Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

26 “That referee,” muttered Eadie. “I hope they killed him.” - Then he went below to see if he had a change of clothes. ai their warm stateroom. Each had had an extra suit of underwear and an extra O. D. shirt, but that was all. The rest of their clothing steamed on the radi- ator. They both discussed the recent battle with interest. Eadie had caught brief glimpses of Jake’s bald head gleaming among the struggling men like the white plume of Navarre, but had been too busy with his own affairs to pay much attention to what Jake was doing. Therefore Jake informed him. “Well,” remarked Eadie during a pause in Jake’s recital, ‘that was the finest little scrap Lever saw. If I had had a little more wind I would have enjoyed it more, but I withdrew when I got breathless. Hospital takes it out of a man. I couldn’t see any use my staying there and getting knocked for a gool. Yup, that was the nicest pas- sage at arms a man could want.”’ “I’ve seen better,” said Jake. “Is that so! Well, now that we’re on the subject what was it all about? The first thing I knew the war was on. Slough!” “Too much meat,” said Jake, ‘an’ all boxed up an’ no exercise. Before I come in the Army I was a hard rock man. Ever hear of the hard rock men?” “No,” said Eadie. “Sounds as if they were an interesting bunch.”’ “They are that. They’re the guys that drive tunnels and the like o’ that. They fights with the skinners, the men that drives team. When I say fights, I spell it with a capital and a whole front rank of astonisher marks. Whoa boy! Fight! This here was a croquet game side o’ one o’ them.” “Say, what happened to that prize- fighter guy? Did he have a heart attack or what? I saw you stand up, I bent over for my blouse, bzzgf The pug was under that machine or whatever it was and then some one bounced a set of knuckles off my jaw, and here we are. What happened to him?” “T hit him,” said Jake simply. ‘He was going to shake hands and then lay on my jaw, but I knew a better one than that. I didn’t shake hands at all. I’d been waiting for some time for a good wallop at him and EADIE and Jake sat happily in Adventure I was afraid the fight would be over before I got the chance. So I just drove a pile between them eyes of his. When he asks where he’s at, it’ll be tomorrow night. I seen ’em luggin’ him off after they turned the hose on us.” “It’s lucky we’ve got a warm place to get dry. Think of those poor lads down in that vegetable cellar. They won’t ever get dry.” “True enough,” answered Jake, throwing himself back in the bunk. “I’m glad I got a bit o’ dry snuff.” (Xx) THE following day the convoy vene) entered the submarine zone. Look- 4 outs were doubled, the gun crews stood by throughout the day and night and both troops and crew carried life belts and canteens with them wherever they went. The cruiser left the convoy during the night and when the troops came hurrying up the ladders to breakfast, half a dozen snaky destroyers glided around the convoy. Eadie and Jake inspected them, while en- joying their after breakfast smoke. There was something peculiar about those daubed vessels, something strange and foreign. ‘“‘What’s the matter with those de- stroyers?”’ Eadie asked a sailor, who was himself regarding the new ships with a sour expression. ‘“‘They’re lime-juicers,’’ answered the gob. “Some o’ Johnny Bull’s calves. The gobs has to move at a run on’em! A de- stroyer’s a nice wagon to run on, most of all in any kind of a seaway.”’ “I though they looked rather peculiar,” said Eadie. “It’s the ignorant flat-feet they got on ’em makes ’em look that way,’’ answered the gob. ‘When do we get in?” inquired Jake. “About three more days,” said the sailor. “Depends on where we go.”’ “Can’t be any too soon for me,” said both the soldiers. They went down to their stateroom, and Jake began to paw over his haversack. Finally he took out his bacon and condi- ment cans. The first was an oblong can supposed to be for the transportation of bacon, and the condiment can had open- ings at each end and a wall in the middle, so that coffee could be carried in one end and salt in the other. Jake put them in- side his shirt and allowed them to bounce around there. Comichoook A) CO =