Adventure Magazine Cover — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

eg The r men ¢ came eax of ‘the Farccustle’ carry- scend to the proximity of the wie in g bundles of hastily gathered provisions and their wardrobes, which they had replen- ished on the Monsoon. As they passed over the lower bridge they called out urging her to ? join them. She did not deign to reply. They made for the one boat left on the starboard side of the after end of the middle bridge and began to swing her out. Ap- parently there was some discussion about getting better provisions from the saloon, but nobody apparently was willing to de- “singing monkey,” as they termed the ape. : As she stood there, watching the black _- bows rising and falling almost imperceptibly against the expanse of sea gaily flecked in the bright sunlight, she grew very con- scious of the body of her uncle in the chart- “room below. A sense of awful desolation overcame her. She became the rey of a picture of herself alone in the great ship at the mercy of this orang-utan or whatever other horrors were beneath the deck that had been responsible for the death of the “previous victims. Hours it seemed, waiting on the bridge there, listening to the swish of the seas against the:indifferent hull. She could hear the men abaft the engine-room skylight still wrangling about Some matter. “Fools!” muttered Vi angrily. “They don’t know how to navigate, and they’ll 9 never be picked up! : IN THE dismal statement Vi found pleasure which seemed to comfort her. If only a steamer would come along! She could not forget the body of her uncle in the chart-house. She lighted another cigaret to dispel the emotion. Per- petually she glanced anxiously at the com- panion doorway. Then another thought disturbed her. Sup- posing the beastly ape came out and fat- tacked her! She had no revolver nor a weapon of any kind. Involuntarily her eyes sought the direction of the men loading the boat. Conviction began to grow that Carnell and Chi Loo had been killed too; that she would be left alone with this singing horror. There was another boat left, but she could not handle that single-handed. Sense of time became distorted. At _ Tength in desperation she descended to the es with an idea of as? in the chante ‘for another pectleg. recollect- across the saloon and then made a convul- ing that Carnell had said that there were © : two. - ee As she- approached the door she bene: eee distinctly a step on the companion stairs. ; Certain that it was Carnell returning, she rushed to the door. She peered below, but» she could not see any one. = “T’d better get that revolver,” she thought, pe and turned toward the chart-house. = Simultaneously with the sound of scuf- = fling feet a body struck her shoulders and “33 arms wound about her. Convinced that the singing monkey had got her, she screamed. Then she heard a laugh and glimpsed a coat sleeve. “Selwyn!” she gasped, and began to struggle furiously. He laughed and, lifting her off her feet, z bore her down the stairs, saying in her = ear— = “T’ve got you now, you little devil!’ =i But the contact with something so tangible as Selwyn had instantly dispelled uncanny fear and allowed the return of reason. Vi lay still until he was half-way -e An . i { ar Rey tte qf o f : . ‘fe v of i. ' be e Ms a & : ta ali assole } ‘ be ¥, rua yy we . ASAT he 4M) 0), ¢ 5 jaa? tals Ad Da the sive wriggle. This enabled her to get out of his arms for a moment and to free her right hand, which she brought with all her force across his mouth." He swore and grabbed her. They went down on the floor together. She fought as ~ fiercely as a leopardess, trying to get a ju-jutsu hold. But he managed to evade her long enough to drag off the saloon table- cloth, which he succeeded in wrapping about her arms and mouth. At length, gasping with anger and exertion, he sat down on a chair and swore, telling her what he intended to do with her as he wiped sweat and blood from his face. ‘Suddenly he got up, entered the pantry and came back with a bottle of champagne, which he proceeded to drink. With his © shirt in ribbons and the stubble of his face covered in streaks of blood, he looked an ugly object. This man could not have been responsible for the first murders obviously. As Vi was thinking desperately how to circumvent him and wondering what had become of Carnell and Chi Loo a giggle sounded out- side, and into the saloon pranced a creature ae in a shirt and a pair of dungaree pants. His straggly wisps of beard sprouted from a wizened face almost the color of mahogany —