Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

TEN FATHOMS DOWN. No more would he hesitate when faced with opposition; rather it would call for all the courage he possessed. Next day the ivory came up out of the depths. Hundreds of specimens, all un- hurt by their long immersion. All hands turned out to scrape off the slime and ac- cumulated barnacles. The vessel’s decks were covered with long, clean white tusks of animal ivory, ready to be turned into wealth. When Dunn went below to see how the prisoners were faring he found Ross peering from behind the bars at him. “Say, skipper,” Ross mumbled, “ you’re kind o’ lucky, ain’t your Ye got a whole damn shipload of ivory. Ye ain’t gonna be a hog, are ye? Ye got yours; why don’t ye have a heart?~ Ve put it all over us, wiped our eye good and proper. We didn’t hurt yer ship, did we? No! We didn’t! Why don’t you let us go, like a good fella? We won’t never cross yer bow again, be- lieve me, we won’t. Come on—be a sport!” Dunn, rather well satised with every- thing in general, saw that Ross was speak- ing the truth. He felt no ill feeling against the men, now that he was flushed with vic- tory. “All right, Ross,” he said at last. “ Tll do that little thing; but with a string on it. T’ll put you ashore at Point Praquie. It’s fifteen miles to Colon from there, through the finest bit of jungle you ever saw. You can walk, crawl, hop, fly or swim the rest of the way; don’t give a damn how you do it, but do it you must! zt You can thank anybody you please for this, because you were due for the finest bit of stonebreaking you ever did. If had the fullest intentions of letting Uncle Sam teach you how to play golf with a sledge- hammer. You were due for a good long cruise in the stone frigate with a square- head bosun.’’ Ross hastily accepted the offer. “Ve won’t change yer mind?” he called after Dunn. “No, I won’t! You'll go free till you foul hawse with me again. Then, God help you!” THE 39 “Me! By Heaven, I’ll never cross that guy’s bow again! It ‘ll be all hands back water for me!” When the bones of the Moon Glow were several hundred miles astern, Ah Jung ap- proached Dunn as he stood at the fo’c’s’le hatch. ‘Cap’n Bill,” he said, “‘mebbe so be velly good Ah Jung chop-chop?” The ques- ‘tion was delivered jerkily, almost fear- fully. “What for, Jung? Why should you leave me? Oh! I see! No, Ah Jung. I won’t need you as an anchor to leeward anyway. But, you old fraud, I'll always need the kind of a friend that you’ve been to me.” Ah Jung grinned and folded his hands in his sleeves. “Velly good! take look-see.”’ He pointed to the bow of the Olympia, then turned and padded away, Dunn looked forward and saw the form of Florence gazing over the bow. He walked to her. “ Florence,” he said, “ i’m back. come again.” The girl looked at him queerly, her eyes rejoicing in his victory. One last test. ‘“ Please,” she said distantly, “‘ please— | eee “No subterfuges, Florence,” he inter- rupted with a touch of firmness. “ I’ve wanted you. Until recently, I was unwor- thy, blind. Now, I’m going to have you. You can’t put me off—unless—unless you can say you do not love me.” “ But, Mr. Dunn,” she gasped weakly, «“ you—you—” ‘“* Say yes or no,” Dunn answered stead- ily. She hesitated, flexed her lips to answer. She glanced at him fleetingly. What she saw caused her to drop her chin, then softly, obediently: ‘ De f—must I say t—Bill— dear?” Ah Jung slipped and fell the remainder of the hatch steps into the cabin. “ Hell!” he said, grinning. ‘“‘ Cap’n Bill, him plenty Velly good Cap’n Bill I’ve _ topside skippah!” END COmiclbookX (@