Conan Doyle seized upon the derelict and made a strange story of the hoodoo ear of an idol, murder. and madness. at. cies on the part of the skipper, who slew his crew and then jumped overboard. Others suggested that the crew must have got at the alcohol which formed the cargo, got mad-drunk, butchered their officers, and escaped in a panic when they became sober. None of the theories hold water, however, when closely examined.
Explosion Feared Tue Intest and most probable of them all is that the crew became alarmed owing to the escape of gas from the cargo in the hold. Alcohol gas might explode and destroy the ship in a twinkling. Some such minor explosion is believed to have occurred, and the skipper must have ordered the hatch to be removed.
In fear lest there should be another explosion which would send them all skyh'gh, it is supposed that the crew left the ship by the yawl. They must have neglected to throw 4 line tothe ship which, when the caught her, moved out of reach.
Treating the Driver IN marked distinction from the stagecoach of old, where the privily egod seat both from the point of view of exhilaration and convivial lity, was beside the coachman, the modern taxi seems to be the most inhospitable of vehicles. Hence it surprising to read of a complaint made by a lawyer in a Home court when defending a taxi driver that fares were too generous in standing treat to the taximan. It appear: that his client had got into trouble in this deplorable way. The magistrate cordially agreed that it. was] deplorable, but his feelings did not deter his punishing the accused man according to the law.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.