The Novels and Stories of Frank R. Stockton (Volume 6); The Great War Syndicate. the Stories of the Three Burglars. the Knife That Killed Po Hancy. Dusky Philosophy (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900. Excerpt: ... THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE IN the spring of a certain year, not far from the close of the nineteenth century, when the political relations between the United States and Great Britain became so strained that careful observers on both sides of the Atlantic were forced to the belief that a serious break in these relations might be looked for at any time, the fishing-schooner Eliza Drum sailed from a port in Maine for the banks of Newfoundland. It was in this year that a new system of protection for American fishing-vessels had been adopted in Washington. Every fleet of these vessels was accompanied by one or more United States cruisers, which remained on the fishing-grounds, not only for the purpose of warning unwary American craft who might approach too near the three-mile limit, but also to overlook the action of the British naval vessels on the coast, and to interfere, at least by protest, with such seizures of American fishing-boats as might appear to be unjust. In the opinion of all persons of sober judgment, there was nothing in the condition of affairs at this time so dangerous to the peace of the two countries as the presence of these American cruisers in the fishing-waters. r The Eliza Drum was late in her arrival on the fishing-grounds, and having, under orders from Washington, reported to the commander of the Lennehaha, the United States vessel in charge at that place, her captain and crew went vigorously to work to make up for lost time. They worked so vigorously, and with eyes so single to the catching of fish, that, on the morning of the day after their arrival, they were hauling up cod at a point which, according to the nationality of the calculator, might be two and three quarters or three and one quarter miles from the Canadian coast. In conseq...