Adventure Magazine Cover — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

Treasure T’eeay Layeen had given him out of the galley. “Talk English, man!’ said Heddon. “T’ll answer as best I can.” T’eeay Layeen, who was deep with cun- ning, and knew how to try the heart of a maw, drew the knife he held and dropped it to the deck. Then he folded his arms, as if waiting for something. Heddon looked at the kniie, looked at him, at the knife and again at him; then asked— “What you mean by that?”’ “TI am T’eeay Layeen. You take me prisoner, too, and you have pardon for at- tack this ship. You do that, eh?” “Why do you think I might?” ‘“‘What the gods decree every man must obey. All is fate. My fortune-teller has told that I would be made prisoner by an Englishman on the ship he helped me one time to capture. Allis fate. No man can fight against the gods. Now I give myself your prisoner. What is fate is all right. I do not care. You can have pardon and the big reward.” “You’re a queer duck.” “You think maybe you do it, eh?” “You Chinks have funny notions. From all the stories I’ve heard, I wouldn’t expect you to give up like this because of what some fool fortune-teller ’s said.” “Vou do it, eh?” “Tt’s a good thing I didn’t know this when you came on board the Dragon. I would have grabbed you quick enough, then. But now, no. We’re in this neck-deep to- gether. And yellow man or white, T’eeay Layeen, when I strike a bargain, I stay with it. I won’t play Judas, not even on a Chinese pirate.” “You mean you will sail this ship as I say?” “As yousay? No,I won’tsay that. Not if you were Captain Kidd himself, I wouldn’t. But Ill do as much as I can to see that you get safely off, then I’ll be glad to forget I ever fought for a Chinese pirate. I don’t like the feel of it in my bones.” “You are afraid?” There was the slightest color of scorn in the quiet tone, and chal- lenge in the slant-eyed gaze. Heddon frowned, took his time to make a choice of words, then said: ‘Afraid? Now what the ’s the use of using English words on Chinese ears? By all reports, you’ve laid aboard a hundred ships and more, and plundered them. 117 There are some men, white men, that like that sort of thing. Idon’t. That’sall. I simply don’t. But afraid? If I was afraid in just the way you use the word, I’d bowl you over now, truss you up, and go about. Old Davy’d welcome me. He’d be world- famous to have you in his hands. But I'll stand by what I’ve done. If you were the devil himself, as you are about the next thing to it, I’d stay by the bargain. But I'll be glad when it’s over and done, as every man is when he bargains with the devil!” “T know of treasure,’’ said T’eeay Layeen, thinking to touch the very thought that was influencing Heddon. . “Yes, being who you are, I’d say you do. And with the glint of it under my nose, I’ll likely be as bigafoolasany man. But right now the word’s got a mocking sound. I’ve heard it too much the last few days.”’ “You will go as I say for treasure? I will make you, every man, rich.”’ “Yes, we'll probably go where you say. It’ll be as good a way out as any that I know. Otherwise we'd have to beach this hulk and take to the bush on some God- forsaken island, for word of what we’ve done will be in every port from Frisco to Singa- pore as fast as steam and sail can get it there. But let me tell you something, T’eeay Layeen. Don’t ever again be so ready to make what a fool fortune- teller prophesies come true. An English- man, he said? That let’s me out. [’m Yankee. Be careful,” said Heddon smiling grimly, “of the next white man you join up with to seize a ship!” T’eeay Layeen smiled oddly, very slight- ly; he spoke again in Chinese, and Heddon scowled, mystified, and did not notice that three dull-eyed coolies sank back into a slump-shouldered submissiveness against the deck-house; and their heads fell with much the motion of a humble kow-tow, for T’eeay Layeen had said to them in the dramatic way of an Asiatic chief: ‘‘Who harms this man, dies! Guard him!” V ELEW became intensely excited P on learning that the Chinese was T’eeay Layeen. This time there was no doubt of having on board a man who knew of treasure! Wrecked man- darin’s junk. Ow ho! The fellow had wrecked a dozen mandarins’ junks, stored COMIC OOo SS C@