The Argosy, August 1914 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

38 THE concerned. His single thought was to achieve prompt revenge. The blood sang in his ears from anger. He charged toward the shanty with complete unconcern as. to the likeli- -hood of a second shot following the first. To get there before the dis- charger of firearms escaped was a mo- tive exclusive of all others. He came close enough to make out the shanty’s black bulk, and on the point of round- ing the corner was tripped by an end of rope shrewdly stretched across his path, pitched forward, and measured his length on the gravel. He had hardly touched the ground before he was buried under a mass of humanity. His assailants, whoever they were, evidently preferred to elim- inate all chances of miscarriage. One sat astride his shoulders and ground his face into the earth. Another perched on his legs. The third whipped his arms behind his back and tied his wrists with a sailor’s dexterity. This was accomplished less easily than it is told, for Jack, although shaken by the unexpected tumble, struggled with all the strength and experience of his well-trained muscles. The grunts of his otherwise silent captors told him they were meeting more resistance than they had figured on. ‘The man on his shoulders cursed under his breath, driving Jack’s face farther into the earth. In spite of the latter’s best efforts, he was very soon triced up, wrists and ankles, and silenced with a rude but effective gag. Then, still silently, his assailants picked him up, face down- ward, carried him to the abandoned shanty, and threw him inside. The door was pulled to and locked with a spike thrust through the rusty hasp on the outside. | This Jack learned later. For the present he was beside himself with rage. He had fallen into a trap with the easy stupidity of a silly fish. The shot apparently fired at him had been only a bait to decoy him within at- tacking distance. ARGOSY. What to do now? Freedom was the urgent demand of the moment. The attacking party had something else in mind than the temporary im- prisonment of a member of the Hooper gang. The responsibility was on him of circumventing their malevo- lent designs. He tugged at his bonds, straining right and left, in desperate efforts to break loose. The knots were well tied, and at first he was unable to assert that he was making any headway. The gag between his teeth felt dirty and smelled abominably of ancient fish. A mutf- fled sound as of wood on metal reached him while he pulled and jerked and worked his wrists and ankles. After many minutes he found his hands were gaining a little play. He redoubled his exertions. Now he could pull one hand out as far as the-mus- cular base of his thumb, and after as long again it squeezed by. It was the work of an instant to snatch the gag from his mouth, slash through the fetters that bound his ankles, and, a little bruised and lame, put his shoulder to the rotting old door. Under the pressure the staple pulled out altogether, and Jack was a free agent again. He could have called for help, but it occurred to him such a proceeding would be unprofitable. It would di- rect the attention of the entire water- front to the secret of the Hooper gang —that a patrol was being maintained. First he would investigate. The fish-house and the work-dories were as he had left them. He walked all around the buildings where the cap- tain and his comrades were sleeping; everything was as it should be. Then he jumped into one of the dories and pulled to the head of the harbor to examine the launch. That also appeared undamaged. The discovery reassured him tremendously, for it was here he had feared to find fatal depredations. He took the canvas cover off the motor and went over it ECOMICOO® S (C@