Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

DIRTY WEATHER. patterns indulged in from Sand Street to the Barbary Coast, and to “ Joe the Pricker ” in Port Said. “ Bové on watch, Diaz oiling, and Mar- tinez firing—rest all here.” “ Steward?” 7 Kes, sair. sair.” Hendriks, seated at the head of the long table that ran athwart the forward end of the saloon, regarded the groups of men be- fore him—the deck force, youngsters most- ly, although sprinkled with a few older hands, all of ‘them showing traces of the firm, lithe build, fair hair, smiling eyes, and ingenuous features of Scandinavian stock; the “ black gang ” comprised of the usual motley assortment of Spiks, Dagoes, Ar- menians, Greeks and what not, pale faced, smooth-muscled men, traces of their white skin gleaming through a covering smear of grease and coal dust; the steward’s depart- ment, immaculately neat, a group of immo- bile Chinamen standing perfectly at rest, their eyes cast downward, waiting. ‘““ At some time between two o’clock this afternoon and a few moments ago ”— thirty-seven pairs of eyes were instantly fo- cused upon Hendriks—‘“‘ someone on board this boat attacked and struck down Mr. Rutledge.”’ A murmur of comment, imperceptible as a ripple upon the surface of a wave, ran through the crowd. “We muster, including myself, exactly forty-eight men. The peculiar nature of the blow on Mr. Rutledge’s head precludes the probability that it was either self-in- flicted or caused by accidental means. “ Eliminating Mr. Rutledge leaves us a total of forty-seven, every man of whom, including myself, is open to suspicion, and his actions during the period of time that I have mentioned shall be subjected to a rigid examination. I will account to you for my own actions first.” The crowd, swaying in unison with the gentle rolling of the vessel, fused itself into a unit of inanimate silence, hung suspended in a common rapport of anticipant atten- tion. Hendriks continued: “Immediately after dinner I entered the chart room and spent the best part of an Each properly present, 167 hour in the company of Mr. Rutledge and the second and third officers. Mr. Rutledge and I then walked the bridge deck discus- sing various subjects until four bells were struck, when he went below. I continued walking the deck, stopping occasionally at the door of the wireless room to chat with Sparks who, to my personal knowledge, was sitting listening-in during the entire period of suspicion. “Granting, for this preliminary and, of necessity, superficial investigation, the mu- tual alibis of Sparks and myself, we reduce the number of suspects to forty-five. Of that number it is reasonable to eliminate Mr. Harris, who was on watch on the bridge, and Jorgensen, who was at the wheel. ‘“T also understand that Mr. MacDonald spent that time in assisting, in his cabin, Davis and Petersen, who are studying navi- gation and are going up for their tickets at the end of this trip. That leaves the num- ber at forty. Mr. Hopper ’—Hendriks turned to the chief engineer—“ you can of course account for yourself and your as- sistants?” “Yes. Second was on watch. First, third, and the deck engineer all with me in my room playing stud. That makes five accounted for. Then, with the second were Lopez, oiling; McKenzie and Grecco, fir- ing; two coal passers—the wop and Man- duras—which makes ten. Oh, yes, and the storekeeper was down below, too. Eleven in all that I can account for.” “Which brings the number down to twenty-nine. Bosun, how about you?” The bosun, a husky young animal of parts, blushed, hemmed, then rolled into the limelight. “Well, sir, Harry and me we was in the toolroom working—”’ “ Harry a sailor?” “Yes, sir.” “ Anyone else with you?” “* No, sir.” “That leaves twenty-seven.” Hendriks consulted the figures he had been jotting down on a pad. “ The carpenter, eight sailors, two oilers, four firemen, two coal passers—”’ ‘““T was up for’rd, sir,” Chips, the car- comicboooks C©