The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

CASTLES “Well, it may be as you say,” conceded. Bill, overborne by the other’s argument. “And, if so, what are we going to do about it? We can’t go to bucking Bradley. If we did, there’d be nothing in the deal for anybody. Haven’t you got an idea of some kind?” ' “Well,” his partner pondered judicially, ‘as I see it, there’s just two ways that we can deal with the situation. We can either go in with him on an agreement to split profits, which a high and mighty fellow like Bradley probably wouldn’t stand for; or else we’ve got to lose him and get to this place with the ungodly name—”’ “Cherrichuppa Ranch, New Mexico.” “Well, whatever it iS, we’ve got to get there first. Captain Harry must be left be- hind.” : ‘You don’t mean—?” gasped the other. “Oh, no,” with alaugh. ‘We don’t have to go to that extreme. I’ve got a whole lot better scheme than that. Now, listen. Drunk as he was, Bradley’s probably dead to the world by this time. We'll find out where his stateroom is, sneak in there and pour a couple of these calomel powders, | which I happen to have with me, into his mouth.” “Oh, I see,” Bill chuckled relievedly. “You simply want to lay him up.” “Exactly. If we get a couple of those powders down Captain Harry’s throat I'll guarantee that he’ll not be leaving Norfolk to-morrow; no, nor the next day, either. And in the meantime you and I will be well on our way to—I can never think of that darned name.” “Cherrichuppa Ranch? Sure. And I can tell you another thing, too. Captain Bradley’s stateroom is No. 17A, right along this corridor. There’s no use waiting, is there? Let’s drop in on him and get the job over with.” Tom rolled softly away from the parti- tion and meditatively felt of his biceps. “So those ducks think they’re going to come in here and choke a couple of calomel powders down my throat, do they?” he grinned in the darkness. ‘Curious, but I have a sort of premonition that they are due for a surprise.” The fog-horn of the Essbee, which had - been working continuously all through the night, sounded again at this moment, and its blast was still reverberating when there came a tremendous crash which shook the entire vessel. IN THE AIR. 725 The force of it hurled Tom headlong from his berth to the floor, where he lay dazed until aroused by the pounding of a steward on his door. “Put on your life-belt and get on deck, sir,” urged the man. “The ship is sinking,” CHAPTER XI. STAYING BY THE SHIP. OMETHING had turned up with a ven- geance! Proceeding down the coast in the dense fog the Essbee had been rammed by a floating derelict. Tom made a hurried dive for his clothes, and while he raced into them his eyes were busy with the scene of havoc about him. By only a hair’s breadth had he escaped destruction; for not a foot away from his bed ran the line of jagged and broken beams which marked the passage of the dereliet. Had that clumsy craft struck head-on, in- stead of in a slightly diagonal direction, he must inevitably have perished. As it was, the brunt of the impact had been spent upon the adjoining stateroom. Glancing across to the tangled mass of wreckage which was all that remained of it, Tom saw with a thrill of horror two crushed and mangled forms. Less lucky than himself, the two horse- buyers whom he had heard plotting in there had been caught directly in the path of the collision and snuffed out as helplessly as a couple of field mice under the turn of a plow-share. He had little reason for sympathy with these men; even their names were unknown to him; they were, so far as he was con- cerned, but two voices. Yet the sudden blotting out of a human life is with even the most callous of us an awesome thing. Averting his eyes from the ghastly spec- tacle, Tom hurriedly finished buckling on his life-belt, and piled out through the door of his stateroom to the deck. It was no time to linger; for the Essbee was sink- ing fast. Up forward a little knot of men, the cap- tain among them, were preparing to launch the last boat. “Captain Bradley!” The skipper turned with a quick frown, as he saw Tom making his way toward them across the sloping deck. “I thought you were off long ago. “Come now,” he spoke sharply with a COTpmikelooonx<s EO