Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

N 566 teen years I’ve bin at sea. I’m thirty now. But I’m a sailorman. Born in me. But no good at figgerin’.” “Yo’re a good man, Pinky,” said the supercargo. ‘“ ’Ave another go?” “No. It’s too hot. One’s enough. Goes right through you. The old man’s goin’ to be mortal sorry he shipped Samson as first mate,” he went on, nursing his griev- ance. ‘‘ For two reasons.” “Wots the other one?” asked the super- cargo. Evans said it. ‘‘ He don’t know how to handle the Malays. Good men, but techy. Some day he’s goin’ to hit one of ’em, an’ then there'll be hell to pay. If a Malay does wrong he can be punished, but the tindal’s got to do it. They’ll-stand for Selim, even to a floggin’, an’ Badoun could crumple him up like I would a bit of paper, but let a white man lay hand to him, an’ like as not it means mutiny—or murder.” “ Yo’re right, Pinky. But that ain’t the main reason. It’s the gel, The skipper was a fool to let ’er come aboard for the voyage. Wanted ’er to see wot it was like afore he married her—an’ she finds it dull. The mate’s out to amuse her. He’s a handsome devil.” ‘‘ I heard at Singapore that he run away with his last skipper’s wife,” said Pinckney. “Ho. Bazaar-pidgin!”’ said Sykes scorn- fully. ‘‘ Not but wot it might be true. If it was, it warn’t our kind of a skipper.” “The skipper’s slow but sure,” said the Welshman, finishing his glass. “ Aye, an’ deep. Anger ’ll damn him for a bit till he thinks things over, but if the flood breaks through there’s a sight of force behind. He’s blind in love with the gal. Fair wor- ships her. He leoks at her as if she was a bit o’ Dresden, .an’ him proud to own it, but afeard to touch: A man that lives at sea is shy o’ wimmen. He sees ’em in visions, in the stars, an’ in the clouds, fillin’ the wide sea spaces wi’ dreams. They’re far-off, an’ so théy’re more precious. He treats ‘em wi’ over reverence—not as they would be treated. But if it’s hands off wi’ the skipper, wo betide any else that comes too close.” ‘“‘ Where did yer git hall the stuff about wimmin an’ the wide sea-spaces?”’‘ jeered -arms as stout as spars. ——. —~ ---- Original from F OHIO STATE | ‘Soin ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. the cockney.. “ For you’ve spent most of yore life at sea yerself.” ““T’ve been married twice,” answered Evans. “ And every Welshman is a dreamer an’ a poet.” ‘“‘ Spechully arfter a rum-punch.” : Evans ignored him. “The skipper’s lost his luck,” he went on. Lost it when he changed the name of the ship. Halcyon she was, Mary she is. ’Tis bad luck to shift a ship’s name between voyages. He should have married the girl first.”’ “E’s a better man than Samson,” said Sykes. ‘“‘ For all the mate’s showy looks an’ muscles. Shut the two of ’em in a room an’ one ’ud come out. It w’udn’t be Samson.” . “ Fightin’ ain’t makin’ love.” Pinckney shook his head knowingly. ‘‘ The Welsh- man’s right. The skipper’s a novice beside Samson. The gal’s bored. The mate’s a woman-killer.” ‘“‘ Mebbe he is,” answered Sykes. “ But the skipper’s a man-tamer.” | There came a sudden patter or rain on deck. In a moment it was a torrent, drum- ming furiously on the planks, hissing in the _ scuppers. ““'We may get a breeze after that,” said Pinckney. ‘It must be close to two bells. My watch.” “Thank Gawd for the rain! . I’m fair messy with the ’eat. Let’s hall go on deck an’ get a shower-barth.”” And Sykes led the way to the ladder. CHAPTER II. ” THE SECRET FLAME. APTAIN MARTIN, skipper of the Mary—late the Halcyon—stood three inches shorter than his mate. He weighed close to a hundred and eighty pounds of compact flesh and bone, his legs were slightly bowed, his chest deep, his His beard was luxuriant, but he kept it clipped fairly short. Like his hair, it was reddish-brown, only a shade or so deeper than his weathered skin. - Out of it all his eyes gleamed like jewels lODOOK CO