Adventure, February 1917 — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

o& Crossed] _ Author of “On the Strength of the Evidence,” “The Abduction of Swain,’ etc. N THE surface Asia had never been more peaceful. Ships plied between ports as usual; mer- chants bought and sold and made contracts for the future; the mission- aries moved peacefully among the people, preaching their messages and healing the sick. There was no outward sign of the vol- cano which those few who control the des- tinies of races knew was almost ready to erupt, shattering the calm and turning the Pacific into a great battle-ground for con- tending fleets. The Peruvia had just dropped anchor in Hongkong Harbor, and I was endeavoring to get from Ragan, her tall, lean-jawed skip- per, some news of Brock. Two weeks before Captain Brock, of the general staff, had slipped out of Manila with secret instructions for Admiral Willing in Shanghai. He had made the run to Nag- asaki on the transport Thomas, and there transshipped to the Peruvia for the three- day journey up the China coast to Shang- hai where the United States Asiatic Squad- ron was lying. **You say he got through safely?” I asked. “You mean did he get the papers to the admiral?” countered Ragan. ; “Of course, that is what he was sent to 0. “Ragan moved over and sat down in the swivel - chair before his desk, letting his glance wander through the open door across the blue strip of water to the bund with its swarms of Chinese coolies. “Yes,” he said after a moment’s reflec- tion, “I saw him board the launch which had been sent down for him, and the night we left Shanghai I had a wireless from him saying ‘All right.’ I take it nothing hap- pened on the run up the Woosung River.” He picked up a pen and with it began to stab the blotter on his desk. “Any new developments this morning?” he asked. “No. Apparently the dickering is still going on at Washington. My feeling is that Japan will break off suddenly and try to strike a smashing blow like she did with Russia.” Ragan continued with his stabbing. “T suppose so, and it will be the Asiatic Squadron. Their fleet was lying outside when we left Shanghai. You know what that squadron is, a mere collection of obso- lete cruisers and river gunboats which are all right for overhauling junks and picking up pirates, but which would have about as much chance against a modern battleship as a man with a rock against a man with a rifle?” “And Brock,” I went back to the man in whom I was interested, ‘I suppose he re- ported this to the admiral?” “T suppose so,” said Ragan laconically. His manner piqued my curiosity. Evi- dently something had happened on that trip from Nagasaki to Shanghai which had left Ragan angry at the army captain. “Look here,” I asked, ‘‘what happened to make you sore at Brock? What did he do?” 179 00K (EO) (E@)