Adventure Magazine Cover — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

36 Nox, HE STOOD on the rail and raised SYSA)) the broken half of that dull . gray SSS sword of his. As if at a signal, there came from the boat below the shout of many men. “He have brought help,” sobbed May- sing to me, before she ran forward to throw herself at the old man’s feet. “Thank God!’ I heard old Doc Parsons mutter. But the danger was not past. For one moment, the apparition of the son of Hung-sew-Tseuen; and for another moment that shout telling of numbers within call, had checked the Tong-men facing us. As Hop-see-Long stepped down to the deck and raised his daughter to his arms, the crew’s leader—a _ low-browed villain with a thin drooping mustache that added to the repulsiveness of his face— stepped up to the old man and snarled a few words at him, demanding, it seemed to me, by what right he interfered. Hop-see-Long gently put the girl to one side; with a frightened run she came back tome. At the same moment, over the rail, appeared the two attendants who had followed Hop-see-Long into the council- chamber. They, too, were torn and wounded; with their master they made a grim trio standing there by the rail with the swaying masthead light of their vessel behind them. Hop-see-Long spoke. “He say he is head of the Tong,” whis- pered May-sing. The leader shouted a reply in which [ could distinguish, often repeated, the name of Murchison. I did not need May-sing’s whisper to tell me that our crew was dis- claiming allegiance to Hop-see-Long, and contempt for his orders, and proclaiming their loyalty to Murchison and the Old Empire. I expected at any moment that Hop-see- Long would raise his sword and strike the fellow down; but he did not. Instead, he smiled and turned to one of his attendants. The man slipped around from behind him to his side. | The chief of our enemies was shouting and shaking his claw-like hands in the old man’s face. ‘‘__ Murchison!”’ I heard him say, and then with the scream of a fanatic. ‘‘Murchi- son!” “Murchison?” said Hop-see-Long quietly. And made a sign to the man at his side. Adventure The next instant, thrown by the attend- ant as one throws some distasteful article away, a round object struck the canvas of the hatch-cover, bounced, rolled over the uneven projections of the hatch and came to rest, full in the glow from the bridge, where all—the Chinese, now suddenly cowering behind their leader—O’Day, the girls—all of us, could see it. Grinning, its eyes turned up in the last agony, there lay the head of Murchison! shouted Hop-see-Long, in a weird yell of triumph. ‘“Aiiiiii!’ came an answering shout of many voices from below. For a moment the scene was motionless; then—it seemed to my confused senses—in a flash, armed men had swarmed over the side. Old Hop-see-Long stepped forward on to the hatch-cover, kicking aside the body of a Chinaman which obstructed his path. His servants surrounded the eight men remaining of our crew and shepherded them with violence to the side; but of force there was no need. They went unresistingly; and as the leader, last to leave the ship, turned as he reached the rail and bowed low to the victorious leader of the Tong. The old noble on the hatch ignored him. His eyes had picked out from among us O’Day, in all his disguise of rags and blood- stains; and squatting himself, as it were, on a throne otf blood-stained canvas he motioned the captain to come and sit with him. With his men forming a fierce semi- circle behind him, the dead littering the hatch-cover, and the flames from the bridge throwing odd shadows across his terrible old face, he looked like some Chinese god of war, holding his court. “Captain,” he said sternly, as O’Day staggered to the hatch-coaming and sat, “TI have come for the gold.” O’Day raised his head sharply. “T pursued you to save your lives,” went on the old man, ‘‘but this murderer aboard has said that you are escaping with the remainder of the treasure the traitor Camp- bell stole from my father and the Tong when he betrayed us in my infancy. Is this the truth?” O’Day stood, staggering. “yest he cried, lt 1s—-the truth! There lies the stuff.” “Then I will take it,” said Hop-see-Long softly. COmiclbooks C@ iin