Adventure Magazine Cover — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

The Fenceless Meadows Dowser questioned him, asking him about the limejuice ships. He held an extra master’s ticket—something that neither Dowser nor Tattersall had ever seen. He had held a command in sail, going to sea at sixteen and being third at nineteen and mate at twenty-one. He had been master of the Linlithgow—one of the fast Scotch county clippers, a four-masted bark. Now in steam, he was starting after the manner of the service, from the bottom once more. “‘A bit too big, sir. I like a handier ship, but a man at sea can’t choose,” he said of the Linlithgow. “What do you think of this little packet?” asked Dowser. Lowrie smiled, showing his white teeth. ‘“She’s my style of a ship, sir; handy and a fine sea boat. Where did you get her queer name?” Dowser told him of the burning of the old Nanette, and of how Reuben Sweeney had carried Nance off her. “When I bought this bark I changed her name from Diamond to Fancy Nan,” he said. Lowrie frowned, starting; and shaking his head said: “Unlucky, sir—unlucky to change a ship’s name. She’ll bring you trouble if you don’t look out.”’ Dowser, laughing, called to Nance. “Mr. Lowrie says the ship is going to bring us trouble—what do you think of that, Nance?’’ he asked. © Looking up at them from the quarter- deck, the star-shine in her wide eyes, she smiled. “T’m not scared,” she said. ‘‘T’ll go any- where she takes me, and take what she brings.” “T hope you get a heap of luck, Miss Dowser; but the sea’s a hard place,” said Lowrie. “Oh!” she cried, “you are as bad as Moses—too bad you have to room with him. I bet it’s he who’s getting such things to your mind.”’ Lowrie laughed. ‘““No, Miss Dowser, it isn’t Moses. I’ve seen it before. I saw the old Narwhale go to sea after they changed her from the Isabella. You know what came of her.”’ “‘T’ve never heard of her. What did, Mr. Lowrie?” asked the girl. “Mutiny and bloody murder, miss— abandoned at sea and set afire. They picked up the skipper’s daughter in an open 153 boat, crazy as a flitter-bat. Every one else was lost.”’ Nance gave a little scream. ‘“‘Good heavens, you are cheerful. Is that the sort of yarn they spin in the dog-watch on a limejuice ship?” Lowrie, looking down at her upturned face, answered her. “T hope you get a heap of luck, Miss Dowser. I owe my life to you and to your ship. I’m not likely to forget that.”’ Turning to Dowser he said— “By the way, this chap Moses, is he a Buddhist, or what?” “T never heard him mention any brand of religion,’ replied Dowser. ‘‘Why do you ask?”’ “‘He’s got a battered old thing that I sup- posed must be a heathen idol of some variety stuck against the bulkhead in the room. I asked him who it was the other evening when I found him sitting staring at it; and turning to me, with a funny look on his face, he said: ‘*‘She’ll fetch the ship luck. Never you iear “T guess that must be what’s left of doil Moses,” laughed Dowser. “What do you mean? don’t get you, sir?” “Doll Moses and cook Moses used to share Nance about equally at one time. Doll was given to her by cook when she was a little thing. Nance outgrew doll quite a while ago; and I suppose that Moses must have taken up with her. Moses was cook of the old Nanette; and but for him Nance would have died when she lost her mother.” Dowser’s voice had fallen and his head was bowed. “Nance has always been heaven and earth to the old cook,” he added. ENTERING the Golden Gate, the ey Fancy Nan came to anchor one — hundred and twelve days out from Tyneside. “My last voyage, and a fine one,” said Dowser, as, standing on the poop with Tattersall and Nance and Lowrie, he watched the mists rise above the ferry building, and the sunlight glimmer through upon the waters of the bay. “T’ll be content upon the farm from now on,” he added. “Got a taste for farming, have you, sir?”’ asked Lowrie. Doll Moses? I GOMIIGdoo <S' C@