The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

THE THING THAT WAS CA‘SAR’S. ~Miss Downs smiled the close-lipped smile of tolerant unbelief. ‘He says it was in the Forbidden City, in 1900, when the foreign devils desecrated the place! And we know that to be true, Oakes!”” Hemingway drew his breath hard. “ He says it was with Gordon in the Taiping re- bellion in the South in 1860; and that it came there from India, where it caused all the trouble that led to the great mutiny. He says it was the cause of the war across the Black Water, when the gray coats fought the Feringees—that’s the Crimean War—and that he has heard it caused trouble across the Atlantic—that’s the Far Water—”’ “For the love of Mike, let’s see this trouble-maker ! ”’ “Oh, it’s the same old box that I showed you in Manila.” Hemingway handed it to his friend, who scrutinized it carefully, listening mechanically to the ravings of the sick man. Suddenly a shout from the decks made them all start and look at each other and then run up the companion- way that led to the deck above. “Oh, doctor! ”’—the shout was from the bridge—“ get all the people from the hospital and come as quickly as you can. ‘There’s trouble among the coolies—” There was, indeed, trouble among the coolies, the first sign being not the milling around. that one would have seen among Occidental people, but the quiet gathering in groups along the bulwarks that terminated in a rush at Oakes as he followed Miss Downs along the decks. | Three men rushed at him—one, a great burly six-foot Chinaman, sha- king from his sleeve a vicious-look- ing butcher knife. Oakes promptly knocked him flat and trampled him un- mercifully as he fairly shoved Mar- jorie ahead of him up the ladder. There was a roar of voices in the engine-room hatch and a curt com- mand floated up to him above the reek of oil and hot water. 571 “Rig your fire-hose to No. 2 valve. Now, Foster—turn on your main steam!” It came not a moment ‘too soon. The rush of the coolies had got as far as the break of the poop when two burly quartermasters ran hurriedly to the port gangway, dragging with them, by the crossbar, the heavy brass nozzle of the fire-hose that was used daily to wash down the decks. Almost in the very faces of the surg- ing crowd Nolan, the square-shoul- dered, turned the key and the jet of saturated steam struck the head of the crowd. It melted as the ice melts in a lake thaw, but with screams and curses, and a moment later a similar stream on the starboard side drove back the crowd on that side, and the scalded, furious Chinamen slunk forward. But the now furious master did not stop there. The stream of hot water and steam, backed up by the Black Gang with eight-inch spanners, drove the now frenzied crowd below decks, and the gratings were lashed in place to a chorus of shrieks and yells from below, accompanied by a knife or two that fell back tinkling from the heavy teakwood gratings. “Oh, you would, would you? I'll show ’em! Play cold water on ’em now, Mr. Gray. Soak it to’em! Now, what the devil started that row, any- way? It just shows that you can never trust the Cantonese.” An hour later the doctor and Miss Downs went again to the evil-smelling hospital, where they found the priest semiconscious, with two other sullen- looking Chinamen squatting on the deck by his side. They listened attentively to the mut- terings of the sick man, and finally summoned Hemingway, who could put his words into better language than the Chinese boy. The three bent over him, listening eagerly to the broken whispers that came from the fever-blackened lips; and to his low-voiced, rapid speeches, COMicdoo S CO@