Adventure Magazine Cover — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

118 their wealth. Moreover, didn’t he know too—so rumor said—of the treasure hidden away a hundred years before by old pirates who had sailed in fleets and plundered the emperor’s treasure ships? Sure he did! Pelew, with stamping flop of bare feet on the wet deck, went to T’eeay Layeen, looked him over with new interest and bold staring; asked him blunt questions, and though the answers were given quietly, all but one pleased Pelew. The Chinese said that Heddon was to be trusted and obeyed. Though he was the terrible T’eeay Layeen, and knew of treasure, a fellow Pelew really admired, yet Pelew talked to him about as he would have talked to the Chink cook, had the cook displeased him. The cheery Woo Lung, cook, displeased no one; even Pelew, turbulent and quarrelsome fellow that he was, soon began to like the cook; but to T’eeay Layeen’s face Pelew said: “Do you an’ that —— Heddon put your heads together to beat me out o’ my share, I won’t have it! I been cheated too much in my life to be fooled with any more! I’m a bad one,Iam. Youhearme? You believe me, don’t you? “‘An’ that Heddon, he’s not the man I am even if he can navigate. Jus’ cause he knows things, I’ve got to knuckle under. It ain’t fair. Education, that’s what. An’ it ain’t fair! On board the Dragon we couldn’t stick a knife in ’im—had to keep him sound an’ whole to show where treaser was. Now here the same! By ——, he’s lucky that away. But me, I’m goin’ to be one as lives aft like an off’cer. You hear me, mister? Ibunkaftan’ eat aft, same as you an’ him.” Then Pelew swung about and went to find Heddon; walked straight up to him, stopped short and said: ‘ “Now see here, mister. I ain’t got no use for you. But I own as much 0’ this here ship as anybody, an’ I ain’t fool enough to want some trouble on my own ship, though I’ve made pop on other fellers’. I’magood sailor when I want ’o be, an’ when I find a man as ain’t, I make him wish he was. I'll do my part o’ work, an’ stand watch an’ watch with you or any man. Between you an’ me bygones ain’t a go’n-a be bygones—not much they ain’t! But here to sea we’d both be bigger fools than I am not to drive ’er on an’ get to where that treaser is. An’ [ live aft, likean off’cer. You hear me? An’ I eat an’ drink the same Gordon Young as you an’ that Say-Lean. You hear me?”’ “Live where you please, and eat whatever there is to eat. But drink—there’s too many bottles on board of every kind of booze. Ill keep the keys.” “You mean—” “That’s what I mean,” said Hecdon. “Tl do what drinking I well please, but no other man’ll do more than pleases me. You can pe first mate and owner too, for all I care. But I’m the skipper.” “T catch you drunk, I'll throw you over- board!”’ “Do that, Pelew—if you catch me drunk.”’ Heddon wholly distrusted him, thought him half of a madman, but halfway liked his unabashed boldness; and knew, too, that whatever else the rascal lacked he was not lacking in a willingness to fight anybody for almost any reason. His bravado was not bluff. ‘An’ how about the guns on board?” Pelew inquired. ‘“They’re all right now to sea, but when we get to where treaser is, them as has the guns’ll have the other? fellers at their mercy. An’ me, I don’t trust you or no treaser to be stole.”’ ‘What d’you suggest?” “Me,” said Pelew, “I say, when we sight the island Say Lean points out, that we heave ’em overboard. Gun gives a coward too much ’vantage. An’ I don’t trust no —— man when there’s somepin to be stole.”’ “That’s fair. So when we sight the island we'll heave ’em overboard.”’ “But how’ll I know you don’t stow a gun or two away, huh?” “You won’t. But I won’t—if I say not.” “Maybe so an’ maybe not. I'll check them guns up myself. But, mister, ain’t it queer luck the way when we was lookin’ for treaser we come to get hold of Say Lean?” “Got hold of him? You’ve stuck your jib boom aft, Pelew, He’s got hold of us!’’ ‘“‘Not much he ain’t! He’s our pris’ner. An’ you an’ me, mister, we'll do watch an’ watch—an’ watch ’im clost!’’ “Old Wateman’s been a square rig mate. He can take a watch.” ‘“That’s better still,” said Pelew. ‘He’s only half a runt, but the way he cracked ol’ Walscher’s head for ’im shows he ain’t a fool like you about hurtin’ fellers. But here at sea, I’ll be perlite to you if you be perlite to me. I ain’t wantin’ to spoil the chanct to be rich by—”’ MICLOOOK man—not when there’s (C@