Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

40 enough. At the completion of the work he told off the watch, and the rest threw them- selves exhausted to the deck, and were soon snoring. Nancy laid down, but although she was tired and realized for the first time how much she had been through during the preceding forty-eight hours, she found it impossible to sleep. Her head pillowed upon the broad back of Three-legs, she lay there gazing upward at the stars — and dreaming, wide-eyed, such dreams as young girls dream. Not for a long time did she float off into the land of real dreams; but she slept at last, and the dreams continued, and he came to her, down the path through the meadow back home in Devon, the meadow that ran down to the sea, along the road where the sailors passed on their way to the ships, with their bundles on their backs. And he took her by the arm, gently, and said in a whisper— “Follow me!” SO SHE got up quickly, rubbing her eyes then, for they were heavy with sleep, and followed him, down the deck to the waist of the ship, where the men were gathered about the longboat. It was midnight. The sea lay as calm as the air above it, and a great silence that was almost uncanny brooded over them, a si- lence so deep and solemn and mysterious, that the men seemed afraid to break it, and talked in whispers among themselves. ‘“‘Now, lads,”’ said the Captain, ‘‘we’re down to the last cask of water. There’s to be a swig for every soul, and the balance goes with me aft in the boat here, to stand us against the time we shall need it more, if we should miss the Don in the dark.” There was a shuffling of feet and a grum- ble or two. Then the water was passed out, to each man a dishful, barely enough to wet their dusty palates. “T could drink,” said Jim Rimble huskily, “T could drink a bar’] o’ it. Yea, mates, I could drink all the water that there’s in this here barkantine down below, if ’twas fresh, mind ye. I could drink, I could drink, right now, if I had the chance, I say, I could drink all the water that there’s in the Thames at Lambeth.” “Tf thou didst work thy tongue less thou wouldst not be so dry, Jim Rimble,”’ in- terrupted the Captain. ‘‘Lay ahold of the boat now, lads, and walk her down. Bear Adventure a hand with the ax there, Jim Rimble, and cut away. All together now, lads. Walk her along!’ They eased the longboat to the bulwarks, and cutting a great hole there launched her, so that she slid with scarcely a ripple into the sea. The men armed themselves with capstan bars and axes, there being no other weapons aboard the Baptiste save the can- non, and tumbled into the longboat. Nancy, with the French girl Cherie, and Three-legs, stowed themselves away in the stern with Barney aft, near them, at one of the oars, which he insisted upon manning. The Captain shoved off, and the longboat had blue water between her and the bark, when Nancy started up with a shrill cry: “Put back! Put back, men,” she called. “‘There’s a poor devil in the forecastle.”’ They looked at her as if they thought she had become suddenly bereft of her wits. ‘“‘How now, Nancy?” asked the Captain. “I know of nobody else aboard. We are all here, are we not, men?” ‘“‘Aye, all here, sir,’’ called Jim Rimble out of the darkness forward. The Captain looked at Nancy inquiringly. It was the first time he had spoken her name, and the sound of it in his deep, vi- brant voice made the girl catch her breath, so that she was too startled to answer him, but sat there, gazing: into his face. Then she shouted— “‘Put back, men, he’s in the forward hold, I tell you.” ‘Who, in God’s name?” cried the Cap- tain, starting up. “The dumb man.” “The dumb man? Art ill, child? I know no dumb man—nor is there one among us.” ‘‘Aye, the dumb man, I tell you. The man with the yellow eyes.” ; “Faith! I forgot all about him,” yelled Barney, jumping up in his excitement. ‘“‘The man with the yellow eyes,” cried the Captain at this, more perplexed than ever. ‘“‘What means this gibberish? You make my head to swim withal.” “Thou wilt not fail to go back, I know,” pleaded Nancy, putting her hand appealing- ly upon his arm. ‘“The dumb man is in the forward scuttle. I myself saw him hide himself there when he came aboard, I and the boy Barney, here. Is it not so, lad?” ‘‘Aye, we saw him duck into the scuttle plainly enough — curse his soul!” replied Barney. COMmichoooks nn) CO