Adventure Magazine Cover, April 3, 1918 — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

A Shift into Reverse “Dugan had it in his head that he was boss of the ship. I guess this’ll throw a crimp into him. Dick’s wearin’ him out.” Dugan realized at last that he was getting the worst of the fight. It made him furious, and he began to use his head. Covering up as best he could, he saved his strength for another rush. It was getting lighter, and by Reasoner’s side was a spot of soapy deck. He maneuvered to get Reasoner on it. Slim Higgins saw the danger. ‘“‘Look out for the soap to the left, Dick,’’ he called. ‘‘He’s workin’ you over to it.” The warning came too late. Dugan rushed with all the power of his carefully hoarded strength. Reasoner slipped on the soap and went down. Before he could get up, Dugan had leaped at his prostrate body, feet first. What he meant to do was to put Reasoner out by jumping on him with his one hundred and eighty pounds. Reasoner squirmed aside, and as Dugan tried again, lay face up on the deck. “Shame! Let him get up!” cried those watching. A Navy fist-fight has one clearly defined rule. There are no rounds, but when a man is down, the other man must let him get to his feet before he attacks again. The interference was wnnecessary in this case. As Dugan jumped Reasoner struck upward with his feet, catching Dugan in the stomach. It was a blow delivered with all the tense strength of Reasoner’s powerful body from the hunched shotilders and neck braced by the deck, up through the muscular back and legs to the balls of his hard feet. Dugan grunted as they struck him, and his weight sagged down inertly over Reasoner, who with another heave threw him backward to the deck. Dugan did not get up. ‘The word is ‘cul-de-sac’,’’ said Reasoner, getting up slowly and assuming his usual drawl. “I looked it up last week. It means when you are hemmed in and no way out but to fight.” Cain Dugan did not mend his ways with the second division. He recognized no power but force, and while he respected Reasoner, he felt that no other man on the ship had a right to consideration, but even under his increased driving the division began to improve in its work. “How do you account for it?” asked | 99 Slim. ‘Dugan is about as bad as ever with his bunch, but they’re doin’ better. They’re snappier in the drills and don’t look so hopeless.”’ “They are beginning to see that Dugan isn’t invincible,’’ said Reasoner. ‘Their self-respect is returning. Half a dozen of them will be getting together and giving him a licking, some shore leave, and it is his own doing, for he’s driving the lesson into them every day that might is right.” “Ts that dope in the booke”’ “The word is ‘rebellion’. D’ve just finished telling you what it means.” “Here’s a good one,” said Slim, ‘and it fits the case: ‘Oh why should the head of a mortal be boner’ ‘Batty’ McGinnis sprung it on me when he was watchin’ this Dugan makin’ it hard on the Weber kid, and Batty told me something else. He’s been shipmates with Dugan before. When Dugan was paid off on his first cruise he married and intended to stay on the out- side, but in six months or less he was back worse than ever. His wife couldn’t put up with his ways, and she divorced him for cruelty. He’s a bad hombre. I hope the division gives it to him good when they do get a chance.” “You say he’s making it hard for little Weber?” “Yes, makin’ him scrub clothes for him, and soakin’ him all the extra duty he dares, but he hasn’t got the kid bluffed, even if he thinks he has him crawlin’ in the dust. Just as you say, he’s waitin’ a chance and lettin’ Dugan think he’s a willin’ slave until he gets a poke at him. He slipped me this news, too. He found a letter in one of Dugan’s pockets when he was wash- in’ out a suit. He read it and then threw it overboard. It was from Dugan’s wife tellin’ him she was married again, and to stop writin’ threatenin’ letters, or she would turn ’em over to the police.” JUST after the mid-watch came on, Se two nights after Slim and Reasoner Iw had talked over Dugan’s case and the second division, the radio man on watch caught a message which made him send a messenger-boy hurrying to the officer of the deck. That officer woke the first lieutenant, and after a few minutes’ investigation the captain was called. The passenger steamer Senator was afire, and the fire was beyond control of the crew. COnnicloookxs (C@