Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 2 — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

218 Instantaneously Spaulding’s mind ac- counted for the four human figures that he saw—Downey, Garneau, Strong, and the hated Marble. He swung his arm, stopped it in mid air, and sent the fire and ashes from his pipe bowl into the face of the man who had vaulted on board. The curses of that unfortunate broke the silence and the battle was on. Spaulding seized the gunwale of the first skiff and with a great heave emptied it of its remaining occupant. But by that time the second boat had reached the sloop, and he turned to receive a blow that sent him reeling back to the cabin companionway. Marble and Downey had been in the sec- ond skiff, and it was Marble who had struck. That fact loosed the bonds of the big man’s fighting spirit and he launched himself at them regardless that the odds were two to one with probable reenforce- ments coming to the enemy. In spite of a stunning blow from that murderous hook of Devil Downey, Spaul- ding got Marble down in the bottom of the cockpit and stood on him with a fierce exultation as he went after the leader. Tite Garneau, who had got the tobacco out of his eyes, sprang into the fray now; and Tom Strong drew himself out of the water. Spaulding marked them coming as he struggled to break through the defense of Downey before they coutd reach him from the flank or rear. Even this he might have done if it had not been for the cork arm, which moved always as an arm would not be expected to move and which dealt © an iron-shod blow more effective than half a dozen from an ordinary fist. Downey had been driven aft so that he was due to meet disaster against the swing- ing tiller in his retreat when the hook struck home above and behind one of Spaulding’s ears. He had just an infinitesimal fraction of time in which to understand what had happened; then his legs dissolved and he sank into unconsciousness. Through pain and nausea and a feeling of utter helplessness Hugh Spaulding strug- gled back to a misty awakening. The little hanging lamp told him that he was lying on the deck of his own cabin before his painfully moving eyes went about the THE ARGOSY. familiar place and found it empty. From the slant of the deck and the pound of water against a nearly motionless hull he knew that the Vixen had struck. It was still night—were they leaving him there so that he would drown when the sloop broke up? Surely that was absurd, for she might not go to pieces at all and in any event his bound hands and feet would cry ‘murder. The sound of voices ended his difficult attempt to think. He closed his eyes and two men came down into the cabin a mo- ment afterward; to identify themselves im- mediately by their words. “He ain’t come to yet, Bat,” said Devil Downey, “but he will. And then we'll finish up and beat it, for it ain’t long to daylight.” “Yes,” agreed Marble. ‘Have a drink?” The clink of glasses followed and a smacking of lips. “Did the Gull get her whole load off and up to your house?” asked Marble. “The whole hundred gallons is down cellar and hid under the potato bins!” chuckled Downey. ‘ The .boys on board the Gull done the whole thing. You see, I figured if we made a bluff to land in the cove and then stalled the sheriff there so he’d see us all ready and waiting he’d sure think the Gull had gone back to Canada with her load. And he did. He’s been hunting all around the south shore to find where we planned to store the stuff!” Now Spaulding understood how he had been used to make sure of the Gull’s escape so that she could make the landing really intended. He opened his eyes unconscious- ly, and found himself staring into those of Devil Downey. The leader indulged in a grin. “Pretty good crack I give you?” He picked up a glass from the table. “‘ Want a drink, hey?” “Water!” said Spaulding, and even then marveled at such apparent kindness. He watched Downey turn away and heard the sound of water running from the little tank. That brought uppermost in his mind the ‘intensity of his thirst and when the glass’ reached his lips he drained it in eager gulps and let his head fall back afterward with CORMICGLOOOKS (C@)