The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

THE THING THAT WAS CAKSAR’S. inextinguishable grin of the coolie class, wet, hungry, and bedraggled, came forward. “My glood bloy—my no catchee bloat. You know me. No _ sabbee Kow Lung—me clabin boy take care numbel ten cabin—” He was openly disturbed, and his eyes were as red as the eyes of an angry mongoose. Oakes, watching him, determined that it was - opium working. Six years working with the coolies had taught him something of their habits, and he knew the boy could have had very little, if any, food. “Why you no catchee bloat and go longside pleecee claptain? ”’ “My try catchee bloat. Lascar mans him take oar hit him me top-side head. My no got head all same this.” He tapped the iron stanchion plate that supported him. “My no got head now. ‘Take look see—” He unwound his cue and- bending forward his. shaven poll they saw a long, dark welt that ran across it as clean cut as though it had been drawn with India ink. . “Poor fellow,” said the girl. “TI suppose he means to tell us that some one hit him over the head with an oar when he was trying to get into one of the boats. We'll take him with us.” “Why, of course,” said Heming- way. “Kow Lung, you go catch clothes and put on raft and hurry up about it.” He motioned to the raft, and the deft Chinese boy, promptly ducking aft, came presently with his bundle, which he lashed along with the other things that Hemingway had secured. Realizing suddenly that the raft must be shot overside when the sunken bows of the steamer should touch the reef, Oakes saw that she might not right, but might come to the surface upside down, so they had to work fran- tically to unlash all their little stock of belongings so that in case of the up- setting of the raft they would riot lose them. 603 . They had hardly done this when a low, muffled crash and jar told them that the sunken bows had grounded, and they saw, rather than felt, the stern swing slowly in till, with a low grinding jar, the whole hull lay right along the reef over which the low surf broke as white as a rain-washed bone. They pushed and pried at the lever that moved the raft, and it took all the strength of the three men, Kow Lung’s toes spreading like the sticks of a fan as he pushed, to tilt the raft over till she began very cumbrously and heavily to slide by her own weight. “Stand back now! Over she goes! Thank the good Lord—” They had cause. The mass of gray painted steel shot overside and, land- ing on its own cigar-shaped nose, dis- appeared under the quiet waters, to presently come up stern first exactly where it sank. They brought it back with the line, and gathering all their scanty belong- ings, to which Kow Lung added an ax and some rope, they lowered Mar- jorie to the raft, and, getting out the unwieldy oars, pulled heavily toward the shore. ““T want to get you safe ashore first of all,” said Oakes, ‘‘ and then we can go back for some more supplies— something in the way of a tent, for instance. There’s no telling how long we may be here. I have no idea what the place is— -“ What’s the matter, Kow Lung? You work your oar, confound you, and never mind pokin’ me in the back with the loom of it. What’s the mat- ter?’ growled Hemingway, for the boy had dropped his oar and touched him upon the shoulder. He turned quickly and let his gaze follow the boy’s finger. Far off, along the shore, he saw the faint shape of a mast and lateen ‘sail stand out against the sky. He dropped his oar in his excite- ment. “ By Jove!” he called cheerily. “T call this luck. Look, Oakes! Mar- jorie! We're as good as rescued al- CO NOO AMUUC S CO@