Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

136 rather unusual at this hour—these little groups of talking men—but he attributed it to the sultry evening and the accom- panying restlessness of the crew. If he had been a trifle nearer any one of the \ little groups he could not have helped but notice that their voices were a trifle excited and that each face bore a puzzled expression. As it was he merely noted the groups, dis- missed them from his thoughts as not be- ing worth investigating or even a second thought, and proceeded on slowly toward the bridge to make his first half-hourly re- port to the officer of the deck. He had taken but a few steps however when Mr. Williams, the gunnery officer} brushed hur- riedly by him, and then as quickly stopped, turned abruptly on his heel and demanded sharply. “Are you the corporal of the guard on watch now?” Snappy pulled himself to attention stiffly and saluted wonderingly. “Aye, aye, sir,” he admitted. “Where did you just come from, Snappy— the passageway?” The gunnery officer put the question almost accusingly. “Aye, aye, sit—l did.” “Tet me inspect your gun, corporal of the guard.”’ The demand of the gunnery officer came as a sudden shock—so surprizing that he started innocently—as Snappy remembered the three empty cartridges which had not been removed or replaced, and even before he could move the officer lurched forward suddenly and jerked the tell-tale gun from its holster. Snappy felt a peculiar sensation as of something racing up and down the middle of his back as the officer felt the long barrel appraisingly with his left hand, and then deliberately extracted the powder-blackened cartridges, three of which were empties, and held the damning evidence in the palm of his hand before Snappy’s eyes. “The barrel’s still warm, boy,” he said accusingly. “You admit that you just now came from the ammunition passageways. Perhaps you didn’t know that Mr. Whiting, the junior officer of the deck, was shot in the head—not seriously, thank God—five minutes ago in the same passageways. Your gun is still warm when you come up on deck from the passageways, and contains three empties in the cylinder. It looks bad for you, boy—bad!” Adventure Snappy stood motionless, aghast as the terrible realization of the significance of the facts dawned upon him. The evidence was so very complete—so damning. Before he could summon even a word in defense he became vaguely aware of more damning evidence from the mouth of the officer— words that he scarcely understood and yet, paradoxically, which he understood all too well. ‘and so we asked Mr. Whiting as soon as he came to if he were aware that he might have an enemy aboard this ship. He said that he could not recall any man who might be disposed to ‘do away’ with him. But he stated that he did remember some heated words with a certain enlisted man about two weeks ago, and then, when we asked him to give that man’s name, he named you. I didn’t know you were on watcha few minutes ago when he told us that and I began looking for you. I think I can see it all pretty clearly now.’ Snappy merely stared blankly while the officer eyed him coldly, waiting for an an- swer. But the corporal of the guard was too amazed and surprized to attempt even a semblance of an explanation. Then sud- denly, the gunnery officer turned expectantly and nodded as Dinny Hard, the master-at- arms, came up hurriedly; then he turned abruptly back to Snappy. “Well, coxswain,”’ he said almost sneer- ingly, ‘ T just asked you if you had afy differences with Mr. Whiting two weeks ago. Did you?” ‘“‘Well—yes, sir—words, but—— He had found his voice but there was nothing apparently that could be said. “That will do, coxswain. We don’t need any explanationsnow. Plenty of time for all that later. The capt’n merely gave me orders to get the right man—said to let him think the whole affair over tonight in the brig. Master-at-arms,” he nodded to Hard, “lock this man up tonight—Do so at once. And, remember, he will get no hammock tonight, Capt’n’s orders; he wants to give this man lots of time to think—not sleep.” The master-at-arms noddéd understand- ingly, grasped Snappy by the arm and led him below decks forward to the brig. Then, not until the steel door had swung shut and the key turned in the big padlock out- side with the wondering Snappy safely 22 within, did the master-at-arms attempt an. GComicbdoo S (C@)