Adventure, November 1915 — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

The Gold Lust sharpshooters is out of it, strictly on your account, not hers.”’ Later that day she found a guitar in the cabin and played accompaniments to Jim’s tenor with the Chinese clustering by the foresail, listening eagerly as he sang: “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest, Yo-ho-ho! and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil have done for the rest, Yo-ho! and a bottle of rum!” At midnight they heard the Orientals chanting high-pitched ululations of their own, barbaric versions of the “Treasure Island” chanty. All night the schooner tossed easily, often without steerage-way, and before sunrise on the fourth morning out, Addams anx- iously sought for signs of wind. The horizon was clear and the piled up clouds gave promise that they refused to redeem. The noon reckoning showed their position at five hundred and fifty-four miles from Hon- olulu on their direct course, with a little less than two hundred and fifty still to cover. “Tf we don’t get a breeze soon,” said Ad- dams, “‘we’ll not make the island until after dark tomorrow night. That will spoil what- ever lead we may establish.” “This drifting ‘round like a cork ravels the edge of my nerves,’ said Jim, chewing at an unlighted cigarette. “They are probably in the same fix,” replied Addams. “It can’t last long by the look of things. It’s starting to blow at last, I believe.” The sluggish roll of the water began to take on new life, forming into companies of crisp, bottle-blue waves, that advanced from trot to gallop, from gallop to charge as with the trades leading them on, they sent the schooner lunging along at top running speed. The main and fore booms were braced with tackles to help the steering in the following waves and offset the risk of jibing. Within an hour the Wavecrest was racing with the creaming seas, the wind strong and steady, swinging on as if imbued with the spirit of her crew. | Sp] THE log, once more revolving brisk- ly beneath the surface, showed a “speed of nine knots when it was hauled at two o’clock in the afternoon, a result that cheered the heads of the expedi- tion mightily. _ At Peggy’s earnest solicitation, Henley’s hs) sister had been permitted to come on deck where, under the watchful eye of Selim, she sat by the rail awhile, then walked forward to the bows with a firmness of step that be- tokened a swift return to strength, since the head-seas had vanished and the Wavecrest ran on comparatively level keel. Selim had reported her appetite as fully restored. Refusing to speak, or even look at her captors, she yet seemed in sullen fashion to have become reconciled to her condition. Keeping most of the time of her own accord : to the privacy of the stateroom accorded her, she had been given the practical free- dom of below-decks, with the Arab keeping an eye upon her general movements. She strayed forward, gazing ahead stead- ily, until mid-afternoon, when she advanced toward the.main companion. Every one else was on deck. Selim glanced in her di- rection and prepared to follow, suspicious of leaving her alone below, when a shout rang out from Loo Chow. ““Shippee!”’ he cried excitedly, pointing to leeward. “Shippee!’’ Addams sprang to the shrouds, taking the deck-glasses with him as he mounted tothe main-top. He focussed them eagerly in the direction indicated by the Chinaman. “It’s the Lei Lehua,” he announced as he gained the deck. ‘‘We’ll overhaul her before dark. “Get a spar into the leech of the fore- staysail, Jim, and hold her out. Bend on your flying-jib, it may help. Then wet down the sails.’ Every effort was bent to get the last foot of speed out of the Wavecrest. The canvas was soaked with buckets of water from gaff to boom, the better to hold the breeze, and all gathered aft as an aid to the center of effort, watching the sails of the chase rise until the hull was seen at last. The course they were holding promised to bring them closely alongside the Lei Lehua, and Addams, anxious to estimate the force against them, held it at the risk of a long- range bullet. As they neared the wood- schooner he sent Peggy mutinously below, a precaution fairly justified within a few min- utes by the rip of a bullet through the main- sail, though they neither saw flash nor the almost imperceptible vapor of the smokeless powder, nor heard, with the strong after- wind, any report. Foo Chin looked longingly toward Ad- dams at the wheel, who shook his head. “No good starting anything unless we Gomichbooks (E@) } 1 “ <a 6 Mae Livy ‘* eS ie iar ‘ Ry \) . 2 Tha opr ae ha fy A es ‘VG fy) Ce aad WS ri eet Rae) Ee eS Fee WOR RAG Wier Ao fe ae H | MA Te tin to Ce a* c : , _ 4 oe 5y bial 3 \ ‘ol ee a Bs ; ata te S355 Daley 0 Late Tes lke” wigs Pauly ites Miata as . ; oe it TaN ASE : s <% uA pave tits 2 2 ely ap i ie al . ist n ei x agbao'sh)'s ye eickoeeee © a he A PO Re Lg Ie RR AE if i . * “st J ty hd A j de ) ” "iy AL bul é baee gis % NOE Woes a LEE EES TOR Ce ee el CMR TD Pa ert PRR ET OEP wt, RM RODS ZU me 4 Shasta Neato if .