Adventure Magazine Cover — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

e ey | found | Slava with a miited grin on his dirty, unshaven face, in the act of pouring out a bottle of champagne. _ “Nothing here,” he remarked casually. “Steward seems to have left everything - Q.K., though. Have a drink?” _. “Mr, Selwyn!” exclaimed Captain Kel- 4 vet sharply. “This is no time for drinking. Please come on deck.”’ “Oh, isn’t it?” retorted Selwyn. “I’m -——dry! MHaven’t had a drink since I left ee. the old.tub.” ee “Will you kindly come on deck?” Se ee “No, I won’t,”, retorted Selwyn, putting ===. down his glass and looking at Vi. “This _-——s isn’t your ship anyway.’ oe “Don’t take any notice of the man, uncle,” said Vi, turning away disgustedly, aware that the tension between them which had been automatically slackened during the stress of immediate danger had been re- rer « Without comment Captain Kelvett turned on his heel and followed Vi. The second mate had not yet returned from his __ gearch. They went along the broad wooden - deck and entered the chartroom, which was, as customarily, beneath the bridge. In a _ drawer the captain found the ship’s log- book. Skipping over the ordinary entries regarding leaving port, he turned to the —__ Jast; but he gained no information, for it was merely the record of the course, wind and weather, written, he observed, on the 2 S _ previous night, proving that that morning the castastrophe, whatever it was, had occurred. ie the book. “Let’s see what is in here.”’ He forced another locker-drawer and ex- tracted the usual water-proof cylinder Con- taining the ship’s papers. +». “Phew!” he whistled, rapidly running Bare over them. ‘This is a rich prize! General eastern. Silks and spices, you know, Vi. Queer nobody took the manifest with them!” = While waiting for the Second and the es carpenter to return he mounted the upper bridge. The trigger on the dial of the = engine-room telegraph still pointed to full speed. In the wheel-house he found that _ although there was no force of steam the --—-—s#pipe was still warm. ee Now the wireless,” added the captain, “QUEER,” he commented, closing a —> be oS and hastened i along be operator’ —— it!” he exclaimed, standing and Ic ing ‘bal the machine. work the thing, but there isn’t any juice anyway.” “That’s true,” replied Vi. Nothing in the room was disturbed; the records and copies of the operator lay about on the desk, and a pen lying beside them suggested that the man had recently left. ‘Perhaps he was killed?” suggested Vi. “Mebbe. Anyway here’s the second. Well, Mr. Carnell?” “Had a Lascar crew, sir. They’ve aban- doned the ship. Three boats gone. chief, two other engineers and a young fellow who looks like the wireless man are lying in the messroom dead. Funny; they were evidently at breakfast, too! of life anywhere. Engine-room and stoke- hole evidently abandoned on the jump. Fires unraked and still warm.” “H’m. And you, Chips?” to the car- penter, who had come up with a —— line in his hand. “‘About six inches in No. 4 and nitions two or three in the others. Dry as a bone, sir.’’. s cabin, “y don’t know how to = : The | No sign | The captain looked at his niece, who looked at Carnell. “Can’t make head nor tail of it, sir,”’ said Carnell. - “Neither can I,” admitted the captain. “Those people seem to have been gassed or chloroformed,” said Vi slowly. “‘Chloroformed!”” echoed her uncle. “But how? They were at table. The smell would be there.” “The skylight and ports are all open, sir,” suggested Carnell. “Well, I don’t know,” said Vi, “‘but that’s what they look like. I’ve seen chloroform U effects often enough, the Lord knows, and— — Or gassed—not chlorin, of course.”’ “Well, whatever it was they’ve left us a fine ship,” remarked Carnell, looking about him appreciatively. “By Heavens, yes,’ assented Captain Kelvett as if suddenly seeing a new point of view. ‘‘She’s general eastern too, Mr. Carnell. You’d better get the boat in- board. Send a couple of the most reliable men to search her right through and report. “And then we’d better get under way. Wait. wireless?” “No, sir,” said Carnell, shaking his head. = Do you know anything about the