The Argosy, Vol. 82, No. 3 — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

SHIPS OF STRIFE. outer reei—these things and a thousand others formed a symphony of the tropical night. Ten minutes passed, and Blake was be- ginning to wonder whether Tani might not have earned his tip by a bit of Japanese trickery—when he heard the gruff voice of Captain Howard on the veranda. ‘There was a scrape of chairs, and then the soft voice of Tani drifted in gentle persistence. Another scrape of chairs, grumbling voices that were silenced as screen doors closed on the speakers, and Blake heard heavy footsteps resounding in the room be- side which he sat. The screen of the window was pulled up, a match flared dimly through the leafy foli- age and Blake caught the voice of Howard above him. ‘‘Dunno’s I like this stuffy inside, Bing- ham! Safer, though. Keep that window open so’s we can hear any one snoopin’ around.” ~ “uh!” rejoined another voice, evidently that of the mate. ‘‘You must be nervous since you shipped that skirt! Who in thun- der’s goin’ to nose around here?” Blake sat immobile. A door opened; there was a tinkle of glasses and the clink of money. The door closed again. “T ain’t partial to women aboard ship,” said Howard, between gulps. “Dunno what she wants to come for. Won’t make no differ, when all’s said an’ done! She won’t trust fhe, hey?” “No wonder,” chuckled Bingham evilly. “But she stands to lose any way she plays it. She took her suit-case off to the Moana mighty quick, didn’t she? S’pose she thought the atmosphere was more refined— yah! Got her orders yet?” “That’s what I come here for,” grunted Howard. “Expectin’ them any minute.” Blake quivered with anger. So, then, he had been right in his sus- picions! Howard was playing the very game which Marshall had mapped out for himself! It occurred to him that his best move was to slip off to the Moana Hotel and warn Mary Peabody at once, then return to the Marshall and see the thing through, as he had promised. He started out of his chair, then halted abruptly. * He had best remain and find what those “orders” were, now that he was here. Also, if he were to play off Marshall against Howard, as he dimly planned, he might 407 pick up something of service to his own skipper. A few moments would make no difference, and the Moana Hotel was not far away. { ‘Wish she’d ha’ give me the position of her grand-daddy’s mazeuma,” remarked Howard irritably. ‘Would ha’ saved a heap o’ trouble. She figures we can’t sail without her, ’cause she’ll hang on to the dope till we get off the steamer tracks. If it wasn’t for that, I’d pull out o’ here. I don’t feel chipper over that swine, Steelfist Marshall, hoverin’ in my neighborhood.” At this Blake smiled grimly. Then the girl had not been entirely deceived after all, but was hanging on to her information! This explained a good many things. “Huh?” queried Bingham. ‘“ Ain’t the Marshall in on a reg’lar trip?” “Like hell!” returned the other. ‘“There’s no such thing as a reg’lar trip with Steel- fist, as you’d ought to know. Don’t I see trouble every time his condemned hooker drops her mudhook alongside? He took out Sydney papers same day I cleared from Frisco; what’s he doin’ here? Bet he’s the guy what tried to force Miss Peabody to charter him night afore we sailed!” “Say, you’ve hit it there!” exclaimed Bingham, with a slow oath of appreciation. “But how in blazes can he know where to go if you don’t know yourself?” “He don’t. But the Marshall can whip the sheets off the Foster when it comes to sailing, see? We can’t stop him pullin’ out after us, can we? Not that I give two darns for him and his iron mitt! When we drop anchor over that hulk, I'll have the coin out of her in spite of the skirt, Steelfist Charley Marshall, or the devil himself! - Only we could ha’ done without the extra trouble.” The two fell silent. ; jack Blake began to regret having so easily passed his word to Marshall and to Forrester. It began to look very much as though Mary Peabody, alone on the Foster, would have stern need of a friend; could he have left Marshall here and shipped with Howard; he might yet be of some service. On the other hand, after getting his . warning, the girl might charter another ship altogether, and he was bound by his word to finish the voyage on the Marshall. “T’ll wait for those orders,” he told him- self, “then I'll hit for the Moana Hotel, tell her what’s up, and go find Forrester. That—” CORMICLOOOLX< (C@