at the Yokosuka end of the line. Meantime we may remark by way of explanation that the major and the chief engineer were old friends and companions, and on several occasions the A CLOSE SHAVE. 111 major had performed services for his friend which secured his lasting gratitude. Now was an oppor- tunity to make a return for many favors, and nobody was more appreciative of the fact than Mr. Watson. The chief engineer was an important personage at the naval station, and the result of the conversation over the wire was very satisfactory to the major. It happened that a new steamer, a dispatch boat for the Japanese government, was lying at the yard with steam up for the purpose of making a trial trip a few miles out to sea. She had been tried the day before with a party of Japanese officials, and now she was going with Mr. Watson and some of his friends who were to come down by the afternoon boat from Yokohama. They wouldn't arrive for several hours, and meantime the boat and himself were at the major's service. Leaving word for his friends to make themselves comfortable until his return, Mr. Watson hastened on board the Totsuka-Maru, for this was the name of the new steamer, and in less than half an hour after the first call on the wire from Cape King, the Totsuka-Maru was steaming down the bay at full speed. She met the City of New York, and by signal indicated that she wanted to communicate; the American steamer stopped, and when within hailing 112 A CLOSE SHAVE. 1 distance Mr. Watson shouted for Major Flagg's party to come on board immediately. By direction of Wilson the baggage had been placed in one of the boats that hung at the davits of the City of New York as soon as they dropped the major, in preparation for just such an emergency as now arose. When the vessel's headway was stopped the boat was lowered into the water, the gangway was dropped, and the members of the traveling party descended. And how many do you suppose there were? Fritz was first and foremost, at least in activity; then came Wilson, then Harry, and then- Soon after the major went ashore in the steam launch and the vessel resumed her course for Yokohama, Wilson and Mrs. Komaroff-the Russian lady who was taken from the dismasted schooner- were standing together, studying the varying phases of the coast and admiring the snowy peak of Fusiyama. Wilson explained to her that the party was liable to be called from the steamer before they reached Yokohama; in the most gentlemanly and dignified manner imaginable he asked her if he could be of any service to herself or her brother. She thanked him, and then said she knew of nothing of which they stood in immediate need. "I presume," she added, "that the captain will carry us to Hong A CLOSE SHAVE. 113 Kong; at least I hope so; but of course he may decline to take us further than Yokohama." "If you want to get to Hong Kong as soon as possible," said he, "why not continue with us? We are bound to be there in the shortest possible time.” And then he told her of the wager which had been made in the club house in New York to accomplish the tour of the world in seventy days. She laughed quite heartily over the story of the wager, and said it was so like the Americans, or at any rate what she had heard of them. And then she added that she had long wondered why it was the Americans and Russians were always so well dis- posed toward each other. "Your country is the model republic of the world,” said she, "and Russia is the most complete example of a despotism. The governments are as unlike as possible--autocracy and democracy; and yet we have never had a national quarrel, and whenever either can show its good will for the other it is sure to do it. Americans in Russia and Russians in America are always received with open-handed hospitality and without distrust." 8 CHAPTER XİV. A CHANGE OF CONVEYANCE-LIFE ON A JAPANESE DISPATCH BOAT. WILSON agreed with Mrs. Komaroff in this state- ment of the relations between Russia and the United States, and suggested that the reason might be found in the fact that the two countries, though dissimilar in form of government, had a common aim in which neither was the rival of the other. "How so?" she asked. "Our national greed and yours to own all that lies next to us is pretty much the same. We are both great fillibusters, and never likely to come in each other's way." "There's more truth than poetry in that sugges- tion," she answered; "but we won't discuss the subject further at present. I must talk with my brother about your invitation, and we'll decide in a very short time. We can wait till the last minute before giving you an answer, as we haven't any baggage to encumber us." The fair Russian called Ivan, her brother, to one, side, and briefly told him what had happened. . It 114 A CLOSE SHAVE. 115 was evident that the decision lay with her, as the boy did not manifest any particular will of his own. After talking awhile with Ivan she sought the captain, and thanked him for the great kindness and courtesy he had shown them, both in removing them from the schooner and in caring for them since their arrival on board. "Whatever charges the company has against us for detention, or for passage money, will be paid in full," she added; "but our debt of gratitude to you and the passengers for your kindness in our distress is one that can never be paid, and must always remain a debt. Unless," and her voice fell, as she spoke the words, "we should some time find you in similar circumstances, and we shall earnestly hope that it may never be. Then she gave an address to which the bill of the company against them might be sent. The captain said he did not think there would be any bill to send, as it was not the custom among American mariners to present accounts under such circumstances, but he was in duty bound to report the whole matter to his managers, and the address she gave him would form one of the documents in the case. Then she asked the captain to thank the pas- sengers who had contributed to their comfort, and if he or the purser would take the trouble to do so, she would be greatly obliged for the names and 116 A CLOSE SHAVE. addresses of those passengers, in order that she might some day remember them with a souvenir of the occasion. The subject was referred to the purser, who promised to obtain the names, and send them to the address which she had given to the captain. When Wilson stepped from the deck to the gang- way, he turned to Mrs. Komaroff, and extended his hand. She shook it heartily, and then laughed slightly, and said she had decided to go along. "Very glad you're going," answered Wilson, "we'll see that you're cared for." She and Ivan followed down the gangway, but before doing so she gave a glance around as if trying to discover somebody, or something. It was like a laundress examining a garment to see if any of the buttons are gone-looking for something she does not wish to find. The boat pulled away for the Totsuka-Maru which lay about a hundred yards distant, and was as motionless as a log on the still waters of the bay. The travelers ascended the gangway stairs and were shown to the saloon, the baggage was hastily passed up under the superintendence of Fritz, and in a few minutes the Japanese dispatch boat with its globe-encircling tourists was steaming swiftly toward Cape Sagani. Just before going out to sea they overhauled the steam launch and took aboard the major and Jack. A CLOSE SHAVE. 117 They did not find it necessary to stop completely to do so; the steamer slowed to half speed, the launch ran alongside, and while both were going through the water Major Flagg and his nephew jumped to the gangway and were soon on deck. The launch then dropped astern, and the Totsuka-Marusteamed on at a speed of sixteen miles an hour. "Wonder if we're to have this steamer all the way to Hong Kong?" said Wilson to Harry as they stood on the deck of the Japanese vessel soon after her departure from where she bade farewell to the steam launch. It is fair to add that Mrs. Komaroff had disappeared in the cabin that had been assigned to her; the major was having an old time chat with Mr. Watson, and Jack was accompanying Ivan in a tour of the strange craft. "I can hardly believe it," said Harry, "and yet I don't see what else we can do. The P. & O. steamer is now four hours ahead of us, at least, and four hours is a long time to gain up." "Let's see," said Wilson. "She probably steams about thirteen knots, and, as she's been gone four hours, she has fifty-six knots the start of us. We can make sixteen knots in a sea-way, so one of the engineers said a moment ago, and therefore can gain three knots an hour on her. It will take us about nineteen hours to gain up and fetch alongside of her, provided no accident happens to detain us." 118 A CLOSE SHAVE. i "Do you want to bet on that?" said a voice close beside him. He turned and found that the voice came from Jack. "Yes," replied Wilson, with a sound of determina- tion in his words. "I'll bet a plate of ice cream in the first place we can get it, which will probably be New York." "You bet we shan't overtake the Tanjore inside of nineteen hours, do you?" "The Tanjore is the P. & O. boat, I suppose?" "Yes, that's her name. "" "All right," was the reply. "It's a wager." With a twinkle in his eye Jack turned away lest he might be questioned as to his readiness to bet on a subject which was evidently a very debatable one. On went the steamer dashing the spray from her prow, and making fine speed through the water. It was a successful trial of her sea-going abilities, and her performance reflected great credit upon her designer. As her designer happened to be the chief engineer, Mr. Watson, he had the satisfaction of witnessing her admirable behavior and of hearing it heartily praised by all of his passengers. The attention of the travelers was divided between the beautiful vessel and the picturesque scenery that filled the horizon on their right. There was the lofty peak of Fusiyama sharply outlined against the A CLOSE shave. 119 sky, and clustering at its feet were the mountains of Hakone and other elevations of lesser degree. Harry and Jack regretted exceedingly that they were not to have the opportunity of seeing some- thing of the country besides what they could look at from the deck of a steamer, and they both made solemn vows that they would some day make a trip around the world and take their own time for it. Harry envied Jack because the latter had actually pressed the soil of Japan with his feet, a pleasure that had been denied to his cousin; it is true he did not have much time for observation, and his knowl- edge of the land of the Mikado was exceedingly limited. "We ought to be interviewed as to our impressions of Japan," said Harry, as they stood gazing at the coast line, which changed like the unfolding of a panorama while the steamer sped on her way. "Why so?" queried Jack. "If the Japanese newspapers were only as enter- prising as the New York ones we should have had reporters after us by this time asking what we thought of the Japan of to-day, and how it compares with the time of the shoguns and the daimios.” "I don't see what you're driving at." Why, don't you know," was the reply, "that when distinguished foreigners come to America the reporters board the steamers at quarantine, whip 120 A CLOSE SHAVE. out their note-books, and ask the stranger what he thinks of the country? Very often, when a steamer gets in early in the morning, they go to a man's room and wake him up to ask the question, when he hasn't so much as seen Fire Island light-house and the sandy shore near it." Jack was about to reply when Fritz directed his attention to a point of land directly ahead of them, for which the steamer seemed to be directing her course. "That's Cape Idzu," said Fritz, "and when we turn that we shall have very nearly a direct course to Hong Kong." "Cape Idzu, is it? Please give me the glass." Fritz carried a marine glass of great power, one of the prized possessions of the major, and in com- pliance with the request the valet immediately handed it to Jack. The latter adjusted it to the proper focus and gazed intently at the point of the cape for several minutes. Then he returned the glass to Fritz, and with a satisfied air went below to say something to Major Flagg. The major heard his communication, and nodded approval with a brief "thank you," nd then he resumed his conversation with Mr. Watson, while Jack returned to the deck and looked around for Wilson. ¿ CHAPTER XV. THE ENGLISH MAIL STEAMER-HOW MRS. KOMAROFF WAS ASTONISHED. "If you can deliver that ice-cream now," said Jack to Wilson as soon as he found him, “I'll take it.” "But we haven't overtaken the Tanjore yet," was the reply. "Never mind," said Jack, "we shall be alongside of her before another hour has gone, and if you'll look through the glass I'll show you where she is." The incredulous Wilson took the glass and looked as Jack directed. Sure enough there was the smoke of a steamer, and with some difficulty he made out the spot of black on the surface of the water that indicated her hull. "She doesn't appear to be moving," he exclaimed, after a second look through the glass. "No," said Jack, quietly, "she's waiting for us. "How's that?" "" "Easy enough when you know how," was the reply. "As soon as we had settled for the Totsuka- Maru to come for us I called up Simoda on the tele- 121 122 A CLOSE shave. graph, and wasn't long in getting it. Simoda is close to the end of the Peninsula of Idzu; it is said to be a pretty little harbor, and one of the chief industries of the place is the quarrying of stone used for building purposes in Tokio and Yokohama. "Well, I was just in time to get hold of one of the managers of the principal company engaged in ship- ping stone, and we arranged for him to send out one of their steam launches and intercept the Tanjore before she passed Cape Idzu. The steamer was then in sight of Simoda, and no time was to be lost in communicating with her. "A promise of liberal pay to all concerned settled the matter, and the launch was sent out with a dis- patch to the captain of the steamer, saying he would not be detained more than three or four hours, and Major Flagg would pay whatever was demanded for the detention." "One thing is certain," replied Wilson, "he'll have to pay high for it, unless the P. & O. officers have changed since I used to know them. However, as long as he's satisfied, we have no cause to com- plain." In due time the Tanjore was overhauled just under the lee of Cape Idzu. There was no occasion to send a boat, as the steam launch that had intercepted the mail-packet was waiting near her and served as an A CLOSE SHAVE. 123 expeditious means of transport for the party and its impedimenta from one vessel to the other. Major Flagg insisted upon paying for the coal that the Totsuka-Maru had consumed during the trip thus far, together with what she would consume on her return, in spite of the protestations of Mr. Watson that he would look after that little affair on his own account; the major was determined that his friend should not by any possibility fall into trouble with his superiors about the consumption of govern- ment coal for private purposes, and under this deter- mination he adjusted the matter with the officer who was directly in charge of the vessel, and took his receipt for the money which paid for the coal. As the Japanese steamer slackened her speed near the English one, the old friends shook hands and separated with mutual good wishes. The rest of the party thanked Mr. Watson for the pleasant, though brief voyage they had made on his ship, and hoped that the diminutive extent of this mundane sphere would some day throw them together again. During the transit from one steamer to the other the major ordered Fritz to open the money bag again, and all who had been concerned in intercept- ing the Tanjore were amply remunerated. Five min- utes after they touched the gangway of the English boat they were again moving through the water, 124 A CLOSE SHAVE. and the pretty little port of Simoda faded in the distance and was soon lost to sight. "Simoda was visited by Commodore Perry in 1854, with an American fleet, and by the treaty that he concluded with the Japanese government the fol- lowing year, the port was opened to foreign trade. It was the residence of the American minister until 1859, when Kanagawa, which adjoins Yokohama, became the treaty port, and the importance of Simoda diminished.” Jack entered the above paragraph in his note-book, and afterward, at the suggestion of Harry, added that Simoda was not altogether to be recommended as a permanent residence, as it was subject to earth- quakes. In 1855, very soon after it was opened to foreign commerce, an earthquake destroyed the town and rendered the harbor useless for deep-draught vessels. Jack suggested that this was probably why the Japanese consented under threat of Commodore Perry's cannon to open the port to commerce, as they knew its habits, and fondly hoped it would swallow up the foreigners and all their ships. A Russian frigate-the Diana-was wrecked by the earthquake, and many of the superstitious people of Japan believed that their rulers got up the earth- quake to order, just to make it lively for the outside barbarians. The only weak point about this belief A CLOSE SHAVE. 125 was that a great many of the Japanese inhabitants were drowned by the tidal wave that rushed over the land and then swept back to sea again. But the major had no time for historical research, and no more have we. His was the true Yankee motto, "Go ahead," and he had no thought now of anything but progress. Captain Scrivener, who commanded the Tanjore, was on the steamer's bridge as the launch drew alongside; the sun shone brightly on the buttons of his uniform, which reflected at the same moment the rays of that luminary and credit upon the muscle of the servant who gave them their high polish. As the launch drew away from the steamer's side the engines were put in motion, and the major rejoiced to feel the jar of the machinery beneath him. The adjustment of the fares of the party and of payment for the detention of the steamer brought about a calamity. The ready money of the shoulder satchel was exhausted! There was not enough cash for the demands of the occasion. Even had there been sufficient money it was not of the right kind. The purser said he could not take American notes under any circumstances; he read off the company's rule on the subject, which is that fares from any place must be paid in the currency of that port. 126 A CLOSE SHAVE. The major called his attention to the fact that Charles Dickens had found great profit as well as fame in "American Notes." but the purser did not perceive the point of the joke and never deigned so much as a smile. The major had counted upon drawing money upon his letter of credit at Yokohama, but, as we have already seen, the circumstances did not permit his doing so. He said he would probably have a chance at Hong Kong and then he could pay all the bills, but the purser said the rules of the company required all fares to be paid in advance. And he must have bank of England notes, current money of Yokohama or Hong Kong, or "Mexicans," the local name for Mexican dollars, which are the circulating medium of the open ports of the far East. After a good deal of discussion it was agreed that the bills might be adjusted at Hong Kong, and until they were settled the entire party would be held in pawn by the purser. That functionary proceeded to make out the tickets, "pawn tickets," Harry called them, and when they were completed he handed them over to the major. The charge for the detention of the steamer was two hundred dollars an hour, over and above the cost of the tickets, which the major pronounced quite reasonable. A CLOSE SHAVE. 127 But a question arose about the tickets, which the purser made out for eight persons, while the major could only count seven, his own party of five and Mrs. Komaroff and her brother. The purser insisted that he was right, and the major proceeded to inves- tigate. He went to the deck and there found Wilson in con- versation with Mrs. Komaroff. Just as he approached them the lady threw her hands in the air in an attitude of astonishment. Her eyes were resting on a familiar figure that she supposed until that moment had been left on board the American steamer. It was Hayden, the English- man, who was her fellow-passenger on the dismasted schooner, and how he had managed to get on board the Tanjore was a mystery. Major Flagg drew Wilson aside for an instant and explained the discrepancy between his own enumera- tion of their party and that of the purser. "Evidently the purser is correct," replied the lat- ter, "but I did n't know it till this moment." Then he told of the discovery that the fair Russian had just made, and said he presumed it was all right. Of course the major made no further question about the matter, as the man was virtually there by his authority. He returned to the purser's office, acknowledged that the official enumeration was the right one, and then went to his room. 9 128 A CLOSE SHAVE. The sun was setting at the close of the twenty- third day of the journey. Cape Idzu was soon left. behind, and with it Fusiyama vanished in the dis- tance and into the night, and was seen no more. The steamer laid her course for Hong Kong, her cap- tain intending to leave the Loo Choo islands on the port beam and to pass between the island of Formosa and the coast of China. From Yokohama to Hong Kong is not far from sixteen hundred miles,-fifteen hundred and ninety is the number on the steamship time-tables,-and the usual time of the steamers in making the voy- age is five or six days. The time varies according to the season, depending materially upon the mon- soons. So much is this the case that the steamship companies navigating Asiatic waters have regular allowances for the monsoons on their time-tables. And thereby hangs a little story which the major told to his friends when they were assembled in the saloon during the evening. CHAPTER XVI. THE MONSOONS AND A STORY ABOUT THEM-A MYS- TERY EXPLAINED-ANOTHER ACCIDENT. "THE Southwest monsoon," said the major, "and by that I mean the monsoon that comes from the southeast, blows from April to October, and the northeast monsoon from October to April. These winds are caused by the inequality of heat in differ- ent parts of the earth in summer and winter; they differ from the trade-winds in blowing from opposite. quarters in the two great seasons of the year, while the trade-winds are continuous one way all the year round. "You see we have the monsoon with us now, as as it is blowing from the northeast; six months ago we should have had it against us, and it would have made a great difference in the progress of the steamer. If no accident happens we will be in Hong Kong in five days, but if we were running against the monsoon the voyage would be little if any short of seven days. "Several years ago," he continued, "I happened in China in the month of October, and took passage on 9 129 130 A CLOSE SHAVE. a French steamer for Hong Kong. We ran rapidly down the coast, making the whole voyage of eight hundred and seventy miles in sixty-nine hours. One of our passengers was an American sea-captain who was engaged in the business of wrecking along the coast; he had just been raising the treasure lost on the steamer Japan, of the Pacific Mail Company, and had recovered nearly three hundred thousand dollars in specie. 'The Japan was burned and sunk about fifty miles from the coast of China, not far from Swatow, in about forty fathoms of water, and the recovery of the specie at this depth in the open ocean was one of the most successful wrecking operations ever per- formed. "During the voyage I made his acquaintance, and heard him tell the story of how he discovered the location of the wreck after months of unavailing search. Then he told of his life on the wrecking schooner and of the books he read while there. I asked him if he had read Jules Verne's 'Around the World in Eighty Days.' "'Yes,' he said, 'I started to read it but didn't finish it.' 'Why not?' I asked. "I'll tell you why,' said he. 'You remember Phileas Fogg gets his party to Hong Kong where they miss the steamer for Shanghai, and so he picks A CLOSE SHAVE. 131 up a yacht—a sailing yacht and not a steamer—and takes his party on her to Shanghai in four days. Now it was December when he did it; in December the northeast monsoon is blowing down the coast, and he couldn't work a sailing yacht to Shanghai against it in two weeks. He might do it in July when the southwest monsoon would be with him, but in December, oh, no! When I came to that I tossed the book overboard."" "Evidently he thought he had the author in a corner on the monsoon question," Wilson remarked, "but who would have dreamed of it unless he had been here himself?" The Tanjore, the smallest of the P. & 0. Company's fleet, was a steamer of about twenty- three hundred tons measurement and driven by engines of four hundred and fifty horse-power. With the wind to help her engines she made good speed, and everybody on board was happy, at least in theory. We say in theory, for there was something in Mrs. Komaroff's discovery of the presence of Hayden that did not appear to satisfy that lady. Wilson endeavored to find out, of course without any indi- cation of inquisitiveness, why she preferred Hayden's absence to his society, but obtained no special light on the subject. 132 A CLOSE SHAVE. Then he set about ascertaining how the fellow managed to get on board without being observed, and after a little trouble he learned all about it. When the baggage was placed in the boat at the davits of the American steamer, Hayden assisted in arranging it, and without attracting any attention remained there coiled up among the trunks and boxes until the boat was lowered. He had previously changed clothes with one of the sailors by paying a few dollars for the exchange; and the nautical garments so altered his general appear- ance that he was not recognized during the transfer to the Totsuka-Maru, especially as he was favored by the circumstance that the eyes of all the other members of the party were turned first to one steamer and then to the other, and not directed at anything in the transferring boat. When the Americans and the Russians mounted to the deck of the Japanese steamer Hayden remained to assist in handling the baggage, and he did not ascend the gangway until the others had gone below. During the run from Cape Sagani to Cape Idzu he kept out of sight, partly in order that he should not be recognized and partly to effect certain changes in his appearance. He made another exchange of clothing while on the run from Cape Sagani; he traded the woolen shirt, obtained from the American sailor, for a A CLOSE SHAVE. 133 Japanese blouse, and he didn't mind the fact that the blouse was rather old and worn through in places. Then he colored his face to give it a Japanese tinge, and with some brown soap he plastered his side whiskers close to his cheeks and tinged them to cor- respond with his complexion. There was the same kind of confusion attending the transfer from the Japanese boat, and by guard- ing his movements the fellow passed almost under the noses of those who should have known of his presence without being discovered. He had no hesitation in telling how he accomplished the transfers, but his reason for concealing hist movements he would not reveal. On reaching the Tanjore he had removed his Japanese disguise, and it was his first appearance on deck when the Russian lady discovered him. The progress of the steamer was somewhat retarded by the Kuro Shiwo, or Japan Current, which is to the eastern coast of Asia what the Gulf Stream is to the North Atlantic. Kuro Shiwo means Black Stream, and the name comes from the dark color of the water, which reminds the traveler of the Gulf Stream. The course of the current is north-east- erly, and the water is carried to the shore of Alaska and as far north as Behring's straits. 134 A CLOSE SHAVE. The Kuro Shiwo is responsible, so the scientists say, for much of the fog and rain on the northwest coast of America; and it is probable that the climate of that region is several degrees warmer in con- sequence of this current, just as the shores of north- ern Europe are said to be made warmer by the Gulf Stream. To keep as much as possible out of the influence of the Kuro Shiwo the Tanjore kept most of the time not far from the coast of Japan, though she did not attempt to follow its sinuosities. She passed through Van Dieman's Straits close to the end of Kiushiu, almost touching Cape Sata, and giving the Island of Tanegashima a wide berth. Tanegashima is the most northerly of the chain of the Loo Choo Islands, and while Harry watched the receding shores of Japan and wondered if he would ever see the country again, Jack contemplated the rugged outline of the island on the port quarter and wished he could spend a week or two in its explora- tion. There was an appearance of life and activity on the waters that contrasted sharply with the desolation of the Pacific. Sometimes a dozen or twenty vessels were in sight at once, and there was hardly an hour in which two or three sails could not be seen. What added picturesqueness to the sight was the fact that the sails were not the prosaic ones of A CLOSE SHAVE. 135 American waters, but the quaint productions of the Orient, which Harry and Jack had hitherto seen only in pictures and in models in the curio shops on Broadway. Now and then a sailing craft of European build spread her white sails over the waters, and the marine picture was not infrequently enlivened by the presence of a steamer. Harry learned that there are a great many steamers owned in England and other European countries engaged in navigating Asiatic waters, and also that there are several Japanese and Chinese steamship companies. Most of the vessels they own were built in Europe or America, but of late years they have gone to building steamers of their own and have succeeded very well, when their inexpe- rience is taken into account. As the Tanjore entered the Straits of Formosa the crowd of junks and other craft increased, and some- times the steamer went unpleasantly near the unwieldy vessels of the far East. English captains have generally a supreme contempt for the Oriental, whom they regard as an inferior being; many a Chinese, Japanese, or Malay boat has been run over and crushed and its occupants sent to their death, solely because they happened to be in the way of an English steamer. 136 A CLOSE SHAVE. The nautical manners of the East have been improved somewhat in the last decade or two, but there is still much to be learned in the way of respect for human life on the part of the foreigner in far Cathay. But happily there was no collision on the part of the Tanjore, and our young friends did not have occasion to contemplate a Chinese junk in the shape of a wreck which their own vessel had caused. Several times they saw the affrighted crews of the junks making great exertions to keep out of the way, and in each case they succeeded. On the evening of the fourth day from Idzu and the twenty-seventh from New York, they went to bed with the satisfaction of believing they would be in Hong Kong before another sunset. They were dreaming of Hong Kong and the lofty peak which towers above it, when, in the early hours of the morning, there was a shock not unlike that which had roused them on that memorable night on the Pacific. There was a grating, grinding sound beneath them, the engines stopped suddenly, passen- gers sprang from their beds and ran wildly about the saloon and up to the deck, orders were shouted in rapid succession, and there was a scene that bor- dered upon wild confusion. "No whales this time, I guess," said Jack, as he and Harry came to their feet and hurried into their A CLOSE SHAVE. 