Adventure Magazine Cover — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

= Bist ghoated an instant. ~ “You murdering sneak,” he said. ‘This leaves me skipper. I’ll teach you,” and he stepped forward eagerly. The little man tried to get up, to roll away, but his crushed ribs made the effort pitiful. He made little panting sounds of fear like a wounded animal. Braune was upon him; he bent over, lifted him by the throat to shake him, to sate his rage on his battered body. “Let go, Braune,”’ said Jim Falcon behind him. ‘Mine is first right.” A little murmur came from the men, a sort of subdued, wondering hope. Braune let the little man go and turned instantly. On the small deck above luck had been ‘against him. Here was challenge, a chance to settle once and for all the other’s quiet insolence, and to do it before the riffraff _ crew. He would show them the real dom- inance of a real captain. Across the slanting hatch, in and out of the glare of the cargo-light, over the open space where the hatch-boards had been re- moved, the two men fought: Braune, with the strength and fury of a mad bull; Jim Falcon with the swooping dash of an eagle, punishing, marking, saving himself. Braune’s lips bled, his eyes were punched shut, his nose twisted and broken. Falcon lashed him, made him suffer, drained away his brute courage, would not give the merciful knock-out which he held always with exultant pride in his rebuilt vitality. Braune began staggering, tried ignomini- = usly to get away, panted for mercy finally through puffed lips, but Falcon would not give it to him, kept on until he grew sick with the feel of blood-spattered flesh against his bony fists. “Get a shovel,” he ordered after Braune had staggered to his feet the fourth time, shamelessly pleading, “and lead the way into the hold.” The second mate interposed. “I’m not saying but what Mr. Braune got what was coming, Falcon. He struck at you first, I believe. But I'll give the orders, being the next in line.” Jim Falcon stepped back with amused contempt. “Go to it, Mr. Mate,” he said. you luck.” __ Not aman moved when the mate_ordered “T wish the men to go to the dash of trimming the “What does Jim say about it?” aia Collins’ voice. “Mr. Braune will lead the way,” said the mate, temporizing. “Like —— I will,” said Kinky Braimé = “Who’re you giving orders to, anyhow?” — THE steward and one of the mess- ~ men had been working over the captain. They had carried him into his cabin and revived him with a swallow of brandy, bound the wound, which was ~ well down through the shoulder, just missing ~ the right lung. There was a sizable lump on his head where he had struck the steel deck. Supported by the two men, he in- sisted on getting back to the hatch. Cap- tain McRae had too much at stake to let a mere bullet-hole keep him from using every effort to bring the ship in. They told him of the fight between Braune and Falcon, and he arrived in time to hear the second mate’s fiasco. Melvin McRae knew the family history of the Fal- | cons. He made a decision. “Mr. White,” he interrupted, speaking to the second mate, now completely at a loss as to the course to pursue, “I’m ap- pointing James Falcon as first mate. Mr. Braune is relieved from all duty as an officer. You will take orders from Mr. Falcon.” ic | JIM FALCON brought the Lotus Att in. He thought at first that the love of a good{ship made him do it, but he knew later that he had come to the turn, as his fathers before him. What suffering and what endless hours of suspense followed while the driven crew toiled at the shifted grain is the endless story of the sea and the men who go down to it as conquerors. Kinky Braune shoveled as two men and paused only to stoke in quantities of hot food. The others tried to match their strength with his. Captain McRae lay half-delirious in his cabin. The two mates were on the bridge, watch and watch, and Jim Falcon was everywhere, the vigor and the power of him radiating into every man and meeting every situation with an answer that won. The sea did not let up. Instead it grew more vengefully wicked with every mile. It sent down fog, and blinding snow and foamcrested ranks of charging demons. But, the. eee weg s seme, the sie sipped a IS ans oe ag a = : — cs < — es Patape ah eat saci ihe S.¢ Sa my a P ee ins So ee “af ) * te Py Ss ‘ ” " lb Avot yoy ¢ . Nir & AL ¥ BAe Witenes ray \ Yad aly i, Nudd ent; iy CONEY IR TREK NT RA uA? SO weey sly! = haa — —