Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

24 ARGOSY-ALLSTORY an altitude difference of several hundred miles—a ridiculous figure. He gave it up and returned to hang over the rail in an effort to catch a glimpse of this amazing girl, who professed ignorance of firearms, yet shot too well for an amateur. _ His thoughts were abruptly broken by the engine room annunciator ringing vio- lently. Then he felt the engine vibration slow and stop. Over the voice tube from the engine room he heard Murphy raving. Dunn sent the helmsman aft to take in the patent log, supposing it a warm bearing. Soon he heard a thumping and stamping. Turning, he saw Murphy coming teward the bridge, his face covered with grease and oil. ‘The dirty bla’guards! The low down dock wallopers! Some snake has been fool- ing with the lubricating system,” he burst out from the foot of the ladder. ‘ Mr. Dunn, we’ve @ spy aboard! Me engine’s cryin’ fer oil. Some dirty low life has plugged the lubricating system, and nearly burned me engine bearings out.” “Maybe it was dirt,” Dunn suggested. “ Dirt?” Murphy shrieked. “ Dirt? In my engine room? No! “Twas a handful 0’ emery dust! Oh, my eye, I'll have his blood for it!” Dunn watched him go below, swearing vengeance. Soon after he felt the engines take up their song again. Fitz came up on the bridge. ““What’s the trouble, Bill?” he asked. Dunn explained. ‘“‘ Looks darned funny,” Fitz said. “ How did the spy, if there is one, get aboard? None of my men can be bribed. They’ve been with me for years. I haven’t seen a strange face either. Murphy is dreaming. Those things happen occasionally.” “But you forget it was emery dust,” Dunn reminded him; “ it is possible that a bit of dirt might have crept in, but emery dust—never.” ““That’s so, too,” Fitz admitted. “ We must investigate.” : ‘Looks that way,” Dunn agreed. “ If we don’t get him now, he'll probably hit the nail on the head next time.” They called the second mate, and Dunn turned the watch over to him. WEEKLY. He and Fitz combed the ship from stem to stern, from truck to keelson. The life- boats, chain locker, storerooms, the’ crew’s quarters—all to no avail. The engineer’s force swore fiercely that emery dust wasn’t thrown in oil lines by spooks. The new menace offered meat for much thought. It was like the sword of Damo- cles hanging over their heads. They sent another search party through the ship. It was unsuccessful. | “Tf it was anything but emery dust I’d say if was an accident,” Dunn declared. ‘This is some of the Mary’s doing. How the deuce did they find out the Olympia was going to take me along?” Much mystified, Fitz organized a roving patrol to continue the search every hour of the day. He took two men to a watch, and had them stay on duty four hours, always on the move throughout the ship. One of them carried a shotgun, The other a@ flashlight. ‘“That’s all we can do, Bill,” he said helplessly. ‘‘ Some one on board is intent on trouble. You and I will have to keep a watch ourselves.” Murphy, with vile curses, cleaned his engine bearings, oil lines, tank, and put in new, clean oil. It took a solid ten hours’ steady labor for all hands. Bill went back to the bridge and took over the watch again. He spent the rest of his duty pummeling his brains for an an- swer to the problem. The spy might scut- tle the ship from under them. He hardly thought he would do that, however; it would expose him. He rather thought the fellow would damage them to such an ex- tent as to prevent them from reaching the reef ahead of the Mary. Luckily Murphy had found the emery dust in time. The next morning, when eight. bells struck, the chief mate came up to relieve him, and he turned over the course. When he reached the after deck, he found Fitz stretched out in Florence’s chair. “Sis has a headache, Bill; gone below out of the glare. This tropical sun on the sea when it is near the prime vertical raises the deuce with her. Sit down; I want to talk to you.” Dunn crossed his legs, and sat down on the deck. oO EGomichidooksaco