Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

= expected. Instead of inflaming him with livid anger, it simply extracted from him every whit of muscular tension and ren- dered him deadly calm, gave him the look of a Death’s head. In that moment Arnie perceived a wonderful thing; the power of human speech to break through the ter- rorizing effect of the destroying storm. For clear as crystal in Grant’s countenance showed all at once a quieting, intolerable shame. He did not speak. Arnie buttressed him- self and grasped the mate’s thin shoulder. Their glances met; Arnie felt Strangely dis- turbed and began to bluster: ~ “Take your choice. A few more like them’ll put her under. She’s a goner if she runs; maybe she’s a goner if she heaves to. What do you say?” “All right,” came simply from Grant. “T’ll go set the jib.” And he must actually have gone had not Arnie thrust him back, studying him the while. (X51 THUS with the first haggard streak Ys) of dawn that barely dissipated the ~ night’s darkness the Jessica, having somehow by the grace of Providence worn round in the midst of a hellish sea, stood bows on to the increasing tempest—for, hard as the wind had blown, it blew even harder now, blew hard walls of chiller and chiller air against which none dared venture out except one Captain Sondheim, who periodi- cally renounced the banging, rolling cabin for the wet, plunging deck whereon with a whimsical grin of the tested cynic he fought for his life, wrestled the mad mast and was flung utterly without mercy against the bulwarks and the cabin siding. Charley Grant had lashed himself by his legs twined around the legs of the fixed table, and when Arnie tumbled down the ladder, bedraggled and bruised, he cried to him: “Anything I can do, sir? Do you want some help on deck?” “T’ll be trying for the galley,” Arnie said. “‘Japes is in there.” “You can’t make it; you’d be swept off. You shouldn’t try it.” “Can’t?”’ echoed Arnie.. ‘‘What’ll you bet me I can’t?” And he laughed. “VYou’ve got guts.” Grant’s tone spelled sincere admiration. ‘“You’re big.” “Go on!” the eulogy was repudiated. “What's the difference where you take it Adventure and how it comes? I’d as leaves turn ’er beam-on and let ’er go.” “No, you wouldn’t,” Grant flung out. The calm was on his face again, that odd something that struggled with the fear and momentarily defeated it. “You don’t know what it is to give up. I do, but you don’t. You'd fight after you were beaten.” “That’s funny.” Arnie braced himself and considered this. “By ——, I do hate to quit! No sense in it, either. stubborn animals, I guess.” He had never in his recollection talked this way with anybody, and it made him feel silly, but somehow this queer fellow brought it out, made him want to tell his mind. And Grant ventured deliberately: “That’s not it. Animals don’t fight after they’re done in.”’ The ship spun on a crest and dived for the trough, flinging his head back sharply against the bulkhead. He swallowed the pain. “Tt’s self-respect,” he jerked out. ‘You'd give all you’ve got even if you got no return for it.” “Come again.” Arnie wagged his head. “T want to get paid for what I do. I don’t work for nothing. But seventeen years without finding it—that’s enough.” The noise of rushing, grinding water im- mersed them. The Jessica groaned. “What are you after?” Grant asked, adding, ‘‘Listen to her pound—whew!”’ Arnie watched the lamp soar in its arc. “T don’t know. Nobody knows.” “There’s money,” suggested Grant. He was merely stared at. ‘“There’s being captain—that’s something.” Arnie muttered an oath. ‘There’s hay- ing it easy.” “Having it easy—that’s like dying. I’ve got to be on the jump.” “But not this way.” The mate’s hand went out in a semi-circle. ‘The very air stinks down here; it’s like living in a tene- ment. You’re no hog, sir.” “TJ don’t know. I’ve lived in rotten fo’csles all my life. I didn’t much care about it.”” Suddenly he broke out, ‘‘What’s it all about, I’d like to know?” “T’ve wondered, too.” A terrific sea shipped aboard with the We're © sound of Gabriel’s trumpet. Grant lost color _ and gasped. CORNICLOOKS (C@