Argosy All-Story Weekly — "Sea Marauders" — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

SEA MARAUDERS. The white line of the breakers was parted by black water at the passage, but they had to be dangerously close to the rocks to observe it. For a moment it was touch and go with the pirates, but Gibbons worked | the nose of his craft into the proper position, and in a few moments they Hoated on the placid water of the la- goon and immediately dropped anchor. They were a mile and a half from the beach at the foot of the avenue leading to the house, and the motor had been running very slowly. It did not seem to the pirates that the chug of the engine could have been heard. There were lights in the windows of the second story of the house, and one by one these went out. “Get the boat over and muffle the rowlocks,” commanded Captain Gib- bons. ‘“‘ Wattie, serve out the re- volvers, and give the men plenty of ammunition. Pedro, take two or three men and get up that rotten old Maxim gun. “One machine gun will be enough if we are going to take the place by surprise. You and you, stay on the ship, and keep a sharp lookout. The rest of you, into the boat.” He followed his crew into the row- boat, and they headed for a point ashore about a mile from the house, a point where a white line indicated a sand beach. The pirates had arrived at Gascon Island. CHAPTER V. PHOSPHORESCENCE. TEVE REARDON heard no more of the radio message which Forbes wished sent to Nassau, and con- cluded it was a ruse to get rid of him which his rival had invented upon the spur of the moment. The day passed tranquilly; he saw no more of Mildred except at a dis- tance. At seven he dined in the break- 447 fast room alone. Lovering’s secretary was coming down on the yacht and would dine with him instead of with the guests, and the servants all ate in the service building. At eight Mr. Lovering and _ his guests dined in the main salon, and usually lingered over their coffee and cordials until nine thirty. Afterward the young people danced, and the older ones played bridge; that was the rou- tine which they, had fallen into, and about midnight the guests began to re- tire. Steve was privileged to help himself to books in the big library of Mr. Lovering and take them to his quarters. To-night he had carried back a volume of Burton’s “Arabian Nights,” a trans- lation of which he had often heard and never before come across. He found it inexpressibly satisfying, and read until long after his usual bedtime. The wind had been howling outside the island, but now it had died down, and about midnight he laid down his book and stepped out upon his porch to breathe the fragrant air before retiring. The wireless house was at the right of the big house and about halfway down the slope, and from his porch he had an unobstructed view of the lagoon, which to-night was a black void. The wind ceased completely for a moment, and then it seemed to him he heard a puff, puff, puff which resem- bled the noise of a gasoline motor. He listened intently, but did not hear it again, and he set it down as a trick of the imagination. However, his imagination was now at work, and, for the first time, it oc- curred to him that Gascon Island was very remote from civilization and ut- terly unprotected. Of course in this day and age there was no danger of any sort to be ap- prehended, and one was much safer in a dot-like island far out in the Atlantic than in an apartment in New York City, but, if there were sea marauders com Ebooks.com <~ ee Fat gisele 7 (ee 7 Pes = Cel - - saa i TON A te = te — »= — geting Nex, Sa a l= AA 4S a = tr nt a ae ea a go> ae Bod < eet Canekl ot <a wet ee hg, ne eaes _ ~ SP wa aS Oe. A OOS ae SS CR OO ae ee he tater oe ae Nace ie Aan ees eR a ge eae Ee Re OP Te: ae Oe ie. ww Ape on i Re AES ALT ot