Adventure Magazine Cover — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

IIt2 with both hands out, pleadingly, asked: “How ver’ much is anysing worth, mon- sleur, zat you love?” “Name a price and if we get treasure maybe we’ll—”’ “T weel not! Nevare! No! Eet would be like to sell a babee! He knows ever’ word zat I say to heem, monsieur!”’ “Then tell him to crawl in his box, or we'll break in a port and use guns on him!” ‘“‘Monsieur! Oh you can not be so crueel! He do no wrong! He is geentle! He is all zat I haf!” “‘There’s nothing for the brute to eat. He'll starve or—” “Is zat his fault? He do not complain like—” “IT suppose you’d say is that his fault if he tried to swallow some one of the crew some night! The snake goes overboard, and that’s flat. Ive had it in mind for a long time myself. This is now as good a time as any. Tom, get some guns up here and we |ll—” The surprized men of the crew babbled in grateful excitement; they had expected Heddon to jeer at them. Though there was not the discipline on this ship as on most, the impression had never for a mo- ment sneaked into their minds that Heddon was not the captain, as dangerous and nearly as truculent as the usual captain who seemed unwilling, ever, to let a crew think themselves even half-way right in any complaint. Madame rushed closer. Her hands flut- tered; she begged; it seemed that she was about to weep: ‘“‘No, no, no, no! It mus’ not be! Plees! Oh, haf ze mercy! Leetle Baal-Phelgor is like a person to me! He do no harm—oh plees! Oh you nice beeg strong men, why you be so crueel! Oh ze lonely nights he has been wiz me! Oh plees, plees, plees! He do not make theno wind! Oh, you know he do not! Plees!’’ She was a woman, pleading; the men of the crew wavered uneasily; but Heddon said: “Aye, it’s hard luck for little Baal- 'Phelgor that he’s a symbol of the Devil, and bears an old-time devil’s name. I’m just Christian enough to want him overboard. And if he hasn’t brought us any bad luck, he’s likely to. Tom, break out the guns!” “You mean zat! No! No! Oh, Monsieur GORDON YOUNG Pelew, oh I beg, I beg you weel help me to make zem not do thees!”’ Pelew glared doubtfully, but hesitated. “Oh you crueel weeked men to keel my leetle pet!” “Joujoul”’ said Heddon. “Like Zudag!”’ What Pelew might or might not have done, no one, himself perhaps as little as any, could have told; but “Zudag’’ made even her stiffen, startled. “Zudag!” she cried. ‘You gif me blame for zat! I deed not do eet! Oh you beeg coward men! I hate you! You!’’—she turned on Pelew, screaming at him— “You, you sent Zudag to do zat! You beg me to keel thees captain so you can be captain— but I weel not doeet! Eetisso! Hedo zat, Monsieur Hed-don! I say to heem, no, no! Nevare! I tell ze truth now. Ido not care! Now, monsieur, you see how ver’ much I am your friend! He has ze hate of you, He has ze hate of you! Not me! No, no! nevare! Monsieur, il y va de votre téte!”’ This, ‘Your life is in danger!’ accompanied by a look wildly anxious, was said in a tone confidential, tense, as if she risked her life to give him warning, even in French. Heddon glanced at the astounded Pelew, whose mouth hung open; he was muddled with anger, blankly speechless, and stared from under a dazed sort of frown. Ascowland grin mingled on Heddon’s face: “It’s the Devil tempts you to say untrue things, Madame! So overboard with him. And now!” Madame glared like one who has been tricked. She had been tricked, though by herself, Still, she blamed Heddon for not believing her. “Brute-beast, you! Nevare! ‘To do zat you mus’ keel me firs’! I go an’ I stay wiz heem!”’ She turned and with a frantic haste like one attempting rescue, ran to her room, trembled fumblingly for a moment m un- locking the door, then passed through, and the bulkhead vibrated from the Jar of the door’s closing. All stared in lingering silence toward the door; then Heddon faced about, looked at Pelew, laughed, but not pleasantly. Pelew’s eyes were full of suspicion, bold yet a little doubtful. He did not say that it was true or false, did not say anything, and silence at any time was strange in him, but he appeared either still astounded or as if he felt that explanation would be too much like COMICOoOokKSs C©