A BUSHMAN AFLOAT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8448, 25 May 1907, Page 7

A BUSHMAN AFLOAT.

By ALBERT DORRINGTON. •(Author of "Along the Castlereagh," "Children of the Gully," etc.) (flabliahed by special arrangement —Copyright reserved.) DISHONEST CABIN STEWARDS. Every sea traveller is at the mercy of his cabin attendant. Ladies are usually the easiest victims, and during a long trip the cabin-thief has plenty of time to shepherd the movements of hK intended prey. The thief is caret* not to rob a passenger under hia charge. He for obvious reasons, to puiloin from people far removed from his own round. It must be admitted that Australian shipping companies are swift to punish all cabin marauders who manage to sneak into their service. But it is almost impossible to deal with the vast ever-changing army of stewards who habitually sail under assumed names and borrowed discharges. One occasionally meets a Cockney rascal who brags of his sutcoss as a cabin-thisf. The slightto his criminal vanity will extract the desired information. "Hi'm a pore bloke on the look-out for snatches," chuckled an undersized imp recently. "Yer cawn't 'elp makin' a bit when yer lookin aftei sick passengers. I nicked a diamond ring lawst trip while the old lydy was comin' out of the bawth-room. The bawth-room's the plice to find rings. Soap an' water eases 'em off the finger, an' they drop on the floor. "Yus, I picked up this koh-i-noor, an' blirae it was nearly 'arf a pound weight, big as a glass-stopper, in fact. "Ten minutes after, when the old lady gave the alarm, the whole ship turned out to look under the bunks an' feel down the bawth-room pipes for it. i "The doctor's boy comes up to me point Wank. 'Hey, Wilkin', he says; 'chief wants yer. Reckon he saw yer pokin' round the bawth-room just now.' "Nice pickle, I sez to myself. If they catch me with the diamond in j me pocket I'll go to chokee. I ducked below into the stoke-hole and puts mj little koh-i-noor under a 'eap of caal. Then I tore on deck casu'lly an' faces the chief. 4 " 'About that diamond, Wilky,' he sez. 'Stand up straight now, yer eyes are shinin' like a Newgate lamp. Where's the diamond, Wilky?' "'Diamond,' I sez. 'Why, Lord tike me, I ain't seen nothin' brighter, than me hat since mother died! I 'ope yer don't think I borrowed the old lydy's blinker?' "The mawster-at-arms searched me, an' then the 'ead stoord ran his big 'ands over me leadin' features. 'Wilk,' he sez; 'tike care of yourself. Some diy you'll fall ever the door-mat.' " 'An' I hope you'll keep yer chin up when the floor hits you,' I sez perlitely. With that I started on me cabins an' cleaned up before inspection. After I'd finished I toddled stoke-hole to warm me 'ands. Friday,' says I to one of the fivemen. 'Ow would a bit of roast duck go before dinner?' "I dawnced past him an' looked for Vine little 'eap of coal in the corner of the bunker. 'Where's the bit o' slack that was 'ere an hour ago, Friday?' says I. 'Blime, you ain't been sweepin' up, I 'ope.' " 'Cleaned up the plates five minutes ago, Wilk,' says he. 'All the dirt's gone into the fire, me boy. What about the roast duck?' / '"You blawsted old I sez. 'I 'ope you'll die face down in quod.' "It' was the only blessin' I ever chucked away. It's bloomin' 'ard to pray for yer enemy after he's shovelled yer diamond into the fire. If I'd been a foot bigger I'd 'ave shovelled him in on top of it. Wouldn't you, eh?" (To be continued.)