137 clothing. "No whales this time; but I'm afraid uncle will lose his bet." "So am I," replied Harry. "We'll miss the steamer, sure." Let us see if they did. CHAPTER XVII. THE TANJORE ON A SHOAL-THE FUNG-SHUEY AND THE JULIA-GETTING THE PARTY OUT OF PAWN. HARRY and Jack reached the deck, closely followed by Wilson, and preceded several steps in advance by Fritz, the latter having come up in obedience to the major's orders to ascertain what had happened and report as soon as possible. It did not require much observation to show that the steamer had run hard aground. She had come upon a shoal not laid down on the charts, and therefore nobody could be considered at fault. The Tanjore was running at full speed at the time of the accident, and therefore she had a head- way that carried her well up on the shoal. Luckily it was sandy and not at all rocky, but of course it was not possible to say whether the bottom of the hull had escaped injury. The locality was near the southern end of Formosa channel, where it widens out into the China sea. The Pescadores islands had been passed in safety and the steamer was nearly opposite Swatow when she took the ground as described. According to the 138 A CLOSE SHAVE. 139 estimate of the officers of the Tanjore, they were about one hundred and sixty miles from Hong Kong. The engines were backed, but they were powerless to move the great ship from her bed of sand. Anchors were carried astern and sent out by means of boats, and then the steam winches exerted their power to pull the ship afloat by means of the anchors, but all to no purpose. Rockets were sent up as signals of distress in the hope of attracting the attention of passing steamers, but unfortunately no steamers were about, or, at any rate, none responded. At daybreak the major came on deck, and remarked that it was time to be thinking of getting on. toward IIong Kong. Guns were fired and flags of distress hoisted, and in a little while the result was found to be satisfac- tory. The guns and the flags secured the attention of an American schooner, a swift-sailing craft that was on her way from Shanghai to Swatow, the lat- ter port being about sixty miles distant. They also brought a Chinese gun-boat, one of those light and rapid-running vessels which are used by the government for the suppression of piracy in Chinese waters. They are constantly cruising up and down the coast wherever there is any suspicion that pirates may be lurking, and they have done a 140 A CLOSE SHAVE. great deal toward rendering the waters secure for peaceful navigators. This particular boat, the Fung-Shuey, had left Swatow during the night and was bound for Amoy and Foo-Chow, it having been reported that a pirat- ical junk had captured a trading one near the latter port, and after murdering her crew and stealing everything of value had set the unlucky craft on fire. Just at daybreak the officers of the Fung-Shuey heard the guns of the Tanjore, and ran in the direc- tion of the report; the same was the case with the schooner, the Julia, and the two vessels were soon lying hove to not far from the stranded steamer. The Fung-Shuey was a steamer of about six hun- dred tons burden, and therefore could not lend much aid in pulling the Tanjore from her unpleasant posi- tion. Neither could the Julia be of any practical use and in answer to a hail from her captain the com- mander of the Tanjore said there was no occasion for the Julia to remain. The fact was, he feared a heavy claim for salvage if he asked her to stay by him, as an American cap- tain is not likely to be very lenient when presenting his claims against a wealthy corporation like the P. & O. "Schooner ahoy!" shouted the major, as soon as A CLOSE SHAVE. 141 the commander of the Tanjore had declined the serv- ices of the Julia. “Ay, ay, sir!" was the reply. "How much do you want for a charter to Hong Kong?" "I'm not going to Hong Kong," shouted the Julia's captain. "We're bound for Swatow." "How much to change your course for Hong Kong?" "Two thousand dollars." "I'll take her." "Ay, ay, sir." And then in a moment down went the Julia's anchor and out shot a boat from her stern as she swung her head to wind. Two thousand dollars were not to be picked up every day. . The Tanjore was lying with her stern to the wind, as it will be remembered that she was running before the monsoon when she went aground. The Julia's boat came up under her bow and made fast to a rope which one of the sailors tossed to her. Then a ladder was lowered, and the schooner's first mate, a tall but muscular Yankee, clambered to the deck and conferred with the major. "The sooner you can do this thing the better," said the major. "How long will it take you to get 142 A CLOSE SHAVE. seven of us and our baggage on board and make sail for Hong Kong? We'll be ready in five minutes.' "I dun know," was the slow reply; "about an hour, I suppose." "Well," answered the major, looking at his watch, "it's now eight minutes past seven. I'll give you personally five dollars for every minute you can take off from that hour.' Had the Yankee been touched by a galvanic battery. he could not have shown more muscular activity. He shouted for the Julia's other boat to be sent over, and with all the hands that could be spared. As the Julia was at anchor and her sails had been dropped, there was no need of anybody remaining on board save the captain and the cook, who were sufficient for an anchor watch. The other boat came dancing over the waves in charge of the second mate. While this matter was being arranged the captain of the Tanjore was preparing to transfer one of his officers to the Fung-Shuey, which would make the best possible speed to Swatow. There were two powerful tow-boats at Swatow, and it was easy to obtain in that port all the appliances necessary for pulling the steamer off the shoal. The officer was to arrange all this and return with the tow-boats in the shortest possible time. A CLOSE SHAVE. 143 Harry made a suggestion to the major, to which the latter nodded approval. Then he darted into the saloon, and while Jack was busy getting their things together and transferring them to the deck preparatory to their being lowered into the boats of the Julia, Harry covered a sheet of note-paper with a specimen of his penmanship, which he took to the major as soon as completed. The major scanned the paper, made a few altera- tions, and then with a glance at Wilson, added two or three lines. This paper, and with it several gold coins bearing the portrait of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India—as she appeared in 1837-were handed to the officer of the Tanjore who was about to proceed to Swatow, "I don't know how much it will be," said the major, "but whatever is left over you can bestow upon any public or private charity that you may select." The Fung Shuey departed, and subsequent events showed that the officer was not unmindful of the trust reposed in him. There was a handsome bal- ance left over after paying the expenses involved in the paper, but the records of British and Oriental Charities make no mention of a special donation by an officer of the P. & O. Company's steamer Tanjore. It is quite possible that he may have remembered the 144 A CLOSE SHAVE. ご ​famous adage that charity begins at home-and often ends there. But a difficulty arose about the departure of the major's party from the decks of the Tanjore. The reader will recall that Major Flagg was unable to pay the passage money required for the voyage to Hong Kong, for the reason that he had not been able to cash his letter of credit at Yokohama. The entire party was in pawn for the payment of the amount of his indebtedness, and how to redeem the pawn tickets was a serious question. The major, accompanied by Jack, jumped into one of the Julia's boats, and was speedily on the deck of the schooner. He conferred briefly with her captain, and then the two descended to the Julia's cabin. In five minutes he emerged with a paper, written by Jack at the major's dictation, signed by the captain and witnessed by his cook, in which the captain of the good schooner Julia assumed the responsibility of the entire indebtedness of Major Flagg to the Tanjore, pledging his vessel as security for the amount, and as a further assurance of his good faith in the matter, he gave his personal word of honor that Major Flagg and his party should not leave the Julia until the money to satisfy the claim of the Tan- jore was deposited in his hands. With this paper the uncle and nephew returned to the English vessel. The document was handed to A CLOSE SHAVE. 145 the purser, who read it carefully and with a dubious shake of the head. But when he came to the end he nodded approval, and said: "It's all right now. These Yankee skippers are pretty slippery in a trade, and as for smuggling opium they beat the Englishmen out of sight. But when you have one of them on his word of honor, you've got something there is n't much doubt of.” This settled the question of the passage and deten- tion money But then came another hitch, 10 CHAPTER XVIII. STRAINING THE RULES OF THE P. & 0.-ON BOARD THE JULIA THE SPINNAKER-CHINESE PIRATES. It is a rule of the P. & O. steamers not to open the baggage room to allow the passengers to get at their trunks except at certain times. Between those times. no emergency permits a visit to the baggage-room, and passengers have been known to suffer terribly in consequence. For example, travelers coming from India to Europe in the spring-time generally have their heavy clothing packed in their trunks and stored below, as they need nothing but the lightest garments for the voyage from Indian ports to the Red Sea. Usually the heat continues all the way to Suez, and in such cases there is no occasion for warm clothing. But sometimes a norther comes blowing down the Red Sea and the thermometer falls from the nineties to the fifties in a few hours. Then there is a clamor for permission to overhaul trunks and bring out heavy garments; fortunate indeed are the passengers 146 A CLOSE SHAVE. 147 who obtain the desired permission and are able to save themselves from suffering. The usual answer is that the trunks cannot be reached until the proper day and hour for opening the baggage-room. The day may be days away but no matter, the shivering and gauze-clad sufferers must wait. In the case of our friends their trunks were below, and it was stated that they could not be reached until one o'clock in the afternoon, when the baggage- room would be open for sixty minutes. This was the rule, and it could not be broken. "Never mind it, then," said the major, "we'll go without them. Deliver the baggage to the agent of the company at Hong Kong and he'll attend to it." "Stop a moment," said Harry, as he drew from his pocket and read from the company's "Handbook of Information for Passengers" the following para- graph: "Baggage can be occasionally had up from the baggage-room during the passage by application to the officer in charge." "It's grammar is questionable," remarked Wilson in an undertone, "but the principle is correct." 'Now," said Harry, "this is an occasion when our baggage ought to be 'had up' from the baggage- room, and it is also an occasion when the officer in charge will have two or three sovereigns for properly 148 A CLOSE SHAVE. " understanding the word 'occasionally,' and the men who handle the trunks will receive half sovereigns and whole dollars for their trouble.” A proper understanding was speedily reached, and within seven minutes by the watch the trunks and other parcels had been lowered into the Julia's boats that floated at the Tanjore's side. Then the major gave the signal for the party to descend into the boats. Mrs. Komaroff was lowered away by a rope fastened to a bamboo chair; she was safely deposited in one of the boats, and the rest of the travelers went down the ladder with very little trouble. It was fun for the youths, but rather serious busi- ness for the major and Wilson. Fritz went in the boat that carried the hand-bags and other small articles, and the whole party was on the deck of the Julia at exactly forty-one minutes past seven, Mrs. Komaroff being hoisted up in the bight of a rope. Up came the schooner's anchor, and then the sails rose one by one, and as they caught the strong mon- soon they filled out, and the Julia sped away on her course. As she picked up her anchor and came around before the wind she ran afoul of the bow of the Tanjore, but without doing any damage to either craft. It was a exciting moment, and every- body gave a deep breath of relief when the incident was over. A CLOSE SHAVE. 149 Never had the first mate of the Julia shown more energy than in getting the party of travelers from the steamer to the schooner, and he afterward said that the only time he ever moved with greater celerity was when he fell from a yard-arm into the water, or at another time when he was chased out of an orchard by an able-bodied bull dog. "What time have you now, sir?" he said to the major as he wiped his perspiring forehead with his shirt-sleeve, and stowed away an ounce or two of tobacco in his left cheek. "Seven fifty-six and a half," answered the major, as he looked at his watch. "Eleven and a half minutes to my credit," answered the mate with a grin. "Call it twelve," the major responded. "I owe you sixty dollars. You will not refuse greenbacks?" "Of course not," the mate answered, but naturally enough he didn't understand the reason of the emphasis on "you." Major Flagg directed Fritz to count out sixty dollars for the mate, and then to give a five-dollar bill to each man of the crew. Fritz was further instructed to say that a similar distribu- tion would be made when they reached Hong Kong, provided it was deserved. And it was deserved. Captain, mates, and crew took up the spirit of the occasion, and put the Julia to her best speed. She was a topsail schooner, well 150 A CLOSE SHAVE. rigged and fairly manned, but if there was any lack of hands to work her it was not manifest on the voyage of which we are speaking. The captain and mate took frequent turns at the wheel, and both were constantly on deck watching to see if any one of the sails could be made to draw more, or if the change of a single brace or halliard would help matters in the least. In the run from Shanghai her topsail had only been set two or three times, and her top-gallant-sail not at all; both these pieces of canvas were now spread to the breeze along with the head sails, and the captain ordered a spinnaker fished up from below, which he said he hadn't taken the trouble to spread since he'd been in Asiatic waters. For the benefit of those of our readers who are not nautical, we will explain that a spinnaker is a sail that is used on racing yachts when running before the wind. It is of the shape of an inverted "V," or rather of a right-angled triangle with its perpendicular down- ward, and is bent to a boom or yard called the spinnaker-boom. The Julia had no spinnaker-boom, but the captain managed to make a very good substitute for one out of a spare topsail-yard. Wilson expressed his surprise at a working schooner carrying a spinnaker, and the captain explained that the Julia once belonged to a man who was fond of making wagers A CLOSE shave. CLOSE 151 about the sailing qualities of his boat in going from port to port on the Atlantic coast. In order to help his bets along he went to the expense of a spinnaker, a very unusual thing for the captain of a working vessel. "She was a crack boat in her early days," said the captain, "and could hold her own with the best of the Gloucester fishermen or the New York pilot boats. We'll show you that she has something in her yet if we don't have any accident." "Give her the log," said the captain when the ves- sel was well under way. The mate hove the log and reported that she was making ten knots. By the time the spinnaker was set and adjusted so that it drew well, it was found that she logged ten and a half knots, which was considered a very good performance. The major was satisfied and so were the rest of the party, and they began to figure up the time it would take to reach Hong Kong. "We were under way at eight o'clock," said Wilson to the youths, "and have one hundred and sixty miles to run. Allowing ten knots as our average speed we will be due in the Ly-ee-moon pas- sage in sixteen hours.” 'What is the Ly-ee-moon passage?" Jack inquired. "That's the eastern entrance to the harbor of Hong Kong," was the reply. "The western entrance is called the Lama passage." 152 A CLOSE SHAVE. "That means about midnight," said Harry. "Yes, but we must count on delays of one kind or another, so that we are not likely to get in till day- light. The steamer's time to leave is early in the forenoon, so that we shan't have any grass growing under our feet.” "What sort of delays do you think we may have?" Harry asked. "There are several things in the shape of acci- dents," Wilson answered. "We may carry away some of our sails, run on a shoal or a rock, spring a leak in consequence of the unusual strain on the rigging and hull, or have a collision with something in our eagerness to make a straight course and con- sequent reluctance to give way to any other craft. Then we may have a brush with pirates, and that would be likely to break us up altogether." "Pirates!" exclaimed both youths. "Is there any danger from pirates? "I'm sorry to say there is," responded Wilson, "but less so than formerly. Twenty years ago the coast was infested with piratical craft, and naviga- tion was anything but safe. They rarely attacked foreign vessels, but confined their attention chiefly to native junks, but when they found a foreign vessel with a small crew in a tight place they were very likely to take a turn at her. Gunboats like the Fung- Shuey have destroyed many of the piratical vessels, A CLOSE SHAVE. 153 very and as they cut off the heads of the pirates with little ceremony whenever they take them, the busi- ness has been a good deal discouraged. "If you have a chance to look about Hong Kong harbor," Wilson continued, "you will see a great many junks armed with cannon and otherwise pre- senting a warlike appearance. On inquiring the reason of the junks being armed you will be told that it is for the purpose of resisting pirates. This is quite true, and the junks have all the character of peaceful traders. But it is hinted that many of these traders do a little piracy on their own account whenever they have a chance; they are armed and equipped exactly like the piratical junks, and nobody can tell the difference. Let one of these traders encounter an unarmed junk where nobody can see them and it is not by any means impossible that a stroke of business will be performed at short notice." CHAPTER XIX. PRACTICAL PRACTICES SUSPICIOUS MOVEMENTS OF JUNKS AND LORCHAS-PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENSE. "WHAT would they do?" Jack asked. "That depends on circumstances," said Wilson. "If the captain of the stronger junk is disposed to be satisfied with plundering the other vessel and tak- ing everything of value he will spare the lives of her crew, but he will hint very plainly that if they say a word to the authorities about it they will not be let off so easily next time. "His more likely course is to kill everybody, on the maxim that 'dead men tell no tales.' The crew are knocked on the head and thrown overboard, every soul of them, and, aſter being plundered, the junk is burned. The captain bribes his crew to silence by giving them a part of the stolen property, and fur- ther induces them to keep their tongues between their teeth by reminding them that they are liable to have their heads cut off for their share in the piracy. "Another form of piracy in China is conducted from the shore. The pirates have their places of 154 A, CLOSE SHAVE. 155 rendezvous up the mouths of small rivers and creeks where they watch for vessels becalmed or drifting with light winds within their reach. "They come out in swift boats propelled by a great many rowers, and when once in possession of a ves- sel they kill everybody on board. "Then they plunder the craft, and if she is Euro- pean she is invariably set on fire after the valuable part of her cargo is removed. If she is native she may be burned, or quite likely be taken into the creek and refitted, with so many changes that she cannot be recognized. Thus disguised she is taken to Hong Kong or to one of the Chinese ports and sold." said "That's not very cheerful information,' Harry, as Mr. Wilson paused in his story. "If we fall into the hands of pirates it will break up our journey completely." "So far as this world is concerned it will," was the reply, "as the scoundrels would show us no mercy. But for your consolation I will say that they do not often trouble foreign ships, partly because of the warm reception they are apt to meet, and partly owing to the fact that foreign gunboats are very likely to follow them up and inflict exemplary pun- ishment upon them if they are so unfortunate as to be caught. When convicted of a first offense of piracy a man is hanged, or shot, or beheaded, and 156 A CLOSE shave. under these circumstances the chances of his commit- ting a second offense are limited. "Do you know what they do most of their fighting with?" he continued, after a pause. "No; what is it?" "One of their principal weapons, especially when attacking foreign ships, is the stink-pot, which may be more elegantly termed 'the asphyxiating vase.' It is an earthen pot, filled with the most villainous- smelling compounds that can be produced in the world; when thrown on the deck of a ship the pot breaks and the evil-smelling contents are scattered all around. "The European nose cannot endure it, and it even gives a strong twist to the Chinese one, though it can make out to stand the stench; the Europeans are driven from its neighborhood, and the pirates, who have accustomed themselves to the odor of the stink-pot, are thus enabled to gain the deck." "What a skunkish way of fighting," exclaimed Jack. "And do they do that sort of thing often?" "Every little while we hear of a performance of the kind," Wilson replied. "A few years ago an English steamer which was lying quietly in a bay on the Lin-chow peninsula was captured in this way. A small boat came alongside, a stink-pot was thrown on board, and then the pirates gained the deck and took possession without any fighting whatever. A CLOSE SHAVE. 157 Very magnanimously they let everybody off with a whole skin, and they did not harm the steamer fur- ther than to plunder her, as they knew they were not likely to be troubled.” "Why was that?" "The steamer was on a smuggling expedition, and had no business to be where she was. Word was sent to Canton, and a Chinese gunboat came down and took possession of her. I presume the Chinese government would gladly condone the offenses of all the pirates who do no worse than these-capture and plunder the vessels of British smugglers, shed no blood, and turn the vessels over to the govern- ment." "Where do the smugglers come from?" "From Hong Kong. That place is a nest of smug- glers, and its authorities believe that there are no revenue laws except the British ones which any Englishman should respect. They throw every pos- sible protection around those of their countrymen who violate the revenue laws of China, and seem to be proud of their conduct in this respect." Then Wilson told several anecdotes of adventures with pirates and smugglers on the Chinese coast, to which the boys listened with rapt attention. One of them referred to a narrow escape that was due to the direction taken by the dreaded stink-pot 158 A CLOSE shave. } when it was thrown on the deck of the European vessel the pirates sought to capture. Instead of falling on the deck and breaking to pieces it dropped into a large kettle of boiled rice, which the cook had just taken from the galley and set out for the dinner of the men engaged in handling the cargo. The soft rice received it tenderly, and without cracking the thin earthenware of which the pot was made. There it lay, doing little harm, and when the pirates attempted to mount the deck, they met a warm reception at the muzzles of rifles and revolvers in the hands of the officers and white men of the crew. Harry asked with a great deal of solicitude if the rice was spoiled by the stink-pot. Wilson replied that it could hardly be expected to be edible after furnishing a resting-place for one of the most foul- smelling compounds known to science. While this conversation was going on our friends. were lounging on some boxes that were piled near the foot of the foremast. They alternately watched the waves breaking occasionally over the bows of the schooner as she ploughed through the water, turned their gaze in the direction of her stern where the waters formed a foaming wake, or cast a search- ing glance ahead and on either side. A CLOSE SHAVE. 159 Junks with their great square sails were visible here and there on the sea, their bluff bows crowding into the water like the ends of huge boxes or railway carriages. Harry thought they must be the slowest craft in the world, and was surprised to learn that while they were slow, when judged by European standards, they were not the laggards they were gen- erally supposed to be. "There are junks," said Wilson, "that can sail seven or eight miles an hour in a strong wind, and though they are not capable of quick handling, and cannot run into the wind like an European vessel, they are generally strong and seaworthy. "They last a long time," he continued; "there are many junks more than a hundred years old that have been steadily in use ever since they were launched, and have sailed in all sorts of weather. Junks have made voyages to America and Europe, but as they can only utilize the wind when it is free or on the beam, it took them a long time for those voyages." He went on to explain that the models had not changed from time to time like those of Europe, the junks of to-day being exactly like the junks of centuries ago. He was telling other curious things about them, when he suddenly paused and fixed his attention upon some junks and lorchas-vessels of European 160 A CLOSE SHAVE. # models but with Chinese sails and rigging-which they were approaching. There were two junks and three lorchas that were scattered to the right and left of the Julia's course and seemed to be sailing so as to come together exactly where she was to pass. The movement was suspicious, and Wilson immedi- ately went aft and called the captain's attention to it. The latter had been so much occupied with get- ting the best possible sailing out of the schooner that he had only casually observed the strange ves- sels. "Hanged if I don't believe they're pirates," exclaimed the captain as he noted the movements of the junks and lorchas. "There can't be any honest reason for that kind of a performance." The cabin accommodations of the Julia were lim- ited, but this was of no serious matter on so short a voyage. The captain had given his room to Mrs. Komaroff, and the first mate's room was assigned to Major Flagg. The rest of the party was scattered about the ves sel, and the little cabin was half-filled with the bag- gage which had been hastily pitched on board at the time of the transfer from the Tanjore. When the supposed pirates were discovered the major was below taking a nap in consequence of his A CLOSE shave. 161 having risen early, and Mrs. Komaroff had not been seen since she descended to her room. The captain ordered the arms-chest to be brought on deck, and the rifles and other weapons made ready for distribution. The boys went below and brought out the weapons that had been presented to Jack at the time of his triumph over the train-rob- bers. Then they called the major, told him of the aspects of the situation, and hurried back to the deck with their portable arsenal. They also waked Ivan and Fritz, who were asleep under the cabin table, and did not need a second word to bring them to the upper air. It had not been their intention to disturb Mrs. Komaroff, but it happened that she overheard their conversation and speedily appeared. She gently upbraided them for their neglect, and said if it came to fighting they would find that she could handle a rifle in a manner that would be no discredit to herself or any other woman. 1.1 CHAPTER XX. THE BATTLE WITH THE PIRATES-MRS. KOMAROFF'S SHOT WELL AIMED. THE major was not one of those martially titled individuals abounding in America, especially in the Southern states, whose names are not to be found in any army register. He had seen actual service in the American civil war, and the smell of gunpowder and the whistle of bullets were not at all new to him. To the captain's invitation to take charge of the military portion of the coming interview with the pirates he graciously assented, but with the under- standing that he should leave all the maneuvering of the schooner to her commander. He believed in the principle that every man should do what he could do best, and wisely determined that his share of the proceedings was to be limited to the fighting. "The beggars are concentrating so that I can't make much by changing our course," said the cap- tain; "about the best thing to do is to give a reason- ably wide berth to that big junk on the port bow, and run her in close past the other. That maneuver will also dodge one of the lorchas, and so I can bring 162 A CLOSE SHAVE. 163 the force against us down to one junk and two lorchas. Fetch down their steersmen as fast as you can, and, above all, look out for their stink-pots, which are more to be dreaded than their matchlock muskets." The spinnaker was taken in, as it was likely to be in the way, and the wheel was put in the hands of the steadiest man of the crew, an experienced sailor, who had been through this sort of thing before. The major ranged his fighting force where each could do the most effective work, and consulted with the captain so as to have everything to the best advantage. Mrs. Komaroff was entrusted with a rifle, one of Jack's repeaters, and her brother was armed with one of the rifles belonging to the Julia. The major took the other repeater, Wilson had one of the ship's rifles, and the two youths were similarly equipped. They also had the three revolvers handy in case the work became too rapid or too close for the rifles. Mrs. Komaroff had never appeared to so good advantage since her rescue from the dismasted schooner as at this moment. Her eyes flashed fire, as the novelists say, and her cheeks were red with animation. But however much she might feel the excitement of the situation, she was perfectly cool in manner and 164 A CLOSE SHAVE. evinced a determination to win credit for her nation- ality and to show those who had befriended her that she was not ungrateful. Besides, she knew that her life was at stake, as everyone on board the schooner was well aware that capture at the hands of those pirates was equivalent to death. The Julia was dashing steadily onward, and the junks and lorchas were directing their prows so as to concentrate upon her. The captain made the move- ment he had suggested by giving the Julia a direction about two points to starboard, thus leaving one of the junks and also one of the lorchas considerably away to port. Nearer and nearer they came, the three remaining antagonists closing in upon the schooner and evi- dently intending to carry her by running down and boarding. Jack whispered something to the major just as they were within less than a mile of the point of meeting. "Yes, try it if you like," was the major's reply, and away Jack darted for the cabin. He was gone but a moment and then returned with something which he held carefully concealed beneath the folds of his jacket. "Make every shot tell," said the major, addressing himself to the whole party rather than to anyone in A CLOSE SHAVE. 165 particular. "Remember the rule on the English steamers, ‘don't speak to the man at the wheel.' Reverse it in the present instance, and let your rifles 'speak to the man at the wheel' on the junks and lorchas. Steady now, and be calm." Then he raised his rifle and glanced along the bar- rel, but judging the distance to be too great, he dropped the weapon to his side again. "Madame," said he to Mrs. Komaroff, "please try and pick off the fellow steering the lorcha with the yellow flag; I'll drop the one on the junk. Now's your time!" The lady raised her rifle at the human mark and fired. The man fell, and his weight coming against the tiller caused the lorcha to swing from her course until her sails flapped in the wind. At the same instant, almost, the major sent a bul- let through the steersman of the junk and effectually settled him. But the tiller was immediately taken by another man who seemed to spring out of the deck like a jack-in-the-box and the junk did not lose her course. The major dropped the second man and then a third. It was all done in a few seconds, and evi- dently the people on the junk were old hands at the piratical business and commanded by a skilled leader. 