Adventure, November 1915 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

| The Gold Lust Yuck. He left them behind to take us by surprise, with Henley to talk us into think- ing they had left for good. He didn’t leave _ his own men, I notice, but put it up to Henley. We'll have to get out of this or we'll have the rest of them back. A WARNING came from Winton. The sagging body of Loo Chow seemed to have taken on life, moving jerkily. It fell forward as Henley, whipping the belt from his victim, yelled in defiance while he secured the extra cartridges. Only his arm showed from the shelter of the rock, but Foo Chin sent the sand flying close to it, evincing his ‘disappointment at the miss by chattering to Ah Sing. “He say he get him bimeby, sure,”’ said the latter. ““He speak, Loo Chow all same his blotheh. Henley he kill Loo Chow, Foo Chin he kill Henley, sure.” “Tf we could only get him out from that rock,” said Addams, “‘we could get the boat loaded and away. Those chaps in the cave are a lot of cowards. One of us can keep the three of them back. Henley’s too close to be pleasant and he’s making better shoot- ing of it.” Ba poe The rock behind which Henley was hid- — den was heavily fringed with seaweed and it was hard to tell from where the next shot would come. The body of Loo Chow lay in front and to one side of it, and they were repugnant at the thought of hitting it with their own bullets. Meanwhile, as Addams said, Henley was getting the range. They moved two of the _ boxes to bulwark them, but the angle of fire was still acute enough for a well-aimed shot to do damage. The three in the cave, who had left their comrade to struggle on the sand till he died, fired at desultory intervals, but they ap- peared afraid to expose themselves and the bullets went wild. A shot rang out from the summit of the cliff. The figure of the woman still lay there but, close by, Selim, brought from the scheoner by the firing, was making a target of Henley with his rifle. The Arab was not the best of shots, but the sand showed where he was finding the range. Henley, finding the cross-fire too hot for safety, sprang from his shelter and ran in uneven leaps, with surprising swiftness for his lameness, under the protection of the _ cliff from Selim, dodging from loose boulder 67 to boulder as they fired at the flying mark. They were out of range of his automatic now and Addams, anxious to get away before Tuan Yuck returned, issued new orders. “Keep the cave-mouth covered, Jim,” he said. “Peggy, see if you can find it. That’s fine!” he cried, as a bullet from the rifle he had handed her clipped the rock at the entrance to the cavern and._ricochetted inside. ‘Keep firing; don’t aim too high. That’s better! Any sign of the ship?” he shouted up at Selim. ; The Arab, still taking ineffectual pot- shots at Henley, shook his head. “Stay there and keep a lookout!” called Addams. ‘‘Now, Jim, let’s get the boat into the water and some of these boxes into it. Keep firing, Peggy. Lend a hand, Ah Sing. Where are you going, Foo Chin?” The giant Chinaman, who had been shooting steadily at Henley, dodging ever farther away among the boulders, threw down his rifle and, bent at the hips, glided cliffward. He reached the body of Loo Chow and lifting it easily brought it back and laid it on the sand by the boat. He spoke rapidly to Ah Sing, ignoring Ad- dams’ question, then, doubled at the waist, started after Henley. “He say, we take Loo Chow to ship. He go kill. Bimeby he come back,” said Ah Sing. ‘ Foo Chin continued toward Henley in the face of a furious fire from the latter’s automatic. Henley reached the last of the rocks, broke into the open and disappeared around a buttress of the rocks, Foo Chin in swift pursuit. The three men got the boat into the water under cover of Peggy’s rifle and car- ried half the cases aboard. “Now, Peggy,” said Addams, ‘‘you go in. Give me the rifle.” He took it, slipping in fresh cartridges. ‘“‘Aren’t you coming?” she asked. “Next trip,” he said. “Jim and Ah Sing will row you to the schooner, and then Ah Sing will come back for me and the rest of the gold—and Loo Chow’s body,” he added in an aside to Ah Sing, who nodded under- standingly. “Please, Peggy,” he asked as the girl hesitated. “Make her lie down, Jim. I'll hold these chaps back easily enough, but they are liable to take a shot at you as you pass them.” — Gomichbook (C@