Adventure Magazine Cover — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

Yellow Treasure “Not while I live!” roared O’Day. “I was sent for that gold; I’ve got it. I’ve come out here on the high seas with a crew of murderers, and made my officers face certain death, rather than give it up, to the authorities,-and I will stick to it until I’m dead. My orders were to bring that. gold. I’m paid to obey orders. The first man that lays a finger on one of those cases I’ll strangle with my bare hands!” “You are a brave man, captain,” said Hop-see-Long, bowing where he sat. The two of them looked into each others’ eyes for a moment. “And to a brave man,” said Hop-see- Long, “I can refuse little. Be seated, honorable sir.” O’Day remained standing, every muscle tensed. With a fine courtesy, Hop-see- Long rose and stood opposite him. “But I can not allow you that you should convey this treasure to a traitor, a mur- derer, and a thief!”’ he said sternly. “And I can not allow you to take what’s in my charge,” snarled O’Day, “and I won’t!”” Hop-see-Long bowed again. “T shall not demand it,” he said, his gaze running around our haggard ranks, and finally resting on me as I lay with my head in the crook of May-sing’s arm. “Upon this gold,” cried the old man, in the tones that the old prophets must have used, “lies a curse! It was taken by my father, with violence and bloodshed, though his cause was just. It was the reason for his fall and his miserable death, from which I alone, of all his children, escaped. During my years as leader of the Tong, though lost, it was the cause of strife, of rebellion, of conspiracy. The hope of finding it was the reason for the rise of this accursed Murchison who has tried to use the’ Tong for evil ends. To this ship and to all of you, it had brought terror and death. Now I tell you that there shall be an end of it! Let the gold be hurled into the sea!’’ O’Day started. “Tf it goes into the hands of Campbell,” went on Hop-see-Long in that strange high voice, ‘he will use it to suck the blood of the people as he has drawn the blood of your youths to gain it. He is an evil man, and gold in his hands is a deadly poison to the world.” Mackenzie broke in with a hoarse growl. “It’s sol”’ he rumbled, “‘it’s the truth. 37 What am ah gaun to tell the mithers of the twa dead boys?” O’Day looked around at us. I tried to shout my agreement with Mackenzie but my throat would not work. The faces of the others were drawn with a hatred of the grasping traitor who had sent us on this terrible errand. “Tf you agree,’ said Hop-see-Long, ‘a crew of my men shall work your ship home; and the life of Campbell shall be spared. For assuredly the knife of the Tong is at his throat. He has sacrificed others in his place long enough. This I tell you: that if you or any of you die in defense of this treasure, the thief shall not live. Tonight the peril of this treasure ends!” O’Day looked up at him suddenly. “T agree,’ he said. .“‘Not because I’m afraid of your numbers. I’d turn to and fight the whole lot of you, and so would Burns and the rest of us—even Carter there with his smashed leg.” “It is not to be doubted,” bowed Hop- see-Long. “But you're right!’ shouted O’Day. “‘The stuff is accursed! It’s got the curse of all gold and the blood of hundreds on it! Get it off my ship and let the sea-water wash it!” Hop-see-Long bowed again. “Tt is done,” said he; and over his shoul- der snapped an order to his men. Even with a May-sing to make conscious- ness desirable one can not lose blood long without also losing one’s grip on things. Now my head had dropped back until all I could see was the column of sparks from the bridge—across which, as I looked, the launch at our side began to send a stream of water from her pumps. “Tf it’s anybody’s gold, it’s yours,” I heard O’Day say. 3 “I am rich,” said Hop-see-Long, ‘and my wealth is honestly gained.” There came suddenly a silence, broken only by the labored breathing of men near me. I was perhaps five feet from the case which lay to starboard. It was heavy. Twice, as it was lifted, there was a bump as it slumped back to the deck, and the pad- pad of more men coming to help. ‘““Aaaaah! Aaaah!” gasped three or four voices, in the strain of lifting. ‘‘Acha! Acha!”’ ““Farewell!”’ cried Hop-see-Long suddenly, in English. “Farewell!” GOMIIGoOO S (© inn