10-Story Book, February 1928 — page 9: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

(Continued from page 5) Pete, Kanaka Joe—who understood the language a bit—and that adolescent ass Jones, second officer, with his pimply face all smiles and blushes. The savage held up his hands and opened his fingers twice. “*Aw, ask him,’ I ordered, and Carlo slung a soft question at him. He stuck up his fingers again. “*VYou ask him, Dutch,’ I said and the pantomine was repeated. I held up ten fingers, but the heathen shook his head and scowled. ““He say he want twenty francs for the woman—he sell her to you,’ said Kanaka Joe, trying to unravel the mystery. “ ‘Good lord, I don’t want to buy a lady —we’re dealing in whale oil and pearl shell—not women. Tell him to take her away, take her ashore. She’s a menace to navigation. What the devil does he think we are?’ I growled. Joe said some- thing softly and the girl smiled at him, showing her even teeth. “Then she slowly drew on her Paris gown, and looked sadly away. * “Psthwer—uvzwert — umumumhuhu- hu,’ she murmured softly. “*You’re blamed right,’ I said loudly. “Your man is a scoundrel and by rights should be shot.’ The fellow then held up both hands, and opened the fingers of the right one twice, keeping the left one still. “*Fifteen francs,’ said Joe gently, grin- ning at me. I turned away and that young squirt with the pimples of adoles- ence all over his red face reached in his pocket. Then I grabbed him by the arm. Captain Seymour laughed aloud. Two harpooners went for their money, run- ning for the companionway. I waved savagely at the big stranger, grabbed a belaying pin and made a threatening movement as if to strike. He grinned, THE SOUTH SEA ISLAND NUMBER / then held up one hand and opened the fingers once. ““He say ten francs, now’ interpreted Kanaka Joe. ‘Ver cheep at dat rate, yes —no?’ “Then I hurled the pin. IT. ““Anyone would think, to hear the mate, he didn’t have fifteen francs, or good old Father Sanara up at Nuki-Hiva head was going to resign his position as priest in his favor,’ said Yankee Sam, a downeast whaleman of small intellect and large appetite. “*Yeahm, he’s so good he’s sick—but we better n’t let him hear us,’ assented Dirty Bowles, a man from Kinkakee. Of course [ didn’t hear them. A mate of a sailing ship don’t hear of lots of things he does—technically speaking, I mean— not literally! He sometimes tries to run his ship, and it was a bad lookout aboard the Willielee. It’s no joke to have a ship entirely unmanned five thousand miles from—well anywhere at all. It’s all very well to condemn sailors for their con- tempt for conventions. I refuse to be re- sponsible for them, even as the Chief Officer in command. I claim, and I think justly, that I did not make life, I did not have much of a hand in forming morals or conventions; so why blame me? What have I done? Go for the powers who made life what it is, and not the poor of- ficers who try to bolster up morals and support whatever conventions they may, I was only trying to keep a ship manned —that was what I had signed on for, to keep the ship worked up and able—I did the best I could. Cupid, drat him, -beat me to it, but I died game. I fought him to a standstill—but of course he won; he always does in theatrical performances or in stories and novels. I'll admit that belaying-pin missed him a mile. Kanaka COMIC OOOKS:C© im