Adventure Magazine, April 10, 1924 — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

Hii pi oe “yy My WAY) iif A ig sth {i it v4 : AVA WA iis Ki Author of “Nol A Gentleman’s Job.” HEN Hugh Carstairs decided he would continue from Haiti as second mate of the S. S. Ba- landra Head rather than travel home as passenger on a mail-boat, he went a step further along life than he, himself, realized. In fact, his decision started the Fates weaving some queer threads in his destiny. Just now, he was impatient to be up and to join his ship. Convalescing from the fever which had attacked him on the trip south seemed a slow, stupid business. Too, Hugh resented the two days he had been down-and-out. His last recollection on that trip south was his clinging for support to the iron ladder in the stifling engine-room, holding a would-be mutinous, black gang below with a gun. He had fallen uncon- scious to the floor and thus missed the sight of cocky littl Captain Merriweather de- scending that ladder just in time to check a mad rush for the deck and the boats. Hugh had wanted to watch that drama to com- pletion, to see the crew subdued and the old steamer brought into port. It galled him to come to, in bed, and to find himself in a little hillside shack in Port Plata, amidst the odors of sweet Jjas- mine and pungent guava, away from the harsh ship sounds to which he was accus- “Carsiairs Plavs a Hunch,” copyright, 1924, ty Megda Leigh. tomed, away from his baking, smelly, but familiar room. Captain Merriweather had rented this hillside hut from a native he knew, and had had Hugh brought here where he might have cool and quiet. Quiet? It seemed to Hugh nothing could ever again sound so persistently in his ears as the croaking of frogs, the scuttling of lizards and the swish- ing of palm-fronds in the profound stillness of the tropical night. The days were bad enough, but during them the heat made him drowsy, and he dozed the hours away. But the nights were interminable. Now and again a deep oath proceeded from the opposite side of the room where Faney, chief mate of the Balandra Head, tossed sleeplessly on a cot. Faney, too, missed his natural surroundings. At such moments Carstairs softly cursed the well- meaning little skipper, who was now stand- ing the brunt of the work aboard the ship, so his mate could nurse back to health Carstairs, himself. Faney had assured Hugh that the skipper had picked up two good men to stand by until his mates were able to rejoin him. Perhaps, too, Carstairs comforted himself, the Old Man considered Faney safer up in the shack away from the possibility of get- ting hootch. Carstairs grunted over this 142 idea. If it hadn’t been for Faney’s hootch and his consequent falling asleep while on ComMmicvooksico