Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

“He’s notorious,” DuBeque insisted. “Yes. Seems to me I’ve heard o’ him,” ’ said Jackson with a shade of irony in his voice, and the irony, though lost to Du- Beque’s ears, caught Gilbert Lang’s atten- tion. Jeb Jackson had formerly been mate on a Yankee whaler. That was years ago. He had beaten up a bullying, half-crazed skip- per, then had taken to the beach and had stayed in the South Seas ever since, eventu- ally going into the employ of Winston Willerby. ~~ DuBeque swore viciously in his low, oily, smooth way, and said there was not a decent man in the South Seas who had not heard of Williams. And said that he was a trouble- maker. “You're right. You're right, son,” Jack- son answered casually, ‘“He’s the greatest little trouble-maker—an’ finisher—in these parts. Old W. W. ought to be quite inter-, ested. He’s wished ’nough times he could run across him.” “By the way, Gilbert,” DuBeque asked quickly, “come back with us to the ship? I want to introduce you to Willerby. Fine fellow to know. Will you?” “I shall be pleased,” said Gilbert Lang. Jackson grunted. He knew Paul Du- Beque and why DuBeque wanted to carry Gilbert back to the ship, where he and Willerby could question him about Wil- “Hey, you, below there!” Jackson shouted down at the boat. “Throw up that raffle.” The “raffle” was odds and ends of trade goods, which the black boys threw up to Jackson. He had brought presents for the village, but, as none other than Baraka ap- proached, Jackson generously presented the whole lot to him. Jackson was not a trader. He was a seaman. Willerby was a goods eaman himself when sober, but he kept Jackson near him and gave him the hard and dangerous work to do—as going ashore to a village that appeared hostile. Paul DuBeque was a man after Willerby’s heart. He had known Paul for years. Also he had known Paul’s cousin—Lania— pronounced La-nigh-a—DuBeque. Some months before there had been trouble be- ee fede Pituy We en and the latter fled into hiding, but recently every- thing had been patched over ava the old umed, 4 * oe ae a 4 - Savages 119 Gilbert Lang got into the boat, and, when it shoved away from the jetty, he wished that he might never again set foot on that island. He expected to, however. He was going on board the Bebe with no intention of not returning. He was beginning rather to like DuBeque, who was more friendly and courteous than any other man met since leaving Honolulu. And Jackson, too, in spite of profanity, seemed to be only a big, hale, hearty fellow. But Gilbert Lang sensed that Jackson had a kind of veiled contempt for DuBeque. 5d THE Bebe was moored a hundred and fifty yards from the jetty and within shouting distance of one of the luggers. An awning that served to keep away rain or sun was stretched over the poop. A six-pound brass cannon with a carriage that could be run to’port or starboard was in the waist. This was ostensibly for pro- tection, but Winston Willerby occasionally took upon himself the prerogatives of Euro- pean men-of-war and shelled a village. In those days and until recently, very re- cently, if a white man got killed or hurt in a.coast village—no matter why or how— and a war-ship happened to come along, even months afterward, the village was shelled to show the savages that they could not trifle with the lives of civilized men. Willerby was a big man in many a way. He really was. He had a genius for trade, for commerce, and what he may have lacked in attention to details and good manage- ment he made up in jealously keeping rivals from the field. He was a large- bodied man with a shaven red face, a heavy- jowled face, and gray eyes. His ifi- cence was unapproached in the South Seas, in Australia even. The Bebe was a beautiful ship and a floating palace. Wil- lerby made money and spent it, and not the least of his expenditures were for food and drink. The chef on the Bebe had been drawn by Willerby’s princely wage from a passenger-steamer. Her immense refriger- ator was stored with»ice. Rumor had it that Willerby every six months had a ship- ae of ice brought to his*plantation in the ijis. Willerby spent most of his time at sea and in good company. He kept a small a ee * bi. - my fs - yes ‘ * st ta