Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

136 proved that Mel was circling to port, racing ahead of the trawler back toward where they had first sighted her just after they had passed the derelict. Resignedly the skipper watched the race. Too well he could fathom Mel’s diabolic plan now. Collision with the derelict would sink the schooner without involving the Comber. If he tried to make out in court that the Comber had pursued the Pelamon he would be laughed down. Now the Comber, previously balked by Mel’s change of course, was gaining again. Captain Dan wondered what would happen at the rescue after the collision—whether Captain Ira would even bother about rescu- ing him. Would he “There the derelic’ is—hard a-port!” shouted Shiny from the position he had taken for lookout halfway up the foremast port ratlines. Mel got the helm over. Captain Dan edged with his captors toward the port rail so that he could see all that happened. “Head for her stern—her stern!” yelled Mel at Shiny, and Shiny replied loudly— “Steady! You're headin’ straight for it!” Now Captain Dan could make out the dark spot a-bow that marked the derelict. He glanced astern. The trawler was within her own length of the Pelamon’s quarter. And gaining—gaining “Hard a-port! Hard a-port!”’ screamed Shiny. But Mel had kept the derelict under ob- servation since Shiny had sighted it. He was steering without paying attention to Shiny’s commands. Captain Dan’s glance shot to the derelict, now lying directly un- der the Pelamon’s bowsprit. Mel gave the wheel an abrupt twist— so sudden that the schooner heeled over and her starboard rail was within a foot of being awash. Water swept that side of the deck. A scraping sound rose from under her keel. She stopped abruptly— but only for a second. Then, steadying herself , she left the derelict astern and sped ona straight course on even keel. “Good lord Christopher!” exclaimed the skipper, staring at Mel in admiration. “That was the handsomest bit o’ maneu- verin’ I ever see on salt water! That was——_”’ ~.. Captain Dan heard the crash of wood, the sudden escaping of steam astern. So rapt had he been after Mel’s skilful pas- Adventure sage over the stern of the derelict that he had quite forgotten the Comber. Like the others grouped aft, he stared into the fog, and Mel, slowing down the engine, brought the schooner about in a slow circle. Those breathless fishermen of the Pela- mon could not make out exactly what had happened, owing to the thickness. But well enough they could imagine. The Comber had run slam bang on to the derelict. And the force of such a collision must have punched a good-sized hole in her bottom. A long blast from the Comber’s wailing whistle confirmed their suspicions. ‘“She’s struck!’ shouted Mel in a cold, emotionless voice. ‘Stand by, all hands. We can’t see them poor ! “To with ’em!”’ barked Bill Alden. “They’re gittin’ a dose o’ what they’d planned for us!”’ And as the Pelamon hove in sight of the Comber, it was evident that the trawler was in a bad fix. Her whistle still wailing hideously, the steam craft’s splintered bow told the story of water that was flooding her below decks faster than it could be pumped out. She had struck hard, with such force that although the contact had been below her water line, it had demolished the woodwork at that point almost to the deck itself, shattering the hull as if the trawler had collided with a vessel its own size or larger. “Take Luke Carey off, Mel, an’ to with the rest of ’em!” pleaded Bill. “They've ‘Need any help?” shouted Mel through cupped hands. ‘There was no answer from the Comber. All hands aboard her were working too industriously to heed the proximity of the schooner. “My ’’ exclaimed Pierre. ‘“‘She leak like wan lobster pot! Lookit her list! She——” % THERE was a sudden movement We aboard the trawler. Men rushed S7 up on to her deck and started to : get dories overside. Her super- structure swayed, tilted abruptly. A tremor shook her, followed by a big puff of smoke that rolled thickly irom every part of her hull and hung over the damaged ship like an evil black spirit, its widening borders absorbed by the encompassing fog. Mel opened the engine and backed the Pelamon away from the Comber. COMmiCcloookks.CO