166 A CLOSE SHAVE. The failure of the junk to fall off brought the schooner unpleasantly near to her side, the very thing that the captain had wished to avoid. The pirates did as had been expected. They tossed a stink-pot, or asphyxiating-vase, to the deck of the Julia, and gave a shout of triumph as they did so. But before it touched the deck a man sprang from under the "spill" of the foresail, seized the terrible missile in his arms and tossed it overboard. It was the work of little more than an instant, but it was sufficiently long to reveal the identity of the individ- ual who performed it. It was Hayden, the Englishman, whom everybody supposed had been left on board the Tanjore! But the tossing of missiles was not all on one side. At a nod from the major Jack threw something on board the junk, and it fell into the open hatchway. Accounts of the result vary greatly; that of Fritz is the most picturesque, though possibly somewhat exuberant on the score of veracity. According to the valet's story there was an explosion like the bursting of a small earthquake, and there seemed to be quite as much junk in the air as there was in the water. The junk seemed to be broken into chunks,-if a bad pun may be permitted, -and they were scattered around promiscuously over an area sufficient for half a dozen vessels like the one that had floated there a few moments before. A CLOSE SHAVE. 167 And the crew, too, seemed to have been disorgan- ized and no longer under the control of their captain. That distinguished individual performed the remark- able feat which we often hear attributed to men of great nervous energy and ability, of "being in sev- eral places at once," but it is proper to add that he was not in those several places as one concrete com- mander, but in many comminuted fragments. Regarded purely as a captain, he was of no further consequence or identity. Fragments of the dismembered junk were thrown on board the schooner, and tore her sails in several places, but did no serious damage. Practically she continued on her course as though nothing had hap- pened. "I don't think the captain of that junk ever had a louder call than just now," Wilson remarked. "He's heard a lowdah call often," answered the Julia's skipper. "Lowdah is the Chinese for cap- tain," he added by way of explaining his little joke. A But Wilson was too busy just then to indulge in levity, and he turned his attention to the lorchas, which were now their only enemy to be dreaded, as the junk was no longer in the fight. The mishap to the junk did not seem to disconcert the crews of the lorchas, as they gave no sign that they contemplated seeking safety in flight. 168 A CLOSE SHAVE. The rifles did effective work at this juncture, but there was a limit to their powers. The lorcha whose captain had fallen to Mrs. Komaroff's aim was slowly fetching into the wind again, but was left considerably in the rear, so that the principal atten- tion of the Julia's party was directed to the other. The Hibernian motto, "wherever you see a head hit it," was rigorously followed, and with the long range of the rifles the pirates were unable to do any harm with their matchlocks, while every one who showed himself was speedily picked off. The lorcha had two small cannons on each side, but they were not effectively worked, and the only shot from them that touched the Julia did no dam age further than to splinter a portion of her rail; then it passed harmlessly over and fell into the sea beyond. But her sails were manipulated from below the bul- warks, and, after losing three or four more men at the tiller, she raised a shield of thick planks that par- tially screened the helmsman. Her captain managed so to maneuver her that the Julia could not avoid a collision, and her bow came right across that of the Chinese craft. Before the vessels could drop apart the pirates came swarming over the schooner, and then the fight became one of desperation. It was a struggle for life on both sides, as all knew that no quarter would be asked or given. CHAPTER XXI. THE PIRATES REPULSED-REPAIRING DAMAGES-MEET- ING A RELIEF STEAMER-MAJOR FLAGG'S TELEGRAM. MAJOR FLAGG's advice to make every shot tell was heeded. Every shot told, and as rapidly as the pirates came on the deck of the Julia they fell before the well-aimed fire of her defenders. The battle was quickly over. The The lorcha and the schooner dropped apart. pirates had lashed the vessels together, but the lash- ings were cut by the mysterious Englishman, Hayden, who exposed himself to the fire of those on her deck as he did so. Meantime the lorcha's helm was left without anyone to manage it, the helmsman having been shot down by Mrs. Komaroff, and her sails fell aback. The sailor who had been intrusted with the Julia's wheel remained at his post, and as the schooner came clear of the lorcha she had sufficient headway to enable him to bring her into her course again. Her jibboom had been carried away, and her head- sails were loose, but for all that the sailor managed to steer her in the direction of Hong Kong. 169 170 A CLOSE SHAVE. Crippled as she was, she was leaving the piratical fleet behind her, with the exception of the lorcha with the yellow flag that had been temporarily dropped, in consequence of the mishap to her helmsman, owing to Mrs. Komaroff's excellent aim. She had ranged alongside during the time the Julia was engaged with the other lorcha, and given two or three dis- charges of her cannon, but without doing any dam- age. She tossed one of her vile smelling bottles toward the Julia, but it was shattered on the rail, and the contents dropped into the sea. The rail was only slightly soiled with the villainous compound, but for hours and hours afterward the passengers and crew of the American vessel were reminded of their olfactories, and Wilson was heard humming the fol- lowing appropriate words of an old song: "You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will, But the stench in our noses will linger there still. "Give 'em some hand grenades, Charley," said the captain to the first mate. “Ay, ay, sir!” was the reply, and in rapid succes- sion half a dozen grenades were thrown by the strong and skillful arm of the Yankee sailor. They seemed to drop exactly where they were wanted, and made a rapid reduction in the number of the free- booting crew. The use of these missles ended the battle, as the lorcha swung around and fell astern, A CLOSE SHAVE. 171 and the other piratical vessels were still too far away to come up, even if they had any stomach for the fight. Jack was unfamiliar with the new weapons, and eagerly asked what they were. The mate exhibited one of them, and the youth discovered that it was a shell of iron filled with powder, and so arranged that the charge would be exploded by a percussion cap when the grenade was thrown or dropped on the deck of a vessel. "It's a first rate thing for fighting these 'ere pirates," said the mate, "but what in thunder was that stuff you flung into the junk? I was all ready to bring out the grenades and let 'em have Hail Columbia, when you tossed that sizzling thing over and blew the whole concern into flinders." "That was a dynamite cartridge," replied Jack, "and I'm sorry I had only one. It was a souvenir of a little affair on the railway between New York and San Francisco." Then he briefly told the story of the train robbery, and how the scoundrels were about to blow up the express car with dynamite. "I picked up the cartridge and brought it along as a souvenir," he explained, "and it's come in handy." "You bet it has," said the mate. "We'll get a barrel of it, and then we can blow up all the pirates in China. Get a ton of that stuff under the country, 172 A CLOSE SHAVE. and you might blow the whole Celestial Empire into the middle of the next millennium." Account was then taken of damages. Nobody had been killed or seriously hurt; some of the sailors had slight scratches and bruises, principally the result of splinters from the blown-up junk, and Wilson had a bleeding finger, caused by the recoil of a rifle when it was not properly held against his shoulder. Harry and Jack were as sound as when they went into the fight, and on the whole they concluded that an encounter with Chinese pirates was not a bad thing to relieve the tedium of a voyage. But a serious consideration for the major was the loss of the jib-boom, which was greatly interfering with the sailing qualities of the schooner. Without her head sails she could not be kept to her course, and so it was necessary to rig another boom in the shortest possible time. The Julia had a spare boom, and all hands set to work to rig it. Of course this meant a loss of time which could ill be spared, but there was no help for it. Then there were other damages to the sails and rigging that had to be made good, and altogether the delay by the fight with the pirates, together with what the diplomatists call "indirect damages," amounted to fully four hours. To make things worse, the wind fell somewhat during the night, so that when the day broke the A CLOSE SHAVE. 173 Julia was yet some fifteen or twenty miles from the Ly-ee-moon passage. In the early dawn the outline of a small steamer was observed two or three miles on the port bow of the schooner, and almost at the moment she was discovered she gave a prolonged whistle, which was just barely audible in the distance. She had been lying motionless, but imme- diately started her engines, and steered in the direc- tion of the schooner. "That's all right," said the major, when the com- ing of the steamer was reported to him. "That's the boat I'm looking for. Call me again when she rounds up alongside." On she came, and soon rounded up at the side of the Julia, or rather within easy hailing distance. When she did so the major appeared on deck, and was speedily taken over to the steamer, a powerful tow-boat, used for bringing ships in and out of Hong Kong, as well as for towing them to Macao or to Whampo, an anchorage below Canton. The appearance of the steamer and her movements were a surprise to everybody except Major Flagg and his nephew Harry. They had kept as secret as possible the circumstances of the letter which was sent to Swatow by the hands of the officer of the Tanjore, as they did not want the mortification of failure in case their plan did not succeed. 174 A CLOSE SHAVE. There is a line of telegraph along the coast of China, touching all the principal ports; it is a cable line and not a land one, for the reason that when the telegraph was first planned the Chinese had an insuperable objection to the mysterious wires running through their country. They believed the wires would disturb the currents of good luck, and steadfastly refused to permit their erection; thereby hangs a tale. Some of the foreign merchants at Shanghai once put up a line of telegraph nine miles long between Shanghai and Woo-sung, the point where the Woo-sung river, which flows past Shanghai, joins the great Yang-tse. The Chinese made no opposi- tion, official or otherwise; they did not understand the working of the telegraph, but supposed the foreigners employed sprightly and invisible devils to run along the wires and carry the messages. All went well for a time, until a man happened to die one night in a house over which a telegraph wire passed. A rumor went around that one of the little devils had neglected his business, descended from the wire, and amused himself by killing the unfortunate celestial. Thereupon a mob was quickly collected and within twenty-four hours every pole had been pulled down and the wire cut into short pieces. Well, the paper that Harry wrote at the dictation of Major Flagg was nothing more nor less than a A CLOSE SHAVE. 175 1 telegram to be sent from Swatow to Hong Kong, where the major calculated it would arrive not far from midday. It was to an old friend of his, a part- ner in a business house at Hong Kong, and read as follows: “From Flagg, Swatow, to Robertson, Hong Kong: "Secure Jason or similar boat and start at sunset to meet schooner Julia en route Formosa Channel to Hong Kong. If not delayed due Ly-ee-moon midnight. Bring clerk from Russell Company with fifteen thousand dollars assorted lot, Mexicans, Bank England and Hong Kong bank-notes. Also provisions fresh and salt for ten days for twenty persons, twenty casks water, and trunkful feminine toggery for shipwrecked woman, medium size and age. Twenty dynamite cartridges, thousand Winchester cartridges, forty-five caliber, one Chinese lady's maid and clerk of P. & O. Explanations when we meet. "Ninety-two words, paid-$18.40." "What in the world is the major up to now?" queried Robertson, when he opened and read the dispatch. "Can't for the life of me imagine, but anyhow it's imperative. Here, comprador.” Every business house in China has an employe known as a comprador, who attends to the purchase of pretty nearly everything that is wanted, and in many cases he is virtually the principal man of the establishment, as he decides most of the important questions. In fact, it is difficult to get along with- out him, and he is consequently a very great person- He is invariably Chinese, and, to use an age. 176 A CLOSE SHAVE. American expression, is "about as shrewd as they make 'em." Robertson called the comprador and ordered him to attend to the matters referred to in the major's telegram. That functionary read it over carefully and proceeded at once on his mission. CHAPTER XXII. THE COMPRADOR MRS. KOMAROFF'S TRUNK ARRIVAL AT HONG KONG-MISSING THE MAIL STEAMER—THE MAJOR'S EXPEDIENT. THE comprador has a "squeeze" or commission on all commercial transactions that pass through his hands; this is well understood by all concerned, and therefore the receipt of the commission cannot be called dishonesty. It is defended on the ground that it is the custom of the East; and furthermore, that an European cannot buy goods as cheaply by negotiating the business himself as he can by the aid of the comprador, even with the commission added. Many stories might be told to illustrate the truth of this statement, but we will not pause in our narrative to relate them. Robertson's comprador knew exactly where to go for everything in the major's order with the excep- tion of the feminine apparel, which our readers will readily understand was intended for Mrs. Komaroff. He chartered the steamer and ordered her to be ready at sunset; then he purchased the provisions, dyna- mite and ammunition called for, arranged with the 12 177 178 A CLOSE shave. captain of the steamer for the casks of water, and then went to the house of Russell & Company, on which the major's letter of credit was drawn. One of the clerks from the banking department filled out the formal drafts for the major's signature, and got together the money he required and in the assorted lot requested. The money was in bags and packages, and the whole was inclosed in a stout trunk for con- venience in handling. Accompanied by two trusty porters employed by the house, the clerk was at the steamer at the designated time. This business dispatched, the comprador sought a fashionable milliner on Queen's Road,-the principal street of Hong Kong,—and made known his mission. The thoughtfulness of the major in describing the fair Russian as "of medium size and age" was duly appreciated, as it greatly facilitated the selection. "But why," remarked the milliner, "didn't the fel- low say whether she was blonde or brunette? How am I to match her hair or her complexion when I don't know anything about them?" This was a poser for the comprador. He pondered a moment, and then hinted that as the order was unlimited she had better solve the difficulty by send- ing what would be suitable for a blonde, and then duplicate the lot with a supply for a brunette. "Melican woman makee dielo no hab closee all samee facee," he slyly remarked, which is equivalent A CLOSE SHAVE. 179 to saying that unless an American woman (as he supposed the shipwrecked one to be) could have her wardrobe to match her complexion, she would pre- fer death. "" "Catchee plinty insidee piecee allo plopa, maskee,' he added, which was sensible for a comprador or any other man. The English rendering of this pigeon- English phrase is that it would be all right to send plenty of underclothing, of which it was fair to sup- pose a shipwrecked person would stand in need. The milliner speedily filled a large trunk with fem- inine apparel, of which it is neither our duty nor our privilege to publish the list. She embraced the oppor- tunity to rid herself of several things which were not at that time salable to her fashionable customers; she argued that they ought to be entirely satis- factory to a woman at sea, though not altogether suitable for an appearance at a ball at Government House, or an afternoon tea-party at the postmaster- general's. With the thoughtfulness and kindliness of heart for which the sex is famed the world over, she added a goodly package of thread, needles, and the like, and also an assortment of hair-pins, cosmetics, and other fancy articles which did not appear in the bill, and would, therefore, be kept from the knowledge of the bearded individuals through whose hands the paper might pass. 180 A CLOSE SHAVE. Everything else that the comprador had purchased was on board the steamer when the trunk arrived, and as the sun declined in the west Mr. Robertson appeared, closely followed by the clerk from Russell & Co., the Chinese lady's maid, and the clerk from the P. & O. Company. Then they started in search of the Julia, and, after a tedious night, met her as we have described. By direction of the major the tow-boat sent a line to the Julia, and was soon dragging the schooner through the water at a vigorous rate. But all in vain. By the time they reached Hong Kong the mail steamer was gone, having passed through the Lama passage two hours and fifteen minutes before. "We're dished now, sure," said Wilson, when the above intelligence was announced. Major Flagg made no reply, but shouted for the captain of the Julia to come on board the steamer. As soon as he touched the deck he was greeted by the major with the following query: "How long will it take you to run to Singa- pore?" "Let me see," was the reply. "Fourteen hundred and seven miles-say fifteen hundred the way we'll have to sail. The monsoon will last pretty well down to Singapore; guess the old Julia can make it, if the monsoon sticks, inside of six days." A CLOSE SHAVE. 181 "How much do you want?" "That ain't the question," the captain answered. "I ain't got the provisions nor water for my crew to make such a voyage—only just enough for possibly a couple of days longer." "Suppose you had provisions and water, what would you go for?" "Give me a chance for them and I'll go to Singa- pore for five thousand dollars.' "All right,” replied the major, "it's a bargain.' Then he ordered the tow-boat to haul alongside the Julia, and, as soon as she did so, to put on steam and go slowly out of the Lama passage on the course for Singapore. Meantime the provisions, water and other things brought by the steamer were transferred to the Julia, including the lady's maid and trunk full of "feminine toggery" for Mrs. Komaroff. The Muscovite lady was fairly paralyzed with sur- prise when she saw what the major had done for her, and his thoughtfulness in sending not only for the wearing apparel she desired, but for a lady's maid to assist her in unpacking the trunk and making her comfortable during the voyage. The financial transactions with the clerk of Russell & Company did not require a long time, neither did the settlement with the representative of the P. & O. Steamship Company. 182 A CLOSE SHAVE. The latter informed the major that before he left the office they had a dispatch from Swatow saying the Tanjore had been hauled off the shoal, but was so badly injured that she was unable to proceed on her voyage, and would be temporarily repaired at Swatow. Her passengers would be transferred to the Holt Line steamer Agamemnon, which would be due two days later at Hong Kong. Then the bills for the hire of the tow-boat and the purchases in Hong Kong were adjusted, and also that for the hire of the Julia from Formosa Channel to Hong Kong. The charter to Singapore was made payable on arrival at the latter port, and the major offered to add one hundred dollars for every hour inside of six days in which the voyage should be accomplished. He arranged with Robertson to tele- graph to Singapore for a steamer to come out from that port to meet them, and on consultation with the captain of the Julia, he indicated the place and date where and when she could be sought. Then the parties separated, those who were to continue in the Julia going on board the schooner, while the Hong Kong party remained on the steamer. The latter went ahead with a strong tow-line, and put her engines at full speed, and she did not drop the Julia until they were well clear of the land and under the full influence of the strong monsoon. A CLOSE SHAVE. 183 The steamer signaled to the schooner that at exactly three o'clock the tow-line would be slack- ened so that the Julia could cast it off. The line was loosened, the steamer went ahead; and then, with a parting series of whistles, and with cheers that made hoarse every throat on board, she turned on her course and steered for Hong Kong; while the Julia, with every sail set that could draw, sped on her way toward the most southerly point of the Malay penin- sula. The English mail steamers between Hong Kong and Singapore do not touch at any intermediate port; but the French steamers carrying the mails stop at Saigon, in Cochin China. Consequently the French steamers are allowed six days for the voy- age, while the English ones have but five days. This loss of a day by the French steamers between Hong Kong and Singapore is made up between Singapore and Colombo (Ceylon), the English vessels making a halt at Penang, while the French ones do not. It happened to be the week for the French mail from Hong Kong, and so the major had seven days in which to make the voyage in the Julia; this included six days for the voyage, and an additional day in accordance with the rule which permits a mail steamer to spend twenty-four hours in each princi- pal port on her route, for transhipment of cargo and taking in a supply of coal. 184 A CLOSE SHAVE. But at best it was going to be a close shave again, to use Wilson's favorite expression, and the success of the effort required an average of speed on the part of the Julia such as is not often made by vessels of her class. The major was confident, the rest of the party were hopeful; and as for the captain and crew of the schooner, they had all possible incentive in the prom- ise of one hundred dollars an hour for everything saved out of six days, besides a hint that had been thrown out by Fritz relative to a free distribution of Mexican and other dollars when they drew up along- side the mail steamer at Singapore. A good part of the first day was gone when the steamer cast off her tow-line, and the Julia was still in sight of Victoria Peak, which towers above Hong Kong. The major generously allowed the six days to commence with sunset of that day, and not with the noon or the morning, which the captain declared was a good bonus to start with. According to Harry's reckoning they were then just twenty-nine days from New York. RUNNING BEFORE CHAPTER XIV. THE MONSOON AGAIN-USES DYNAMITE-ATTACKED BY MALAY PIRATES. OF WITH the monsoon filling her sails the Julia made good progress, and justified the hopes of her captain and passengers. Considered on the score of comfort for tourists, the schooner left much to be desired, as she was not built for carrying passengers, and the addition of eight persons to her complement caused a good deal of derangement. As before stated, Mrs. Komaroff had the captain's room, while the major occupied that of the first mate. Mrs. Komaroff's newly obtained maid, Leh-li, slept on the floor of her mistress' room, and the rest of the party were domiciled in the cabin, which served by turns as sitting-room, dining hall, parlor and dormitory. The captain and mate found quarters under an awning forward, where they spread mat- tresses on deck; after the first night of the voyage Harry and Jack followed them there, as they found the open air far preferable to the crowded cabin. As for the Englishman, Hayden, he remained forward with the crew and rarely showed himself on deck. 1.85 186 A CLOSE SHAVE. The speed of the schooner varied from six to ten and sometimes eleven knots an hour, though the latter figure was not often reached. In going through the group of the Paracel Islands and reefs it was necessary to shorten sail, as the waters in this region abound in sunken rocks and shoals where careful navigation is requisite to avoid disaster. On one occasion the keel of the Julia touched bottom, but no damage ensued; it was a touch and nothing more. Our friends saw the coast of Cochin China near Cape Padaran, and passed close to the island known as Pulo Condore. At their rate of progress there was a good prospect of reaching Singapore in the time proposed, and everybody was hopeful but at the same time anxious. Harry and Jack wondered why the major had ordered the Winchester rifle cartridges, and also twenty dynamite cartridges, in his telegram from Swatow. Evidently he regarded the possibility of trouble from pirates, and on the second day of the voyage from Hong Kong, the youths asked the captain of the Julia about the chances of an encoun- ter with those fellows in the waters where they then were. "The chances are not great," was the reply; "but such things do happen once in awhile. It was a splendid precaution of Major Flagg to order those A CLOSE SHAVE. 187 dynamite and rifle cartridges, and wouldn't we have made it livelier for those Chinese pirates if we'd had a dozen dynamites to throw among them instead of only one? By the way, isn't that dangerous stuff to have around?" "Not at all," answered Harry, "provided you know how to handle it. Dynamite is made by mix- ing nitro-glycerine, which is very dangerous, with porous earth. Seventy-five per cent. of nitro- glycerine, and twenty-five per cent. of porous earth form the compound, and thus put up it is as safe as gunpowder, except in the hands of those who don't know how to manage it." "Well, what do you do to make it safe?" "Never drop it or throw it carelessly about, as it is liable to explode by concussion, though it will only do so when the shock is violent. If you set it on fire it burns like a fuse, and does not explode; the dyna- mite fuse has a percussion cap at the end, and it is this cap that fires off the cartridge. Touch fire to it and it burns off harmlessly, quite unlike gunpowder. It has only three-fourths the power of nitro- glycerine, but is much safer, and therefore more popular. Many scientific men consider it the safest of all explosives; it should not be allowed to freeze, as freezing is apt to decompose it; but it can stand all tropical temperatures without injury." ! 188 A CLOSE SHAVE. "If the pirates show themselves, we'll make it lively for 'em with this new-fangled stuff," said the captain; "and as for those Winchester rifles of yours, they throw out bullets like letting 'em run from a hopper." On the morning of the fifth day, the Julia was about forty miles to north-east of the Anambas, a group of some fifteen or twenty islands in the China sea, off the east coast of the Malay peninsula, and directly in the track between Hong Kong and Singapore. The captain said that once in awhile a Malay proa or two made a dash from some of the nooks among the islands, and captured vessels that were becalmed in the neighborhood. He added that their perform- ances were of rare occurrence, and many sea-captains denied that they had occurred in a long time. "If the wind holds, we are not likely to see any- thing of them," he continued; "but if it should die out, there's no telling what will happen. I declare it's beginning to fall, and we may have a chance for some fun. I wouldn't mind it much if it wasn't for the danger of not getting to Singapore on time.” They continued on their course, the wind every hour growing lighter and by the time they were off the most northerly of the islands, the schooner was not making more than five miles an hour. A CLOSE SHAVE. 189 The captain watched the shore with the greatest care, and presently he saw two long, low-lying proas moving in his direction, impelled by their mat sails and by some fifteen or twenty rowers on each side. There was no mistaking the situation. They were about to be attacked by Malay pirates! "The scoundrels always board a foreign vessel over the bows, and they are as agile as cats. Bring up those barrels of beer-bottles," said he to the mate, "and break 'em over the deck.' Two or three barrels filled with empty beer and other glass bottles were hoisted up from the hold, and with hammers, marlin spikes and similar tools the bottles were soon broken into small pieces, which were quickly strewn over the deck from the bows fully half way to the stern. "What's the object of that?" one of the boys asked. "That's the idea of a missionary's wife, who was a passenger on a brig that was once attacked by pirates in the Malay archipelago. These Malay pirates always go barefooted, and bare feet and broken glass don't always mix well together, at any rate not well for the feet." Then the rifles were brought out and each member of the party took the same position as in the fight with the Chinese pirates, already described. The 190 A CLOSE SHAVE, dynamite cartridges were ready at hand and their use was assigned to Jack. were As the proas came within range the rifles were brought into play, the helmsmen and the foremost rowers being picked off, but their places immediately taken by others, and though the proas were retarded somewhat they were not stopped in their assault. They reached the side of the schooner and the usual trick of boarding over the bows was attempted. One proa was considerably in advance of the other, and as it touched the side of the Julia a dozen men sprang from it to capture the schooner. They reached the deck, but didn't make half a dozen steps aft before they fell with their feet sadly lacerated by the fragments of glass. Jack lighted the fuse of one of the cartridges and tossed it at the proa. It fell among the feet of the rowers amidships, and there exploded. The proa was shattered all to pieces, and the men that were not killed by the explosion were struggling in the water an instant later, where they were likely to furnish food for the sharks that abound in that region. The other proa came on only to meet a similar fate. Just as she was blown into the air the first mate called out that a breeze was coming, and a single glance astern showed that the wind was A CLOSE SHAVE. 191 freshening; it was indicated by a dark line on the water which rapidly approached and showed that the monsoon was coming to itself again. As the sails filled, and the speed of the Julia increased, the captain ordered the wounded pirates that encumbered the deck to be thrown overboard. He said he had no use for them, and they would not wish to be taken to Singapore where they would certainly be hanged. Jack and Harry thought the chances of the pirates reaching the shore of the islands were not very good, as the distance was considerable; the fellows could not make much use of their feet in swimming, and there was no boat at hand to pick them up. The captain's manner indicated that he did not particularly care what became of them, and as they would have certainly murdered him and all on board the schooner in case they had captured her, there was no reason for wasting sympathy on them. The mate asked if he should sweep up the glass and throw it overboard. The captain told him to do so, but immediately countermanded the order as the breeze was dying out again and they were by no means clear of the islands. "There may be some more pirates lurking there, and we may have another brush before we are three hours older. That glass has done good service and we'll give it another chance, perhaps." 