Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

72 but when they came to the turn in the deck where it opened outboard, Katrina and Thorpe were almost swept off their feet. The man held the girl close to his side, throwing a protecting arm about her. He literally dragged her into the doorway, and as the Barbuda lunged they stumbled to the foot of the companionway. Here they stopped for breath. There was a sound of raised voices issuing from the pantry, the door to which was just at their left. Katrina looked up questioningly at Thorpe. “It is the steward’s department—those blacks are as crazy with fear as the pas- sengers. Gad, what cattle! The steward- ess and the second steward are with the passengers, trying to calm them. You can lend a hand, if you will. ard—his name is Godfrey—and I have managed to get most of them up in the social hall. If you and Miss Dare can han- dle them up there, we're all right.” Katrina nodded. “Till do what I can to help. It’s fine of you to stand by, Mr. Thorpe!” she add- ed, and then she climbed up the stairs. - Katrina, cheeks flushed and eyes bright, should have been an inspiration to the frightened men and women assembled in the saloon. But they were beyond inspi- ration. Those who were not too sick were too frightened to take comfort in Ka- trina’s calm. The sick ones would have found nothing short of death comforting— and death seemed not to come, but merely to hover at their elbows, as the Barbuda reeled and plunged beneath the assaulting seas. As the last passenger was dragged into the social ‘hall, after having been half- pulled, half-thrown up the careening stairs, Katrina turned to Thorpe and smiled a quick ‘‘ Well done!” | She was about to add something more, when above the storm she heard something thud to the deck outside the saloon. She flashed a questioning look at Thorpe. He went to a port-hole and looked out. Then he turned to Katrina and said, for her ear alone: ‘“Qne of the officers—evidently fallen _of helping the stewardess. The second stew- . ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. down the bridge ladder. I can just make him out. and go out and get him!” ~ “ Quick!” Katrina gasped. rolls or is washed overboard.” __ The two men made their way out of the saloon, while Katrina went on with her task She went from sick woman to weeping woman, from pallid man to swearing man, speaking words of cheer and comfort. It was a hopeless task. With each terrific sea that crashed down upon the laboring ship, fresh fear sprang into quailing hearts. Katrina suddenly found Thorpe at her side. He was drenched, the drops stream- ing down his face from his hair. The girl went aside with him. “It’s the skipper,” he told her gently. ‘ Pitched down the ladder from the bridge. Both his legs are broken. We have car- ried him to bed, but God knows what we can do for him. They carry no doctor on this ship. I am afraid he is hurt internally. He is suffering—” He broke off, shaking his head. “ They’re wirelessing to the Koromanti, the nearest ship, for a doctor,” he added. A little cry broke through Katrina’ s white lips. She grasped Thorpe’s arm. “ Take me to him!” she begged. “ Please take me to him! MHe’s the closest to me on earth—my father’s great friend. I'll stay with him until the Koromanti’s doctor comes. Will you help me to his room?” Thorpe nodded and took her arm. They paused beside Miss Dare to tell her of the ‘““ Before he accident, and then went below and out on — deck. The wind was at their backs and took them headlong to the foot of the lad- der leading up to the promenade-deck. Up this they struggled, Thorpe first, in order to drag Katrina over the top step onto the wind-swept deck. The captain’s quarters lay just. forward of the social hall. Could Thorpe have ven- tured to opén one of the social-hall doors, he and Katrina would have had but a step to go. But to have opened one of those doors would have been sheer madness, as the deluge of wind and water that would have swept in would have set the passengers into a fresh panic. CONMUC He’s lying there. ' I'll take Godfrey: OOOlKKS (CO