Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

402 center, and the moon would remain be- hind it for all of fifteen minutes. And he ‘seemed to have left the Pavoroso without attracting attention. Jones was aboard, too, by this time. His tender was bobbing at the ladder, and Girton held his breath once more as he watched the three or four sailors in her and prayed fervently that the almost inaudible plashing of oars might not reach them across that bare two hundred feet of black water. And then he eased, for they were quite absorbed in their own chatter; smoking, laughing, they sat about the engine pit —and now the danger virtually was over. And: the job that lay ahead was not exactly without danger! Behind him were some dozen of Alvarez’s men, armed, fighters by preference; but on El Fuego what might he finde The little destroyers were always un- dermanned, and shore-leave, prompted by universal sympathy with the Guanaman thirst, was a chronic evil of the navy— but it was entirely possible that forty or fifty armed men were awaiting his coming! Not that it mattered very much, save as. concerned the chances of quick suc- cess. With Mercedes aboard El Fuego, the powers of evil themselves would only have invited Mr. Girton to battle to- night! He whispered, ordering a little more speed; he looked very thoughtfully at the faces about him; and _ then, glancing up at the lights, he noted that they were fairly under the stern of El Fuego and sliding around to the starboard side and the ladder. And just overhead now! Why, men were swarming out of the small boats there. They had been detected at last and they were bumping the side; and his own men were rising as one—and Mr. Girton, automatic in hand, bounded ‘up the ladder to El Fuego’s deck! The very suddenness of his advent seemed to have paralyzed those nearest him. Teeth bared, gun for the moment THE ARGOSY. forgotten, the pent-up emotions of the evening exploded within Stephen Girton. There was a dark face near and a rifle- barrel; his fist obliterated the dark face, and the rifle flew overboard. And behind him there were yells and the jostling of his own men and a shot or two—and after that, for a little, Hades itself broke loose! Although for Girton it was a joyful infernal region! and swirling, pounding and hammering ecstatically! Men were yelling and men were falling; in a twinkling instant he saw Raporta, first officer of El Fuego, narrow-eyed and savage, fire a shot at one of the dock workers—saw the first cfficer lifted bodily and sent crashing to the deck, senseless—saw a knife coming in his own direction, and heard the crazy scream as he gripped the arm and all but tore it from its .socket— saw Patero mightiest of the stevedores as_ three men dragged at him—saw Patero hurl one out of sight along the deck, and the other bodily into the near, out-hanging cutter—saw him grip the neck of the third and squeeze and shake until the bulging-eyed face vanished from Mr. Girton’s ken in a new surge of battle. Another knife was coming his way, and he leaped toward it and laughed madly— for his very expression seemed to have frightened the senses out. of this latest member of El Fuego’s crew, and he had thrown away the knife and was running to the side—saw three more coming at him, head down, and leaped at them as well, bleeding fists hurling at them like two triphammers! There was, perhaps, nothing really civilized or intellectually uplifting in any of it; but the fact remained that, all things considered, Stephen Girton had not enjoyed himself so thoroughly in a long, long time! And then—why, he was slamming and punching at the empty air, and a dock- man, with one eye closed and a cheek badly cut, was grinning at him and saying: comicloool His fists were swinging. C©