Adventure Magazine Cover, December 10, 1922 — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

- working feverishly. gO “Didn’t you see that hole in the reef, along there just before we came up? Looked like a dark shadow.” “T guess I missed it. I was too busy looking over the beds. Anyway, there’s no reason not to get started. Let’s bend the baskets on to those lines and try it out. We won’t get a day like this every day. It’s liable to blow like down here, and were a long way from Pylstaart and protection.” “We can always lay to or cruise around,” said Dockery. “I think we ought to buoy this spot so we won’t lose it in case we have to up anchor. We can put out an empty gas can.” In a half-hour the diving had started in earnest, and by late afternoon the corners of the cockpit were piled high with shell. Reluctantly they called it a day, and after dinner turned in almost at once, in order to start again with the first sunlight. It was decided that Dockery should start the diving, with Skull tending the, lines, while Minot opened shell. By noon the next day all three men were Minot’s advice had been right—they had already struck it rich. The average was hardly ever under one marketable pearl in a hundred oysters, and some of the gems were exceptionally large and beautiful. At dusk, as before, they stopped work, and the day’s haul was divided up. Needless to say, dinner was a talkative affair, and enthusiasm ran high. Tf the luck kept up at this rate, it wouldn’t be two years after all until they could call themselves rich and independent. Affairs moved rapidly, while days upon _ days chased themselves by in quick succes- sion. Having no calendar, all track of day, month or season was lost seriatim. Minot allowed his watch to run down. For all they cared it might have been a thousand years ago. Garments wore out, and pans and tableware became dented and useless. The elements of civilization were quickly wearing off. After a considerable time, had you asked Minot or Dockery how long they had been there, they would probably have said four or five months; but it was, in fact, nearly ten months since they had first explored Minerva Reefs. In that time they had made nine trips to Pylstaart, had weathered four bad storms and had accumulated a store of riches and health that would defy Adventure many years of soft civilized life to wear away. Now the work was nearly done, and they were planning to leave the Minerva Reefs for the rest of their lives and for eternity. Minot thought it best to sail straight to Suva, in the Fijis, and there dispose of the boat. Then they could take transportation to New Guinea and thence to China and the World. If possible, this thought quickened their activities, and for the next two weeks they labored from first sunrise until dark. THEN one afternoon, when Minot and Dockery were under together, “= something happened which made it plausible to stop operations at once. ~ They had just gone under and started filling their baskets when Skull hauled their lines sharply upward. The first thought of course was sharks, but unfortunately it was worse. When the divers stood in the cock- pit they saw a flotilla of oyster fishermen sailing down toward them from the North. There were three boats and less than a half- mile away. As quickly as humans could do it, they hauled up the anchor, and for the first time in a fortnight, started the motor. When the boats were about a hundred yards away, Minot and Dockery stood on the bridge ready to ward off unpleasantness with two Springfields, for the legitimate shell fisher- men don’t like poachers; but these boats used a wiser method of procedure and put about, heading from where they had come. “Now,” said Minot, “we’ve got to beat it in a hurry; and it all, there’s no sign ofa breeze. John, you go ahead and dive for a while until I get things shipshape for sail- ing. I think we ought to start as soon as it’s dark. Those birds will have a cutter down here a darn sight sooner than you’d think, and it won’t come here alone; it’ll hunt for us. We can’t afford to have any- thing go wrong this late in the game.” They brought the boat to anchor again, and Dockery went over the side. Now it just happened that Dockery, who usually stayed under a little over a minute on an average dive, was this time some- what short of breath. There had been quite a parcel of excitement, and furthermore he had cast the anchor over and had not en- tirely come to normal after the exertion. So instead of staying down he gave the signal tug at the rope. But the rope didn’t fi f ool ~ Eomicbooks: re)