Adventure Magazine Cover — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

616 The meanings and values of cards and their combinations were far easier to him than his own baby talk, English or Chinese. Neither did he win with the unnecessary vivacity, or lose with the dismalness of your amateur. Give the child a pack of cards and he was a Jack Hamlin. Sometimes for sport, and without stakes, he would play me a game of piquet, announcing beforehand that he intended to cheat; but, watch as I might, I could never catch him at it; and he would half close his black sloe eyes, and roar at my ignorance and stupidity. For two days and nights it rained and sleeted, and the wind howled. And we passed the time with games and cards and conversation. We even had a great candy- pull, got up by Carmen for Lichee’s bene- fit; and made a great mess in the galley boil- ing down molasses and pulling it till it was white, sprinkling our hands with flour so that the sticky mass should not adhere. And all this merry-making was to pass the time that our enemies should take in dying! Well, now that it’s all over, that is, per- haps, a horrible thought. But even if we had sat in solemn rows, twiddling our thumbs, it would not have helped in any way. And, as a matter of fact, while we were trying to amuse time away none of our enemies died but Blake; and his death had come upon him while Carrol was being fer- ried to the shore. THE third day broke overcast but rainless. During the night Jerry Top had left us, being sick to death of schooner life. But whether he swam off to the island or to the mainland we never knew. Probably it was to the latter, since it was nearer and not populated by people likely to do him harm. He left the clothes with which we had supplied him lying on the deck, and departed the Shantung almost as naked as he had come to her—but not quite. For we found that he had taken one hair- brush belonging to Bessie, Lichee’s clasp- knife, and a jar of strawberry jam. For my part, I wish him well and hope that when- ever he tires of shore life he will spy a vessel in the offing, and vice versa. About nine o’clock of the third day Car- rol, once more waving the white.flag, was seen on the landing, and on the brink of the cliffs far above him we perceived the rest of the gang, Kelsey, Brandreth, and another whose name turned out to be Swigot. These Adventure three sat upon the edge of the cliff, at a point where it was more than perpendicular, and, their legs hanging into space, resem- bled three small boys on a very high wall. And it seemed to me that in thus disregard- ing the perilous altitude they showed some- thing of the desperation to which they must have been brought by the cold and the rain. But we kept Carrol a long time waiting, and decided at last to bring him off to the schooner only because we had been pent up so long that we were eager for diversion even of a disagreeable nature. Furthermore, we thought that by a close look at Carrol we could estimate how long the business of waiting might be expected to endure. But it was evident at first glance that Carrol’s deposits of adipose were serving him in good stead; they formed a kind of eranary of reserved strength and nutrition upon which he could draw. White he was —very; thinner; and had a grave, drawn look; but his eye sparkled with intelligence and determination; and, whatever his inmost estimate of the situation, he had neither the expression nor the bearing of a beaten man. He chose to present himself as the herald of the stronger party, as, indeed, he was in one way; for the treasure, now as always the real sinews of war, remained for the present on his side of the quarrel; and he chose to be sharp with us for having kept him waiting. “Tf you hadn’t sent for me when you did,” said he arrogantly, “I would have refused to treat with you at all.”’ “Treat with us!” said Bessie. “And why not?” said he. “TI am at this moment more times a millionaire in terms of bullion than any man in the world. Iam in a position to treat with an emperor, let alone with a scrubby ship’s company whose only assets are a couple of stoves and a cock- roachy schooner! Now then, I am prepared to offer you a handsome sum to land me and my friends safely in Rio, and, in addition, a handsome bonus for handling the treas- ure. I am authorized to offer virgin gold to the amount of fifty thousand dollars.”’ ‘“‘And suppose,” said I, “‘that we refuse this munificent offer, row quickly ashore and take possession of this treasure, which by every ethical right belongs to us, and sail away, leaving you and your friends to think the matter over?” ‘Jim,’ said he, ‘if you’d acted on that idea a few days ago, instead of sitting down GOmicbdooksEeo