Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

82 GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND T’ll learn him a lesson yet. Even if he has got his master’s papers somewheres else, he ain’t got nothin’ aboard o’ this un!” Here now lay the vital point of Lead- spitter’s spleen against Tyson. The mate felt inimical to all superiority, felt dis- countenanced and put down by any of his betters. And that Tyson was de- cidedly one of his betters, not even he could deny. Marlinespike seamanship was about the limit of Leadspitter’s ability. But rumors had reached him and well he knew that Tyson was possessed of mysterious mathematical heights whereof Leadspitter knew not even the names. The best that Leadspitter could do, in finding latitude, was to use the old, sloven way of working with the constant of 89° 48’. Sometimes, as he well knew, such reckoning might put a ship six or eight miles out; and that, on a lee shore in hazy weather, might be an infernally serious matter. “‘Good enough for a collier,” as the old phrase has it, is not good enough for a skysail yarder going round the Horn. “IT got no master’s papers,” Leadspitter sullenly reflected. ‘Never can have, all along o’ these here damn’ fool mathe- matics!” And then again, “T’ll learn hom mathematics if ever he falls foul o’ me. Tl learn him ’stronomy. He’ll be writin’ books about the stars, after he sees all of em I got packed in my fist!” Thus did Tyson’s superior knowledge engender viperish hate in the mind of Leadspitter. Thus did the mate dream of vengeance, there on the China Girl, which herself seemed a ship o’ dreams upon a dreaming sea. And somewhere off there to westward in the night, under the silent, wondering stars, still lay the mystery of what that day had brought to pass. Toward two bells of the middle watch a timid breath of air stirred the ocean and presently began to breeze on a bit from north northeast, soon hauling more from the eastward. The idle canvas bellied into a white cloud aspiring toward the sky. As the sails filled and drew, the China Girl commenced shoving her cut- water through tiny spats of waves now building. Under the ship’s forefoot waters began to curl white; and astern, flecks of evasive phosphorescence gleamed, winked and faded, as if the Milky Way itself had been shaken to a froth of stars. One hour,.and with a moderate breeze the old wind- jammer was on her course again, on into the South that waited to destroy her. ENTLY reaching along before a fair, following breeze, the old China Girl was logging three knots or four. The smoke of breakfast a-making wafted from Charley Noble. Coppers clanked; the scent of even cockroach and chicory coffee gladdened the hearts of men. Aloft, serving themaintopgallantstay— rotten and perished like much of the gear —Roderick Tyson looked abroad upon the sea of splendors. He knew that despite all this toil, humiliation, abuse, life still was good. His eye caught some- thing, a speck, a far and tiny atom on the ocean off to southwest. At this he squinted a moment, then called down to Peter Mayes on the quarter deck. “Small boat ahoy, sir!” “What's that?” demanded the second mate. “Boat, you say?” “Yes, sir.” ‘‘Where away?” “On the starboard bow, sir!’’ Mayes scrutinized the sea, but from that lower position could sight nothing. - He went below for a glass. This brought the drifting object into his range of vision. Leadspitter came up, too, a moment later, and took a long look as the ship gradually forged nearer. “That's a boat, right enough,’ he affirmed, surly as if the presence of the boat constituted a direct affront to his majesty. “Sure, that must be off the ship we seen burnin’ yesterday,” judged Mayes. “Anybody aboard her, sir?’ “Looks like. One man, anyhow. Here, have another sight at her.” “That’s right. One man, at least. comnlicloooks.com