The Argosy — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

THE VOYAGE OF THE PULO WAY. 267 ‘*Shooting ! At what?’’ ‘Well, perhaps it may be albatrosses, or perhaps it may not be. You can never tell. It’s just what you’re not wanting that’ll come all the way to meet you.”’ ‘¢ But surely you don’t get albatrosses in these latitudes? ’”’ “‘Did I say it would be albatrosses? You understand—I merely go on supposition. For all I know to the contrary, we may be shooting sharks.”’ ‘‘ Well, look out that you don’t shoot yourselves.’’ “JT think you may go to sleep without dreaming on our account. You see, it’s a wee bit of metal we’re taking over for the Spaniards, and we just thought we’d like to test it for them.’’ Again he scratched his neck fringe, and then playfully rubbed the teased out end of the rope in among his black whiskers. But his little pale eyes fixed themselves on my face with a look so intensely piercing, that I had to turn from him and pretend to watch the men on the fo’c’sle. ° He in the mean time passed behind me and mounted the bridge, and in a moment or two after I saw him go over to the other side and speak with Hayling. What he said I could not hear; but judging from the grave look on the second niate’s face, it seemed of much importance. Truly, I had not liked the look of Captain Macshiel, nor were his facetious replies to my ques- tions such as met with my approval. Still, when the king condescends to joke, one must hold one’s sides with laughter. I leaned just under the break of the bridge, with my back against one of the stanchions which supported it. In this position I had a full view of the work that was going on forward ; if I turned my head a little to the right and looked up, I could see Hayling if he happened to be leaning over the rail in the starboard corner. Indeed, we had exchanged several smiles and nods, and it was his serious face, looking towards the cannon, which first made me regard with suspicion the work that was going on there. Plainly, I saw that he did not approve of it, and it made me ask myself the question why? But, to be candid, at the time the business did not seem of much moment, and I watehed the proceedings merely because I had nothing else to do. Occasionally I looked up at Hayling and smiled ; but, indifferent as I was, I thought each time I saw him that his grim face grew grimmer. As I said, I was leaning against the stanchion just under the break of the bridge, my pipe in my mouth, my eyes fixed on the men forward, who were rapidly getting the gun into position, when all at once I happened to look up at the starboard corner. There was Hayling partly hanging over the rail, a look of fear and warning in his face. My eyes plainly asked what was the matter, and he replied by shaking his head backwards—a quick, sharp movement which I read as expressing haste and fear. Instantly I drew back, subject to an involuntary impulse, and as I did so a marlinespike fell hissing at my feet and struck with a dull thud into the deck. Had I not moved on the second, the heavy instrument would have crashed through my skull. For a time I trembled like a woman, a shivering sensation sweeping me Eomichbookszco i ae eee 1 oe. eR ee FY Fe) re bet fee) Se a ee a 2. peel. “et se a ee -* ee e , e e Pe ong e e ot, Se. Oe, ee, OS ee h- PP al Ne Oe 2 rs 4 7 ee aoe oe = = ae ~ i .” ae, - - eas Clee . @ See ¥ > . * se a eg. ae hme | Ay ——* tis : * ia oN ene ae ie et etn he ee et ee =