Avon Fantasy Reader No. 9 — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

& | certainly heard something, Sir,” I said. “I wish the others would hurry. By Jove! Look! What’s that—”. “Where?” he said, and sent the beam of his lamp to where I pointed with my axe. “There’s nothing,” he said, after circling the light all over the deck. “Don’t go imagining things. There’s enough solid unnatural fact here, without trying to add to it.’ There came the splash and thud of feet behind, as the first of the men came up over the side, and jumped clumsily into the lee scuppers, which had water in them. You see she had a cant to that side, and I supposed the water had collected there. The rest of the men followed, and then the Third Mate. That made six men of us, all well armed; arid 1 felt a‘bit more comfortable, as you can think. “Hold up that lamp of yours, Duprey, and lead the way,” said the Skipper. “You're getting the post of honour this trip!” left hand, and carrying my axe half way down the haft, in my. right.. “We'll try aft, first,” said the Captain, and led the way himself, flash- ing the bull’s-eye to and fro. At te raised portion of the deck, he stopped: “Now,” he said, in his queer way, “let’s have a look at this. . Tap it with your axe, Duprey. . . Ah!” he added, as I hit it with the back of my axe. “That’s what we call stone at home, right enough. She’s just as rum as anything I’ve seen while I’ve been fishing. We'll go on aft and have a peep into the deck-house. Keep your axes handy, men.’ We walked slowly up to the curious little house, the deck rising to it with quite a slope. At the foreside of the little deck-house, the Captain pulled up, and shone his bull’s-eye down at the deck. I saw that he was looking at what was plainly the stump of the after mast. He stepped closer to it, and kicked it with his foot; and it gave out the same dull, solid note that the foremast had done. It was obviously a chunk of stone. _ i, “i, Sir,’ I said, and stepped forward, holding up the lamp in my I held up my lamp so that I could see the upper part of the house more | clearly. The fore-part had two square window-spaces in it; but there was no glass in either of them; and the blank darkness within the queer little place, just seemed to stare out at us. And then I saw something suddenly . ..a great shaggy head of red hair was rising slowly into sight, through the port window, the one nearest to us. “My God! meee that, Cap’n?” I called out. But it was gone, even as I spoke. “What?” he asked, ; jumping at the way I had sung out. “At the port window, Sir,’ I said. “A great red-haired head. It came right up to the vindow-plact and then it went in a moment.” The Skipper stepped right up to the little dark window, and sasbed 98 CoOnnicloooks Com