Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine, Vol. 107 No. 3 — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

452 fling misdemeanor of blowing port without. my clearance papers, of changing the name of my Steamer and giving her a false regis- ‘try, of engineering this whole confounded, cursed, blasted scheme?”’ Riley admitted that he had given that subject some serious consideration. “It’s a chance we’ve got to take,” went on the captain anxiously. “If they send a crew aboard they may or may not find out that I’ve a forged set of clearance papers, clearing the Barnegat, of Boston, sailing light out of Cordova.” ‘They may not be particular,” added Riley. “It’s simply a chance we've got to take,”’ repeated Murdock sententiously. In a grim voice he concluded: ‘ You’ve bro- ken the law already. So’ve I! The devil take the hindermost, eh? We’re both in the same boat. If we stick together, we’ll some- how pull through without a scrape or scratch. We’re smashing the law right and left. And we’ve got to be like this—” He laid his two thick thumbs together. “You know the old family proverb, Ri- ley: ‘ United we stand; divided we fall.’ ” Riley confessed familiarity with that old proverb. He added: ‘“ According to my hazy recollection, that old proverb was the watchword, the slogan, that bound the ™ States together during the sessions of the old Continental Congress.” Captain Murdock looked angry sudden- ly. He flared at him: “ Are you flapping the flag again, too, Riley?” “No, sir; I’m only reminding you of a certain obligation. I mentioned it. I sim- ply reaffirm my statement.” ‘“ Bosh!” snorted Captain Murdock. He grumbled to himself. Then: “ Do you in- tend to snap the Stars and Stripes in my face all the rest of this voyage? You irri- tate me!” “Tl try to remember not to irritate you, sir,” replied the wireless operator gravely. - They exchanged glances in the same cool, ’ frank, soul-exploring fashion that had caused restraint on both sides when they had first introduced themselves that after- noon. And neither of them was more satisfied ~ ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. with the results of his exploration than on the former occasion. Captain Murdock dropped his eyes and grunted heavily. Donn Riley kept his where they a been and grinned slightly. | Then Captain Murdock exclaimed pee- vishly: ‘Come out here on deck. I want to show you something.” He turned out the radio-room light him- self and pushed Riley ahead of him into the open. CHAPTER XV. SIGNED “‘ ELLEN M.”’ ]F anything, the fog was thicker than it had been two hours ago. No stars were showing. Not even a whitecap, or a streak of foam, was visible on the i area of slow- moving water. “Thicker than soup,” muttered Captain Murdock approvingly. ‘“ If my luck will hold! If it will only hold! Come here, Riley. Now, look down over the side.” Donn Riley looked. A dim, purple light—most indistinct of all colors at night, because of the shortness of the purple light ray—was hanging over the rail on rubber-covered wires. By the ghostly glow of it he made out a long scaf- folding, almost floating on the water, and made fast to the hand rail by small manila ropes. Several men—four or five, he would say at a guess—were crouching on the broad plank, with life-ropes around them, indus- triously splashing on over the rusty, gray hide, fresh-smelling paint of an unknown color. By that light it might have ranged from lavender to blood-orange without his knowing its secret. ‘““ Every man-Jack in the crew, excepting a@ man at the wheel, two men and a coal- passer in the firehold, and the chief and us two, is at work, painting this ship. A gang forward is finishing up the upper works. Another scaffold has been rigged on this side forward; two of them are rigged on starboard. “This afternoon, right after that smart inspector told me she wasn’t fit to use as COM cloooks. com