Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

Tides of Hate But while the mongrel crews changed so often, by desertions, casualties and new recruits, that shipmates might well be strangers to each other during the greater part of their first cruise, there was no such want of acquaintance-among the captains, or among those of the first flight in rascality; and Edward Davies was too near the sum- mit of the profession to fool one so close to his own eminence as John Cook, at least for long. “Lack o’ beard deceived me first sight,” he chuckled. “Not in daylight, though! What Ed Davies wants o’ me is locked in’s own cunning brain. No love’s lost between us, fora cert. But John Cook’s no dummy rover, elther. “Take a chance, John; take a chance. Sure ’tis that Davies was with the French- man on that treasure raid, and one or t’other knows where the treasure lies. Which one, Lord knows, but with both in company He ran alongside the schooner, and the waiting watchmen lightened up their hang- dog faces at seeing a smile on his, where they had looked for black fury likely to fall on them as heavily as upon their delinquent comrades ashore who had calisest the dis- aster. “We've ground at the pumps all night, cappen, but she fills too fast,” the boat- swain reported glumly enough. ““She’s too shattered below waterline to hold the plugs.” “Pump her again,” replied Cook, ap- praising with his keen eye the amount of gear which might be salved. There were the guns—small, and but six of them—and spars, and tackle in plenty, if it could be gotten out before the vessel disappeared below water. She was anchored in sixteen fathoms of water, for she had come in on a falling-tide, and the shore was treacherous by night. But now with the sun behind her the obstructions between her and the shelving beach were clearly visible, and there was the answer to the problem in part. “Shake her up for a spell, bullies,’ Cook encouraged the sweating gang at the pumps. “Only free her a foot or so and [ll broach a cask o’ the blackest rum when her keel scrapes sand at the beach.” Then as the laboring pumps clanked and gushed torrents he went to the signal locker and took out flags—urgent, and recall flags. He loaded an after gun and fired it himself and sent aloft the flags while yet the smoke = rolled landward on the brisk morning breeze. In answer every man able to find room crowded into what boats were left ashorey and boarded the schooner. . “Another gang at the pumps, lads!’ was the order. “Carr! Get ye for’ard and slip the cable. Make what headsail there’s gear to set, and then stand by with all hands along the starboard side to cant shorewards when she strikes. All’s not lost till ye’re moored to Execution Dock, by thunder.” High tide in the afternoon saw the vessel aground on the hard beach, leaning shore- ward at an angle which made the swinging out of guns and spars a simple matter. Then with hawsers fast to rocks and trees to keep her where they had placed her, leaving the sea to breach her seaward side as it willed, the sand to fill and steady her, Cook saw his precious guns and more precious powder safely ashore and called the day done. A wise captain is he who'can snatch seemingly unsparable hours from work to recreate his men. “Fight hours y’ have, y’ jolly cubs o’ Satan,’ he shouted cheerily when the last cask of powder, the last rack of grapeshot, the last roll of lead was ashore and snug under cover. ‘Kill yourselves beef, and broach ye.a cask o’ liquor. Swill and stuff till ye choke if that’s yer notion o’ happi- ness. When the bo’sun pipes ‘all hands’ ye’ll neither eat nor slumber till ye’re afloat wi’ Aves astern and the biggest venture ye ever faced afore ye.” VI WHILE the barbecue fires again made red splashes in the green of SZ the woods,and boozy ruffians drank aad stuffed themselves to the semblance of wallowing hogs, Cook flung himself down in his hammock and took his own dis- sipation in sleep. This recent cruise had been taken with a shrewd purpose. Knowing Swan too well to take undue risks at the outset of their mutual voyage, he was determined that his own. fleet should be just so much more powerful than Swan’s as to assure him a favorable balance if ever a disagreement cropped up between them. And that such was proba>le he well knew by the very nature of the quest they were to embark upon. Go NOOK = a (C@