Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

Bosun!” he roared. “Send that mob fishermen on deck, or by the wench that ve you birth, I'll send you to hell with er! Chop-chop now, you carrion!” Softly, quietly, his. lips barely parting to nermit the words to flow through, the sea , standing at the top of the ladder, ina up. that was eluding him still. y Vit. ." “ as a a * oa (on fice—to that other side where rogance of power, ae ut the endless reaches of the sea. or ” : a, er Se 5 LY é ssed the mainmast; darted through +arboard side and raced for the poop. f ea lawyer was there before him. ard the whining voice, we the noises of the deck. Ol your tongue.” = Set OP a ee whisper to each man as he any realized that the moment had - He looked at the mate, outlined rug- against the gray sky—at the slinking, ring rats of men that drifted past him n the ladder head. His mind sickened, revolted at the patch that was being fitted in—there was something beyond the mean- jing of the moment that he had failed to srasp—something: that had eluded him— ‘The surface urged that here was simply ‘a. case of rottenness fighting rottenness with e de hand as a judge between the wo, and yet, in spite of all, everything in im, everything that had gone to the mak- his training urged him to the other ide—at whatever cost—at whatever sacri- ce the mate food, alone, impregnable, superb in his ar- of authority, standing -square—no matter how dirty the feet— the pedestal of Command, that high that must remain unshaken through- ae : no longer eluded Danny—that was it, what he had been groping for, searching for 1 the darkness of his indecision. He was an. officer—above all else—no matter what ud! happened to him, or what the Fates had rled upon him, the idea stood out plain His place belonged back aft curiously “ Mr. ‘don’t like your habits or your pin’ Dan Brannigan, his mouth - the monumental insolence, drew « ~ nat ad 8 . oe a ~ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. shot. The fist sank weakly—Brannigan hesitated—mute—resisted to the last the sapping weakness that forced him to his knees—superbly kept his head upright; then, with the expenditure of his power, bowed slowly to the deck. . Danny saw the splendid collapse, a sick- ening lump clogged his throat, dumbly he tried to move forward—to take his place before them. His knees felt weak, his feet leaden, his mind refused to function, the rest was blurred—chaotic. The second mate, a sickly youngster fresh from school, broke the spell of hypnotic stillness by jerking out his pistol and firing hysterically at the crowd. The boatswain screamed as the bullet pierced his side. That scream broke all hell loose. From a group of stunned, silent men they whirled into a wild, maniacal mass of animals— fighting, yelling, clawing. They reached the poop deck and fell upon the second mate and the skipper and bore them down. The sea lawyer, his face livid with hate, was cursing, kicking*and stabbing the body of his tormentor; his face had lost all sem- blance of human form; his mouth dripped foam; flecks of blood spattered his lips, where his teeth had punctured the skin. The vessel had swung about and was running free—her yards yawed back and forth in crazy abandon — the rigging whipped and strummed at the strain im- d upon them. Fifteen minutes after the mate had struck the helmsman it was all over, his body had been cast into the sea, along with those of the skipper and the second mate. The sea lawyer gripped the situation at its flux— the uncertain moment when reaction sets strongly in and opens the gates of mob ac- tion to the bitter, coldly clear forces of rea- son—and of fear. “ What I say ”"—the men stopped short and listened—* from this here moment on— goes!” And he pointed a meaning finger over the side. “ Whalen!” he snapped. “ Where are you?” Then, as Danny stepped out from the darkness: “I want you to come with me. . sea lawyer came 2 single accustomed watches as before. Keep her on. “on te f ree g ed Fe tg atk aie ~~ 7 ys * omy ‘all - " ~~? te 7 PF aint ‘te - . wae Eb .% rr a ra xa * in = i ¥ vit - ~* —.* comicbooks.com re. ss Gree 7 : Li - . ‘ sur = >