Adventure Magazine Cover — page 20: what you’re looking at

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14 pirate worse off for discipline, comrade? We can work to mutual advantage. The more merry men get together the better. There is plunder enough in these seas for all of us. “My name is Avary and I hail from Devonshire. It is my aim to reduce the taxes in these parts by a more equal di- vision of goods. If it is in your mind to think as we do, let’s talk together. on the beach, if you still mistrust us.”’ The other broke into a great laugh. “Tf you fight as well as you talk,” he said, “there should be rare pickings in your company.” He shouted encouragingly to his com- rades in the woods and squatted down on the beach, after he had slapped his great paw into Avary’s open palm in token of confidence. The men came slowly out of their concealment and formed a ring about the newcomers. “Fulke is my name,” said the bearded man. ‘‘We come from the East Indies, borrowing our sloops to go upon the ac- count. Borrow is a good word, Captain Avary, though we were less fortunate in our opportunity than you. They are fast sailers, but we have but four cannon apiece. Set us by the board and we will show you how we can fight. The East India Com- pany, to whom the sloops belong, is a mi- serly body and we thought you sent after us. “With you for flagship and we scouting, we can hunt up rare prizes. This is the sea- son for travel to Mecca from India. In the Arabian Sea we can take tribute from the Mogul’s ships and load ourselves to the rail with treasure. I know those waters. To hang off the mouth of the Indus offers the best chance. “But ’tis dry work for me, talking. We are out of good liquor, for we came away in somewhat of a hurry. This native foke is villainous stuff. Sink me, Avary, but [ like your style. Ill go aboard with you.” IT DID not take long to cement > 4, the partnership. Fulke’s men were Ssee@9 q hard-bitten set of rogues, and a carousal made all sworn comrades. The sloops were easily hauled off at the full; fresh water, meat and fruits were traded for with the complaisant king, whose main village was near by. The three craft made sail northward under a full moon the same evening, bowling along in company for the Arabian coast. Here ° Adventure The sloops proved but indifferent sailors compared to The Duke, save in light airs. After dark Avary sailed accordingly in order not to be separated. They made slanting course over the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea heading across the equator up to the angle where India merges into Baluchistan—a_two- thousand-mile voyage that took them far from land across desolate, sail-less leagues, upheld by thoughts of the rich loot promised by Fulke and by Neill, captain of the second sloop. Provisions ran low before they sighted land. ‘Twice the sloops had to come to the ship to replenish stores. The wine and spirits were exhausted, save for a few bottles Avary had stowed away for his private con- sumption; the water-casks held a rapidly diminishing and evil-smelling fluid that was rationed out at the last as a miser spends gold. They passed the Indus mouth, plain enough to tell by the brown water spreading fanlike far to sea, and made a landing close to Karachi. They careened The Duke and scrubbed the sea-growth from its hull; they scraped the sloops, refilled the water-casks, traded with natives for coconuts and goat- flesh, also for arrack. Fulke urged speed, before the Mecca season should be over. Tales were brought them by the natives of ‘rich vessels that had set out with pil- grims. News was confirmed by several sources that the Great Mogul himself, Ruler of All India, was outfitting a great ship in which no less a personage than one of his daughters was to embark, escorted by many principal people of the Mogul’s court, bearing with them rich offerings to present at the shrine of Mohammed. This item fired all minds as a match explodes gunpowder. | ‘Said I not so!” cried Fulke. ‘‘How will they travel? With all manner of equip- ment, with slaves and attendants, with vessels of gold and silver, with great sums of money to pay their expenses, not to speak of the gifts—gold dust and gold bars, bars of silver, elephants’ teeth, pearls, rubies, emeralds as big as your fist, shawls from Kashmir worth their weight in gold, perfumes and essences, an emperor’s ran- som!” The assembied pirates cheered lustily, half-drunk with arrack. Each in imagina- tion saw himself handling vast treasure, CORMICLOO© S (C@)