Adventure Magazine Cover, August 18, 1921 — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

ACKLINE” BRADY acquired his nickname one July morning in the harbor of Gibraltar. A silver emmemaese cup had been offered in the Fleet to the ship showing the highest percentage of proficient swimmers on board. ‘Three weeks were allowed for training the men to swim the required one hundred and twenty yards. A notice regarding this trophy was posted in all compartments on the ship. Brady noticed it. In fact, he even spelled through the first few words. But, finding them dry reading, he gave the remainder ‘‘the quick and careless” and swaggered up, on deck humming a popular British sailor tune, “Don’t Get Drunk, You Bally, Bloomin’ Lunk,”’ which he had heard on shore the night before. As a result of his indiffer- ence he was quite surprized when some days later the men were mustered by divisions on the forecastle. “In connection with the Fleet Trophy, the silver cup, of which you all have prob- ably read on the bulletin boards in your compartments,” the division officer an- nounced, “‘we shall have our first drill to- day. Get ready!” Brady just scratched his head. “Fleet Trophy? Silver cup?” he thought. “What’s the big idea, anyhow?” Turning to his neighbor, who already stood stripped to his underclothing, he whispered behind his hand: * ~ * Copyright, 1921, by Stanley S. Schnetzler 156 “Say, sailor, what goes on——”’ “Silence in the ranks, there, Brady!” from the division officer. ‘‘Get busy and crawl out of your uniform!”’ “AYe, aye, sir,” answered the bewildered Brady humbly. ‘“‘What’s the idea of getting rid of the uniform? Why stand around on deck in the Beeveedees?”” he argued to himself. “If they’re trying to pick a he-Annettekeller- man for shape and beauty, that sure lets me out!” “Shake it up there, Brady. You’re the last man to get ready,”’ came the impatient voice of the officer. Brady literally leaped free from the rest of his uniform. For a moment, double rows of nainsook- clad figures faced each other on the fore- castle. Then, at the command, they turned toward the bow, and, like great, white gulls, man after man dived over the side. Game, but perplexed, Brady watched the line of men ahead of him dwindling rhythmicallv. He approached ever nearer the ominous edge of the deck, wondering vaguely why the man behind him was continually step- ping on his heels. Finally his feet rested on the sharp rim of the ship’s side, his toes projecting into space. He glanced quickly below him at the en- dless distance to the water’s surface, threw his arms at right angles to his body, shut his eyes tightly, and shoved with his feet. He struck the water flat, disappeared— COmiclbook CO S|