Adventure Magazine Cover — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

= which was siréal ond fitted with = men, who were grouped around her, as if un- — = consciously accepting the leadership of the © ‘Ss hes and a few deck-chairs as if she carried passengers, Carnell hurried up to the ~ captain and spoke rapidly in a low tone with |. @ grave expression. : “All right,” assented Captain Kelvett, and, turning to Vi— “Wait here a moment, dear.” “Why?” demanded Vi. “T won’t be a minute,” added her uncle, and without waiting hurried after Carnell. “What on earth’s all this mystery?” ex- 7 claimed Vi, and very naturally followed ee them down the companionway with Selwyn at her heels. By the door of the saloon _. Carnell heard her and turned abruptly, —— -erying: : “Qh, please, Miss Kelvett! Go back!” “Nonsense!’’ ejaculated Vi. “But it isn’t fit for Impatiently Vi pushed him aside and entered the saloon, inside the door of which Captain Kelvett stood staring. At the head of the dining-table a man with a gray, pointed beard and mustaches in the uniform of a ship’s captain was sitting with his head buried in his arms. On one side of the table in chairs were two men-in white duck, a stout woman and a child; on -- the other side upon the locker-cushions were three persons and a young girl with a mass | of red hair; and each and every one was in ae the same position. - -—~*‘Vi thought that they were all praying. Yet who would pray amid the litter of a breakfast table? She had just noticed that the yolk of an overset egg was a spot? of color on the white cloth when she realized the truth—they were dead. CHAPTER VII I!’ PROTESTED her uncle as the girl, realizingthe situation, stepped swiftly toward the table intent upon investigation. Beside the Monsoon’s captain at the head of the table she bent and, as callously as a hospital nurse should, moved the head <tee slightly in order to look into the eyes, which ae showed slightly the whites, as one overcome _ by sleep. The other victim revealed the same symptons. ‘Touching a cheek, she mA _ here,” remarked Vi. found that they were cold, yet by the den- sity of the overset ege-yolk and the con- _ dition of the bodies in that warm, moist Bo climate she knew that death had not been Jong master in the saloon. ‘Paening to inalke a Semati to. ale th woman, she noticed something that brought _ her forward quickly. On the locker-seat, between the young girl and a woman who possibly might have been her mother, was a. + vacant seat, in front of which were the © beginnings of breakfast such as the others. had—a cup of cold coffee, a piece of toast with a corner bitten off and two untouched eggs. -“Look,” she said to her uncle. one was sitting there——”’ “Oh! Do you see that?” She pointed to the white table-cloth, where, faintly marked, was an imprint of a shoe, across which lay a fork with the handle bent. “See! that he kicked over an empty egg!’ she added, indicating some broken shells upon the floor. “Better leave them for the moment,” said her uncle, and turning to the Second commanded: “Mr. Carnell, take a couple of men and examine the men’s quarters and I will go through the captain’s berth and try to find the log.” ‘Very good, sir,” replied Carnell, and departed. “And, Mr .Selwyn, would you mind telling the carpenter to go round and sound the wells?” Selwyn hesitated, frowned, said un- graciously, “‘All right, ” and hurried off. Uncle and niece entered the first cabin on the right of the saloon. Skirts and dresses were hanging in the small wardrobes and women’s articles were lying. about the locker-seat and on the dressing-table. On the port side they found a larger cabin, which was evidently the master’s. Captain Kelvett did not find the log there, but noticed that the two chronometers were still going. “Probably find the log in the chartroom,”’ he commented as he mechanically rewound the chronometers. “There doesn’t seem anything suspicious “Appears as if he had his bath and gone in to breakfast. Let us go on deck and see what has happened.” - As they passed through the saloon they started at the sound of a sharp pop. Cap- “Some tain Kelvett rushed toward the pantry, j He must have beenin sucha hurry —