Adventure Magazine Cover — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

Yellow Men and Gold to starve us out, I won’t deny that you could have worked it, since you outnumber us two to one, and have plenty of weapons. But you preferred, apparently, not to face any active or dangerous issue, and now, few and weak though we are, the game’s in our hands. Don’t think we spent the oppor- tunity you gave us twiddling our thumbs. No, sir! We worked like mules, and bit by bit we dug out every sliver of the treasure, and most of the gems, I guess, and we trans- planted ’em, digging by day and carrying by night, until the whole mass of it lies on the cliff yonder, where the boys are sitting and dangling their legs.”’ “Thank you kindly,” said I, “for your trouble. And it seems to me you’ve only saved us much time and labor.” But he shook his head gently and smiled pityingly in my face. “The advantages of our position,” he said softly, ‘“would be obvious to any one but a nincompoop.”’ “Doubtless,” I said; “but you will cer- tainly have to explain them to me.” “Why, Jim,” said he, “we four survivors of the late Calliope are in desperate straits. Tt admit that we’re half starved; we’re chilled to the bone; and though we've kept going on nerve and excitement, we can’t keep it up forever, nor indeed for very long. Perhaps you think we’re good-tempered about the way things have gone against us from the start? Perhaps you think we’re giinning and bearing our misfortunes like the good Christians that we—aren’t? No, we’re feeling pretty —— savage and resent- fulif you want the truth. If we’ve got to per- ish miserably on that damned rock, well and good; but our last death-rattle isn’t going to enrich anybody; because we intend, if you people won’t listen to reason, to throw every grain of the treasure from the cliff into the fiord. And the waters there, as I know that have sounded them, are a hun- hundred fathoms deep. Now, maybe you’ve got a healthier view of the situa- tion?” I must admit that the new turn in the affair threw us into a very considerable con- sternation. The Chinamen burst into full council, all talking at once and at the top of their lungs; and Bessie, too, mingled with them, haranguing, almost shouting, and stamping her foot. “What are they saying, Jim?” asked Carrol. 617 “T wish I knew,” said I. ‘But whatever it is, they’ll come to a decision pretty quick.” The hubbub ceased as suddenly as it had begun, and Bessie came forward as spokes- man. ‘““We want to know, Mister Carrol,” said she, “about how much you think the stuff foots up to?” ‘“We’ve no scales on the island,” said he, “so it’s impossible to make any kind of an estimate; especially of the gems. But there’s enough to make me and my friends feel pretty wealthy.”’ “Well,” said Bessie, “‘our feeling is this. We feel that your offer of fifty thousand dollars is mighty generous; and we don’t want to be outdone. So we make you just the same offer: fifty thousand dollars to be divided among the four of you, and a safe passage to Rio.” “What!” exclaimed Carrol. ‘‘ Why, the stuff’s worth millions and millions, and you offer us fifty thousand dollars’ worth—when the whole of it’s ours—ours! That for your offer!” he cried, and he spat upon the deck. ‘“* Mister Carrol,” said Bessie, “‘we’re as able to pay for our fancies as you are. You may take this offer or leave it. And you’ve got five minutes to make up your mind. Take it, and we'll keep our end of the con- tract faithfully; leave it, and by the living God, five minutes from now the boys go ashore to hunt down those friends of yours from their perch! If they chuck the treas- ure overboard, well and good, they’ve got sand. But I think, Mister Carrol, they’ll run like whipped sheep! Jili—Ah Fing—Ho Lee—get your guns out, boys, and get a bead on those black birds on the cliff yonder!” The Chinamen sprang to the work, and, poking their rifles here and there through the canvas screen that had been rigged to keep our actions hidden, prepared to make it hot for the men on the cliff, who, in utter ignorance of what was brewing, continued to kick their legs idly in space. Carrol sprang to his feet, livid. “Ts this how you respect a flag of truce?” he cried. ‘‘ May God strike me dead! there’s no decency left among men!”’ ‘Mister Carrol,’ cried Bessie, ‘the flag affects only you. Nobody’s raising a hand against you! As for those skunks up yonder —there’s nothing to protect them except the long range—four—five—six hundred yards COMICLOOCKKS. CO