Adventure, November 1915 — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

aay eatin 8 Wh) / yp mh VS tPe te : <] on as 5 YF ' _ coward, beyond control. 32 us? I was looking for a man by the name of Silva. He said he’d meet me here with a friend of his. We want to hire them. Per- haps they’ll ask for me—I gave them my card. My name’s Winton.” “‘Silva’s a common name along the water- front,’”’ said Burke affably. ‘I reckon your man’ll be along soon. Make yourselves at home.” The crowd of men from the other bar, with the broken-nosed man among them, came across and started talking familiarly to Burke, crowding Addams and Winton carelessly as they pushed up to the circle. One of them jostled Winton, who flushed angrily. Addams trod lightly on his foot and edged around the bar. “Don’t start anything, Jim,” he. said quietly. “I don’t like the look of this place. Let’s go over to one of the tables. ‘“‘As they did so the other men left the counter and deliberately brushed them, treading on their feet. “Git outa my way, you —— dude,” said one of them, thrusting Winton aside. The rude shock and the impudence of the man who set his inflamed face close enough for Winton to catch the whisky-laden breath, infuriated the latter, who was no He swung vi- ciously, snapping his right to the jaw and sending his man staggering backwards. INSTANTLY, as at a signal, the place was in an uproar. Men at the tables jumped to their feet cursing, and the broken-nosed man with his imme- diate companions advanced threateningly upon the two friends who set their backs to the bar. Addams coolly tossed his un- tasted beer in the face of one of them and followed it up with a blow that sent him to the floor. “Make for the door, Jim,” quietly. said Addams “Punch the fellow in front of you; _ keep punching and keep moving.” It was sound advice. The fight had be- come a free-for-all and men were striking indiscrimin ately atthenearest tothem. But the six who had started the trouble had become a dozen, then a score, all apparently determined to wreak vengeance upon the strangers. Tt began to look like disaster. and Winton were forced slowly to retreat. Presently they felt the back wall against their shoulders. Addams picked up a chair Addams Adventure and swung it about him. Winton, beside him, was fighting stubbornly. Then the broad-shouldered figure of Burke appeared, raging through the crowd. The two masts had been fitted up to ap- proximate the real thing as closely as possi- ble, and Addams had noticed a ring of belaying-pins set in a rail about each of them. That these were realities was proved by the way Burke, backed -by two husky bartenders, was handling his. He fought his way to the wall. ‘This is a bad mess,” he said to Addams. “They think you’re dudes an’ they’re sore at your buttin’ in. There’s the back door just to the right of you. Better slip out quick. I’ll keep ’em back till you make your getaway.” He was swinging viciously at the crowd which dodged the blows of the hardwood belaying-pin. “Come on, Jim,”’ panted Addams. way.” He found the door and opened it. The fresh, salty air flowed into the stale, smoke- burdened atmosphere. The next moment they had slipped through and slammed the door behind them. They found themselves in an alley, heavy in shadow. As they turned, uncertain of their direction, a dozen dark forms seemed to spring out of walls and fences and they were borne down, struggling under the weight of their opponents. “This CHAPTER XIII HENLEY AND CO. AvveMs regained consciousness on a damp floor of dirt. He felt his head which was sticky. “T thought some one hit me a crack,’’ he said to himself. “Jim!” There was no answer, though he called again and again. The place was abso- lutely dark. There was a strange smell of spices and the acrid tang of something like incense. He thought he could hear voices murmuring close by and got to his feet, groping towards the sound. He hit his wounded head against a beam and stopped, confused with the sharp pain. A square of orange light suddenly ap- peared in the blackness, barred across with a grille. A head showed, silhouetted against the brightness. comichbook (CO) 3