Adventure Magazine, December 10, 1924 — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

Stowed Away message over and over in a clumsy amateur fashion. He heard messages—possibly re- plies—in the phones, but they were too fast to read, and he kept pounding out a brief report of the attempted barratry, addressed to Tobias Luce. ‘“‘That will make trouble when they try to collect insurance, anyhow,” Andy chuckled to himself. At the first flush of dawn he left the key and went forward. Stivers might have seen sparks from the wireless. Even if he had not and boarded the ship in the be- lief that Andy had been drowned, the cap- tain would have his pistol handy and would use it without hesitation. ES were lying on the water, but through them Andy could easily discern three of the Sedalia’s lifeboats lying on their oars about five hundred yards off the port quarter, while the fourth boat, carrying Captain Stivers, was pulling slowly under the dangling falls on the port side forward. Taking great care to keep out of sight, Andy armed himself with a hardwood wedge from the hatch, which provided a club about a foot long, two inches thick at the butt and tapering to a point that gave a good grip for his hands. He hid himself just inside the door to the crew’s quarters, which he hooked open. The deck plate from which the seacocks in the forehold were operated was on the bulk- THE thin pearl-gray mists of dawn head outside, not four feet from where he stood. Andy strained his ears. If Stivers should order the entire lifeboat crew aboard, he was out of luck; but he did not believe the crooked skipper would allow any witness to the barratry he had so nearly carried into effect to set foot on deck. Ostensibly, Stivers would be making an inspection to see whether or not the crew could save the Sedalia. Actually as soon as he was aboard the captain would opena bilge cock and make the sinking sure, but to make the ship sink in a natural manner it would be the forehold that he would flood first. The captain’s shoes clumped down the well-deck ladder, and Andy poised his club expectantly. With a lighted cigar in the corner of his mouth Stivers was strolling across the slanting deck as leisurely as if the voyage was over and a pilot was aboard od to end his responsibility and take the Seda- lia into dock. The blue steel butt of an automatic peeped from the right hand pocket of his coat, but Stivers’ thumbs were hooked nonchalantly into his trouser pockets. Evidently Andy’s wirelessing had passed unnoticed and unheard. The captain be- lieved he had drowned hours ago. Stivers stopped before the deck plate, and grunted with surprize. “That Johansen might have made sure—the yellow-belly,” he muttered con- temptuously to himself as he began to open the valve. Andy tiptoed out behind him. He had too much respect for the burly skipper to take any chances. He _ struck viciously at the back of Stivers’ head, but as the blow fell Stivers drew his thick head into the protection of his shoulders, and turned with a snarl. Some sixth sense had warned him. Perhaps he had seen that last swift move- ment out of the corner of his eye. His movement twisted his head out of the path of the club. His cap was knocked off and the wedge brought up against the bulk- head with a loud clang and a stinging force which pulled it from Andy’s hands. He had hardly recovered his balance when Stivers leaped at him, his hands clutching for Andy’s throat. Andy met the rush with a smashing left that landed fair on the captain’s mouth, but Stivers was not stopped. His hands caught Andy’s shirt, which ripped to the waist as Andy pulled away, and jabbed a short uppercut to the wind that made Stivers grunt and recoil, cover up and, without at- tempting to strike a blow, rush at Andy with the intention of closing and throwing the lighter man to the deck where his own greater weight assured easy victory. Andy sidestepped Stivers’ rush, and swung his right overhand to the base of the skipper’s ear. He felt a tearing stab of pain as a bone in his fist cracked with the force of the blow, and had a moment of panic as he realized his right would be useless. But Stivers had fallen like an ox and lay twitching. 3 Panting, Andy bound him hand and foot, plucked the pistol from his pocket, and dragged the senseless body into the ob- scurity of the forecastle. He was expecting the mate to follow the captain at any mo- ment, for the men in the lifeboat would be CoMmiclhoool< Wh) © 5}