Adventure Magazine Cover — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

28 of his neck and wake up. ‘‘We can manage the deck-crowd, but that’s all. Have you given your end of it a thought?” Mackenzie twiddled his fingers. “Well,” he said, ‘‘ah did casually run the end of a live steam-hose intae the stoke-hold an’ inform ma yellow assistants that it wad be turrned on gin they troubled me ony. An’ since they saw one o’ their number scalded on the way oot, ah’ve hopes they’ll no’ be fractious. An’ what hae ye done, captain?” ‘We'll have no trouble until the pilot’s gone,” said O’Day, ‘‘and that’s five hours yet. I'll fixsomething. I[’ll fix something.” *‘Ah’d send the gold ashore with the pilot,” said Mackenzie. ‘‘Man, man, ye canna fight wi’ twenty o’ these yellow devils and them armed.” “Understand this, Mr. Mackenzie,” snarled O’Day, ‘“‘if that gold had remained in its hiding-place I’d have been the happiest ian in the world. But now it’s out and bound to pass into some one’s possession it’s going to old Campbell. That’s my duty and I’m going to carry it out. Savvy that?” He reached out and pressed the button which rang for his Chinese servant. Thirty seconds passed; a minute; there was no answer. | ‘“‘The fight’s on, all right,” he said grimly. “T want something to eat and a drink of whisky, and some sleep.” ‘‘So do I,” I muttered. ‘“There’s time yet,” said the doctor, rising; “and Sylvia can look after the food.” “She can’t go down to the galley,” cried O'Day. ‘“‘T shall be with her,’ remarked the doc- tor, drawing his revolvers, now gray with powder-crust, from his tail-pockets, ‘“‘and she is not unused to danger. She has been with me five hundred miles back of Han- kow.” “And you?” asked O’Day, his eyes half- closing at the suggestion of sleep. ‘‘We’ll need all our effectives!”’ ‘With a nap on the galley floor and a hypodermic of strychnin, I shall endeavor to do my part,” said old Parsons. “T’ll come—’ I began, full of an ambitious project for walking around to Burns’ room and seeing May-sing. ‘You stay where you are,”’ said the doc- tor. “Go to sleep! Mackenzie, are you coming?” . Mackenzie Tose and stretched himself. Adventure “fAve,” he said, “‘ah’m comin’ as far as the ladder here. Lads, ye should no get set to sleep wi’oot postin’ a sentry. They Chinks micht not rise en masse while the pilot is wi’ us but they’d slip up the steps an’ cut your hearts oot cheerfully. Ye lack forethocht. Has onybody a pistol?” The doctor handed him one. | “Engine-room?” asked O’Day, with his cheek on the table-cloth. “‘There’s an airnest young man by the name o’ MacWhirter on the platforrm, wi’ a pistol 1’ one hand an’ wrench i’ the ither,”’ said MacKenzie. ‘‘All’s well aft, I assure ye. Sleep noo.” There were streaks of dawn—red and violet—in the sky; I had the last glimpse of it through the port before I dropped into a heavy slumber. When I awoke, the brasswork was glittering in a stream of golden light, the circle of sky framed in it was an intolerable blue, and I noticed, as O’Day, opposite to me, moved and yawned under Mackenzie’s wakening hand, that his hair was matted to his forehead with the heat of the cabin. ‘“‘We’ve a nice day for it,’ said the old engineer, laying the revolver on the table and wiping his brow. ‘The pilot boat’s comin’ off, men. Oor only protector is leavin’ us. But here comes the coffee.” Sy bread. I saw Sylvia pass the door, ‘€¥Y carrying the pilot’s share forward to the bridge. Ours was brought in by May- sing who put the tray on the table and, after a quick glance at me, stood there with her eyes downcast. I rose to give her my chair, but she refused it and made as if to leave the cabin. “Don’t you know,” said the doctor, who had followed her in, “‘that Chinese ladies don’t sit down with men? You'll have to remedy your education, young man, if your intentions are serious.” He was as crusty as ever, holding the girl by the arm and squinting at me over his glasses. The sight of May-sing’s blush. made me, I suppose, blush too. “Speaks English, eh?’’ snapped the doc- tor, glaring at her. “Look here, Carter, she’s had her brekker. Where’s she going to stay when = “Here,” said May-sing, looking at me. Evidently she knew what was coming; and with an odd thrill I realized that she was IT CAME—coffee and bacon and COIN Clooolkks (©