Adventure Magazine Cover — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

The Dream’s End her faith in herself and shied off before the booming wind and roused sea. Loman complained: “They don’t keep her into it. They laugh and talk back. What will we come to, Sondheim? . . . By gracious, I’ve a chill! I do believe this thing has touched me. Perhaps a hot sling— You have a bottle of whisky——”’ “Excuse me, sir! That bottle goes back where it came from.. There’ll be no using that. A physic’s the right thing for a chill. Give it a try once.’ Seven men gaunt and ridden with sick- ness; seven pairs of legs swollen to twice their natural size; seven mouths so bloated in the gums that speech was agony and eat- ing an impossibility; seven pairs of eyes cast hauntingly at Arnie! No more mate than any man aboard, abandoning the blundering Samson and her pathetic humility, Arnie Sondheim wrestled against seven men’s surrender of effort and taught them strength to meet physical weakness, taught them pride of life, nursed and fed and cajoled, and took his rest in cat naps. Between hours in the forecastle his gaze scanned the sea for the saving sight of a vessel with fresh provisions aboard her. A bushel or two of potatoes—what would they not mean here and now? But no vessel hove in sight; they plunged. on in the wind’s eye.and barely held head- way; at times they lost it—and yet in such a blow the haughty Samson should have skipped like a yacht and whipped{out red- blooded music in her stays. Captain Loman, avoiding the sick-bay, threatened the short-handed watches and made a frightened terror of Grover, the second mate. He came down in a tempest upon Arnie. “Your duty’s to the ship, Sondheim. Stop thistand get busy, do you hear?” Arnie had never in eighteen years dis- obeyed orders. He met the captain’s will grimly. He answered: “Bad food and three days in the Sound wouldn’t be duty to the ship. I'll be tend- ing to that duty, sir, first. humans I mean.’ Thereupon the captain reviled him and announced he would write such impudence into the log. Arnie shrugged. At the galley door he called for more broth. He called twice before he comprehended what had happened. A mumbling voice It’s duty to 131 proceeded from the floor; something was squirming and panting there. “Dunno why my pesky legs— Down- right queer— Ina spell— One secunt——’” A thud and a groan. The voice ceased. Arnie leaped in. Japes lay staring up. Then indeed the world laughed at Arnie. The little Yankee cook taken! Red spots of anger swam before his eyes. He knew at once what he would do; this settled it in his mind. He got Japes into his bunk and strode down the companion. He was just in time. Captain Loman, pallid and shaking, had dethroned the pre- cious whisky bottle and was engaged in trying to uncork it. Arnie wrested it away, fighting angry, worn to the limit. Loman sank back and collapsed. A thrill of relief something akin to joy seized Arnie as he perceived the preud:gold seal still resting on the bottle’s mouth. He shouted; Loman only shook his head. Bear- ing off his treasure, Arnie bawled for the crew. They came running—all who could. He ordered the sail trimmed and reshaped the course. Instruments and chart he scorned; he knew they were off Cape Blanco, and just south lay Crescent City. He had money in his pocket. He was running the Samson in for provisions. In that wild race shoreward he dared not let his mind stray from the thing he had set himself to do. A voice in the rigging shrieked at him, and to harken was te know that it was Lelona’s voice demanding what he meant by this. It was not reasonable; it was not life; it was a yielding to the old and barren instinct. But he set his jaw and steered on. Standing by Japes’ side, he let himself ink just once of what he was doing. Money slipping through his hands. Money! Ah, Japes had twelve thousand dollars awaiting him m San Francisco—and life was a handful of potatoes! Painfully the little Yankee meved his lips; his words were distorted. “Never ‘ll b’lieve it— Husky whaler nine cruises. Would ye be speechin’ to ’em how I hev cooked?” This was the burden of his effort. The rapidity of his going under con- founded Arnie. Room for that other thought there was none; only how to bring Japes through. He bathed him and tried to make some broth; this he had to give up; but one man aboard the Samson could S (C@ (COMMICE OOC)