Adventure Magazine Cover — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

108 lil R. BLAKE’S boat had returned to the Dragon, taken on six men, and shoved off before the second boat sent away by the Jack-Girl had reached the wreck. Mr. Blake, at the tiller, rather admired the willingness with which Heddon, Old Tom and Old Bill, and Pelew each put his hands to an oar alongside of the boat’s crew and pulled. Abdul, sullen and cramped, was cross-legged down on the floor boards to give the boat a better trim; and T’eeay Layeen, with his left arm in a sling as if it were broken, held the bailer. The second boat, in charge of a man named Sandys, did not reach the Dragon until Mr. Blake was some distance off; and the first man to tumble down into Sandys’ boat was little Vioux and the first thing he said was that those men—pointing—meant to seize the bark the instant they got on deck. Vioux had lost no time in trying to get himself into favor with what he thought would be the winning side. “You mus’ beat their boat—queek! Pull! Go! Queek!’’ he shouted at Sandys. “‘Ask them too—” hegesticulated toward the men still on the Dragon waiting to.be taken off—‘“‘they tell you I speek truth!” They readily said that it was so. Sandys, who had been doubtful, was now convinced. He yelled as loudly as he could toward Mr. Blake, but Mr. Blake could not hear, so Sandys shoved off with only Vioux for a pas- senger and told his men to row for their lives. From the Jack-Girl’s deck it could be seen that Sandys was acting like a madman. “What’s the matter with him!’”’ Walscher asked. “Acts drunk,” said Scott, dryly, glancing at Walscher who also acted a bit drunker than usual. ‘Always something of a fool, —— fool!” said Walscher. ‘“‘Always been a good sailor,’’ said Scott. “Or I wouldn’t have kept him.” Then call- ing down to Mr. Blake when he had come alongside: ‘“‘What’s wrong with Sandys?” “Can’t ’magine!”’ said Blake, staring for a moment. ‘““Here’s that ——— Heddon!”’ said Wal- scher to his friend. ‘“TI’ll make him remem- ber the time he hit me. Hit me when I wasn’t looking! On the beach—just walked up and hit me.” Gordon Young “How brutal!” said the man who was go- ing to look at coconut land. ‘‘The blighter.”’ The boat was tossing under the sea ladder. “You up first, there you Heddon!” Wal- scher yelled. “I want to get my hands on you!” As he spoke he fumbled with the flap of his holster, opening it to put his hand on the butt. Mr. Blake told Heddon to go first, but Heddon told Abdul to go; and Abdul might not have moved but Old Tom told him the same thing. Abdul in moving swayed the boat so that the crew had to watch sharp; there was no pushing him down. He went; and somebody started a laugh by saying that he looked like an elephant trying to climb a rope. “You there, Heddon, —— you! on deck next—’” said Walscher. But the Chinese, ignoring shouts at him, arose, stood steadily in the rocking boat, and made a one-handed jump for the ladder and hung there until reaching arms helped him over. “Hanging back as long as you can, eh?”’ said Walscher, a little pleased that Heddon seemed to show fear. ‘‘Now you come—” But Old Bill and Tom were already jump- ing from the boat; both old men, the one small and thin as a spider, the other patri- archal—they hung together, one above the other on the dangling ladder, scrambling rapidly. “Go, Pelew!”’ said Heddon, and Pelew jumped. Sandys was yelling hoarsely; they could hear his voice, not what he was saying. Men paused, looking toward him wonder- ingly instead of paying close attention to what was going on about them. The instant Pelew’s feet hit the deck, Captain Scott, with the briskness of an offi- cer who had done that sort of thing before, many times, caught him by the shoulder, turned him half around, with a quick sure reach jerked away the sheath knife and tossed it into the sea, saying, “You don’t need that on this ship!” Pelew faced about with so much of a glare in his bold eyes that Scott put his hand to his hip, significantly. Pelew cursed him. “Shut up, or—” “Shoot an’ be ——!’ Pelew yelled. He was very like a madman when angered. “As you wish!” said Captain Scott coolly and drew his gun, leveling it. Pelew crouched, with fists doubled, glaring. ““You’re Come COMiCooo® Cc SS (©