Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 23, 1924 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

SHIFTING SANDS. A hundred yards out six triangular black fins were showing above the surface of the rollers just before the waves combed and crashed to the beach. “ Tiburones—tiburones, senors, big ones! They feed in the surf as the tide comes in. They perhaps saw you and were waiting for you to go in the water. They would have dashed in and got you! Come inside to the bay and let me pour water on you from a bucket, but remember these waters are full of sharks big enough to eat you!” Trembling from their narrow escape, the two men stood a few moments and watched the school of sharks, which undoubtedly had seen the bathers, and were in mass for- mation ready for a dash at them. ‘‘ Ah, those sharks, they are very smart!” commented old Juan. “ Like rats—very cunning—they get you when you least think!” They poured sea water on each other as they stood at the edge of the little inlet, while old Juan and Pedro, having moored the boat, were foraging for fresh water and driftwood for the fire. Soon the coffee was boiling. Watson and Clay, having dressed, sauntered about, and caught a small fish left in a pool by the tide the day before. Pedro cut a chunk off the fish with his knife and, clambering up on the huge rocks near the entrance, tied the morsel to a line and let it down alongside. Directly he drew it up with an enormous rock-crab holding on. His father came running with a landing net and, immediately after se- curing the crab, put it in a bucket of water on the fire; threw in a handful of salt, and broke up several red pepper pods in it. Pedro caught eight crabs, huge ones, each of them with a single claw as large as that of a lobster. They were popped into the bucket of boiling salty water, to add to the supper. Watson found a fishing line in the Es- peranza, and put a piece of the cut bait on the hook, whirled the line about his head and sent it out into the little bay. It began to run through his fingers, burning them considerably until he managed to get a sort of half hitch on the line around his forearm. Then he had a tussle which at times 178 pulled him to the edge of the water, and finally dragged out into the shallows an albacore of, fifteen pounds. Pedro pounced on it, and holding the fish by the gills, hauled it ashore. “Aha, a fine fish; one of the best to eat!” commented Juan. “We will have him as the Indians cook fish,” explained Pedro. He directed Wat- son and Clay to gather all the driftwood they could find, and to dig a hole in the sand and pave the bottom with stones. Pedro then went up into the dank woods of the mountainside and returned with arm- fuls of wild banana and plaintain leaves and a large handful of some others which gave an aromatic odor. Digging a hole in the sand about two feet deep, it was paved with the stones and a fire built in it. Other rocks were arranged about the sides and a flat, larger one was propped up so it would heat. Throwing plenty of wood on the fire the party assem- bled for supper. Juan Alegre had made coffee, grown upon the very mountains in whose shadow they were encamped; roasted almost to a cinder at home and pounded up by his wife, ready for use. There were the huge, sweet rock crabs, better even than lobster. There were bread and fruit, and some of the bean cakes warmed—a most satisfying meal. More wood was gathered to keep a blaze going during the night as protection against tigers, huge snakes, and wolves. The fire in the pit had died down to-coals. These were raked out; the albacore stuffed with the spicy leaves gathered by Pedro, then wrapped in many folds of the banana and plaintain leaves, and laid on the hot stones. The large flat top rock was very hot, but it was pried in place as a sort of cover, leaves stuffed under it and all about the fish. Then Pedro dashed a bucket of water — down in the hole and all hands hastened to make a mound of sand, covering the hot rocks deeply. When this had been completed they made ready for sleep right out on the warm, dry sand. The thunder of surf outside lulled them and the warm, soft salt breeze was an overpowering opiate. (E00) .OOKS