Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

The Secret that divided this fellowship from too much _ familiarity. “Tell me about it, won’t you, Chief?” he persisted. So Ward F enton related to him the story of their morning’s flight, smiling in tolerant good humor when the mechanician ex- claimed in delight at their sighting of the mysterious gleam under the water off the lonely coast to the south. “But,’’ objected Conway, voicing his | thoughts at last, “I can’t for the life of me imagine what the —— thing was, can your” “No,” Ward admitted, “I can not.” “Oh, gee, Chief! I know,” cried Carl, his eyes ablaze with his excitement. ‘I’ve seen it in the movies lots of times.”’ “Ves?” questioned his employer in mild sarcasm. ‘“‘What was it, then?” “A sunken treasure-ship!”’ cried Loder. “Spanish gallons or galoons or galleons, or whatever they used to call *em—you know, with bearded pirates and walking the plank and hanging at the yardarm and all that. And J’Jl bet there are heavy iron-bound chests in the hold, all stuffed full, and burst- ing with doubleloons and pieces of eight and —and jewels—and——” “Oh, hold on, Carl, hold on!” laughed Fenton, holding out a protesting hand. “You quite take my breath away with your mixture of dime novels and moving-pic- tures.” But Phil Conway, frowning seriously, came to Carl’s defense. “T’m hanged if I don’t believe the boy may be more than half right, Ward,” he in- sisted. ‘‘She’s a ship of some kind, that’s certain, and she must be of some value. Tell you what T’ll do. Vl make you a sporting proposition.” Fenton looked up at his friend, puzzled. “Well,” he said slowly, ‘“‘what is it?” “We'll have a wrecking crew go out and haul her ashore,” said Conway. “If her value doesn’t pay expenses I’ll personally make up the deficiency. If it does, we'll share profits, half and half. Come now; what do you say?” Again Ward looked at him, doubting that he was really serious. “Do you actually mean it?” he asked. “Most assuredly.” Ward hesitated. “Tt would take some time:? 2 “You intended to lay off for a month when you finished here anyway.”’ of Caprice : ” The aviator considered a moment longer, and then, seeing the almost childish delight in the eyes of Carl, held out his hand. “By Jove, Phil, I'll go you,” he said. “You have made me curious, and Carl would be heartbroken not to have a shot at it. But it’s to be share and share alike, whether profit or loss.” CHAPTER II THE SEA YIELDS A RIDDLE Wis the clearer and saner thoughts that came after a night’s sound sleep and a brilliant morning, Fenton found him- self regretting the agreement he had made the day before. , Carl Loder’s fervent tales of sunken treasure-ships now seemed child- ish in the extreme, and Phil Conway’s pro- posal to take a sporeng chance appeared so much drivel. But it was too late to withdraw. Ward had let himself be carried away by the en- thusiasm of his two friends, and had gone too far to retract. ~ Conway, ardent for immediate action, as he always was when he found something new to engage his attention, had hastily packed a suit-case and hurried off on an early afternoon train the day before to close arrangements with the nearest wrecking company, and to cash a substantial check so that they might have whatever money should prove necessary in their venture. Conway loved such sporting chances as this. He had a habit of complaining bitterly that the days of romance and adventure were dead, and that there was absolutely nothing for the modern young man to do but the strictly conventional things that gave only mild thrills for the secant until it was time to dress for dinner. “T want a suit of armor and a sword and shield,” he cried once, when particularly bored. “TI want a horse and a squire, or whatever it was they used to call their valets in those days. And I want to ride forth and deliver beautiful damsels from the Minotaurs, or—let’s see; that’s a trifle mixed in its dates, isn’t it? But you know what I mean.” And he had hailed this delightedly as just such an opportunity to stumble upon some- thing unusual. “Of course,” he said, ‘there won’t be any beautiful maidens to rescue or any brave com cS (é (<o) 000) — >, a