The Argosy, August 1914 — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

76 quicker, more skilful than he had ever been before. ‘“* This fishing business,” he told himself, sitting like a Semitic Buddha, chin on breast and hands clasped across his abdomen, ‘* must be good for exercise.’ He made a men- tal note for future reference. He was a fool not to go to Jack Garrett forthwith and dazzle him with offers. There was probably not a shadow of a doubt that the youth would return to his colors. And Jack could whip the champion. What was the deterrent? Sam knew perfectly well, and out of his knowl- edge cursed the conscience he had been born with. After sixty minutes of weighing and balancing, with complete realization that another sixty and yet another would still find him up against that blank wall of a conscience, he turned to his table, uncapped the ink- bottle, and wrote a hasty letter. As if fearful of having to renew his struggle, he shouted loudly for Mac, whom he had heard return. When that individual appeared he handed him the letter. “Go over to one of the hotels and get a special delivery stamp,” said he. “Put it on this and mail it.. If it doesn’t catch to-morrow morning’s boat somebody loses hair.” “Yes, sorr,” said Mac and retired. CHAPTER XIX, A NAVAL ENGAGEMENT. Captain ZEpD’s plan of campaign in- cluded Peter Gomez, contrary to the counsel of Herb Mann. “No tellin’ what the snippet ‘ll do,” pointed out the number one man. ‘* Soon as he finds we’re onto the game he'll make bother.”’ “That’s just why I want him,” Cap- tain Zed retorted. “If a feller’s tryin’ to knife you and you have him where you can keep an eye on him, you're just so much better off, ain’t you? Leastways, that’s how I always_fig- 23 ; ger, THE ARGOSY. But when they came to look for Pe- ter on the important night he had dis- appeared. The last seen of him was when he set off, after supper, to his turn of patrolling. The explanation was, as Captain Zed learned later, that Gomez, know- ing his service as watch to be valueless and preferring an alibi, even at the cost of being guilty of neglecting duty, to becoming involved in any way as accessory, had headed for Carroll’s saloon, where he passed the evening. Peter Gomez was never cut out for a high-grade villain. To dispose of his case finally, he returned home after midnight and, being in need of a drink of water, went into the bunk-house. A preternatural calm reigned under the roof which usually at this hour re- sounded with the snores of hard-work- ing fishermen. Peter was at a loss to understand it. He stood in the kitchen with ‘the dipper half-way to\his lips until the stillness got on his nerves. It compelled him to tiptoe into the bunk-room. A horrible thought oc- curred that Buck Potter’s lawless scheme included, unknown to him, cutting the throats of his comrades. He stretched a trembling hand out to the nearest bunk. It was empty. So was the’ one above it,)and so also were the rest. Jim Tarkis’s cot in the kitchen had not been slept in. A flash of intelligence grasped Pe- ter. He realized what had happened. Captain Zed and the others had got wind of the plot and had gone out to checkmate it. Notwithstanding that Peter’s mouth was drier than ever with apprehension —for his own part in the affair could hardly be hidden—he hung the dipper back on the pail without tasting the water, and ran to where the dories were beached. They were missing. Then he knew absolutely. He did not wait to reason. His brain was in poor condition for such processes, even had his nerve been equal to it. He made all speed back CORICLOOOKS (C@