192 A CLOSE SHAVE. The wind was provokingly uncertain. It dropped almost to a calm again, and while he was whistling for more and displaying great anxiety over the situa- tion, not only in view of the possibility of another attack by pirates, but of failing to reach Singapore in time to win the promised premium, the captain was dismayed to see a proa, considerably larger than either of those which they had just encountered, putting out from the mouth of a little palm-shaded creek and making straight for the schooner. "Another fight coming, sure as I'm a Yankee skip- per!" exclaimed the captain. Then he shouted orders for everybody to stand by as before and give the fellows the reception they deserved. A CLOSE SHAVE. 289 caught by the closing door; he quickly tore off the imprisoned portion of the garment and reached the train in time to save poor Fritz from emotional insanity at the failure of the party to put in an appearance. In two minutes they were rolling toward Havre "on time," and had made another "very close. shave.' Report had it that the policeman fell asleep in the carriage, but as he made no complaint and none was registered against him, and, moreover, as he found half a dozen napoleons-gold pieces of twenty francs each-in his pocket on awaking, the affair was never made the subject of a diplomatic correspondence between France and the United States. There were very few passengers on the train, nearly all of those for the steamer having gone by the regular trains during the day, with the intention of sleeping on board the vessel before her departure from the dock. The special dispatches for which the ship was delayed had also been sent forward by the evening mail train, and consequently it was a piece of good fortune for our friends that the company adhered to its routine of running a special train to connect with the steamer. Besides the major's party there were not half a dozen passengers, at least so the conductor said. 19 290 } A CLOSE SHAVE. "I don't exactly like this," said Jack to Harry, when he learned the state of affairs. "Suppose there should be an accident to the train, or the road be blocked so as to delay us, we might be left. The company would prefer to pay the hotel bills of all the passengers on the train during the time they wait for the next steamer rather than delay La Champagne." "That's so," replied Harry; "but we won't bor- row trouble about it. I'm for taking a nap, as this is the only chance of getting any sleep to-night. "" "You're right," was the reply, "and here goes for a nap on this side of the house," and so saying he coiled into a corner and was very soon asleep. Harry had set the example for him, and the major and Wilson were doing likewise. Each of the quar- tet had a corner of the compartment to himself, an arrangement by no means uncomfortable. The boys were dreaming of the home they speedily expected to sec, and all sorts of fancies were running through their heads. Jack's dreams were more troubled than those of his cousin, as he imagined himself in the midst of the speech he expected to deliver at the dinner in his honor, and somehow his tongue clung to the roof of his mouth and he was unable to make an audible sound. Then in an instant he was back again among the train robbers; a moment later he was blowing up the Chinese junk A CLOSE SHAVE. 291 with his dynamite cartridge; and again, with the utter disregard of time and space for which dreams are noted, he was aground in the Red sea or rolling over the Egyptian desert in the railway train from Suez. And so the events of the journey ran like the changes of a kaleidoscope, and all the time he was abashed and trembling before his kind-hearted friends who had assembled to greet him and testify their admiration of his prowess. Suddenly his dreams came to an end. The train stopped with a shock that awakened all the trav- elers, and they anxiously inquired the cause. The road was blocked by a freight train which had been wrecked through the carelessness of an employe of the company. It was the old story, a misplaced switch. Jack's foreboding had been realized. They reached Havre an hour late and the steamer was gone! She could not wait another tide and had left the dock promptly at the time of high water! "A week at the Hotel Frascati at the steamship company's expense," muttered Wilson to himself, "and then take the next steamer. But we must be in New York nine days from to-day." "What is the record now, Harry?" asked the major. "This is the sixty-first day from New York," was the reply. CHAPTER XXXVI. EXCITING ADVENTURES IN HAVRE-SAFE ON BOARD AT THE LAST MOMENT. "BRING everything to the Grand Quay as soon as possible," said the major to Wilson and Fritz as he stepped from the train. "Come Harry." Harry followed his uncle out of the station and into a cab. The major gave the order, "Au Grand Quai," to the driver, and added, "Despechez vous!" equiva- lent to the American phrase, "Be quick about it." Harry wondered what was to be done now that La Champagne had gone. Major Flagg observed the look of perplexity on the youth's face and kindly relieved his anxiety. "We've another chance," said he, "and a very good one, too. The time-table of the North German Lloyd Company-popularly known as the Bremen Line— that I received from London when we left Brindisi, only mentioned their Thursday steamers from Southampton for New York. By an advertisement in a paper that I picked up at Dijon yesterday, I find that the Bremen Line is now running steamers twice a week each way between New York and Bremen, 292 A CLOSE SHAVE. 293 Louching at Southampton. They leave Bremen on Saturday and Wednesday and touch at Southampton Sunday and Thursday. A train leaves Waterloo station in London at twelve twenty-five in the after- noon on those days, runs to Southampton in two and a half hours, and sends passengers and luggage by a steam tender to the steamer, which waits in the outer harbor. Consequently she cannot leave for New York until after four o'clock in the afternoon." "But how are we going to reach her?" queried Harry, as the major paused. "Here we are at Havre, and the steamer is on the other side of the Channel.' "That's easy enough," was the reply. "There is a tri-weekly service each way, between Southampton and Havre, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, performed by the steamers Wolf and Alice. One of those boats must be in port now, and I propose to charter her to take us across to Southampton. It is now not quite half-past four o'clock, and conse- quently it is eleven and a half hours before the Bremen steamer leaves Southampton for New York. The Wolf or Alice can get up steam in one hour, cross to Southampton in eight hours, and place us at the side of the ocean vessel on time with two hours and a half to spare. She'll land us in New York in eight days, and perhaps in seven and a half. Ah! here we are at the Grand Quay." 294 A CLOSE SHAVE. Out stepped the major, and behind him out stepped Harry. The Wolf was at her berth, close to the quay, and the major at once went on board. In the language of New York, he "made things lively" around that English packet. In five minutes he had the captain out of his room and offered any sum of money he might demand to be in Southampton by three o'clock in the afternoon. The captain said he would have to consult the agent, who naturally enough was not around at that hour. By the major's suggestion he ordered steam to be got up at once, and meantime rushed off to find the agent and obtain his authority for this very unusual proceeding. The major went with the captain to enforce the negotiation by showing the money in his shoulder- satchel and offering to pay half of the stipulated amount down-whatever it might be-and deposit the rest in the captain's hands for return in case the boat failed to get to Southampton in time. But hardly was the carriage containing them out of sight before there was a new turn of affairs. A cab containing Wilson and Jack arrived at the quay, and the man and youth were evidently in a state of great excitement. "Where's Major Flagg?" said Wilson as he caught sight of Harry. A CLOSE SHAVE. 295 "He's gone with the captain of the Wolf to hunt up her agent," was the reply. "He's going to charter her to take us to meet the German steamer at Southampton.' "" "There's no need of that," responded Wilson. "The French steamer hasn't gone. She's outside the port waiting for us, and there's a tender to leave as soon as passengers and baggage can be put on board of it." Here was a kettle of fish and no mistake! Fritz had gone with the baggage to the tender, which lay considerably further up the avantport and close to the entrance of the Eure Docks, where the steamers of the C. G. T. discharge and receive their cargoes. It was quite a little drive or walk from the Grand Quay around to the tender and she might leave at any moment. Nobody knew where the agent lived. The captain was the only man connected with the boat who could tell the agent's address, and he had gone with the major. One of the stewards knew the agent's name, and then Harry called for the city directory of Havre. Precious moments were lost in hunting up the book, but it came at last, and then the agent's residence was unearthed. While they were hunting for the directory Harry wrote a note to the major which ran as follows: 296 A CLOSE SHAVE. "Dear Uncle:-The French steamer hasn't gone yet. She's lying outside the harbor waiting for the tender. Hurry back to Grand Quay as soon as ever you can. In great haste, "HARRY." "Jump into that cab," said Harry to the steward, "and give that note into the hands of the gentleman who went off with the captain. Tell him its very important and don't let anything stop you. I've a sovereign for you if you get him back to catch the tender for the French steamer." The steward required no further urging and away he went, Harry having made a liberal offer to the driver of the cab in case he displayed extreme zeal. How anxiously they waited for the return of the major, and how anxiously they watched the tender that lay smoking at the quay near the Eure Docks! The Wolf, too, was smoking furiously as the engi neer, in obedience to the captain's directions, was getting up steam and making ready for departure. Fritz and the baggage were on the tender, and they could see the active valet bustling about like a huge fly, and evidently in great alarm for the whereabouts of his living charges. Five minutes passed and no major. Ten minutes and still no major. Fifteen minutes and he had not come. The tender was casting off from her quay and turning around preparatory to starting for the great steamer outside! A CLOSE SHAVE. 297 Slowly at first and then more rapidly she moved, and in a few minutes she was opposite where the Wolf was moored. Her engineer opened her throttle valves and gave her full headway. Too late! Fritz and the baggage were going on the French steamer, and the Fritzless and baggageless quartette must fall back on the German one. "That will vitiate the bet, I'm afraid," remarked Wilson to Harry and Jack. "We should all arrive together or the wager may be declared ‘off,' and we'll have to go round the world all over again." But before either of the youths could make any response there was a rattle of wheels, and the cab containing the major drove up at break-neck pace, closely followed by the one in which the steward of the Wolf went away. The captain of the packet- boat leaped out first, followed by the agent, who was only about half-dressed and was still engaged in fastening some of the buttons of his garments and arranging his neck-tie. From the other cab leaped the major and the steward who went after him. The captain of the Wolf shouted in the most sten- torian and nautical tones, first in English and then in French, at the steersman of the tender. It was a shout that might have been heard half-way to Southampton, and it had the desired effect. The tender stopped and swung alongside the Wolf, where the party stepped to meet it. During the min- 298 A CLOSE SHAVE. ute or so that it took her to get there, Harry had duly rewarded the steward with the promised sover- eign, made the drivers of the cabs happy with liberal compensation, and the major handed fifty pounds to the captain and agent of the Wolf, to pay for the coal consumed in the now useless getting up of steam, and to compensate them for their trouble gen- erally. It had been a very lively quarter of an hour a Frenchman might call it "une mauvaise quart d'heure❞—but nobody's bones had been broken, and everybody who had been shaken up was consoled that he had solid compensation for his work and shaking. As for the travelers they were serene once more, as the prospect was good for their getting to New York on time. Half an hour later they were at the side of the great steamer, and as soon as the passengers and baggage were deposited on her deck, the tender cast off and returned to port, and La Champagne headed away on her course for New York. "There is one disappointment, though," said Harry, as he and Jack paced the deck after the steamer was under way. "What is that?" "Why, we shan't take in England at all," was the reply. "I had counted England as one of the coun- tries we were to see on the journey, and here we're giving it the go-by." · A CLOSE SHAVE. 299 "Not at all," Jack answered as he drew from his pocket the map which shows the route of the Com- pagnie Generale Transatlantique between Havre and New York. "See here,” he explained. "Here's the route, and we go close by Land's End and the Lizard, the most southerly point of England. We shall see as much of the kingdom of her Majesty Victoria as we did of Japan or China, or some of the other countries on our way." "I take it all back," exclaimed Harry, "and am ready to be interviewed as to my opinion of the king- dom of Great Britain and Ireland. But didn't we come awfully nigh missing the steamer?" "Yes," was the reply. "As Mr. Wilson says, 'it was a very close shave." CHAPTER XXXVII. A GLIMPSE OF ENGLAND-OVER THE ATLANTIC- CAUGHT IN THE FOG-LIFE ON A FISHING BOAT— TOO LATE FOR THE TRAIN! BRIGHT and early next morning they were in sight of the coast of England. Harry and Jack had the satisfaction of seeing the green hills and slopes of Devon and Cornwall, streaked with the white walls of the farms and stippled with the houses that are the homes of a sturdy people whose ancestors set- tled there centuries ago. Wilson pointed out the famous Eddystone lighthouse, and both the youths watched it until it faded in the distance. They had a glimpse of the Scilly Isles, and after these dots of earth were left behind the steamer was fairly in the open ocean, with no land lying between her and her destination at the great seaport of the western world. And the question which rose in the mind of each of the travelers was the one which had risen there many times before: "Shall we get there all right, and on time?" "After all our hurry and trouble," said Jack, "we'll get there a day ahead of time, according to 300 A CLOSE SHAVE. 301 your figures, if the steamer meets with no mishap. She's the finest craft we've been on since we left New York, and but for the wager and the necessity of win- ning it, I wouldn't mind a day or two longer on the voyage." "Nor I, either," replied Harry, "but we mustn't think of that now. We can't afford any delay; at any rate, any that would throw us back forty-eight or even thirty hours. According to the runs the steamer has made in times past, she'll get us to New York in eight days or less. Suppose she takes eight days, we'll be there on our sixty-ninth day, and so we'll have to hide ourselves for twenty-four hours in order to make a sensation by appearing at the din- ner just on time, at the end of the seventieth day." "How far is it from Havre to New York?" "Three thousand one hundred and seventy miles very nearly," was the reply. "There is a variation in the figures given by different authorities, and I don't know which is the most accurate." "" "To make it in eight days the ship must average sixteen knots an hour. I suppose she can do it?" "Mr. Wilson says these great steamers of the French Mail Company can make seventeen knots, and keep it up straight along. Just look at her! Seven thousand tons burden and eight thousand horse-power to her engines. It's a great mass to push through the water and a great power to push 302 A CLOSE SHAVE. it with. There are three other steamers of the line just like her, and another, La Normandie, that is only a little smaller." "What kind of a steamer would we have had, I wonder, if we had gone to Southampton, as uncle had planned, in case we missed La Champagne?” "I don't know," was the reply. "Here comes Mr. Wilson; let's ask him about it." The query was proposed to Wilson, who explained that the ships of the North German Lloyds were of great size, from five to six thousand tons burden, with engines from six to eight thousand horse- power. "They are built," said he, "of iron and steel, as are all first-class steamers nowadays, and make the run from Southampton to New York in from seven and one-half to eight and one-half days, according to the weather. There is a keen rivalry among the different lines of steamers navigating the Atlantic, and all the principal ones are carnestly striving to excel in the comfort, size, speed and safety of their ships. Take any one of the first-class steamers on the Atlantic at the present time, and you must be hard to please if you find much to complain of. They may crowd you closely, and sometimes make you pay a high price for your accommodations, but they carry you swiftly, and, considering the number of A CLOSE SHAVE. 303 ships and people that every year cross the ocean, the number of accidents is very small." Day by day and night by night, without a pause, the engines kept up their pulsations, and in spite of the winds that blew from the west for the greater part of the time the afternoon of the seventh day brought the vessel in sight of the American coast. That is to say, she would have been in sight of it had not a dense and very provoking fog enveloped her, and made it impossible to see a hundred yards ahead. The captain thought they were about sixty miles off Fire Island lighthouse when the fog closed in upon them. After running about thirty miles further at full speed he ordered the engines slowed down, and took soundings to find out how far he was from shore. A pilot-boat loomed out of the fog, and they took a pilot, who announced the captain's calcula- tion a very accurate one, and said they would be run- ning over Fire Island and into Great South Bay if they kept on three hours longer the way they were going. The steamer crept slowly on, and occasionally stopped altogether. Her snail-like progress was not at all to the satisfaction of our friends, however much it might be dictated by the principle of safety. Wilson was particularly disturbed by it, and as usual he fell to planning a method of expediting matters 304 A CLOSE SHAVE. in order to make sure of reaching New York on time. He knew that as long as the fog lasted they might be detained off the coast, as the captain would never think of risking the lives and property under his charge by attempting to run into port. The great ship might stay where she was for one, two, three, or perhaps more days, though such a circumstance would be very unusual. Steamers and sailing ships have been detained two or three days at a time off the entrance of New York Bay, waiting for the fog to lift and show them their way inside. And two or three days would lose the wager and make the major very unhappy. Through the fog loomed a small steamer, which Wilson recognized as a menhaden-fisher, one of those coast-haunting craft engaged in the capture of the little fish known as the "menhaden" or "moss- bunker." The menhaden is full of oil which is pressed from his body and forms an important article of commerce. He is the chief article of diet and support for the blue-fish and other food-fishes of the Atlantic coast, and its destruction threatens to deprive the people of that region of an important item of their daily fare. "Here's a chance for us," said Wilson to the major, "of getting to New York in a few hours without regard to the fog." "How so?” CHAPTER XXVI. A RUN ON THE STILETTO STEAMER-COLOMBO-AN WHAT HAPPENED. OVERTAKING THE MAIL ELEPHANT RIDE AND "WE haven't coal enough on board for much of a run," said the engineer of the Stiletto, "and were just going to take in a fresh lot when you boarded us." To stop to coal up at such a time was a serious matter, as it would consume an hour or more. But Jack was fertile in suggestions, and speedily proposed a way out of the difficulty. At the yard of one of the companies that supplied steamers with fuel there was a large lot of coal in sacks, ready to be carried on board the next ship to arrive. The superintendent of the yard happened to be there, and to him Jack made a proposal that a sufficient number of sacks to fill the bunkers of the Stiletto should be piled on the deck of that vessel, without waiting to empty them into the coal shutes. A high premium was promised for celerity, and all the coolies in the yard were set to work piling the sacks on the deck. 14 209 210 A CLOSE SHAVE. The operation of coaling did not take a quarter of an hour, and while it was going on the Ban-Yong- Seng was brought alongside, and the baggage and passengers were transferred. As the last of the party stepped over the rail of the Stiletto, and the major shook hands with the cap- tain of the Siamese steamer, after ample payment for her services and a liberal gratuity to her crew, a garry (the one-horse cab of the Orient) drove up, and Captain Kirkland stepped out. The Stiletto was under way to overtake the Irrawaddy in exactly thirty-four minutes from the time Jack first discovered her through his glass. Major Flagg and Captain Kirkland had not met for years, and they had many interesting reminis- cences of other days. But their first thought was about the mission on which they were bound and the prospects of success. "It's easy enough to figure out," said the captain. "The Irrawaddy probably steams about fourteen knots, though we'll say fifteen. She's been gone an hour and a half, and therefore has a start of twenty miles or so. We can make twenty-two knots easily, and I'll count on twenty-three, or eight knots better than the French boat. In three hours, if the Stiletto doesn't break down or run into something like a shoal, a rock, or a cuttle-fish, we'll lay you alongside the Frenchman." A CLOSE SHAVE. 211 The Stiletto ran like a locomotive, and kept the captain's promise. In less than two hours the Irrawaddy was in full view, and the little vessel gained rapidly upon her. The Stiletto hoisted the signal of the international code which reads: "We wish to communicate," and when this was made out the Irrawaddy stopped her engines and waited for the Stiletto to come up. The major had no argument with Captain Kirk- land about paying for the coal consumed on the run, as he had already paid the superintendent of the yard for it, though the fact was not ascertained by the captain till after he had returned to Singapore. The coal had been poured into the bunkers while the Stiletto was under way, and the empty sacks were returned to the yard according to promise. There was rejoicing on the part of the major's party, we may be sure, when all had mounted to the deck of the Irrawaddy and waved a farewell to the little steamer that had brought them so swiftly and safely from Singapore. On the blue waters of the straits of Malacca she presented a picturesque appearance, with her low bow and stern, and with the American flag waving proudly above her. Harry and Jack gazed after her as long as she could be seen, and, though their acquaintance with her had been very brief, it was evidently a most agreeable one. 212 A CLOSE shave. On the French steamer, which bore him swiftly to the westward, the major had time to collect his thoughts and reflect upon the numerous mishaps he had encountered thus far. "It has been villainous luck," said he, musingly, "and a good many times it has seemed as though we would never get through, but somehow we've got along, and here we are on time. What's your record, Harry?" he asked, as that youth made his appearance. “This is the thirty-sixth day from New York," was the reply, "or will be at sunset." "Thank you," said the major, "that is all right, and just as I calculated it. But, as Wilson says, By the way, where is we've had many close shaves. Wilson? I haven't seen him since we came on board." "He's showing Mrs. Komaroff the fine points of the steamer," was the reply; "she was never on a French steamer before, and is greatly interested in it." "That reminds me," continued the major, “of that Englishman we took from the wreck, and who appeared so mysteriously on board the Julia. Did Hayden stay on the Julia or come on board the Siamese boat? I haven't seen him since we left the Julia, and the fact is, I've been so much absorbed A CLOSE SHAVE. 213 with the incidents of our voyage that I haven't thought of him.” "No, sir," Harry answered; "he remained on the Julia, and I distinctly saw him on her deck as we steamed away from her. I think he must have been asleep below, and only came on deck when it was too late to catch us." "I hope the Julia is all right," the major remarked, "and that she wasn't far behind us in getting to Singapore. Besides-well, what the dickens-" He paused at the name of the great novelist. The major's usually imperturbable face displayed lines of astonishment, and well it might. For before him, with a letter which he held out to the major, stood the Englishman, Hayden, whom everybody supposed was still on the Julia. He smiled as he extended the letter, and after his aston- ishment had partially subsided, the major smiled too. Then he took the letter, broke the seal, and read the contents. It was from the captain of the Julia, and stated in substance that soon after the Ban-Yong-Seng left her the Julia got a slant of wind which carried her straight down to Singapore without starting the braces half a dozen times. "Here we are," said the captain, "and your steamer is n't in yet, not so far as I can find out. You don't owe me any premium, as I didn't get in in 214 A CLOSE SHAVE. time to claim any; but, as we say at home, 'I got there all the same.' The mail steamer leaves in two hours, and I'll send this by Hayden, who is going to take third or fourth class passage in her. Hope you'll get to New York on time and win your wager. I have anchored in the old harbor, while you'll go to Tangong Pagar, and so you may not see the Julia." When he looked up from the perusal of the letter, Hayden had disappeared. Major Flagg called Fritz and told him to see that the Englishman had every. thing he wanted, and if he had taken third or fourth class passage, to change him into any higher class if he desired a change. Then he mused upon the uncer- tainties of navigation, and particularly where the wind is the motive power to be relied upon. It may interest our readers to know that the French mail steamers in the Mediterranean and Asiatic waters have four classes of fares; actually it may be said that they have five, as they make the fourth class into two divisions, one of which includes food while the other does not. To show the difference in their rates we will give the price of passage between Singapore and Hong Kong, reducing the amount to dollars: 1st class, $80; 2d class, $64; 3d class, $32; 4th class, with food, $20, without food, $13. First class is luxurious, and second class is equal to the first class of all but the best lines of the transat- A CLOSE SHAVE. 215 lantic steamers. Third class corresponds to the steerage or intermediate of transatlantic lines, and the fourth class restricts the traveler to the deck, which is by no means a hardship in tropical waters, where it is generally uncomfortably hot below, and the deck is protected from sun and rain by a thick awning, often of a triple thickness of canvas. Through the straits of Malacca, with the Malay peninsula in sight on the right hand, and the island of Sumatra on the left, the steamer plowed her way until, leaving the straits, she steered for the south erly end of Ceylon. Turning Dondra Head she fol- lowed the palm-fringed coast for several hours, her passengers greatly enjoying the view of Ceylon with its towering peaks and its rich tropical verdure. Harry declared he could smell the spicy breezes that, according to the poet, "blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle." Jack was skeptical, but on leaning over the rail and inhaling the atmosphere he agreed with his cousin that the aroma was distinctly perceptible. Wilson and Mrs. Komaroff were called, and they too could smell the spices, while the rest of the pas- sengers, at least all of those who were new to the route, were similarly impressed. But it was not until the next day that they learned how Harry, with the aid of one of the older passen- gers, had literally sprinkled powerful extracts of cin- 216 A CLOSE SHAVE. namon and cloves along that portion of the rail to which the curious ones were inveigled. The steamer reached Colombo, sixteen hundred and fifty-nine miles from Singapore, in the morning of the sixth day from Singapore and the forty-second from New York, and the passengers were told they could have a whole day on shore. They had plenty of sights and scenes in the town, and our friends embraced the opportunity to study the fort of Colombo and the "Pettah" or Black Town, the latter containing a mixed population of natives, half-castes, Moormen, Parsees, Portuguese, and various other odds and ends of humanity. They took a short ride in a carriage on the southerly road which leads to Point de Galle, and afterward indulged in the luxury and novelty of an elephant ride on the road leading to the north. For this ride two elephants were hired, and the party counted on having something to talk about when they got home. "Won't it be grand?" said Harry to Jack, "to be able to tell our friends that in spite of our hurry in going around the world in seventy days we had a ride on an elephant? "It will indeed," replied his cousin, "and we'll make them think it was a long journey instead of only a little outing of an hour or two." A CLOSE SHAVE. 217 Elephants, like other animals, have their peculiar- ities, and this fact was discovered when, having gone far enough and the time growing short, the word was given to return to Colombo. The elephants refused to turn around, and all the efforts of the drivers were in vain. "Six miles from Colombo and the steamer is to leave in little more than an hour!" exclaimed Jack. "What shall we do?" "I don't know," replied Harry, "but something must be done, and that very soon!" CHAPTER XXVII. BULLOCK-HACKERIES-FROM COLOMBO TO ADEN-HOW HARRY GOT EVEN WITH A SWINDLER. To walk back to Colombo was out of the question in the time at the disposal of the travelers; and as for riding, there was not a horse-carriage in sight. The only vehicles visible were two light carts with canopies over them; each cart was mounted on two wheels and drawn by a pair of hump-backed bullocks, and there were seats inside for four per- sons. "Just the thing," said Harry as he espied the carts, which are are known in Ceylon as "hackeries." Europeans are very rarely seen in them, as it is not considered proper for the dignity of any one but a native to ride in a hackery, but in the present instance etiquette could not stand in the way of necessity. "What!" exclaimed Jack, "ride back in a bullock cart! We could get there quicker on foot." "Never you mind," said Harry as he beckoned the drivers of the carts and brought them to a halt. "You get into one and I'll mount the other, and let's 218 A CLOSE SHAVE. 