Adventure Magazine Cover — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

foo steps of her uncle walking slowly ar softly. Nothing save the lame thump of the engines and the sough of the wind and | sea answered. . “Can’t make it out, Vi,” he commented on his return. “Haven’t heard the voice again, have you?” “Not a note. I suppose it must have been Mr. Selwyn. Anyway let us leave it till daylight, uncle.” “T suppose so. Can’t spare any men to hunt a drunken tool any Way. Go and turn in again, dear.” “All right,” answered Vi after a moment’s hesitation. ‘“‘Good night, uncle.” “Good night, dear.” She entered the chartroom again and, lighting the candle, peered around a little - nervously. She did lie down and eventually fell asleep. Chi Loo awoke her with a cup of tea in his hand. “Did you hear that voice last night?” she asked him. _ Chi Loo stared bland interrogation. | “Well, did you hear anybody singing?” “Sing? No hear um sing. Who make - sing?” “Oh, Heavens, there’s the woman again!” “I don’t know. I wish I did,” returned _ scoffed Vi. “Why on earth will you always 33 Ni. persist in treating a woman as if she were After a hurried sluice in the chartroom basin by way of toilet Vi mounted the __ bridge to relieve her uncle. “No news, uncle?” “None, dear. We must be well out of the ordinary lane by now. Anyway Ill take the sun at noon.” Save for the pageant of the dawn before the sun burned the colors out of the sky the sea was just the same foam-flecked mass as ever. Soon from beneath her she heard the steady snore of the captain, who was en- joying the first sleep he really had had since the Hesperus catastrophe. The monsoon weather is always warm and_ sticky. Standing watching the compass-needle and twiddling the little brass wheel becomes a monotonous job, particularly to those un- used to the work. However, Vi—with the _aid of the excellent cigarets bequeathed to her by the tragedy, which afforded her — Plenty to ponder upon—settled down to her watch with something of professional yey’ al listened maas to the quite scared me. being alone.” She looked at his unshaven face, ati = - tired out. a eo, “Oh. “You, Mr. Carnell! | Why, 90 streaked with coal-grime, and smiled, “Heavens,” she added, “‘you didn’t look aa into the chartroom port late last night, did “T look?” queried Carnell, staring at her. “Why, no. But why?” fi As Vi related rhea had happened he gazed at her keenly. “And uncle heard the voice singing too. It must have been Mr..Selwyn. Who else could it have been? The carpenter went over the ship, didn’t he?” “Yes, yes,” replied Carnell reassuringly. s Probably Selwyn on a drunken spree and hiding himself somewhere—easy enough on a big ship such as she is.” “Perhaps; but the face?” she persisted. “It—it didn’t look human. What are you looking at me like that for? D’you think I’m going crazy?” ““No, of course not,” he answered gravely; “but I do think that you’re run down and God knows you’ve had enough to kill any ordinary woman.” Dresden china? Haven’t you men learned anything at all in the past few years?” “Yes, but still—I wish you’d let me take the wheel for a while and rest a bit, Miss Kelvett.”’ “Don’t be absurd, I can do my part. You need a rest after stoking far more than I do. Here, have a cigaret and don’t look so gloomy.” He lighted one and leaned against the adjacent rail staring out to sea. “HOW much is this ship worth?” demanded Vi after a while. “Worth?” He turned with a startled air. “Oh, I don’t know. She must be about ten or twelve thousand ton. Somewhere around half a million pounds, I suppose.” “And the cargo more, I suppose.” “Tf it’s general eastern I suppose so.”’ “Well, you get a salvage share with uncle, don’ t your’ . I am getting so. used to = , war. Dit zed a WWE eta at he hey “sting Wi %" L y ul J as ria (OOPS RN: AN RO RAN 4) rt eo As ry {Pe 4 teat [x Wen d si resignation. _ Just after Chi Loo, the ever “Oh, yes.” - _ thoughtful, had brought her some tea and “Well, you'll be able to buy two or three —=3 ae | = biscuits a vee: voice eect her. commands if you want ’em, won oe Pee aS ‘eS . nt = + Hag, ~~ i . € ~- _—* to re - an - - 4 — "4 ~ eee . > = ~~