THE CAPTAIN'S MISTAKE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2745, 15 February 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE CAPTAIN'S MISTAKE.

" The worst fix I ever got into yet," said good old Captain G , with a twinkle in bin small grey eye which showed that something piquant was coming, " was when I was master of a small cargo steamer that made three or four voyages every year from New York down to the Gulf of Mexico, touching at all the chief ports in Venezuela and Colombia, and along the Isthmus of Panama. Early one morning we were coming out of La Guayra — the port of Caracas, you know—having , taken some passengers aboard during the night; and when I came on deck I found a pretty little girl—quite a child to l»ok at, and seemingly a Spaniard by her face—mooniug arouud all alonu, anil looking quite disconsolate for want of something to play with. Well, I've always btseu fond of children (I guess I've got three or four of my own to keep me in practice), and I thought I'd try and amuse her a bit. I began by giving her some Spanish sweetmeats .(of which I had laid in quiteastock for iny own youngsters), and then I sat down upon the after hatch, and took her upon my knee, and began to tell her some sea yarns, such as I thought she'd like ; and she nestled herself against »iy shoulder, and seemed quite comfortable. But all at once, just when w<! were as friendly as could be, a long black shadow fell across us both, and, looking up, I saw standing right in front of me, a magnificent old Spanish gentleman, with a long grey beard and moustache, looking m black as a thunderstorm. " Senor Captain," he hissed out, in tones to which the filing of a handsaw would have been quite harmonious, "do you know who zat lady is ? She is my vife ! " I dropped her like a hot potato the moment I heard the words; but my explanation didn't mend matters much, for ho wouldn't believe a word of it, and she was quite mad at being mistaken for a child ; although she was little better, after all, being only just thirteen. The story was the laugh of the ship all that voyage ; and, worse still, somebody went and told ray wife directly .we get back to New York, and she hasn't let me hear the end of it yet."