Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

270 liver her teas, and a wager of twenty thou- sand pounds a side between England and the United States. Never before had the stakes been so high. The Valkyrie lay below the rest of the fleet, close to Pagoda Rock. She was gen- erally recognized as the likeliest winner, and as such was favored by the shippers. On the 22d of May the first lighter of new tea came down the river, and Valkyrie stowed her flooring chop of three hundred and ninety-one chests and two hundred and twenty half chests. The 24th of May, the queen’s birthday, was supposed to be a holiday, but all through that day Pagoda Anchorage pre- sented a scene like that of a battle fleet coaling before action. On Saturday, the 26th, Forbes drove his gangs like mad. Sunday was his lucky day; by that time, at all costs, he must be ready for sea. With sixteen lighters alongside, he set a pace that surpassed all others. At 2 P.M. Saturday, Valkyrie’s last chest was handled. She was the first clipper ready. At 5 p.m. she unmoored, and with a tug- boat alongside dropped well below the ship- ping and anchored for the night. Every- thing was ready to sail at dawn. Early Sunday morning, with a clear lead of all the fleet, Valkyrie began to single out her lines preparatory to standing out to sea. Richard Dunbar and Second Officer Pugsley walked up and down impatiently, waiting for the final order. ‘‘ Where’s the old man? He’s a long time showing up this morning.” At length, with the sun peeping above the horizon, Dunbar went down to the cap- tain’s cabin to rouse him. A moment later he came rushing up, pale and startled. “ What’s up?” “The captain’s missing!” CHAPTER XXXVIII. A LOST CAPTAIN. LL day Sunday Valkyrie lay idly fretting at her mooring chains, while her rivals one by one finished load- ing, broke out their anchors, and passed ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. down river. About the middle of the morning Guthrie’s darling, the Dorothea, went by, her crew jeering and taunting the impotent Valkyrie. The California and Lo- thario finished loading and got away to- gether. About noon the Wanderer catted her anchor. With increasing impatience Dunbar watched the rival clippers dropping down to sea. Frantic messages had come from the hongs ashore. But no sign of Forbes. His disappearance was a complete mys- tery. The theory was that Forbes’s boasting had so incensed his rivals that they had caused him to be kidnaped at the last mo- ment. It was impossible, however, for Dunbar to fancy any one kidnaping Bully Forbes. Early that afternoon, in a six-oared gig, with a crew of stalwart Chinamen, he start- ed off up river on his own accord, himself holding the yoke lines, taking none into his confidence. The scenery along the Min was magnifi- cent. On each side of the river hill rose above hill cultivated to the summits, by means of terraces so steep as only to admit of stunted fir. Along the banks quaint Chinese villages, forts and joss houses were scattered, while the river was crowded with junks and sam- pans. Through this crowded traffic Dunbar urged his crew at a fast clip. Arrived at the landing, he instructed the boat crew to await his return. . He made straight for the tea plantation of One Lung MacBayne, where he arrived late that night. The old man, as usual, was reading in the moonlight. “Ha, ha—the fates hae brought ye back,” he laughed. But on this occasion Richard did not tarry. In the garden, according to expectation, he encountered Wanda MacBayne and Cap- tain Forbes, seated together in a lovers’ nook. Forbes’s eyes, ecstatic, glazed, spoke of an advanced stage of opium. He looked at Richard blankly, but saw him not. But Wanda MacBayne came toward him rapturously. COmmicloool< (C@