Adventure Magazine Cover — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

Assignats hold door. Mike picked up his spanner and followed them. He spent the next lurid hour breaking in two green firemen whose manners were sullen and morose. (aS Shongpong clamped from her. an- -“ chorage in the cove and _ started eastward over the polished waters of the Japan Sea. A tan-colored moon hung in the sky. A soft breeze swung out from Manchuria. The powdered stars spangled the velvet dome of heaven. Red Landyard, Micky Masters and Mike Monkey came together on the decrepit bridge of the freighter like three men mak- ing a common report. Ivan with the long surname and most of his following were in the lighted cabin where rose the quarter-deck of the freighter. A lone lookout stood on the forecastle head. He was smoking a long-stemmed pipe. The ashes from the bowl of this pipe made tinder of his whiskers. Now and then he pressed out the sparks and swore in Russian. A second and sinister figure squatted on the fore-hatch. He had a rifle across his knees. The end of this rifle was tipped with a polished bayonet. “Standin’ guard,” said Micky McMas- per. “The grand juke put ’m there to watch the tea.” IT WAS after sundown when the “Tay!” said Mike Monkey. ‘Ye still in- sist it is tay?” Micky squared his jaw. “I know noth- ing,” he said, “‘save that we are ’oldin’ a course for ’Akodate and the Inland Sea, which we should reach this time day after tomorrow—if the steam don’t die out alto- gether.” Red Landyard stared at the Russian on the fore-hatch. He eyed the bright point of the steel bayonet. “They’re quiet now,” he drawled, ‘‘but we're hardly out of sight of land. I expect I'll have to chain a man or two before long. The forecastle is a volcano. Hear them talking? They’re arguing some point in Russian.” Micky swung and eyed the break of the quarter-deck, which showed four lighted port-holes within the smudge of smoke that draped from the tipsy funnel. “They’re doing the same aft,” he said. “Tyan, the grand juke, is leadin’ in the prayin’ or whatever it is. I never saw such 59 a crew for talking. I don’t know who are passengers and who are workin’ the ship. I wish I’d studied Russian.” ‘Wot good would that do?” asked Mike Monkey. ‘They wouldn’t reveal their se- cret plans to uss Wot did they bring the rifle aboard for? Wot’s to prove we ain’t shipmates with a howlin’ bunch of anar- chists? They’re quiet now. Them twa in the stoke-hold only look at me and chew on their beards when Ah give orders. They’re waitin’ for somethin”!”’ Micky strode across the bridge. He gazed sadly at the ripples that curved from the Shongpong’s straight bow. He esti- mated the speed of the ship to be not more than seven knots an hour. There was no bridge-rail log. He came back to Mike Monkey and Red Landyard. “Briefly stated,” ye said, “we’re in the "ands of Providence. Anything is likely to "appen with all that talking fore and aft. The course the grand juke gave me is to the Pacific—by the nearest strait. I’m ’olding. that course. That’s all I know. I ’avea wife and children at ome. I was thinkin’ of them when I took the contract to work this ship to Victoria.” Mike studied the little skipper’s dungaree jacket and unshaven face. ‘“Afow many Russians are there aboard?” he asked. “Sixty or seventy.” “Then Ah resign if it comes to blows. Ah am weak from starving on,gthe beach of Novgorod. All Ah have been able to find to eat on this hooker is caviar and salt fish. Ah would as soon eat clinkers.”’ A door slid open aft. <A rolling voice struck forward. Ivan appeared, followed by two Russians. They were wrapped to the beards in great coats trimmed with fur. They climbed the bridge-ladder and stared at the binnacle. “East she is,’ said Micky. quarter point north.” Ivan swept the sea with a long glance. He nodded and pointed over the freighter’s stumpy jib-boom. ‘Japan lays there?”’ he aifectionel Micky. “Ves. Habout four ’undred miles.” ‘Have you sighted any ships?” ‘None, yet.” “Tf you do call me on deck. - Answer no signals. Keep the Chinese flag flying.” “The Union Jack would look better!” “East, a Gomichooks.¢o