Adventure Magazine Cover — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

TREASURE 95 Old Tom appeared; others came and a light was fetched. In ten seconds the negro had been almost cut to pieces. “‘Mister,”’ said a man out of the crew, ‘‘it was for hittin’ ’im that time when he had the chickens.”’ “But he was in that girl’s room!”’ said another. “But how’d he know they’d switched rooms? I didn’t!” “What you think, mister?” “That I was a fool not to hold his throat till I’d squeezed the truth out of him!” said Heddon. Pelew swore deeply, with a kind of baffled note in his voice. He did not like mysteries, and asked: “But why’d them Chinks jump ’im like that! Who’s to tell—they might jump any man of us? Somepin funny. I don’t like it!” T’eeay Layeen answered: “That is right.”” He spoke slowly, and it was as if he spoke his warning to Pelew alone. ‘“‘Any man that lifts a hand against him, dies!” T’eeay Layeen, though a Chink, had a bearing that would have been impressive without the piratical legends about his name; and what he said was so unexpected, spoken so like an overlord whose word gave life and death, that some men momentarily eyed Heddon, thus singled out, with an ex- pression of awed respect; but Pelew’s blank look turned into one of suspicion. ‘“‘Why him more than me? Ain’t I done my part too? Have you—say, look here, have you an’ him got together to beat us fellers out? I feared you’d try as much, so now it’s come, heh? See here, we ain’t goin’ have it! Are we, mates?” Pelew turned expectantly to the men about him; but his shipmates made no answer, unless an uneasy silence and much shifting of bare feet might be taken as one. It was, in a way, answer enough. Between Heddon and Pelew there was no doubt as to the choice they would make. His insane bullying of them on the Dragon was not to be forgotten. Heddon jeered them, taunted them about treasure, and they were afraid of him; but they admired Heddon. They feared Pelew, perhaps even more; and hated him. And now Pelew stood in the midst of utter silence and stared in baffled surprize. Only the ship sounds were heard, the cord- age creak, pounding slap of water, whinny of the yard-slings. He did not understand it. Ata word he would have been defiant, challenging. He was not awed, he was baffled. It was as if every man here knew of his secret with Madame: as they neared the treasure-place, Heddon was to be seized; he Raeburn and Old Tom, and were to be, perhaps, marooned; certainly to have no shares; and of course the Chinese were not to be left anything of the treasure. Guilt was nothing new to Pelew, but a feeling of guilt was. Silence made him feel that these men knew. Had he been accused, he would have stormed, and have let the storm lead en to what it would. But silence was not answerable. He hesi- tated, started to turn and go away, then to call them all bad names; but no one spoke and many eyed him soberly; at last, impusively, he strode off. For a long minute no one spoke; then: ‘Vell,”’ said the ponderous Abdul, scowl- ing, popping his eyes at Heddon, ‘‘some day I von’t kill you—I chust beadt der life oudt of you. But dot Berlew, I don’t like him needter. He call me tam sqvare- headt too much.” weather that caused Madame to ie Jack-Girl bucked into bad_ return to her stateroom and stay. there; that, and the way Heddon had said to her: ‘“You’re a good one at guessing what’s in people’s minds. Was that nigger after me or the Chink girl?” *M onsieur!”’ “You say it well, and look it, too! In- dignant, [mean. I’ve your word for it that at times you tell the truth to make a man think the better of you. Tryitnow. Ifhe was after me it’s not so bad as if you sent him to cut the throat of a child asleep!” Enraged, Madame cried out with a flare of words some of which Heddon understood, others that he did not. ‘““Madame,”’ said Heddon, ‘‘never swear at a gentleman in the gutter tongue. He doesn’t understand what you say. It’s so much effort wasted.” She gave him a look that would have killed a man who was easily frightened, then rushed away, unlocked her room, dis- appeared within and did not reappear for many days. COmiclboooks.c©