219 see who gets to the landing-place first. Offer your driver a five-shilling piece to beat mine and see what comes of it." Major Flagg smiled and said nothing, while Wilson and Mrs. Komaroff were pictures of aston- ishment. The major tossed a dollar to each of the elephant-drivers and then stepped into one of the hackeries followed by Fritz, Harry having already installed himself in the vehicle. The other hackery received Mrs. Komaroff, Wilson and Jack, and away the party started in the direction of Colombo. None of the travelers could talk Cingalese, and the drivers knew nothing of the English language, but the absence of a common tongue was made up by signs. Harry held up a large silver coin, and indi- cated to the driver that he would give it to the first vehicle that reached Colombo, and Jack did the same. The result was a race that astonished everybody. The little bullocks trotted off gaily, and for a large part of the time they went at a gallop. The distance was covered in less than fifty minutes, and the party had ample time to get to the steamer before she closed her gangway and made ready to leave port. As soon as the youths were together again Jack asked Harry how he happened to know that those hackery bullocks could make such good time. 220 A CLOSE SHAVE. "Why, I read it in a book about Ceylon and India this very morning," answered Harry, "and when we first went on shore I observed some of the bullocks trotting off like young horses. The writer of the book said they could travel thirty miles a day easily, and could trot a mile or two as fast as a horse. I thought if they could trot a mile or two under ordinary circumstances they could make six miles at a trot with the stimulus of a handsome prize to the winner of the race." It is proper to say that each driver received the promised reward. The hackeries came in neck and neck, to use the language of the race-track, and as there was no time for "umpiring" the contest, they were both declared winners. The next stopping place of the steamer was Aden, twenty hundred and ninety-three miles from Colombo, and the schedule time of the steamship companies allows seven days for the voyage. The course is directly across the Arabian sea, and no land is sighted until reaching the island of Socotra, which lies almost in the entrance of the Gulf of Aden. From Socotra to Aden the navigation is accom- panied with a good deal of danger, and several steamers have come to grief and been totally lost on that island and on Cape Guardafui, or Ras Asu, the easternmost point of Africa. The course of the A CLOSE SHAVE. 221 steamers is between Socotra and the cape, and the closer Ras Asu can be turned the shorter will be the voyage of the vessel. The inhabitants of Socotra are mostly Bedouin Arabs, and they regard shipwrecked Europeans as their legitimate prey. Ships that are lost there are generally plundered, and the passengers are fort- unate if allowed to go without being stripped of their superfluous clothing. The same may be said of those who are cast on the shores of Cape Guardafui, where the natives are equally inhospitable. Harry made inquiries concerning the inhabit- ants of the country around and back of Cape Guardafui and concluded that he did not care to see them closely. He was much amused to learn that they considered it the height of fashion to have red hair, and went to a great deal of trouble to dye their black locks to a bright cinnamon color. He thought a red haired negro would be a curiosity, but when he learned of their inhospitable character and the way they treated the passengers of the French steamer, Me-kong, that was wrecked there a few years ago, he devoutly hoped the Irrawaddy would give the land of the Somalis a wide berth. The crew and passengers of that unfortunate ves- sel, the Me-kong, were robbed of everything they had, and some of them were stripped almost to the skin. Spears and knives were thrust at them, and, 222 A CLOSE SHAVE. though nobody was killed by the rascals, it is prob- able that they would have resorted to murder in addition to robbery if an English steamer had not appeared upon the scene and come to the relief of the shipwrecked people who were crowded together on the shore. Some of them died afterward from the effects of their exposure to the tropical sun and the rough treatment they received. The Irrawaddy rounded Cape Guardafui in the night, and was thought to have passed the danger- ous point in safety. But just about daylight there was an alarm that brought everybody on deck. The steamer touched on one of the shoals that make out into the sea in the neighborhood of the cape, and was brought to a sudden stop. Fortunately she was only running at half speed, and therefore did not get aground upon the shoal; besides, the engineer was standing with his hand upon the lever and he instantly stopped the engines at a signal from the officer on the bridge. By backing the engine at full speed after shifting some of the cargo from the bows to a position as far aft as possible, the steamer was taken off the shoal without injury and proceeded on her way. The detention did not last long, but short as it was the youths were concerned lest it would inter- fere with their programme. They were consoled to learn that the schedules are so arranged as to give A CLOSE SHAVE. 223 plenty of time to go from one port to another, and any small detention is of no consequence whatever. They were even told that steamers had been known to run for a day or two at half speed or even to move in circles in order to avoid getting to port too soon. At the proper time they arrived at Aden, and everybody was glad to get to shore, even though it was one of the most forbidding spots that our friends had yet seen. Aden has been described by an irreverent Yankee as "Hades with the fires put out, and there is no terrestrial spot that better merits the description. "" "The town stands in the crater of an extinct vol- cano," wrote Harry in his note-book, "and it was originally called Eden or Paradise by the Arabs on account of its fine climate and great commerce. They must have been accustomed to the temperature of melted lead or something of the sort if they think the climate of Aden delightful, but then there's no accounting for tastes. "There isn't any vegetation here except in tubs and flower-pots, and it only rains about once in three years. When it does rain, though, it gives its whole mind to it, and in a few hours the cisterns that supply the place with water are filled up; we went to see the cisterns, which are said to have been built a thousand years ago, and found them very 224 A CLOSE SHAVE. interesting and very large. And by going to see the cisterns we had an adventure. "We hired donkeys to go out to the fort and the cisterns, about three miles from the town, and when we started back the donkeys were like the elephants at Colombo and would n't go. They'd been trained to act that way, and we had our choice of walking back or hiring horses at a rupee each from the same fellows, and, by the way, they were Somalis, those red-headed darkies that we heard of at Cape Guardafui. "Some of the passengers footed it back, but the rest of us made the best of it and hired horses. I didn't have any small change and so gave the man a sovereign to take his rupee"-fifty cents-"out of. He gave me one rupee and then said he hadn't any more, though his pockets were fairly bulging out with them. "On the way back I was wondering how to get even with the scoundrel who was trying to cheat me out of eight rupees. Looking down while thinking about it, I saw that the saddle was a new one, and then an idea came to me. "When we got to the landing-place I stripped off the saddle, took it into a shop close by, which was kept by some Parsees, and told them what had hap- pened. They took the saddle and gave me my eight rupees, and I'm sure, from the reputation of the A CLOSE SHAVE. 225 Parsees generally, that the owner didn't get his sad- dle back again short of ten or twelve rupees. I would have given half of what he owed me to have seen that fellow's face when he found how I got even with him." Mrs. Komaroff and Wilson did not go on the excursion to the fort. The lady said she wished to visit the shops and the telegraph office, and of course Mr. Wilson offered to be her escort and was accepted. She made a few purchases in the shops and had them sent on board the steamer, and then proceeded to the telegraph office, where she addressed a message to somebody in Paris. Besides the address there were only a few words, and they were quite disconnected and seemed to have no meaning whatever. It was evidently a cipher message in a code understood only by sender and receiver, and there was no signature of any kind to indicate from whom it came. At the same time Wilson sent to London a dispatch which had been intrusted to him by Major Flagg. At sunset Harry entered in his note-book that they had been exactly seven weeks from New York, having left that city forty-nine days before. 15 CHAPTER XXVIII. THE HEAT OF THE RED SEA-A NORTHER-UNWEL- COME DISCOVERY AN ENGLISH TRICK ON THE FRENCH. IN the night, after completing her coaling, the Irrawaddy steamed out of Aden and turned toward the entrance of the Red sea, her next destination being Suez, thirteen hundred and fifty miles further on. In the morning she passed through the straits of Babel-Mandeb,-Gate of Tears,-passed the island of Perim, and entered the Red sea. Phew! wasn't it hot. Jack suggested that the place should be called the Gate of Perspiration, rather than of Tears, as he, like everybody else, was sweating at each and every pore. The thermometer stood at one hundred and eight degrees in the shade, and as for its height in the sun, it must have been somewhere near boiling point. In the furnace room of the steamer it was one hundred and forty degrees, and even the Arab and negro fire- men had to come up every little while to cool off in the atmosphere of the deck, hot though it was. Sev- eral of the firemen fainted, and had to be hoisted up, 226 A CLOSE SHAVE. 227 and two of them died from the effects of the heat and were flung overboard without ceremony. All the passengers slept on deck, one side of it being assigned to the ladies and the other to the men. Nobody went below except for a few moments at a time, or at the hours for meals, for which nobody had any great appetite. Even the major seemed less stoical than usual, and the heat was evidently wilting his customary firm- ness of character. Mrs. Komaroff presented the appearance of a faded bouquet or a damp towel, and the polite and gallant Wilson realized the suggestion of having been fished out of a lake and run through a patent clothes-wringer. "Fighting Chinese pirates in the Formosa channel is better than this," said Jack to Harry, "for there we had cool weather for it." "I don't believe Pharoah and his hosts were drowned in the Red sea," replied Jack, "they were just scalded to death, or baked to a cinder before the water reached them.' Various other comments were made, none of them respectful to the Red sea and its climate. In no pleasant mood the passengers saw the little town of Jeddah, the port of Mecca, and there were none who cared to make a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Mohammed unless they could be guaranteed a lower temperature than they were then enduring. 228 A CLOSE SHAVE. While they were gazing on the Arabian shore, only a few miles distant, and reflecting that Mecca was less than a hundred miles from where they then were, Harry suddenly clapped his hand to his cheek and turned his face to the north. "What's the matter?" Jack inquired. "Get up here and feel the breeze," was the manda- tory reply. Jack rose from his chair and looked in the direction where his cousin's eyes were turned. Sure enough he felt a cooling breeze, and it was a great relief after the stifling heat. "I really believe we're going to have a norther," said Harry, "and it can't come any too soon to suit me." Every moment the breeze increased. It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Harry first felt it, and by five o'clock the boys had gone below to exchange their linen jackets for woolen coats. An hour later they had donned thick garments throughout, and by eight o'clock had brought out their overcoats. They slept on deck that night under thick coverings, but after that they occupied their rooms below. The wind swept furiously down the Red sea, right in the face of the steamer, and greatly retarded her progress. From thirteen knots an hour she slowed down to eight, and sometimes her speed was little more than seven knots. 1 A CLOSE SHAVE. 229 It was a gale of unusual violence, so the officers said, but as the sea is narrow it did not succeed in raising great waves to toss the steamer about. The only effect, so far as the steamer was concerned, was to hold her back very materially, and delay her arrival at Suez. The navigation of the Red sea is intricate, owing to the great number of shoals that obstruct it, par- ticularly in the northern portion where it narrows into the Gulf of Suez. Two or three times the Irra- waddy barely missed going aground; but as her pas- sengers were unaware of this fact they were not at all disturbed. Their attention was drawn toward Mount Sinai, which rose to the eastward of the Gulf of Suez, and as they looked at it with their most powerful glasses, Harry and Jack could readily understand why it is called "Mount Sinai in the Wilderness." Not a par- ticle of vegetation was visible, and all along the coast of the Red sea, on both sides of it, there are few spots where anything but barren rock and sand can be seen. Though the norther was welcome to our friends in its effect of cooling the atmosphere and rendering life endurable, it was unwelcome for another reason; it was retarding the progress of the steamer and endangering the major's wager about getting to New York within seventy days from the evening of his 230 A CLOSE SHAVE. departure. A difference of a few hours in the arrival of the Irrawaddy at Suez would be a very serious matter for him, for the reasons which are to fol- low: The Irrawaddy was to pass through the Suez canal and continue her voyage to Marseilles, where her passengers and mails would be landed. But for the major to do this would take too long a time, as it was not the shortest route from Egypt to London and Liverpool. The shortest route between Asia and Europe is by way of Brindisi, in Italy. The mail and express train for India leaves London every Friday evening, and goes by rail to Brindisi, which it reaches on Monday morning; then the steamer leaves at once for Alexandria, where it is due Wednesday forenoon. There the passengers and mails cross Egypt by rail -two hundred and fifty miles-to Suez, where they are put on the steamer for Bombay. Between Suez and Bombay the steamers stop only at Aden, and the schedule time between London and Bombay, by the Brindisi route, is seventeen days. It is the same between Bombay and London, except during the season of the southwest monsoon, when the departure from Bombay is two days ear- lier. It was the major's intention to land at Suez, cross Egypt to Alexandria, and there catch the steamer A CLOSE SHAVE. 231 which leaves every Monday afternoon for Brindisi, with the Indian mails. The norther was holding back the Irrawaddy, so that she was likely to reach Suez too late for his purpose, which was well known to his companions. Harry came on deck very early one morning, just as they neared the entrance of the Gulf of Suez. He saw a steamer several miles ahead of them, but as they had met a good many vessels since entering the Red sea, he thought nothing of it at first. But he soon observed, however, that she was going on the same course as the Irrawaddy, and as there had been no steamer in that position on the previous evening, he naturally asked one of the officers what it was. "That's the mail steamer from Bombay," said the officer; “she passed us during the night. The P. & O. Company runs its most powerful vessels on the Bombay service, as they are under contract to carry the mails very rapidly.' Harry thanked the officer for his information, and then departed to carry the unwelcome intelligence to Jack; and from Jack he took it to Wilson and the major as soon as they made their appearance. The major sought the captain of the steamer and endeavored to induce him to put on more steam and catch up with the British boat, or at all events hold his own with her. But though the Frenchman was polite, he could not be moved; no amount of per- 232 A CLOSE SHAVE. 1 suasion, appeals to his national pride, or offers to pay all the expense of extra coal, would swerve him from his purpose. He referred the major to the administration of the company, No. 1, Rue Vignon, Paris, and said that all questions of that sort must be answered there. Everything pertaining to the "reglements" of the ship was to be decided at the head office in Paris, and he could make no exception to the rule. On a certain occasion, when a passenger on one of the French mail steamers wanted the window of his room opened, on account of the stifling heat, the head steward replied that he must bring an order from the administration at Paris before his request could be complied with; and when another passen- ger complained that he wanted his beefsteak cooked more thoroughly, he was told it was in accordance with the regulations, and an order from the manag- ing director was required to secure another turn of the steak on the gridiron. Having failed with the captain, the major tried the effect of blarney on the engineer, but he might as well have addressed his remarks to the mountains in the distance. There was nothing for it but to wait and take the chances. And very poor chances they seemed to be, and were growing worse every hour. Steadily the English steamer increased the distance between them, and in due time she was out of sight. A CLOSE SHAVE. 233 The major was chagrined, but he did not lose his temper; rather, he set about devising means for making up for the lost time and getting to New York in accordance with the terms of his wager. Harry revenged himself by telling the following story, and it is a true one, of how the English out- witted the French in getting possession of the island of Perim at the entrance of the Red sea. Perim was a desert and uninhabited island until 1857, and although it stood right in the entrance of the Red sea, and was a good place for a fort, nobody seemed to think it worth occupying, especially as there was neither vegetation nor water upon it. In that year a French ship of war arrived at Aden, and the English governor of that port invited the cap- tain of the French ship to dine with him. Over the wine the captain said he had been sent out by his government to take possession of Perim and hoist the French flag there. The governor carelessly scribbled something on a piece of paper which he handed to a servant, and the dinner continued. The Frenchman was kept there till a late hour-in fact, until daylight; and then he went on board his ship, which soon afterward steamed away for Perim. But when it got there the captain saw with aston- ished eyes the English flag floating over Perim, and 234 A CLOSE SHAVE. it has floated there ever since. The governor had sent off a small steamboat in the night, immediately after his guest mentioned his mission, and before the French ship came in sight the English soldiers were in possession. CHAPTER XXIX. TOO LATE AT SUEZ-HOW THE SPECIAL TRAIN WAS DERAILED-MISSING THE STEAMER AT ALEXANDRIA. THE Irrawaddy dropped anchor in the harbor of Suez to await her turn to enter the canal and pass through to the Mediterranean. By the rules of the Canal Company, no steamer can enter at either end until she has one of the company's pilots on board, and he remains in full charge until her exit at the other end of the artificial waterway. He designates the time when the voyage through the desert shall begin, regulates the speed of the vessel, and indicates the places for stopping at night or to permit other ships to pass. Formerly all business was suspended at night, ves- sels only being permitted to move in the daytime; recently it has been arranged to light the canal by electricity so as to permit the use of the canal between sunset and sunrise. A double canal, or a widening of the present one, is in the near future. The major's party was set on shore at Suez as speedily as possible, but altogether too late for his purpose. The Bombay steamer had landed her pas- 235 236 A CLOSE SHAVE. sengers and mail, and then continued on through the canal, and the train for Alexandria had been gone several hours. But our friend did not despair. He knew that he was in the land of "backsheesh;" he had been there before and was well aware of the power of that word. The traveler in Egypt hears it the first thing on landing in the country and the last on leaving it; at all hours it is dinned in his ears with a persistence and a vehemence that can never be forgotten. It is like the poor, as it is with him always, and it is always with the poor. "Backsheesh" means "gift" or "present" in its literal significance; in a larger meaning it can be interpreted as "bribe" or "encouragement to zeal.” Nothing can be done without it from the highest official to the lowest menial; the khedive, or ruler of Egypt, once contemplated issuing an order forbid- ding his subordinates to receive backsheesh under heavy penalties, but he found that he would have to pay such a heavy bribe to his prime minister to induce him to publish the order that he gave up the idea. Leaving Mrs. Komaroff and her maid, Leh-li, at the Hotel de Suez, the rest of the party sallied forth in the direction of the railway station. They found the proper official and opened negotiations for a special train to Alexandria; that official was of A CLOSE SHAVE. 237 European birth, but he had been so long in Egypt as to have adopted the customs of the country; at least such was the inference. While the major was explaining the necessity of his reaching Alexandria in season to catch the steamer for Brindisi, he held a ten-pound note in his hand and occasionally twisted it about his fingers. Then he looked at it as though suddenly impressed with the idea that it was counterfeit; he evidently concluded it was not good, as he dropped it on the table in front of him. Of course he did not care to have money about him that could possibly be supposed to be bad. The price of the train was agreed upon without much delay, the business proceeding very well as soon as the major had rid himself of the ten-pound note. The train was to be ready as soon as the locomotive could be fired up, and orders were tele- graphed ahead for the track to be kept clear for the special that was about to take the road. Then the travelers returned to the hotel, which is not far from the station. All the cooked provisions in the house were hastily tumbled into baskets and carried along with the baggage to the train, which consisted of a locomotive and a single car with two large compartments opening into each other. Shillings and rupees were liberally distributed to the employes around the station, and several gold 238 A CLOSE SHAVE. and silver coins were displayed to the conductor and engine-driver of the train. "Gratitude is a lively anticipation of favors to come," says the moralist, and the conductor and engine-driver manifested their gratitude to the best of their abilities. Backsheesh is the Archimedean lever that moves the Egyptian world. When first constructed, the railway connecting Suez with Alexandria ran straight through the desert for a distance of ninety miles, but so much trouble was experienced in maintaining and supply- ing it with water that subsequently the desert track was torn up. The new line was laid along the banks of the Mari- time and Sweetwater canals; the Maritime canal is the one connecting the Mediterranean with the Red sea and commonly known as the Suez canal. The Sweetwater supplies the stations and towns along the Maritime canal with fresh water, which it brings from the Nile. The Maritime is the work of modern times, as all the world knows, and owes its existence to that indefatigable engineer, Monsieur de Lesseps, but the Sweetwater canal dates from twenty-five hundred years ago; it had long been filled up by the drifting sands, but was cleared out and extended to Suez by the builders of the Maritime canal, along whose whole route no fresh water exists naturally. A CLOSE SHAVE. 239 Harry and Jack were greatly interested in their railway ride through Egypt. For the first fifty miles out of Suez they were in sight of the Maritime and Sweetwater canals, and could count the steamships slowly threading their way through the former in their course from sea to sea. Wilson called their attention to the supposed place where the Israelites crossed at the time of their affair with Pharoah and his hosts, where the latter came to grief; the Red sea is believed to have extended further north at that time than at present, and the passage was over an arm of the Gulf of Suez, which was afterward laid bare by the receding of the waters. They were in the midst of an interesting historical discussion, and were nearing Ismailia, half way between Suez and Port Said, when the car suddenly began to bump wildly from side to side and then came to a stop. Our friends looked from the windows and discov- ered, to their dismay, that both the car and the loco- motive had left the track. The sand had been blown across it to the depth of several inches since the pas- sage of the last train, a not infrequent incident along this part of the route, and the train was derailed in consequence. Out jumped Jack with his hand-bag, and proceeded to bring forth his telegraph apparatus and put it 240 A CLOSE SHAVE. into active operation. The wire was broken, a ground connection was made by attaching the fine wire to one of the rails, and by a liberal promise of backsheesh a locomotive and car were obtained from Ismailia and backed up to where the derailed train stood. Of course this made a delay, and it was necessary to promise more backsheesh to make up for lost time. At Ismailia the railway turned to the westward, and the Maritime canal was left behind. On and on went the train, and in a little while it was skirting the edge of the delta of the Nile, that land of won- derful richness where three crops are produced annu- ally through the nourishment obtained from the great river of Egypt. On one hand was the desert, on the other the delta, one of the sharpest contrasts. that come before the eyes of the traveler in any part of the world. At Zagazig a fresh locomotive was attached to the car, and the train sped on. Between Zagazig and Benha there was another sudden halt, and of course everybody was on the alert at once to know the cause. "Well, I never!" exclaimed Harry, as he reached the front of the locomotive and surveyed the scene. 'Who would have thought of that?" rejoined Jack, as he saw what had this time brought them to grief. A CLOSE SHAVE. 241 The engine-driver and his fireman (both natives) were standing stupefied at the side of the locomotive and looking with an air of superstitious reverence at a huge object that lay in front of it. What it was could not at first be made out by the youths, but from its convulsive motions it was evidently a living creature. A nearer view showed that it was a crocodile, which had evidently been endeavoring to cross the track from one canal of the delta to another. As the train was a special, or, in American parlance, a "wild-cat," he had no means of knowing of its approach, however well versed he might be in the movements of the regular trains. He was stretched across the track when the locomotive struck him and cut him nearly in two. How it escaped derail- ment is a mystery, as the body of a crocodile is a ponderous mass, that may easily cause an engine to leave the track. A rope was passed around the carcass, which was pulled out of the way, and then the train proceeded without further mishap to Alexandria. "How in creation did that crocodile get here?" said Wilson, when they were again seated in the train. "Don't they have plenty of crocodiles in Egypt?" one of the youths asked. 16 242 A CLOSE SHAVE. "Not in this part of it," was the reply. "It is very rarely indeed that one is heard of as far north as Cairo. Of late years nobody looks for them much this side of Luxor, more than five hundred miles from where we now are. He must have been an ambassador sent by the other crocodiles to examine lower Egypt and report on its progress in the last fifty years." It was finally concluded that this particular crocodile had learned, somehow, of Major Flagg's trip around the world, and, feeling that betting was immoral, had set about making him lose his wager. Of course the major had telegraphed from Suez, asking that the steamer should be held at Alexandria until his arrival; but when they rolled into the sta- tion they were met by a clerk from the office of the company with the unwelcome intelligence that the steamer for Brindisi had sailed. She was under heavy penalties for carrying the mails, and nothing but the most extraordinary circumstances could delay her; the desires of a party of American tourists could not be considered sufficient reason for retard- ing the forwarding of her majesty's mails. The major was led to conclude that after all there may be a limit to the power of backsheesh in Egypt. But the P. & O. steamers are not under the Egyptian flag. A CLOSE SHAVE. 243 'Hope springs eternal in the human breast," so the poet says. But what could hope do in the pres- ent state of affairs? "How stands the record?" said the major, turning to Harry. "At this hour," was the reply, "we are exactly fifty-five days from New York." "Thanks, all right," and the major turned away. CHAPTER XXX. CHASING THE ENGLISH STEAMER THE AUSTRIAN LLOYDS-RUNNING INTO A VOLCANO. THE English steamer with the mails from Bombay leaves Alexandria at three o'clock in the afternoon on Monday of each week and is due at Brindisi at six o'clock in the afternoon on Thursday. During the railway ride from Suez the major studiously perused the time-tables of the other lines of steamers running from Alexandria, and laid his plans for action in case of missing the P. & O. boat. "Take the party and baggage to the Hotel Abbat and wait orders," said the major to Wilson; “all except Harry, who'll go with me. Come, Harry." Harry followed the major out of the station, and they sprang into the first carriage they saw. "Austrian Lloyds steamship office," said the major to the driver, and he added in Arabic "Sook kawam! Backsheesh!" "Sook kawam" means "drive quickly," and these words, with the magic "backsheesh" appended, 244 A CLOSE SHAVE. 245 were sufficient to get the best speed out of the horses. The carriage bounded over the execrable pavement, and several times it looked as though the vehicle would emulate the example of the famous "one-horse shay" of the deacon as narrated by Dr. Holmes. But it held together and landed our friends at the steam- ship office. The agent had gone home and thither he was followed. He was about sitting down to dinner, but on being told that a stranger wished to see him on very important business he consented to let the din- ner wait. Major Flagg came to business at once, and his proposition was such as to make the agent shake his head. It could only be decided at the main office of the company, which is at Trieste. To Trieste accordingly it was referred, and here again the advantages of the telegraph were apparent. The agent wrote a dispatch which the major carried to the telegraph office, and by the judicious use of backsheesh in the proper quarters it was expedited in its transmission and delivery. Then the major went to the Hotel Abbat for dinner; before going to bed that night he drove again to the house of the agent of the Austrian Lloyds and found that his proposition had been favorably received, and the agent had received discretionary power. 246 A CLOSE SHAVE. This was exactly what the major wanted, and the rest of the transaction was easy, as it was now a matter of money. In half an hour it was all settled, and he returned to the hotel. Orders were given for everybody to be ready to leave the hotel at eight o'clock, as the steamer would start promptly at nine. Tuesday was the regular sailing day of the Austrian Lloyds steamer, and, therefore, her departure was in accordance with the regular schedule. But the negotiation with the major concerned something beyond the departure. The Austrian Lloyds is an immense company that has steam lines through the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and in Asiatic waters, but its business is not by any means confined to the management of steamships. It is divided into three sections, the first being devoted to insurance companies, the second to steam navigation, and the third, or scientific department, to the collection and publication of information affecting the commerce of Austria in particular, and of the world in general. This section has a printing and engraving estab- lishment, and publishes a regular newspaper in addition to journals and periodicals of a literary and scientific character. Its agents collect information for the use of the scientific section in addition to attending to other branches of business, and con- A CLOSE SHAVE. 