A QUEER THIEF.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3564, 26 September 1916, Page 6

A QUEER THIEF.

"IT 1 BOAT COMPANDER'S FATE

REAPING JIIS HARVEST.

The majority oi: men are adaptable, ana Otto you beczeni, commander or Li Double Blank, belonged to the majority (writes "J. J." in the "Daily Mail"). it may lmve been that he knew the "Engusoher pigs, Got strafe "em," called nan a pirate, and he was determined to justify the name; or, like a loyal son of the Fatherland, ho might only have been showing the admiration of the Crown Prince by copying that most exalted and gallant warrior's example.

Whichever of these hypotheses is. correct, it was an undoubted fact that, since lie left the Elbe, yon Seezem had gathered together an interesting assortment of watches, gold coins, and the like, as the result of assiduous " harvesting " upon tho seas. . And ho spent many pleasant halfhours in his bunk looking through his •collection. In it were watches of such plutocratic mould that, a man felt like a. millionaire immediately he dropped one into his fob. There were fat-faced silver watches, with staring white dials, that ticked aggressively and defiantly as though declaring, "We don't mind; we're used to being 'lifted.'" There were watches of the " turnip " variety and others of the humblest metaJ. Also, there were the gold coins, the sovereigns and half-sover-eigns, yielded by many reluctant pockets. Yon Seezem often ran these through, his fingers, and dreamed sweetly of a day, when tho Kaiser's image ahd superscription should adorn the metal in place of his cousin's. That day might be far distant, but dreams were not forbidden; and who should prevent a man from extracting what soul-tonic ho could from thoni ? Anyway, for the present the coins were more valuable without the All-Highest War Lord's profile upon them, and yon Soezcm found in this thought consolation for any blemish in the minting. Tho bright little fellows, with their merry jingle, were cheery companions. They looked good, they felt good— they were good; and he decided to get more of them, since more could be obtained in the same, way these had been acquired. Why bo dubbed a pirate without deserving the name ? And of what use were watches and money to people who were in all probability going to be drowned ? Besides, war without spoils was a most unsatisfactory kind of war ! At Least, so argued yon Seezem, and found little difficulty in convincing himself that his view of tho matter was right. Not being the man to let a good resolution grow rusty, yon Seezem looked into the periscope and saw a likely quarry some few miles away. It was an awkward-seeming old tub of a ship, wallowing through the water with, tho easy but uncertain gait of a I sailor who. has swallowed a double I share of grog ration. " One or two more watches and some more money aboard there. Quite an easy matter to get them before J sink the old hooker," thought yon Sopzem, as he gave an order which sent' IT Double Blank to the surface. On£o there she switched on full speed j :;nd headed towards tho tramp. Tho latter made no attempt to run. away, but lumbered steadily ' o.nward as if i unsuspicious of any sinister design on the submarine's part. 'By ail appearances the job of rifling and destroying her would bo quite as easy as yon Seezem anticipated. The one unsatisfactory aspect of it was. that she did not seem likely to add much to his collection. However, her destruction meant another notch upon his periscope, and that would take him a step nearer the Iron Cross. Some honour would thus come out of the affair, even though it might not show much profit.

" Lie. to," commanded yon Seezem. as U Double Blank approached the trump. " Aye, aye, Kir," camo the answer from her bridge. "Got out your boats; I'm going to I sink you," shouted yon Seczem. i " Give us a 'littlo time, eirj" pleaded tho tramp's captain. „ " O?iJy 10 ■minutes' fit the outside," replied von.'Seezem. "Lower your stops;.l'm coming aboard you." " VorjT pood, sir." answered the captain, and forthwith a ladder began to filip down the tramp's side while her crew started swinging out the boats. . ".There's half a dozen o' them Mcomin' thieves comin' aboard us. Got ready to clump .'em..-Bill," quoth the tramp's captain as he watched IT Double Blank's- dinghy ' bdng manned. !

'' Righto," answered a voice from under the nettings. Swiftly the dinghy rowed across, made fast alongside, and her occupants began to swarm up the. ladder towards the tramp's deck. First to step I through the open port was yon .Seezem. As ho did so a brawny fist shot out and caught him a smashing blow under the car, and ho pitched I head first down sm open hatchway. One alter the- other _ as they came inboard his men met with a like recepition. Bill ."clumped 'em" neatly and \ scientifically, being somewhat of an artist at tlio job, as a champion heavyweight should be. Without ever a chance of giving a. warning cry, down tumbled the pirates into the old ship's dingy interior, like so many sacks of potatoes, and there oblivion fell upon them. ! ."Chip on the hatches," directed the captain, and in a trico this was done. I " Now," cams the. .sharp order, and almost as the word was spoken a fiery destruction leaped from gun-muzzles: and smott; IJ Double Blank to the death. For a moment she reeled as if taken aback by this rudo, unexpected assault, then sank with r a

gurgling moan, leaving on the surface only a patch, of. white water flecked dnrkly with oil to show where she had lain. | Meanwhile, down in their dismal I resting-place, yon .Serein and his men envne gradually round, with sore heads and sorer hearts-;- to find themselves prisoners. And yon Seezem had the added mortification of knowing that his much-prized ooiWtion of coins and trinkets had gone into "Davy Jones's locker," white he himself was bound for a place where money cannot be had for the taking, and the only "watches" kept are of :t kind no pirate appreciates.