Adventure Magazine Cover — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

Yellow Treasure capstan stirred up in my mind the vague memory of something I had to do; some- thing that was in danger of remaining un- done if I could not remember it at once. ‘‘We’re back where I never expected we should be,” snapped the doctor, “and that’s on board ship. Does your head hurt you?” ‘“Where’s Burns? How did you find us?” I asked, tearing my hair as that vague memory of duty unperformed still haunted me. “Burns is in his bunk with concussion of the brain,”’ said Doc Parsons, ‘‘and I found you by the simple process of following Hop- see-Long when he came to town for the first time in five years. Thereby inci- dentally proving myself smarter than the Chinese Secret Service.” The rattle of the capstan stopped sud- denly. I could hear the voice of Fraser, with a high nervous note in it, ordering the watch aft ‘‘allee same quick.”’ As the only deck-officer on the active list, he was evi- dently attending to work at the bow and stern as well. We must be unmooring! “But what—where—” I began, trying to ask what had happened after the fight in the council chamber—what had become of May-sing “Vou lie down again and rest, young man,” said Doc Parsons, laying a calming hand on my arm. ‘There may be troubles ahead, God help us, but you needn’t worry about the past. You’re out of the clutches of men that had got a rack ready rigged to torture you—we saw it as we came in through the anteroom; and you’re putting to sea again. That’s better ‘than much fine gold.” Like a flash of lightning, memory re- turned to me. We were getting ready to drop down the river—to put to sea—with- out the gold for which we had been sent. We were leaving Nanking with the purpose of this terrible voyage unaccomplished. I hurled open the door of the room, and rushed to the bridge. It was unoccupied save for a Chinese pilot who looked at me calmly, and smiled as if I had been the most spick and span watch officer in the world instead of a blood-stained scarecrow in a uniform that was mainly rags. Turning, I staggered down the alleyway, brushing aside the doctor as he came out of. my cabin, and threw open the door of the cap- tain’s room. ness already,”’ he growled. 25 O’Day was there, sitting at the table wrapping a bandage around a horribly cut hand; his face, freed from the tension of his berserk rage, pale and drawn under the electric light. ‘“‘Are we unmooring?” I demanded. He stared at me and then at the doctor, as if to ask if I were in delirium. “We can’t leave!’’ I cried. has not been delivered!” O’Day started and rose from his seat, The loose end of the bandage trailed un- noticed on the table. “Have you got it?’’ he asked curtly. I stared at him, too used to the habit of silence on the subject to speak at once. But it was obvious that I had it; and O’Day stepped forward and gripped me by the shoulder. ‘“‘We’re escaping with our bare lives,” he said tensely. ‘We fought our way back to the ship in the center of a patrol of police. The whole district is roused. We ought to be staying to give evidence at the trial of those Tong-men but the Chinese authorities are clearing us out because they think our staying would raise the whole city. At this moment there’s a crowd around the pier- buildings, and a detachment of soldiers with a machine gun keeping ’em back. A man’s Just been on board to say that if we’re not gone in fifteen minutes, the soldiers won’t be able to hold the mob back.” I heard Fraser shouting orders now at the stern. Above the hiss of steam from the funnel rose the threatening murmur of that crowd ashore. ‘What are we going to do?” I asked. O’Day tore at his forehead. “It can’t be delivered,” he cried, “and yet— In ’sname, how am I going to obey orders like that? It’s impossible.” His face suddenly crimsoned. ‘“We’ve lost two men in the cursed busi- “We'll lose no more.e You can sling the packet over the side. Where is it?” “In the chart-house,”’ I told him, “‘behind a loose panel.” “What are we going to do?” he cried, still undecided, and in agony as to his sacred duty. “You can sail without me,” I suggested, without any pretense at enthusiasm. “Listen,” snarled O’Day. ‘‘I know what’s in this packet. Old Campbell stole the treasury of the Tae-ping Tong, and dared “The packet COmiclbookKks (© inn