247 sequently they must be men of intelligence. This was a point in Major Flagg's favor when he opened negotiations with the agent at Alexandria; the major always preferred to deal with a man of brains rather than with one who was deficient in the con- tents of his skull. Harry explained to Jack what their uncle had accomplished in his negotiations with the steamship agent. He had been present at the conversation between them and was therefore thoroughly informed on the subject. "The regular route of this line of steamers," said he, "is from Alexandria to Trieste, touching at Corfu, and also at Brindisi in case there is sufficient business to pay for calling at the latter port. Brindisi is beyond Corfu almost in a direct line, and so the ordinary mode of calling at the two ports would be to visit Corfu first. "Now, what Major Flagg was after was to have the steamer go straight to Brindisi, eight hundred and twenty-five miles from Alexandria, and then come back to Corfu or go anywhere else she pleased. And, furthermore, he wanted the captain to push her to her best so that she would overtake the English steamer in time for the mail train to London. He offered to pay for the extra trouble to the com- pany and the expense of coming from Brindisi back to Corfu, and also for the extra coal that would be 248 A CLOSE shave. burned by pushing the steamer ahead as fast as she can go. He and the agent figured out that an average of something less than fifteen miles an hour would get us there in time for the mail train, and we're going to get there if it's a possible thing. "The agent does a banking business in addition to representing the Austrian Lloyds in Alexandria, and so it was arranged that he should bring the equiva- lent of two thousand pounds on board the steamer and take drafts on the letter of credit for that amount. Uncle said he might not run out of money before he reached home, but there was no telling what would happen and it was best to be on the safe side." Promptly at nine o'clock the steamer was moving out of the harbor of Alexandria, passing the light- house on the site of the ancient "Pharos," of Ptolemy, which tradition says was the first light- bearing beacon ever erected for marine purposes. She turned the end of the mole which protects the harbor, and as her prow began to cut the waters of the blue Mediterranean, her pace was quickened and away she went at full speed in the direction of Brindisi. And the question that touched every heart was, "Will she get there in time for the London mail train?" A CLOSE SHAVE. 249 Jack and Harry watched the readings of the log, and each time they did so they reported to the major, who was evidently satisfied with the result. The steamer was the Imperator, one of the newest and best of the Austrian Lloyds, and her captain had evi- dently been authorized by the agent to show what she could do. Whether any offer of premiums or backsheesh were made to him we are unable to say, as no listener or eye-witness was admitted to the conference that took place in the captain's private quarters. The captain took the major there to show him the charts of the route and indicate the advantages of Fiume, which he said was about to become the starting point of the steamers of the company, in consequence of the shoaling of the harbor of Trieste in the last few years. It is evident that the major was both interested and pleased with the inspection of the charts, as he was closeted with the captain for a good half hour, and wore an expression of satisfaction when he emerged from the room. The maximum speed of the Imperator was said to be seventeen miles an hour, but she was not ordinarily pushed above fourteen miles. The log showed that she was averaging fully sixteen miles, which was not really necessary at the time, but was thought desirable to make as long as the weather 250 T A CLOSE SHAVE. was favorable. There was a possibility of encoun- tering a strong northerly wind between Candia and the southern end of Italy, and in such case it would be an advantage to have twenty or thirty miles to "the good." They didn't have any northerly wind, but the gain in distance came in very handily in quite an unex- pected way. We will let Jack tell the story concern- ing it. "If you have read much about the Greek islands, said Jack, in narrating his experiences to a stay-at- home friend, "you are aware that they are reason- ably familiar with earthquakes and volcanic erup- tions. They don't have great eruptions like those of Ætna, Vesuvius, and other famous volcanoes, but every little while there is a lively shaking up of the land, and about the same time a volcano opens some- where, and generally in the sea. "Just before sunset on the second day out from Alexandria we saw a smoke ahead which we thought must be from a ship on fire. It was right in our track, and so we kept straight on toward it. The sun went down before we reached it, and we saw to our satisfaction that there were several sails in the neighborhood of the smoke, so that if there were any people in danger of being burned by the fire, there was somebody on hand to rescue them. A CLOSE SHAVE. 251 "Occasionally there was a streak of fire shooting up from the water, and we heard explosions now and then which puzzled us. It was not the puzzle why there was one explosion, but why there should be so many; when a ship is to blow up, she generally blows up once, for good and all. "After awhile one of the officers said he didn't believe it was a ship at all, but a volcano. And sure enough that's what it proved to be. "'A sailboat saw us coming and ran down to warn us. One of our officers spoke modern Greek-they have to speak all the languages of the Mediterranean on these ships, as they run to so many ports-and so we had no trouble in finding out what these Greek fishermen had to tell us. They said if we kept on the way we were going we should run into a mud bank that had risen up after an earthquake shock two days before; there was formerly plenty of water there, but a volcano had broken out and lifted up the whole bottom of the sea for miles and miles. The center of the disturbance was where we saw the flames rising occasionally, and at that point the mud was just even with the surface. "So we sheered off sharply to the west and weath- ered the mud bank and the volcano; we ran ten or twelve miles out of our course, and that's where the gain we had made in the early part of the voyage came in handy." CHAPTER XXXI. AT BRINDISI ON TIME—THE MAIL TRAIN-LETTERS FROM HOME-JACK'S CABLEGRAM. THE Imperator passed close to the island of Corfu, leaving it on the right, and, as she turned its most westerly point, the sharp eyes of the lookout espied a steamer ahead in the distance. All were anxious to know if it was the English boat which had left Alexandria the evening before them, but this fact could not be determined at once. Slowly, but steadily, they overhauled the stranger and entered the harbor of Brindisi side by side with her. It was the English steamer with the Bombay mails, and consequently, to use a favorite American- ism, "everything was lovely." The English ship drew up at her quay, but the Austrian one dropped anchor in the harbor, and sent the party ashore in one of her boats. Immediately after the boat had returned and was hoisted to the davits, she steamed out of the harbor and directed her course for Corfu; her entire business with Brindisi having been concluded when the major and his com- 252 A CLOSE SHAVE. 253 panions were deposited on solid earth at that his- toric port. The boys wished they could stay longer in the ancient Brundusium, the city where Virgil died, and whence the Romans sent most of their armies for the conquest of Macedonia, Greece and Asia. Harry was growing sentimental on the subject, but Jack checked him and said it was no time to think of the ancient Greeks and Romans when the modern mail train was soon to start, and their places were not yet secured in the Pullman car. The fleet-footed Fritz ran with the speed of a startled fawn and was at the railway station in advance of any of the passengers from the P. & 0. boat. He secured places for the entire party, paid for the tickets, and then returned to where he had left the major and the others. The rest of the work of departure was the merest. routine, and everybody was comfortably in his seat before the train moved out of the station and sped away toward the west and north. The special train which carries the Bombay mails and passengers between London and Brindisi runs through in little more than fifty-three hours and makes very few stoppages. It passes through Bologna, Turin, the Mont Cenis tunnel and Modane, and then runs northward by the Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean railway; the train does not enter 254 A CLOSE SHAVE. Paris, but goes around that city and reaches the Northern Railway of France at Pierrefitte Stains. This is the most rapid train between London and Brindisi, the other express trains consuming from sixty hours upward in making the journey. From Brindisi to Bologna our friends felt very much at home, as they were in a Pullman car of the same character as that which is so universally used in America. At Bologna they changed to a carriage of the International Sleeping Car Company,-Com- pagnie Internationale des Wagons-lits,-which was not so much to their taste, but, as Jack explained, "It's a thousand times better than no sleeping car at all." What a delight was that night ride out of Brindisi! Here they were on board the mail train, their places secured through to London, and, as the train does not take other passengers on the way, there was no danger of intruders crowding them out. Nothing but an accident could interfere with their plans, and they thought they had had all the accidents they deserved. If they could have looked into the future only just a little, they would not have slept so hap- pily. What a blessing it is that we cannot foretell what is to come! "It is the unexpected that always happens.' "" During the evening the conductor of the train sought for the major and found him. Then he deliv- A CLOSE SHAVE. 255 ered a package of letters which had been received from London in response to the telegram forwarded from Aden as already described. Mrs. Komaroff also received a letter, but it was from Paris, not from London, at least so the post- mark indicated. The lady did not open her letter in the presence of the rest of the party, and the major followed her polite example. Besides, it was night, and the uncertain light of the car rendered it advis- able to postpone the perusal of the missives until morning. Had the major examined his letters that night it is probable he would not have slept as well as he did. Breakfast was served on the train, and after it was concluded the letters received due attention. The contents of the lady's letter were not made known to the rest of the party, but the major did not have any secrets to keep from his friends; at all events he pretended not to have reserved anything, though there were two or three letters in delicate envelopes which disappeared into his pockets and were seen no more. It seems that he left orders in New York for letters to be forwarded to a friend in London up to a certain date, and he also wrote this friend to hold his cor- respondence until advised by telegraph. He also told him to send along with the letters the time- tables of all the transatlantic steamship companies 256 A CLOSE SHAVE. and the names of all the steamers leaving Europe for America during the month following the receipt of the telegram. The dispatch from Aden requested that correspond- ence then waiting in London should be sent to Brindisi, in care of the conductor of the express train for London, with the Bombay mails, and thus it easily reached the major and was safely delivered. Mrs. Komaroff had ordered her correspondent in Paris to write to her to the same address, and her letter was duly received as we have seen. We may here remark that the mails all over the world are now carried with such certainty and celerity that a traveler who carefully studies the time- tables and lays his plans accordingly runs little risk of missing connection with his correspondence, pro- vided, of course, those who forward his letters are careful to follow his directions. This remark applies only to letters; newspapers are not treated with the same care, and a goodly portion of those sent to travelers in the far east are never heard of after being deposited in the postoffice. Among the major's letters was one from his friend. Silversides, who had heard of the wager at the club and earnestly hoped the enterprising tourist would win, and be promptly on hand in New York on the evening of the seventieth day of the journey. If there was anything he could do to aid him to carry out A CLOSE SHAVE. 257 his plans he would only be too happy, and a cable- gram addressed to "Silversides, New York," would receive every attention. He also hoped for an early opportunity to entertain his friend at the dinner which was so unceremoniously postponed. Evi- dently the wily speculator had not abandoned hope of getting the major to invest in some of his enter- prises. Another note was from the charming widow, Mrs. Richemont, who addressed him at his club, and took occasion to thank him for the lovely basket of flowers that was received with his card on the evening of his departure. She also had heard of the wager, and felt entirely confident that he would be "through on time," to borrow from the language of the railway people. "If the wishes of your friends avail anything," she added, "you will surely arrive on the seventieth day of your journey, and we shall trust to have the pleasure of giving you our congratulations in person during the week following your arrival. I shall invite a few friends to meet you, and leave the date to be named by yourself." There was a letter for Wilson, to the care of the major, and each of the boys had two or three letters from schoolmates and friends who had learned of their sudden departure and the cause of it. Wilson's letter was evidently of considerable 17 258 A CLOSE SHAVE. moment, for he was a good deal excited after perusing it, and seemed to be buried in deep thought. The envelope bore the imprint of a law firm in New York, and in spite of the evident momentousness of its contents was of extreme brevity, and did not waste words in circumlocution. Jack's letters reminded him of the incident with the train-robbers, which he had almost forgotten in the multiplicity of exciting scenes through which he had passed since that eventful night. The accounts of the affair had been printed in the papers of New York, and had lost nothing in the telling; con- sequently Jack's friends regarded him as a first-class hero, and were planning to show him their apprecia- tion of his prowess as soon as he returned home. They had already named a base-ball club in his honor and proposed a dinner at which he and Harry were to be the principal guests. They had fixed upon the evening of the third day after his arrival, and hoped he would not allow anything to interfere with his acceptance of their invitation. With commendable foresight they had arranged for him to telegraph his answer, so that they could go on with their preparations. They had registered an address at the Western Union Telegraph office, as a measure of economy, and consequently the flattered youth had nothing more to do in the matter than telegraph the words "Ballbase, New York, both A CLOSE SHAVE. 259 accept." The message was entrusted to the Italian telegraph office at Bologna, where the train halted, and three or four hours afterward it was in the hands of the dinner committee. After the message had gone it occurred to Jack that he would be obliged to make a speech at the dinner, and for the first time his joints trembled, and he seemed to have been suddenly seized with the ague. He would have given a good deal to be relieved from the responsibility, and had he thought of it sooner it is just possible he would have declined the proffered honor. But it was too late to back out, and for an hour or two he was in a brown study, in which he resolved to write out the right kind of a speech before reaching home, and commit it carefully to memory. -1 → CHAPTER XXXII. THE LETTERS WILSON'S WINDFALL THE TIME TABLES AND THE LOST WAGER UNIVERSAL DESPAIR-JACK'S DISCOVERY. WHEN the major had finished the perusal of his letters he turned to a batch of newspapers of the most recent London dates, and informed himself as to the current news of the day. He glanced hastily at the headlines without bothering himself much over anything else unless it was of special interest. The prospects of war in Europe were the principal items of news and he only read enough to satisfy himself that there would not be any war until after the train on which he was then traveling was due at its destination. As long as the dreaded war did not interfere with his getting to New York on time, he cared very little about it. When he was at leisure, Wilson joined him and said he had some important news. The major asked if it had anything to do with their getting to New York. "Not exactly," was the reply, "but it has some- thing to do with me after I get to New York." 260 A CLOSE SHAVE. 261 "How so?" the major asked. For answer Wilson handed to his old friend the letter he had just received from the law firm in New York. It briefly announced that a maiden aunt of Wilson's had just died and left to him her entire fortune, estimated at something more than one hundred thousand dollars. The papers were in the possession of the law firm who were the old lady's attorneys, and they were prepared to hand over the estate to him as soon as his identity was satisfactorily proven. "They're my attorneys," said the major, "and there'll be no difficulty about the question of identity. I congratulate, you my dear boy," con- tinued the major, "but I'm sorry for myself." "How so?" Wilson asked, with an air of sur- prise. "Because," was the reply, "it will run the risk of depriving me of much of your companionship. How- ever, we won't talk of that, but let matters shape themselves. Let's look over the time-tables and see about getting to New York, where I'm to win my wager, and you'll find your fortune." They were soon buried deep in the perusal not only of the time-tables of the steamship companies, but in the schedules of the railway trains of the conti- nent, especially of the train by which they were 262 A CLOSE SHAVE. traveling. Suddenly Major Flagg threw down the papers he had in his hand, and grew deathly pale. Wilson thought it was a sudden attack of vertigo consequent on the great strain of excitement through which they had passed, though he could hardly reconcile such a state of affairs with the calm demeanor which the leader of the party had dis- played throughout the entire journey. With great solicitude he asked what was the matter. "Nothing," replied the major recovering himself, "except that we're going to miss connections and not get to New York on time." "How so?" "Just look at these time-tables and they'll show you." Wilson took the time-tables, and as he looked over them, Major Flagg explained the obstacles he had just discovered that stood in the way of his accom- plishing his purpose. "We shall get to London too late for the 'Wild Irishman,' the fast mail train that leaves Euston Square station at eight twenty-five on Saturday evening, and runs by way of Holyhead to catch the Cunard steamer at Queenstown. When I was last in Europe the Bombay mails were so arranged as to allow a connection with the Cunard steamer from Queenstown, but that has been changed, and I didn't know it." A CLOSE SHAVE. 263 "But how about the other steamers? There surely ought to be one that we can catch.” "There ought to be one for our sake; but the practical fact is there is n't one. The Guion steamers sail on Saturday, the same day as the Cunarders; the White Star and the Inman vessels leave Liverpool Wednesday, and Queenstown Thursday, when they stop there at all; and the steamers of the Bremen line touch at Southampton on their way to New York on Thursday. We shall be in London too late for any of the steamers from Queenstown next Sunday, and after that the next steamer we could take would be the White Star or Inman boat from Liverpool, or the Bremen one from Southampton, on Thursday. This would be the sixty-fifth day of our journey from New York, and would leave only five days more for us. That would bring us home too late, and so I shall be dished on my bet." "But there's the French steamer from Havre-can't we catch that?” "No," was the reply, "we're bowled out on that, too. She sails Saturday according to the tide, some- times early and sometimes late in the day. Next Saturday she leaves at four o'clock in the afternoon, the time of high water at Havre, which is the only time in the afternoon when she can get out of the docks. A special train goes from Paris to take pas- sengers directly to the docks of the steamship com- 264 A CLOSE SHAVE. pany; it starts from the Western Railway station- Gare Saint Lazare-about five hours before the sail- ing time of the steamers, and runs through to Havre in four hours. According to the time-table of this train we couldn't connect with that special by at least five hours. We would have all the distance between Paris and Havre to run when the ship is steaming out of her dock.” The reasoning was conclusive, and Wilson was so overwhelmed by it that he could not make an audi- ble answer. A thousand plans occurred to him, but none of them was in the least degree feasible. The major became silent, and for some time not a word was exchanged between the two friends. Then the major sought the conductor, and there was a long conference, which did not afford any hope. The proposition was to hire a special train with the right of way over the road, and of course it was very clearly stated that any amount of money demanded for the service would be paid. But the conductor showed that it was quite impossible to secure a rate of speed that would get the party to Paris in season to catch the train connecting with the steamer at Havre, and unless it could make the connection it would be of no use. "This train," said he, "is running at the best speed allowed to passenger trains; it might be accel- erated somewhat, but not enough for your purpose. A CLOSE SHAVE. 265 I will telegraph at the next stopping place, and we can expect an answer at Modane, but I'm sure it will do no good." The conductor sent the telegram as he had prom- ised, and the answer was waiting for him at Modane. It was exactly as he had predicted; the company could not give an accelerated train that would overtake the steamship special from Paris to Havre. To do so would be to run faster than any train had ever been run over the railway, and the right of way for such a train would so incommode the rest of the service that the proposal could not be favorably considered, no matter how much money was offered. Wilson had told Harry and Jack about the situa- tion, and the two youths were greatly distressed in consequence. After getting as far as this without a serious hitch, although there had been numerous causes which might well have frustrated their plans, it seemed doubly distressing to have their scheme break down when nearing the end. It is safe to say that the ride through the Mont Cenis tunnel, just before reaching Modane, was one of the gloomiest rides ever taken through that famous hole in the Alps. The history of the tunnel had no interest for any member of the party; it made no difference to Jack whether the tunnel was ten years or ten minutes in its achievement, and 266 A CLOSE SHAVE. Harry declared that as a great bore it was nothing compared to that of reaching New York a day or even an hour too late. Neither did anyone care to know that Modane was the frontier station of France, and from that point forward they would be under the tricolor till they reached the shores of the "silver streak" that sep- arates England from the continent. The major would lose his wager, and the pride of all that excur- sion party was to have a serious fall. The unwelcome dispatch reached them at Modane, and the last hope was gone. From Modane to Paris, as before stated, the train runs over the Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean rail- way, popularly known as the P. L. M., which is to France what the Pennsylvania railway is to the United States. For excellence of management it occupies a foremost place among continental rail- ways, and its territory embraces a large part of southern and southeastern France. The latest and best appliances for the railway service are to be found on the P. L. M.; at least such is the testimony of many travelers. More with a desire to forget the grief that oppressed them than for any other reason, Harry and Jack turned their attention to the French rail- way system in general, and that of the P. L. M. in particular. Conversation with the conductor gave A CLOSE SHAVE. 267 Jack an idea which he proceeded to put into execu- tion. And before that young gentleman was through with the exploitation of his idea he was in a mood that would have led him to turn a somersault or two, and otherwise emulate the performances of the circus ring in the exuberance of his delight. But he remembered where he was and that he was the nephew of his uncle, and with a great effort he restrained himself to a condition of serene dig- nity. But his lips trembled so that he could barely artic- ulate, and his face grew red and pale by turns as he said to Harry: "I've got it! I've got it!" "Got what?" gasped Harry, as he too shared Jack's excitement and his color came and went. "Got the steamer we're going by," Jack answered. "Run and tell uncle that his wager's saved, and we'll be in New York on time!" CHAPTER XXXIII. SAVED! SAVED!-WONDERS OF MODERN TELEGRAPHY -MRS. KOMAROFF TALKS. MAJOR FLAGG was more than ordinarily moved by the announcement made by his nephew. It brought him to his feet in an instant, but by the time he stood erect he had recovered his equilibrium and checked any temptation to move further. He calmly asked what was the matter, and what new information Jack had obtained on the subject of steamships for New York. "I don't know," replied Harry, "but here comes Jack himself, and he'll explain." The major directed a look of inquiry toward Jack, and then resumed his seat. "It's all right," exclaimed Jack, "we'll take the French steamer from Havre and get to New York on time." "The French steamer leaves Havre long before we can get there," the major replied. "I've considered the question of overtaking her and find it impossi- ble." 268 A CLOSE SHAVE. 269 "Her regular sailing day is Saturday, I know," Jack answered, "but she is not to leave until Sunday morning." "How did you find that out?" "I've been telegraphing." "How is that possible? The train hasn't stopped since we left Modane, and is not to stop till we reach Chambery." "That's so," said Jack, "but, all the same, I've been telegraphing. You know it's possible to tele- graph from a moving train.” Certainly," answered the major, as he recalled some experiments which took place on an American railway several months before. "I remember all about it now, but didn't know they had the system here." "Yes," replied Jack, "the P. L. M. has adopted it for a part of its line by way of experiment, and is to have it all along its whole system in course of time, if it proves satisfactory." For the benefit of some of our readers we will explain that the system of telegraphing from a mov- ing train is an American invention whose success has been demonstrated by numerous experiments. A telegraph wire, properly insulated, is stretched above the train and exactly parallel with it, or laid in a trough between the rails; the latter plan is preferable for the reason that it will always be at the same 270 A CLOSE SHAVE. distance from the bottom of the car, while with an overhead line the distance is variable owing to the sagging of the wire between the supports. On the other hand, the overhead wire, on account of its position, is liable to fewer derangements. A metallic rod on the top or bottom of the car, according to the location of the wire, runs from one end of the car to the other and as near as possible to the wire without touching it. A ground connection is made from this rod to the wheels and thence to the rails, and the instrument occupies the same position relative to the ground connection that it does in a regularly established office. The connection between the train and the fixed wire is obtained by what the electricians call "induc- tion," and the signals are sent and received by an ordinary instrument of the Morse system. They are not as strong as the signals in a fixed office; partly for this reason and partly on account of the noise of the train, the ears of the operator are usually cov- ered with muffs to which are attached fine wires to carry the signals from the sounder. Jack had ascertained, by conversation with the conductor of the train, that the railway company was experimenting with the new system, and an operator was to be found in the mail and baggage car. Thither he went, and by means of that free- masonry that prevails the world over among men of A CLOSE SHAVE. 271 the same occupation, the enterprising fellow was soon on friendly terms with the operator. The latter proved to be a young man of intelligence, who was familiar with the English, French, German and Italian languages, and was greatly pleased to meet an American youth who knew how to work a tele- graph instrument. Jack had heard of the new system, but had never seen it in operation. His new acquaintance showed him how it worked, and by way of experiment asked him if he would like to ask a question of any operator within the limits of the French republic. He was talking easily with the office at Chambery, and said he could communicate through that office with any part of the country. A practical idea occurred to Jack, and he said, accordingly: "Please ask the office at Havre what time the steamer La Champagne sails for New York." The operator addressed the question to the Cham- bery office, and it was repeated to Havre. After a few minutes the answer came: “Dimanche, quatre heures et demi, matin." (Sun- day, half-past four in the morning.) Jack was raised from his seat as though the electric spark had been sent through him instead of the instrument. 272 A CLOSE SHAVE. "Please ask why her time of departure has been changed," was his next query. There was another period of waiting, and an anxious one, too; and then the explanation came that the government had some important dispatches to go by La Champagne, and they could not leave Paris until the afternoon of Saturday. The steamers of the French Mail Company between Havre and New York (Compagnie Generale Transatlantique) are heavily subsidized by the government, and conse- quently are liable to its orders. As the vessel could only leave her dock at the time of high water, she was consequently delayed until the morning tide, at half-past four o'clock. Word had been sent to Paris, and the special train for the steamer would leave at eleven o'clock in the evening on Saturday instead of eleven o'clock in the morning, as originally arranged. As soon as he was satisfied of the correctness of his information, Jack hastened to Harry with the momentous news, as described at the end of the last chapter. And from Jack Harry carried it to Major Flagg, and then the former explained how he had obtained it. The major then accompanied Jack to where the operator sat, and did not leave him until all arrangements had been made for the party to get to Paris and connect with the special train for the the steamer at Havre. As before stated, the train A CLOSE SHAVE. 