Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

28 negro giant Goliath stood beside the ornate- ly carved wheel, conning the course. Apart, facing to the south, Davies balanced him- self on wide-spread feet, observing the meridian altitude by means of an ancient cross-staff, the only instrument to be found in the ship’s equipment. His own naviga- tional furniture in the white sloop had been simply an imperfect chart, drawn by him- self from memory, and his own deep store of sea-lore with a compass to guide him. While waiting for the sun to come to maximum altitude, from time to time he scanned the southern horizon where the Spaniard’s cruiser kept company with him under the command of John Cook. And ever and again, when the glaring sun snatch- ed gleams of white and gold, black*and gray from the distant ship, a sinister smile lighted up the face of Edward Davies, and he chuckled as he applied himself to his observa- tion anew. “Make eight bells!’ he called out pres- ently, the sun having ceased rising; and as Goliath stepped forward with tremendous dignity—to order a pirate to strike the bell hanging so near that he himself might have struck in half the time taken to call the man—a distant gun on the cruiser sent out the agreed signal to close for a consultation. Goliath gave his order, then stood-watch- ing Davies in mute question. In the great cabin skylight the face of Nell Clark ap- peared as she stood on a chair below in her eagerness to learn what would be the cap- tain’s answer to that summons, for the giant black, on being transferred by Cook to the Cadiz in order that he might play the spy upon Davies, had cunningly concealed his elation at the chance, and whispered that to Nell which she in turn told to Davies— news that left it still an open question as to what he would do now that he had a stout ship and a full crew, armed and stored, and not yet committed to open piracy, at least as regarded himself. “So John Cook has me at’s finger- ends, hey?” the captain laughed, suddenly meet- ing Goliath’s startled gaze. ‘I am soft be- cause I let him take the cruiser and kept the trader, which is faster, needs less of a crew, an’s near as well armed as his— What d’ye say he’s named his new flag-ship? Scorpion? A name wi’ a sting to’t!”’ the captain laughed softly. He turned toward the Scorpion, and his bronzed face was convulsed with anger. Adventure Then, booming down the wind, came a second peremptory. summons from Cook, and the flag-ship squared her yards and head- ed down toward Davies. “Hold the course!’ came the swift order, and Goliath stepped forward at a sign and headed the watch to trim sheets and braces to get the last fathom of speed out of the ship. Davies had made his decision; he would ignore Cook now, and carry on to his destination in his own way, in full determi- nation to hold his own rights against all the strength John Cook would muster against him. “A catspaw he’ll make o’ me, yes?” Davies muttered with a grim smile, scanning the windward sea for sign of sail or coast. ‘He'll follow me a merry dance before he does that! If he must meet Swan, he dare not follow far; and in a ship stolen from his Majesty o’ Spain he dare not sail far with- out Swan’s ships to support him.” In the rearranging of crews when the sloop and the lugger were picked up in the night the»boatswain, Kestral, elected to join the Schoolmaster, and him Davies had made first mate, making Goliath his second officer out of sheer liking for the huge negro’s palpable lack of all guile. Now he called Kestral to take the watch, bade him and Goliath divide up the men into two gangs, and went below thoroughly to overhaul and inspect his ship so that he might, by arriving at full knowledge of her resources, plan his course for the immediate future. XI P| Not a speck of sail marred the un- broken horizon for weeks as the Cadiz passed out of the Caribbean and its keel- furrowed seas into the vaster emptiness of the great Atlantic. Long before the Line was reached a subtle change had entered the ship. Davies in selecting the crews before quitting the island had given still another example of his con- summate shrewdness; every man_ placed aboard his own command had been afloat with Cook while the trouble was afoot around the powder-store; not a man of all the howling mob that had sought his blood found place in the white sloop. And once they had carried the Spaniard by boarding and had sailed John Cook below THOSE were days of barren oceans. COmmicloooks (C@