Adventure Magazine Cover — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

/ “a be BES ! ‘ 5 . - ~t -Braune’s system was extremely simple A a and effective. He had good judgment in the picking of leaders among men and once found proceeded to break them as an ex- ample to their following. The plan had in it some courage and daring, and: Braune had never had it fail. ‘Like most of the others, Jim Falcon had come aboard with a skeleton kit, that being ‘the clothes he stood in, depending on the ship’s slop-chest for whatever outfit he found necessary, and Kinky Braune took the serving out of these clothes as the op- portunity to instil his first lesson. But Falcon also had a nice sense of values, and on this voyage he had determined so to efface himself that the burden of chieftain- ship would not fall upon him. Falcon was worn and jaded, with deep lines in his tanned face. Too large a percentage of his food and drink for the past months had been raw spirits. There had been the heading of an arms-smuggling expedition which had left him strife-weary and near hunger. He had no desire to run foul of Kinky Braune. This trip, he told himself, was to rest up, work the alcohol out of his system and put a reserve of flesh on his big-boned, sinewy frame. Consequently, being a real leader, he had known how to dodge leadership and had even ignored the challenge of “Link” Collins when that big fireman had elbowed his way into first place in the washroom and chose for himself the most desirable bunk. So also Kinky Braune made a mistake when he set out, according to his lights, to subdue the controlling spirit among the men. On purpose he handed the fireman a suit of overalls several sizes too small. “Give me a man’s size; will you?” said Collins with surly insolence, breaking back into the line and throwing the garment be- fore the mate. “Get back in line and wait your turn.” Braune’s close-set eyes measured the other with almost spoken challenge. “Pll take my turn now,” said Collins hotly. ‘‘Sore of you brass-bound mates do a lot of hiding behind your uniforms.” -Braune laid aside his coat and stepped from behind the chest of clothing. He was well content with the way things were go- ing. “You want your turn now, do you?” he said. “There’s the uniform and here’s the turn, if you’re man enough to come and get it.” - Collins rushed and was stopped suddenly : Be by asolid fist tohisjaw, Thefightwas soon s over. After the second knock-down the and sent a heavy foot crashing into his ribs. “T wouldn’t do that,” said Jim Falcon. ‘The manis licked, sir, and has quit fighting.” ’ He stood over the prostrate Collins, facing the mate. “Another of you wants a little lesson,” - answered Braune angrily, but the blow that went with the words missed its mark, as Jim Falcon dodged back across the deck, covering up with the skill of a practised boxer. Braune leaped over Collins and followed. When the time came Falcon struck back, a clean, sure blow, as if his body had un- coiled like a steel spring; but Jim Falcon knew at the instant of its giving, when Kinky Braune only shook his bullet head and came on, that back along the broad road of dissipation he had lost the power to put a hard man out with a single punch, and that the steel in him was tired and need- ed rewinding and retempering. He thought of this with a little dismay, for never before, with every condition right and his aim per- fect, had he failed to score a knock-out. The slip gave Braune his opportunity as well, for with the attempt he found an open- ing and stretched Jim Falcon senseless along the deck. “Tf any more of you want a turn, you can say the word now,” said Braune. “‘Other- wise, we'll go on back to serving out the clothes.” | ) CAPTAIN Melvin McRae had seen the fight from the bridge. He made ‘" no move to interfere. With Kinky Braune in direct control of the men it was the captain’s theory that the man should use his own method. He did not exactly approve of the method, and he meant to caution Braune about kicking, but to Jim Falcon, who had looked to the bridge before he interfered, the captain had appeared entirely indifferent. Braune put on his coat, ordered a bucket of water thrown over the two men to bring them to and continued the day’s work. After a little while Jim Falcon got up, walked into the washroom and looked at the bump on his jaw in the small and as yet un- cracked mirror. Link Collins joined him as he bathed his face. © fireman did not get up. Braunerantohim — ae