Adventure, November 1915 — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

‘ 168 * dishes aside. T opened my door and peered into the pas- sage. It was deserted; Mary’s door was closed. I stepped forth, composed my fea- tures to as near an air of nonchalance as I could assume, and crossed to the ward-room. XVII quiry, and there was an excited buzz in the air. Instantly I gathered the aaa. of the scene—Farley standing by the open medicine-chest, a bottle in his hand; Dacy at the head of the table; Von Werner standing impassively by Dacy’s side; a member of the crew facing Dacy. But it was the gruesome spectacle which caused the excitement that claimed my first attention. The table had been cleared for half its length by roughly sweeping the food and Upon the cleared.space re- posed Henderson’s body. The fixed light in the ceiling shed strong rays upon the ghastly heap, making the clay seem shrunk- en within the clothes, accentuating the hor- rid angle the head strayed from the trunk, showing the tight-clenched hands. Beside the body, Podd sat ina chair. He sat rigid, clutching the table-edge and star- ing straight before him. He was evidently oblivious of his surroundings. The pupils of his popping eyes were enormously dilated and were filmy; and despite its cadaverous contour, his face seemed swollen. Above the talk rose his stertorous breathing. |~ I looked about for Dooin, but the little man was not to be seen. I was greatly re- lieved. His absence presaged that Podd had not spoken, that he had not been dis- covered. “And I stumbled across him crumpled up on the deck, in the lee of the funnel,” the sailor was telling Dacy, when I grasped the drift of the conversation being carried on. , He was the fellow who had fired the midship gun when the Mauresubia was ri- fled—the navy deserter. “T’ll get to the bottom of this; there is some deviltry afoot!’’ snapped Dacy. There was fury in his voice, yet strangely enough I seemed to catch the ghost of a smile playing beneath his mustache as he contemplated the dead man upon the table. Farley’s eyes had been upon me since my entrance. “Here is McNeil, now,’ he purred. DACY’S voice was raised in in- — Adventure “Question him—he may throw some light upon this matter.’’ His voice was soit, as ever, but there was a wealth of malignancy in his tone. Dacy nodded to me genially. “Where have you been during the past fifteen minutes, McNeil?’ he demanded. “In my room,” I lied in as cock-sure and offhand manner as [could muster. “TI have been bandaging my shoulder, and minding my own business.” Dacy nodded as if satisfied. “*You see,” he said to Farley. “*You don’t seem to be troubled about the death of both your deck-officers!” Farley exclaimed. He spoke the words accusingly. The air was electrical with the clash of wills. Dacy shrugged his shoulders. I was sure he was smiling. “Why worry?” he said. “One of those devils forward had a run in with Hender- son. His life went to satisfy a grudge.” ‘Nonsense, I can account for the actions of every man awake at this time!’’ retorted Farley. “Oh, can you?” remarked Dacy with sarcastic interest. ““That is rather strange.” Farley cast a furtive, sidelong glance at the Captain. There was a fleeting, startled expression on his face. “No, no, I didn’t mean that literally,” he hastened to add. ‘But it is absurd to sup- pose that one of the crew did this to Hen- derson. Why, he was popular with them. This man—” he favored me with one of his hate-ridden glances— “‘must know some- thing about it.” Dacy did not reply to this. He remained _lost in thought for a moment, his eyes roving from the still figure upon the table to the equally rigid Podd. “Where is that little Cockney?” he ex- claimed suddenly. “Has anybody seen him?” “In the pantry, no doubt,” answered Farley. ‘What is his name—Dooin?” said the Captain. ‘‘Dooin!” he called aloud. To my astonishment the reply was prompt, coming through the partly opened door of the pantry in a weak and tremulous voice. “Aye, aye, Guvnarh, ’ere Hi be!” The owner of the voice materialized an instant later, standing in the doorway, a very limp and shaken Dooin who regarded GComichoo (©) =) S