273 with the mails from Bombay for London does not enter Paris; passengers destined for the latter city must leave it at Villeneuve-Triage, whence a local train will take them to the terminus in the capital of France. Exactly what occurred when the major shook hands with the operator and thanked him for his services, we are unable to say, but it is certain that a gold coin that was in the major's grasp an instant before was not there when the hands were drawn apart. The operator afterward remarked that he considered the Americans the most polite and liberal people he had ever met, and he thought it was due to the fact that they had a republican form of govern- ment, where one man was as good as another and sometimes a little better. From Chambery to Paris is a run of three hundred and sixty-nine miles, and consequently our friends had abundant time to arrange their plans for the future. It was a happy group that sat in the car after leaving Chambery, in pleasing contrast to the very gloomy one that rolled out of Modane. Mrs. Komaroff was warm in her praise of Jack, who had been the cause of all the good humor, and she expressed the most earnest hopes that nothing would occur to delay them on their voyage to New York. "But will not you and your brother accompany us?" the major asked. 18 274 A CLOSE SHAVE. "No," she replied, "though we thank you sincerely for the invitation and appreciate all the kindness you have shown us. We must leave you at Paris, and if ever I come to New York, I shall send you my card and hope to have the great pleasure of a visit." The major bowed and assured her that the pleas- ure would be his. Wilson made a similar declara- tion, and was followed by Harry and Jack to the same effect. "The letters I received on the train after leaving Brindisi," she continued, "make it necessary that I should stop in Paris. They also brought me the means wherewith I can reimburse you for the money you have paid for our passages since we first came under your care at the time we were transferred from the American steamer that rescued us on the Pacific Ocean, to the Japanese dispatch boat and the English mail steamer for Hong Kong." "Don't trouble yourself about that," replied the major, laughing slightly. "The trifling addition to the expenses of the trip has been more than offset by the pleasure of your society. Pray, accept the one for the other; if that will not satisfy you, devote the amount of what your fares would have been from Yokohama to Paris to any deserving charity, which I leave you to select." "Very well, then," she answered; "I accept the trust and will carry it out. One of these days I will A CLOSE SHAVE. 275 send you an account of how your generous gift has been used." Then the conversation ran on various topics, and at length drifted around to the Russian Empire and especially to the part of it that lies in Asia. "Possibly you have wondered," said the lady, "how I happened to be a passenger on that schooner from Kamchatka to Hong Kong. Would you like to know?" Her auditors bowed but made no audible reply. Perhaps the eyes of the youths may have indicated their curiosity, but as to the elders of the party, there was no indication that they desired to know more than they did already, certainly nothing more than she chose to tell them. The old adage says "silence gives assent," and thus the lady interpreted their failure to speak. • CHAPTER XXXIV. A FAIR NIHILIST SENT TO SIBERIA AND ESCAPE THEREFROM-ARRIVAL OF THE PARTY IN PARIS— A SURPRISE. "WELL," said she, after a pause, "to begin with the story, I will say that I am a widow, my husband having been an officer in the service of His Imperial Majesty, the Autocrat of all the Russias. He went to Central Asia shortly after our marriage, four years ago, and was killed in a skirmish with the Turcoman tribes on the frontier of Afghanistan. "His family is rich and so is mine, but not so much so as before the emancipation of the serfs. After my husband's death I sought distraction of some kind, and this led to my becoming involved with the Nihilists; at least that is what the government thought, as I was arrested on a charge of conspiring against the continuation of the imperial rule. "In common with many other of my compatriots I believed Russia should take a position among the advanced nations of the world, adopt a representa- tive form of government, give more attention to the spread of education among the people, and seek to 276 A CLOSE SHAVE. 277 have an intelligent population instead of an ignorant one. Ideas like these are considered revolutionary; and so, after being kept in prison several months, I was sent to Siberia. "The influence of my husband's family and my own sufficed to mitigate the severity of my treat- ment, and I was not compelled to undergo the hard- ships that are visited upon the great majority of exiles, but was considered a 'prisoner of distinction.' My young brother was allowed to accompany me, and I was permitted to choose my residence and receive a remittance sufficient to support us comfort- ably but not luxuriously. This is a great favor, and I duly appreciated it. "I gave my word of honor not to return to European Russia until permitted by the government, and also not to correspond with any person suspected or accused of liberal tendencies. As all letters going through the post office are liable to examination by the officials through whose hands they pass, a cor- respondence of this sort is dangerous in the extreme for the sender as well as the receiver. "I went to Siberia by railway, steamboat, wheeled carriages and sleighs till I reached Nerchinsk, which is on the Shilka river, one of the tributaries of the Amoor, and five thousand miles from St. Petersburg. It would take too long to tell you about that long journey and its hardships and fatigues. About 278 A CLOSE SHAVE. twelve hundred miles of it were made by railway and steamboat, and all the rest behind horses. "I was permitted to go anywhere I pleased in Eastern Siberia, and so I descended the Amoor river, and from there went to Kamchatka. Though I was never told I could go to a foreign country, I con- cluded that the government would not seriously object to my getting away, as it did not appear that I was closely watched; so when the schooner that you saw us taken from happened in Avatcha Bay, my brother and I arranged with the captain to take us as passengers to Hong Kong. He could not take us away without the consent of the governor and the police, as nobody can leave Russia without hav- ing his passport properly approved. We did not want to ask for passports, as we were certain to be refused, at least I believe so,-and therefore we decided to get away by stealth. "The schooner was all ready to sail, and had been searched after the usual manner to make sure that nobody was on board who had no right to be there. She hauled out of the little harbor where Petropaulovski is situated, and anchored in the bay to wait for a fair wind. During the night my brother and I rowed out to the schooner and were safe on board before the day began to break. With daylight came a fine breeze and away we went to sea, and the next event of importance was when we A CLOSE SHAVE. 279 were caught in the typhoon from which your steamer rescued us." "And you're not likely to go back to Russia just now, I suppose?" the major remarked. "Hardly," she responded with a smile, "as the government would be very likely to send me to prison again and put me once more on the road to Siberia. I do not expect to see my native country again," she added, with a sigh, "and presume I must be content with other parts of the world. But I have friends in Paris, and my family will supply me with all the money I need for living there. Neverthe- less, the thought that I am under the ban in my own country is a distressing one; it may not be a very good country to live in, but, after all, it is where I was born, and I'm not by any means devoid of patriotism." Then she paused and afterward turned the conver- sation into other channels. Harry and Jack asked several questions about Russia, to all of which she responded with great frankness. She laughed heartily when Harry asked if it was true that the Russian peasants lived on tallow candles, and ate them just as one would eat bread or potatoes in England or America. She explained that while there might be now and then an instance of a person devouring tallow with- out any condiments or with no other food to soften 280 A CLOSE SHAVE. its effects, the Russians were no more addicted to the practice than were the inhabitants of any other region equally cold. "You know," said Mrs. Komaroff, "that in all cold countries great quantities of carbon are required to maintain the heat of the system, and Russia is no exception to the rule." Suddenly the lady paused and asked what had become of her fellow-passenger on the schooner, the Englishman, Hayden. Nobody was able to tell at the moment; the major suggested that Fritz could possibly explain, and so he was called. The voluble Fritz then told how Hayden had con- cluded to remain on the French steamer and continue with her to Marseilles and afterward go to London. Fritz had carried out the major's instructions to see that the man had everything he wanted, and after his decision to stay by the Irrawaddy, the valet paid his fare to Marseilles and wished him every success he deserved. "I'm glad he decided to leave us alone," said Mrs. Komaroff, when Fritz concluded his part of the story. "He was a great annoyance, as he pretended to be deeply in love with me, but I always suspected he was a spy paid to watch my brother and myself. I met him first at Nerchinsk, in Siberia, where he claimed to have been in the employ of a wealthy mine-owner as a manager of some of his gold mines. A CLOSE shave. 281 He did not seem to have anything to do, and when I came down the Amoor river he happened to be on the same boat with me. "Then he arrived in Kamchatka just after I did, and there was hardly a day that I did not see him. The night I came on board the schooner he must have been asleep below and did not hear me, as the captain had arranged everything, and I got on deck and into the cabin without making the least noise. He had come off to the schooner after the officers made their search, and told the captain he was going ashore again; but when he came on deck while we were sailing out to sea and discovered that I was in the cabin he concluded to stand by the craft and go to Hong Kong with us. "He's an Englishman, it's true," she continued, "but he has lived a long time in Russia and speaks its language as well as I do. If he's a spy he proba- bly concluded that it was no use following me any further, now that I'm out of the jurisdiction of the empire, and if he's simply an admirer, he saw that his attentions were not pleasing, and I was too closely surrounded by my American acquaintances to give him any chance of renewing his suit.” "You've given us good material for a novel," said Wilson, as Mrs. Komaroff paused. "A fair exile, nihilism, Siberia, English admirer, escape, typhoon, shipwreck, rescue, pirates in two doses, around the 282 A CLOSE SHAVE. world in seventy days, and the various mishaps we've been through since you joined us,-all would make a series of thrilling chapters." Then he proposed she should write a story, but the lady declared that though she might be able to tell her narrative verbally, she was very poor at com- position with a pen. "Then," said he, "I'll send you a phonograph or graphophone from America, and you can talk your story to the machine, which will record every word." She had not heard of this wonderful instrument and so a pleasant quarter of an hour was devoted to an explanation of its many uses and advan- tages. The train rolled on through Macon, Dijon and the other towns and cities on the route of the railway, and in due time approached the city of modern lux- ury and splendor. At Villeneuve-Triage the party left the train and took a local one, which carried them to the Gare de Lyon, the terminus of the rail- way line in Paris. Here farewell was said to Mrs. Komaroff and her brother, and there were many expressions of good will and good wishes on both sides. Wilson was the last of the party to speak to the fair Russian, and he lingered behind while the others were being stowed with their baggage into one of the small omnibuses A CLOSE SHAVE. 283 belonging to the railway company and used for the transport of passengers to their destinations at hotels or private residences. The major stood by and smiled at the parting scene between Muscovite and American, as he had a pleasant surprise in store for them. Just as they were shaking hands for the third time he interrupted the interview by requesting them to step into a car- riage and accompany him and Ivan, whom he had kept standing by his side. Wonderingly they obeyed. Fritz was seated at the side of the driver of the omnibus, and as it started away the carriage followed closely but soon passed the heavier vehicle. Both rolled along the Rue de Rivoli, in the general direction of the Gare St. Lazare, but it is proper to say that they did not go there directly. CHAPTER XXXV. A FAREWELL DINNER AND A RUNAWAY TEAM-TOO LATE AT HAVRE-"THE STEAMER IS GONE!" THE carriage and the omnibus drove into the courtyard of the Hotel Continental, at the corner of Rue Castiglione and Rue de Rivoli, and the passen- gers alighted. Fritz was sent to the station with the omnibus and baggage and the party entered the hotel, where they seemed to have been expected. The major addressed an inquiry to the manager, who led the way to a spacious room where a dinner- table had been arranged for just their number. Then Major Flagg bowed Mrs. Komaroff into a seat at the right of the head of the table, which he took him- self; Wilson was assigned to the second place of honor, Ivan was at Wilson's right, Jack was between Wilson and Mrs. Komaroff, and Harry was at Major Flagg's left. “This is indeed a surprise," remarked the lady, as she settled into her place. "That's what I intended it for," replied the major. "Finding we would have two hours or so to stay in Paris, I thought we might have a farewell dinner 284 A CLOSE SHAVE. 285 together, and so I sent a telegram from Dijon and ordered it. I thought you would enjoy it all the more as a surprise, and so I let you say your sweet good-byes at the station before warning you that you were wanted.' "" "And we must go all through that again,” said she with a laugh. "Well, you'll admit that the first. was an excellent rehearsal." The major nodded assent and at the same time nodded the signal for the dinner to be served. He had given orders for the best dinner the hotel could get up, and when it is borne in mind that for sixty days the party had been living almost entirely upon railway trains and steamships, their only meals in hotels being a luncheon at Aden, and dinner and breakfast at Alexandria, it will readily be understood that the best work of a famous hotel in the city most famous in all the world for its cookery was thor- oughly enjoyed. Wilson said he had to pinch himself occasionally to make sure he was not dreaming, and as for Harry and Jack they thought it the height of fun to go round the world at a gallop and manage to dine in a hotel in Paris. Numerous toasts were proposed, but there were no speeches, as the time was limited and no reporters were present. The major kept his eye on the clock at the end of the room; he had ordered the dinner to be 286 A CLOSE SHAVE. served in exactly one hour and forty-seven minutes, and as the hands of the clock indicated the expira- tion of the limit of time the diners were ready to rise from their seats, and the farewell banquet was over. Good-byes were said this time in dead earnest. There was another surprise for Mrs. Komaroff when she was told that rooms had been engaged at the hotel for herself and her brother, and as it was then past ten o'clock in the evening she graciously accepted the engagement. Her trunk and Chinese maid, Leh-li, had arrived in charge of the courier of the hotel, for whom the major had also telegraphed, and there was nothing for her to attend to. Entering the carriage which had waited for them during dinner, our friends drove to the station where they were to take the train for Havre. The horses had become impatient with their long detention at the hotel, and while ascending Rue Auber they took it into their heads to run away, in spite of the efforts of the driver to control them. Away they dashed, crashing against vehicles, rebounding from the angles and corners of the streets, and creating general havoc. It looked very much as though the travelers around the world in seventy days were to end then and there, not only the journey they were trying to make, but all other A CLOSE SHAVE. 287 journeys with which this terrestrial ball has any con- cern. Though the driver could not stop the horses he managed to direct them into the Boulevard Hauss- mann, which is broad and straight, so as to lessen the chances of the carriage being overturned. He was in a fair way to check his animals, when sud- denly the vehicle crashed into a heavy wagon, and the runaway was brought to a sudden and disastrous end. The carriage was utterly wrecked. Wilson and Harry were for the moment speechless and senseless, and the major and Jack were a good deal shaken up. Of course there was a crowd around them in a moment, for at that hour of the night great numbers of people are about on the Paris boulevards. The police were quickly on hand, and said the affair must be investigated; for that purpose they proceeded to take the prostrate Wilson and Harry, together with the injured major and Jack, to the nearest bureau d'arrondissement, or police station, and they so announced their intention. "The only station I want," said the major, "is the railway station. Gare St. Lazare, if you please.' But the police did not please, as the public safety required an investigation, no matter at what incon- venience to the individual. They insisted that the 288 A CLOSE SHAVE. party must go to the bureau before they could pro- ceed elsewhere. The major argued earnestly, but without a percep- tible impression; meantime the minutes slipped away, and the chances were rapidly increasing that he would miss the train, and consequently the steamer. But there's no evil without some good; Wilson and Harry recovered from their shock, and were able to join in the argument, at least as far as their French would permit, for they were not as fluent as the major in that outlandish tongue. Two cabs were called. Harry and Jack entered one, while the major and Wilson, with an officer of police, stepped into the other. Harry and Jack were told to follow the other cab, and away they went in the direction of the police station, which, as it hap- pened, was not far from the railway. What occurred in the cab containing the trio we are not altogether certain. It stopped near the entrance of the railway station; Wilson and the major alighted, and Jack and Harry did likewise. A handful of silver was given to each of the drivers, and the four Americans walked with dignified steps toward the station until fairly within its gates. Then they moved very rapidly and reached the door of the waiting-room just as it was being shut to cut off all communication with the train. The major went through last, and the skirt of his overcoat was A CLOSE SHAVE. 289 caught by the closing door; he quickly tore off the imprisoned portion of the garment and reached the train in time to save poor Fritz from emotional insanity at the failure of the party to put in an appearance. In two minutes they were rolling toward Havre "on time," and had made another "very close. shave." Report had it that the policeman fell asleep in the carriage, but as he made no complaint and none was registered against him, and, moreover, as he found half a dozen napoleons-gold pieces of twenty francs each-in his pocket on awaking, the affair was never made the subject of a diplomatic correspondence between France and the United States. There were very few passengers on the train, nearly all of those for the steamer having gone by the regular trains during the day, with the intention of sleeping on board the vessel before her departure from the dock. The special dispatches for which the ship was delayed had also been sent forward by the evening mail train, and consequently it was a piece of good fortune for our friends that the company adhered to its routine of running a special train to connect with the steamer. Besides the major's party there were not half a dozen passengers, at least so the conductor said. 19 290 A CLOSE SHAVE. "I don't exactly like this," said Jack to Harry, when he learned the state of affairs. "Suppose there should be an accident to the train, or the road be blocked so as to delay us, we might be left. The company would prefer to pay the hotel bills of all the passengers on the train during the time they wait for the next steamer rather than delay La Champagne." "That's so," replied Harry; "but we won't bor- row trouble about it. I'm for taking a nap, as this is the only chance of getting any sleep to-night." "You're right," was the reply, "and here goes for a nap on this side of the house," and so saying he coiled into a corner and was very soon asleep. Harry had set the example for him, and the major and Wilson were doing likewise. Each of the quar- tet had a corner of the compartment to himself, an arrangement by no means uncomfortable. The boys were dreaming of the home they speedily expected to see, and all sorts of fancies were running through their heads. Jack's dreams were more troubled than those of his cousin, as he imagined himself in the midst of the speech he expected to deliver at the dinner in his honor, and somehow his tongue clung to the roof of his mouth and he was unable to make an audible sound. Then in an instant he was back again among the train robbers; a moment later he was blowing up the Chinese junk A CLOSE SHAVE. 291 with his dynamite cartridge; and again, with the utter disregard of time and space for which dreams are noted, he was aground in the Red sea or rolling over the Egyptian desert in the railway train from Suez. And so the events of the journey ran like the changes of a kaleidoscope, and all the time he was abashed and trembling before his kind-hearted friends who had assembled to greet him and testify their admiration of his prowess. Suddenly his dreams came to an end. The train stopped with a shock that awakened all the trav- elers, and they anxiously inquired the cause. The road was blocked by a freight train which had been wrecked through the carelessness of an employe of the company. It was the old story, a misplaced switch. Jack's foreboding had been realized. They reached Havre an hour late and the steamer was gone! She could not wait another tide and had left the dock promptly at the time of high water! "A week at the Hotel Frascati at the steamship company's expense," muttered Wilson to himself, "and then take the next steamer. But we must be in New York nine days from to-day." 'What is the record now, Harry?" asked the major. "This is the sixty-first day from New York," was the reply. CHAPTER XXXVI. EXCITING ADVENTURES IN HAVRE-SAFE ON BOARD AT THE LAST MOMENT. "BRING everything to the Grand Quay as soon as possible," said the major to Wilson and Fritz as he stepped from the train. "Come Harry." Harry followed his uncle out of the station and into a cab. The major gave the order, "Au Grand Quai," to the driver, and added, “Despechez vous!" equiva- lent to the American phrase, "Be quick about it." Harry wondered what was to be done now that La Champagne had gone. Major Flagg observed the look of perplexity on the youth's face and kindly relieved his anxiety. "We've another chance," said he, "and a very good one, too. The time-table of the North German Lloyd Company-popularly known as the Bremen Line- that I received from London when we left Brindisi, only mentioned their Thursday steamers from Southampton for New York. By an advertisement in a paper that I picked up at Dijon yesterday, I find that the Bremen Line is now running steamers twice a week each way between New York and Bremen, 292 A CLOSE SHAVE. 293 Į touching at Southampton. They leave Bremen on Saturday and Wednesday and touch at Southampton Sunday and Thursday. A train leaves Waterloo station in London at twelve twenty-five in the after- noon on those days, runs to Southampton in two and a half hours, and sends passengers and luggage by a steam tender to the steamer, which waits in the outer harbor. Consequently she cannot leave for New York until after four o'clock in the afternoon." "But how are we going to reach her?" queried Harry, as the major paused. "Here we are at Havre, and the steamer is on the other side of the Channel." "That's easy enough," was the reply. "There is a tri-weekly service each way, between Southampton and Havre, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, performed by the steamers Wolf and Alice. One of those boats must be in port now, and I propose to charter her to take us across to Southampton. It is now not quite half-past four o'clock, and conse- quently it is eleven and a half hours before the Bremen steamer leaves Southampton for New York. The Wolf or Alice can get up steam in one hour, cross to Southampton in eight hours, and place us at the side of the ocean vessel on time with two hours and a half to spare. She'll land us in New York in eight days, and perhaps in seven and a half. Ah! here we are at the Grand Quay." 294 A CLOSE SHAVE. Out stepped the major, and behind him out stepped Harry. The Wolf was at her berth, close to the quay, and the major at once went on board. In the language of New York, he "made things lively" around that English packet. In five minutes he had the captain out of his room and offered any sum of money he might demand to be in Southampton by three o'clock in the afternoon. The captain said he would have to consult the agent, who naturally enough was not around at that hour. By the major's suggestion he ordered steam to be got up at once, and meantime rushed off to find the agent and obtain his authority for this very unusual proceeding. The major went with the captain to enforce the negotiation by showing the money in his shoulder- satchel and offering to pay half of the stipulated amount down-whatever it might be—and deposit the rest in the captain's hands for return in case the boat failed to get to Southampton in time. But hardly was the carriage containing them out of sight before there was a new turn of affairs. A cab containing Wilson and Jack arrived at the quay, and the man and youth were evidently in a state of great excitement. 'Where's Major Flagg?" said Wilson as he caught sight of Harry. A CLOSE SHAVE. 295 "He's gone with the captain of the Wolf to hunt up her agent," was the reply. "He's going to charter her to take us to meet the German steamer at Southampton." "There's no need of that," responded Wilson. "The French steamer hasn't gone. She's outside the port waiting for us, and there's a tender to leave as soon as passengers and baggage can be put on board of it." Here was a kettle of fish and no mistake! Fritz had gone with the baggage to the tender, which lay considerably further up the avantport and close to the entrance of the Eure Docks, where the steamers of the C. G. T. discharge and receive their cargoes. It was quite a little drive or walk from the Grand Quay around to the tender and she might leave at any moment. Nobody knew where the agent lived. The captain was the only man connected with the boat who could tell the agent's address, and he had gone with the major. One of the stewards knew the agent's name, and then Harry called for the city directory of Havre. Precious moments were lost in hunting up the book, but it came at last, and then the agent's residence was unearthed. While they were hunting for the directory Harry wrote a note to the major which ran as follows: 296 A CLOSE SHAVE. Q • "Dear Uncle:-The French steamer hasn't gone yet. She's lying outside the harbor waiting for the tender. Hurry back to Grand Quay as soon as ever you can. In great haste, "HARRY." "Jump into that cab," said Harry to the steward, "and give that note into the hands of the gentleman who went off with the captain. Tell him its very important and don't let anything stop you. I've a sovereign for you if you get him back to catch the tender for the French steamer.' The steward required no further urging and away he went, Harry having made a liberal offer to the driver of the cab in case he displayed extreme zeal. How anxiously they waited for the return of the major, and how anxiously they watched the tender that lay smoking at the quay near the Eure Docks! The Wolf, too, was smoking furiously as the engi- neer, in obedience to the captain's directions, was getting up steam and making ready for departure. Fritz and the baggage were on the tender, and they could see the active valet bustling about like a huge fly, and evidently in great alarm for the whereabouts of his living charges. Five minutes passed and no major. Ten minutes and still no major. Fifteen minutes and he had not come. The tender was casting off from her quay and turning around preparatory to starting for the great steamer outside! A CLOSE SHAVE. 297 Slowly at first and then more rapidly she moved, and in a few minutes she was opposite where the Wolf was moored. Her engineer opened her throttle valves and gave her full headway. Too late! Fritz and the baggage were going on the French steamer, and the Fritzless and baggageless quartette must fall back on the German one. "That will vitiate the bet, I'm afraid," remarked Wilson to Harry and Jack. "We should all arrive together or the wager may be declared 'off,' and we'll have to go round the world all over again." But before either of the youths could make any response there was a rattle of wheels, and the cab containing the major drove up at break-neck pace, closely followed by the one in which the steward of the Wolf went away. The captain of the packet- boat leaped out first, followed by the agent, who was only about half-dressed and was still engaged in fastening some of the buttons of his garments and arranging his neck-tie. From the other cab leaped the major and the steward who went after him. The captain of the Wolf shouted in the most sten- torian and nautical tones, first in English and then in French, at the steersman of the tender. It was a shout that might have been heard half-way to Southampton, and it had the desired effect. The tender stopped and swung alongside the Wolf, where the party stepped to meet it. During the min- 298 A CLOSE SHAVE. 0 ute or so that it took her to get there, Harry had duly rewarded the steward with the promised sover- eign, made the drivers of the cabs happy with liberal compensation, and the major handed fifty pounds to the captain and agent of the Wolf, to pay for the coal consumed in the now useless getting up of steam, and to compensate them for their trouble gen- erally. It had been a very lively quarter of an hour a Frenchman might call it "une mauvaise quart d'heure❞—but nobody's bones had been broken, and everybody who had been shaken up was consoled that he had solid compensation for his work and shaking. As for the travelers they were serene once more, as the prospect was good for their getting to New York on time. Half an hour later they were at the side of the great steamer, and as soon as the passengers and baggage were deposited on her deck, the tender cast off and returned to port, and La Champagne headed away on her course for New York. "There is one disappointment, though," said Harry, as he and Jack paced the deck after the steamer was under way. "What is that?" "Why, we shan't take in England at all," was the reply. "I had counted England as one of the coun- tries we were to see on the journey, and here we're giving it the go-by." A CLOSE SHAVE. 299 1 "Not at all," Jack answered as he drew from his pocket the map which shows the route of the Com- pagnie Generale Transatlantique between Havre and New York. "See here,” he explained. "Here's the route, and we go close by Land's End and the Lizard, the most southerly point of England. We shall see as much of the kingdom of her Majesty Victoria as we did of Japan or China, or some of the other countries on our way." "I take it all back," exclaimed Harry, "and am ready to be interviewed as to my opinion of the king- dom of Great Britain and Ireland. But didn't we come awfully nigh missing the steamer?" "Yes," was the reply. "As Mr. Wilson says, 'it was a very close shave.” CHAPTER XXXVII. A GLIMPSE OF ENGLAND—OVER THE ATLANTIC- CAUGHT IN THE FOG-LIFE ON A FISHING BOAT- TOO LATE FOR THE TRAIN! BRIGHT and early next morning they were in sight of the coast of England. Harry and Jack had the satisfaction of seeing the green hills and slopes of Devon and Cornwall, streaked with the white walls of the farms and stippled with the houses that are the homes of a sturdy people whose ancestors set- tled there centuries ago. Wilson pointed out the famous Eddystone lighthouse, and both the youths watched it until it faded in the distance. They had a glimpse of the Scilly Isles, and after these dots of earth were left behind the steamer was fairly in the open ocean, with no land lying between her and her destination at the great seaport of the western world. And the question which rose in the mind of each of the travelers was the one which had risen there many times before: "Shall we get there all right, and on time?" "After all our hurry and trouble," said Jack, "we'll get there a day ahead of time, according to 300 A CLOSE SHAVE. 301 your figures, if the steamer meets with no mishap. She's the finest craft we've been on since we left New York, and but for the wager and the necessity of win- ning it, I wouldn't mind a day or two longer on the voyage." "Nor I, either," replied Harry, "but we mustn't think of that now. We can't afford any delay; at any rate, any that would throw us back forty-eight or even thirty hours. According to the runs the steamer has made in times past, she'll get us to New York in eight days or less. Suppose she takes eight days, we'll be there on our sixty-ninth day, and so we'll have to hide ourselves for twenty-four hours in order to make a sensation by appearing at the din- ner just on time, at the end of the seventieth day." "How far is it from Havre to New York?" "Three thousand one hundred and seventy miles very nearly," was the reply. "There is a variation in the figures given by different authorities, and I don't know which is the most accurate." “To make it in eight days the ship must average sixteen knots an hour. I suppose she can do it?" "Mr. Wilson says these great steamers of the French Mail Company can make seventeen knots, and keep it up straight along. Just look at her! Seven thousand tons burden and eight thousand horse-power to her engines. It's a great mass to push through the water and a great power to push 302 A CLOSE SHAVE. * it with. There are three other steamers of the line just like her, and another, La Normandie, that is only a little smaller." "What kind of a steamer would we have had, I wonder, if we had gone to Southampton, as uncle had planned, in case we missed La Champagne?” "I don't know," was the reply. "Here comes Mr. Wilson; let's ask him about it.' "" The query was proposed to Wilson, who explained that the ships of the North German Lloyds were of great size, from five to six thousand tons burden, with engines from six to eight thousand horse- power. "They are built," said he, "of iron and steel, as are all first-class steamers nowadays, and make the run from Southampton to New York in from seven and one-half to eight and one-half days, according to the weather. There is a keen rivalry among the different lines of steamers navigating the Atlantic, and all the principal ones are earnestly striving to excel in the comfort, size, speed and safety of their ships. Take any one of the first-class steamers on the Atlantic at the present time, and you must be hard to please if you find much to complain of. They may crowd you closely, and sometimes make you pay a high price for your accommodations, but they carry you swiftly, and, considering the number of A CLOSE SHAVE. 303 ships and people that every year cross the ocean, the number of accidents is very small." Day by day and night by night, without a pause, the engines kept up their pulsations, and in spite of the winds that blew from the west for the greater part of the time the afternoon of the seventh day brought the vessel in sight of the American coast. That is to say, she would have been in sight of it had not a dense and very provoking fog enveloped her, and made it impossible to see a hundred yards ahead. The captain thought they were about sixty miles off Fire Island lighthouse when the fog closed in upon them. After running about thirty miles further at full speed he ordered the engines slowed down, and took soundings to find out how far he was from shore. A pilot-boat loomed out of the fog, and they took a pilot, who announced the captain's calcula- tion a very accurate one, and said they would be run- ning over Fire Island and into Great South Bay if they kept on three hours longer the way they were going. The steamer crept slowly on, and occasionally stopped altogether. Her snail-like progress was not at all to the satisfaction of our friends, however much it might be dictated by the principle of safety. Wilson was particularly disturbed by it, and as usual he fell to planning a method of expediting matters 304 A CLOSE SHAVE. in order to make sure of reaching New York on time. He knew that as long as the fog lasted they might be detained off the coast, as the captain would never think of risking the lives and property under his charge by attempting to run into port. The great ship might stay where she was for one, two, three, or perhaps more days, though such a circumstance would be very unusual. Steamers and sailing ships have been detained two or three days at a time off the entrance of New York Bay, waiting for the fog to lift and show them their way inside. And two or three days would lose the wager and make the major very unhappy. Through the fog loomed a small steamer, which Wilson recognized as a menhaden-fisher, one of those coast-haunting craft engaged in the capture of the little fish known as the "menhaden" or "moss- bunker." The menhaden is full of oil which is pressed from his body and forms an important article of commerce. He is the chief article of diet and support for the blue-fish and other food-fishes of the Atlantic coast, and its destruction threatens to deprive the people of that region of an important item of their daily fare. "Here's a chance for us," said Wilson to the major, "of getting to New York in a few hours without regard to the fog.” "How so?" A CLOSE SHAVE. 305 "Hire that moss-bunker to take us through Fire Island inlet into Great South Bay. He can land us at Babylon or Bayshore, and then we can run to New York in an hour by express train over the Long Island railway." "That's a very good scheme," was the reply, “but how will the moss-bunker get through the fog into the bay?" "Oh, these fellows can run anywhere," Wilson answered. "They know every inch of the coast where they operate, their boats are very light- draught, and somehow the men in the business have a genius for finding their way about in the darkest nights or in the thickest weather." "All right, then. Go ahead and engage him to take us in." It took a great deal of shouting on both sides to complete the negotiations, which were, that for one hundred dollars the Porgie, for that was the name of the fishing steamer, would carry the party to Bay- shore. The captain said there was not water enough in the channel between Bayshore and Babylon to enable him to run to the latter place. The time of arrival was not stipulated, the captain declaring that he would guarantee nothing beyond landing the party safely, and he promised to do "his level best" in getting there in the shortest possible time. 20 306 A CLOSE SHAVE. It was impossible to take any baggage, for the double reason that the captain of the fishing steamer was not willing to run the risk of being arrested for violating the revenue laws, and also owing to the trouble of getting it from one vessel to the other. To this should be added the fact that the heavy pieces were in the hold, and even if the captain had con- sented to hoist them out considerable time would have been lost in securing them. Accordingly the keys of all the trunks were handed to Fritz, who was to pass the inspection of the custom-house officials at the steamer's dock, and then hasten with the bag- gage to the major's lodgings. Then the four travelers descended the rope ladder which the captain of La Champagne had ordered to be lowered for their accommodation, and entered the boat of the Porgie that had been sent over to receive them. A large net for catching menhaden occupied the greater part of the interior of the boat, and our friends were a good deal mixed up with it. Luckily there was very little sea on, and nobody secured a wetting during the transit. The contrast between the French steamship and the Porgie was about as sharp as could well be imagined. The former was of immense size, clean, comfortable and admirably appointed, while the Porgie was small, had no accommodations for pas- sengers, and very scant ones for her officers and crew, A CLOSE SHAVE. 307 and she was so dirty inside and out that a pig-pen would have seemed a fashionable salon by com- parison. When engaged at their business, fishing vessels of any kind are the reverse of cleanly, and a moss-bunker is probably the worst of all. Before they had been two minutes on board each one of the party secretly wished they had stayed where they were, though nobody ventured to say so aloud. To make matters worse, the Porgie did not seem in a hurry to get to Great South Bay. At the time of the transfer the two vessels were near the whistling buoy, which is about six miles off Fire Island light. They soon drifted apart and were lost in the fog, the Porgie steaming slowly toward Fire Island inlet and the French ship feeling her way westward. The fog lay thick on the water, and within a mile or so of Fire Island inlet the Porgie came to a dead stop. "Why don't you go ahead and run us in?" Wilson asked with some impatience, addressing his query to the Porgie's captain. "Not while this fog's ez thick ez it is now," was the reply. "I hain't goin' to lay the Porgie on the beach for no hundred dollars." "But you agreed to put us through as quickly as possible," Wilson answered. "So I did, an' I'm goin' to do it. I said I'd take you through safe to Bayshore, and 't wouldn't be C 308 A CLOSE SHAVE. keepin' the contract to drown you on Fire Island bar. And where'd I get my hundred dollars ef you was all drownded?" This was a practical view of the case that had not occurred to Wilson, and he wanted to kick himself for having proposed this method of getting to New York. The major saw his perplexity and tried to soothe him by offering to bet that they would get to their lodgings ahead of Fritz, and certainly be on time. "I'm ready to bet Fritz will beat us," replied Wilson, "and would n't mind being drowned on the bar for the sake of getting in ahead of La Cham- pagne.' Then liberal offers were made to the captain of the Porgie, but all to no purpose; he wouldn't risk his boat and the lives of those on board, his own included, for any money they could offer. That he was not altogether unselfish was evidenced by his suggestion that "Ef I was on shore and steerin' the Porgie with electric wires, or some other of them new-fangled notions, p'raps I'd talk to you. But when I'm here in the wheelhouse, not much." Well, the Porgie lay around the bar for several hours, and at the end of that time she was further away from it than when the colloquy commenced. Night came on, and still the fog lasted, and still the very small and very ill-smelling boat danced on the A CLOSE SHAVE. 309 waters. In the morning, what with the cramped accommodations, the discomforts generally, and the delay, our friends resembled the traditional butterfly who passed through a sausage machine. No bear with a sore head was ever more out of temper than was Wilson; he blamed himself for the predicament, and began to realize that if the wager was lost, it would very likely be in consequence of his bad advice. But along in the forenoon the fog lifted, and the Porgie crossed the bar with the flood tide, and entered Great South Bay. Then she steamed up the channel, dropped anchor in front of Bayshore dock, and sent her passengers ashore in the same boat that had transferred them from the French ship. "Ef yer handle yerselves lively," said the captain to the major, as he stepped over the side of the Porgie, "yer kin ketch the two twenty train for New York." They did "handle themselves lively," but all to no purpose. They had the tantalizing sight of the train leaving the station just as they turned the corner of the road leading to it, and were still two or three hundred yards away. "We'll have to wait for the four five train, I sup- pose, "said the major, "and meantime we'll ride down to the Olympic Club, where I know several of C 310 A CLOSE SHAVE. the members, and get something to eat that doesn't taste and smell of bunker oil." They went to the Olympic Club accordingly, and were royally entertained there. Harry had been doubtful if he could get the taste of the bunker oil out of his throat for a fortnight at least; but the "square meal" which was served to them at the club reassured him on this point. The members laughed till their sides ached at the recital of the party's adventures on board the Porgie. Wilson's vexation was complete when one of the Olympians ascertained by means of the telephone that La Champagne had reached New York, passed quarantine, and was then on the way to her dock. They were careful to be at the Bayshore station in season for the four five train, which brought them to New York at five thirty-seven. A carriage took them to the major's lodgings, where they found the faith- ful Fritz had arrived nearly ten minutes ahead of them! Let us see what happened to the French steamer after they abandoned her for their fish-oily quarters on the Porgie. Carefully feeling her way, she edged along toward Sandy Hook, taking soundings at regular intervals to know where she was. The depth of water and the character of the earth brought up by the sounding- lead tell the mariner his position near enough for all A CLOSE SHAVE. 311 practical purposes, and with proper precautions there is no danger of a vessel going ashore in a fog, provided, of course, she is not driven there by a gale, or is not otherwise out of the control of pilot or captain. Off Sandy Hook she "stood off and on" until evening, and then, as the fog was still around her, she steamed very slowly about through the night. The darkest and longest night is followed by day, and the densest and longest fog will be succeeded by clear weather. About the time it cleared away at Fire Island, the fog around the steamer lifted and revealed the light-ship off Sandy Hook, the High- lands of Navesink, the row of hotels on Coney Island, and best of all, the entrance to the port. "En avant!" was ordered from the bridge, and the engines promptly obeyed the command. La Champagne took her course through the channel, the tide being at the flood, and in due time she was in the lower bay and dropped anchor at quarantine. The quarantine officials came on board, the ship's bill of health was pronounced "clean," and permis- sion was given for her to proceed to her dock. While the passengers were passing through the ordeal of the preliminary investigation of the custom house and swearing to the usual falsehoods concern- ing the absence of dutiable goods in their trunks, the Q 312 A CLOSE SHAVE. steamer moved on until she was opposite the foot of Morton street, where her dock is situated. It was slow work bringing her to the dock, but she "got there all the same," to use one of Wilson's favorite expressions. At twenty-three minutes past four o'clock on the eighth day of her run from Havre she was made fast; one minute and thirty-one seconds later the gangway was in its place, and her passengers could go ashore. CHAPTER XXXVIII. HOME AGAIN-ANOTHER VERY CLOSE SHAVE-A MIS- TAKE IN THE RECKONING-THE DINNER AND THE SPEECHES-CONCLUSION-EXEUNT OMNES. SOME time was required for passing the baggage of the passengers through the hands of the custom house inspectors, and it was a little past five o'clock when Fritz was through with the ordeal and drove away from the dock with the trunks and other impedimenta of our friends. As before stated, he reached the major's lodgings ten minutes in advance of the traveling quartet. As soon as they were seated in the train at Bayshore, forty-two miles from New York, Major Flagg turned to his time-keeping nephew and asked: "What's the record now, Harry?" "We are near the end of our sixty-ninth day, sir," was the reply. The major decided that as they were a day ahead of time they would remain incognito until the next evening. At the appointed hour for the dinner they would appear at the club, and as their names were O 313 314 A CLOSE SHAVE. C not on the printed list of the steamer's passengers, and they had dodged the reporters by coming to land by the Porgie, there was little likelihood that anyone would know of their arrival. Just as they arrived at the major's lodgings Harry bought an afternoon paper from a newsboy who happened along at the moment, and while the others were stepping from the carriage he took a hasty glance at its contents. Almost the first paragraph to catch his eye was the following, among the society announcements: “A table is set for a dinner of thirty persons at the Club, this evening, to welcome Major Flagg, Mr. Wilson and the major's nephews, Harry and Jack, who are due at seven o'clock from a journey around the world in seventy days. How they are to arrive is a mystery, as their names do not appear in any of the passenger lists of the steamers sailing from European ports in the last two weeks, as cabled to the daily press. Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, General Horace Porter and other eminent diners are among the invited guests who will be present. Three days later a dinner will be given at Delmonico's, to the major's nephew Jack, by the new base ball club recently named in his honor. It will be remembered that Mr. Jack recently won imperishable renown by his successful strategy in routing a band of robbers that attacked the train on which he and his friends were traveling. "Colonel Silversides will entertain Major Flagg at dinner, and Mrs. Adele Richemont will give an at home' in his honor, the dates to be announced shortly." Harry hastily perused the above paragraph and after they had reached the major's rooms, he read it aloud. ८ A CLOSE SHAVE. 315 "There's some mistake," said the major; "and yet the statement is very specific." "Never mind," responded the youth; "I'll find out about it." And so saying he sprang into the carriage, which had not been dismissed, and told the driver to go to the corner of the block above that where the club was situated and then stop. On the way Harry laid aside his overcoat and everything else bearing the ear-marks of a traveler. When the carriage stopped he jumped out, and tell- ing the driver to wait for his return, hastened to the club house and entered without hesitation. "Reporter for the Tribune," said he, as the door- man stepped forward to ascertain whom the visitor wished to see. And as he spoke, he drew out his note-book and pencil and made ready to jot down all items of interest. The doorman turned him over to a member of the house committee, who luckily was a gentleman whom Harry had never seen, and the youth played his assumed character to perfection. He asked to see the table where the dinner was to be served, ascertained who were to be the guests, asked for copies of their speeches, so as to have them put in type immediately, accepted a cigar which he thrust into his pocket with the remark that he'd smoke it later, said he would be back in a little while, as he 316 A CLOSE SHAVE. had a call to make further up town, and then rushed out of the house without a moment's delay for formal leavetaking. There was no mistake about it; the dinner was to come off that evening sure! At the best speed of the horses he went to the major's lodgings, ascended the stairs three at a time, and as he dashed into the room where the others were waiting for him, he shouted: "Get into your dress suits as fast as ever you can! No time for explanations!" With his customary forethought, Fritz had opened the trunks and brought forth those garments so essential to a good appearance in society. Shirts, collars, white ties and all, were ready, and in four- teen minutes and eleven seconds by the clock on the mantel-nobody had time to look at a watch-the entire quartet was clothed, though by no means did they carry out the scriptural aphorism of being in their right mind. Everybody was dazed over the mistake in time, but as Harry had well said, they could not stop for explanations. The carriage took them to the door of the club house, and just as the clock on the neighboring church, a favorite clock with the members of the club, though few of them attended that particular church, began striking the hour of seven, they stood in the hallway and were warmly greeted by Dr. A CLOSE SHAVE. 317 Jones, whose face wore a mingled expression of sur- prise and satisfaction. "We got through on time you see!" said the major, as he shook hands with the doctor. "I was beginning to fear that you'd miss connec- tion," was the reply, "but I'm delighted to own up that I've lost the bet." "It was a mighty close shave, though," said Wilson, as he grasped the doctor's hand in his turn. Harry and Jack were then welcomed, and the doctor led the way to the parlor where the guests were assembled. Everybody was on hand, as Dr. Jones had taken the precaution to name half-past six as the hour for dinner; had he not done so there. would certainly have been some late comers, such is the dilatoriness of human nature when it is invited to dinner. If the world were to be suddenly destroyed by collision with a comet or another planet, there are some society men in it who would be too late to see the show. It will be remembered that each of the principals to the wager was to name twelve persons to be invited to the feast, and four places were to be reserved for Major Flagg to fill. The major had mailed his list to Dr. Jones while on his way to San Francisco, and with it a note saying that three of the four places would be occupied by Wilson and the two youths. For the other place he desired 318 A CLOSE SHAVE. Silversides should be invited, and consequently that eminent promoter of stock companies was promptly on hand. "9 "The winner of the bet is the host of the evening,' said Dr. Jones; and accordingly the chair was taken by Major Flagg, while the doctor retired to the other end of the table. Jack was placed at Dr. Jones' right and Harry at his left, while Wilson was at the major's right, with General Porter just beyond him. Mr. Depew sat at Major Flagg's left, and was so interested in hearing the story of the journey around the world in seventy days that he neglected nearly all the dishes placed before him, though they were the choicest of the season and prepared in that most excellent fashion for which the Club was justly famous. When the coffee was served Dr. Jones rapped to order, and said the situation reminded him of a say- ing of the French: "L'hote ne s'affiche pas"—the host does not advertise himself. "But to-night," said he, “we must upset this very sensible adage, because our host is the man whom we have met to honor. We must advertise him, and we all applaud him for his successful effort to put a girdle around the earth in a shorter time than it was ever girdled before. Gentlemen, the health of our host and his companions, who have this night completed their wonderful journey." A CLOSE SHAVE. 319 The toast was drank amid rounds of applause, and then the major rose to respond. After thanking the gentlemen present for the kind and vociferous man- ner in which his name had been greeted, he briefly told the leading incidents of the journey, which it is unnecessary for us to repeat here, and paid proper compliment to his friend, Wilson, and his nephews, Harry and Jack. Of course it became necessary for the other heroes of the occasion to respond to separate toasts, and they acquitted themselves very well. Wilson fol- lowed Major Flagg, Harry was called after Wilson sat down, and then Jack was brought to his feet. Harry spoke of what was uppermost in his mind- the error he had made in his calculation in counting the time as sixty-nine days when it was really seventy, but when Jack rose to speak the mystery was explained. "You will all remember," said Jack, addressing his sympathetic audience, "that when Phileas Fogg made his journey around the world in eighty days, as narrated by Jules Verne, he thought he had lost his wager, as he did not complete the journey until the eighty-first day. Just in time to save himself, he discovered that in traveling around the world from west to east he had gained a day; he hastened to his club, and entered it as the clock was striking nine." ་ 320 A CLOSE SHAVE. The auditors nodded assent, and applauded the youth as he paused a moment. } "Well," continued Jack, "we have been traveling west, and just as Jules Verne's hero gained a day in his reckoning, so we have lost a day in ours. We have seen the sun set exactly sixty-nine times during our journey, while you who remained at home have witnessed seventy sunsets." "Very few of us have seen seventy, or even seven sunrises while you've been away," remarked General Porter in an undertone, to the amusement of those seated near him. "I've been thinking it over since we sat down to dinner," Jack continued, "and have made out how it was. Harry ought to have dropped a day out of his reckoning when we crossed the meridian of one hun- dred and eighty degrees from Greenwich. I remem- ber reading in a book on navigation that sea-cap- tains always do so; they drop a day when sailing west, and add a day when sailing east across the same meridian. But we were too much absorbed with getting through on time to think of this little matter, which might have cost the major his bet." General Porter said that the efforts of the major and his friends to get through on time, from New York to New York again, reminded him of an Irish- man who was boasting about the excellence of his watch. "Faith, an' it isn't mooch fur the looks uv A CLOSE SHAVE. 321 it," said the Hibernian, as he pointed to the battered case of the old "bull's-eye," "but it's alwez thrue on toime." "Mr. Wilson was just saying to me," General Porter continued, "that the winning of the wager was a 'very close shave.' That's exactly what a Chinamen in Nevada said of one of his countrymen who had been scalped by the Indians." Mr. Depew responded, as he always does when called upon to speak, and kept the table in a roar of laughter, alternating with enthusiastic applause. In the course of his remarks he nominated Major Flagg as a candidate for president of the United States.. He was sure the major could get around a majority of the voters of the country in a presidential cam- paign of four months, when he had got around the whole world in about half that time. The dinner lasted until a late hour, and it is certain that none of the diners rose early on the following morning except by compulsion. The dinner to Jack and Harry came off according to appointment, and those young gentlemen were the heroes of the hour and the day. Jack made an excellent speech, though he totally forgot the one he had committed to memory, his utterances being quite impromptu and brought out by the surround- ing circumstances. Harry also acquitted himself handsomely, and we are glad to add that both the 21 322 A CLOSE SHAVE. youths preserved their equilibrium, and did not find their heads in the least degree turned by the adula- tion they received. Silversides gave his promised dinner, but did not succeed in drawing the major into his financial and speculative net. Neither did Mrs. Richemont encircle the major with the matrimonial lasso on behalf of her daughter, although her "At Home" in his honor was one of the most gorgeous of the season; we may add in an undertone that the bills to the caterer, the florist and other tradesmen are yet unpaid. Major Flagg's heart is still of adamant, so far as the tender passion is concerned, and his chief thought is of some time making a journey around the world in sixty or even in fifty days. "And I can do it, too," he said one day to the doc- tor, "and I'll try it on if you'll make the bet large enough to pay expenses. " "How so?" the doctor asked. "This way," answered the major: "Take the quickest time that has ever been made over every part of the route, the shortest runs of special trains by railway, and the shortest by the most rapid steamers, add them together and make no deduc- tions for delays to change from one conveyance to the other, and we can make the trip around the world in forty-seven days and twenty-three hours. But I want at least a million dollars to do it A CLOSE SHAVE. 323 ? with, and just now I am a trifle short of the requisite amount." Wilson left for Europe a few weeks after the mem- orable dinner, and the reason for his departure was evident four or five months later, when the American Register of Paris announced his marriage in that city to the fair Russian to whose care he had devoted a considerable portion of the days that he traveled in her society. She abandoned all further interest in Nihilism, received a full pardon at the hands of the czar, and had the pleasure of introducing her chival- ric American husband to her friends at home. And so ends our story of Major Flagg's round-the- world tourists who, in seventy days, went through on time, by "a very close shave." THE END. дор 15¢ 812K 777 ос X [ wils UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA 812K777 OC Knox, Thomas Wallace, 1835-1896. A close shave: or, How Major Flagg won 3 1951 002 101 303 V WILSON ANNEX AISLE 69 0123456 0123456 0123456 QUAWN 4 2 3 1 QUAWN-- EXTAWN-I 654321 A4 Page 8543210 AIIM SCANNER TEST CHART #2 4 PT 6 PT 8 PT Spectra ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",/?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:”,./?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:',./?$0123456789 10 PT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 Times Roman 4 PT 6 PT 8 PT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:'../?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 10 PT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 4 PT 6 PT 8 PT Century Schoolbook Bold ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 10 PT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 4 PT 6 PT News Gothic Bold Reversed ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:'',/?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:',./?$0123456789 8 PT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 10 PT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 4 PT 6 PT 8 PT Bodoni Italic ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?80123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 10 PT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz;:",./?$0123456789 ΑΒΓΔΕΞΘΗΙΚΛΜΝΟΠΡΣΤΥΩΝΨΖαβγδεξθηικλμνοπορστνωχ ζ=7",/St=#°><ΕΞ Greek and Math Symbols 4 PT 6 PT 8 PT ΑΒΓΔΕΞΘΗΙΚΛΜΝΟΠΦΡΣΤΥΩΧΨΖαβγδεξθηικλμνοπφροτυωχψί=7",/S+=#°><><><= ΑΒΓΔΕΞΘΗΙΚΛΜΝΟΠΦΡΣΤΥΩΧ Ζαβγδεξθηικλμνοπόρστυωχψίπτ",./St##°><><><Ξ 10 ΡΤ ΑΒΓΔΕΞΘΗΙΚΛΜΝΟΠΦΡΣΤΥΩΧΨΖαβγδεξθηικλμνοπορστνωχ ίΞτ",/St=#°><><= White MESH HALFTONE WEDGES I | 65 85 100 110 133 150 Black Isolated Characters e 3 1 2 3 a 4 5 6 7 о 8 9 0 h B O5¬♡NTC 65432 A4 Page 6543210 A4 Page 6543210 ©B4MN-C 65432 MEMORIAL DRIVE, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 14623 RIT ALPHANUMERIC RESOLUTION TEST OBJECT, RT-1-71 0123460 மய 6 E38 5 582 4 283 3 32E 10: 5326 7E28 8B3E 032E ▸ 1253 223E 3 3EB 4 E25 5 523 6 2E5 17 分 ​155自​杂 ​14 E2 S 1323S 12E25 11ES2 10523 5836 835E 7832 0723 SBE 9 OEZE 1328 2 E32 3 235 4 538 5 EBS 6 EB 15853 TYWES 16 ELE 14532 13823 12ES2 11285 1053B SBE6 8235 7523 ◄ 2350 5 SER 10 EBS 8532 9538 7863 ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ONE LOMB PRODUCED BY GRAPHIC ARTS RESEARCH CENTER