Adventure Magazine Cover — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

618 I call it—and that won’t cover them long.” “Tt’s murder!” Carrol screamed this at the top of his voice, hoping, I think, to warn his friends; but if his cry did reach them it passed unheeded. ‘““Try that again,” said Bessie, ‘‘and we'll call the truce off—and you'll last about five seconds! Now then, my buck, take our proposition or leave it!” “But I can’t,” said Carrol resolutely, “without consulting with my friends. I’m only one vote among four.” ““Oh, well,’ said Bessie, “if that’s all the influence you’ve got up yonder, and you the boss, the fount of wisdom, I guess we’d better open fire and have done with the business.”’ She turned to the Chinamen. ¢ Jili ’? she said. “Hold on!” said Carrol “You guarantee us fifty thousand and a safe passage to Rio?” “Fifty thousand,” said Bessie, ‘and a safe passage—unless you try any dirty work!” Carrol’s face was a study. Resolute vil- lain, I think he was capable of flinging the offer in our faces and dying a martyr to his own stubbornness. But it must be that at this moment the inklings of some future desperate plan came to him; for suddenly, and with considerable meekness, ‘‘I accept,”’ said he, ‘‘for myself and for my friends.” “Well, and good!” said Bessie. “And now,” said he, ‘‘ put me ashore, and T’ll tell the boys.” For answer Bessie fetched the megaphone and thrust it into his hands. “From the moment you accepted the proposition,” said she, “‘we’re responsible for your safe passage to Rio, and we’re not going to let you run the risk of going ashore. Now then, phone those men that you’ve made a Satisfactory arrangement—you needn’t state the terms, or you might get yourself prematurely disliked. Tell them to come at once to the landing, and we'll send for them. And, by the way, they’ve gotarifle. Tell them to throw that into the fiord—so that I can see them do it.” Carrol rolled a wicked and baleful eye; but he put the megaphone presently to his mouth and gave his comrades their direc- tions. For a few moments they appeared to consult; then one—Kelsey, it was—rose to his feet, raised the rifle high above his head, held it thus in full view for a second or two, and flung it from him. It seemed a Adventure long time falling, turned over slowly, and entered the water without any sound or splash that could be detected from the schooner. The three men then turned and disappeared, making for the head of the fissure that conducted to the landing. “Well,” said Carrol, shrugging his broad, fat shoulders, ‘“‘that’s over. Now for God’s sake give me something to eat, and a drink, and let me dry out at the stove.” “*Jili,” said Bessie, “look after Mr. Carrol.” The way in which Jili did this must have astonished that desperate adventurer. Jili drove into the man’s brawny legs, jerked them from under him, and pitched him heavily upon the deck. Then, falling upon him with ropes, Ah Fing and Ho Lee had in a moment so bound him that he could move no more than his fingers and toes. “Look in his hip-pocket,” said Bessie. “T thought so! A sawed-off Colt. Take the cartridges out of it, and give it to Lichee to play with. Take that knife, too, that he wears in his belt; he sports that so openly that I guess he’s got another hidden. Find that.” It was as Bessie said. The man had a second knife in reserve. And his face be- came apoplectic with fury when this last resource was taken from him. Foam appeared on his lips and, rolling his head until he could see Bessie, “‘ your soul 33 hf c¢ to !”? he cried, “‘you ——, you : ou Lo “7Jili,” said Bessie, “if that sewer of a mouth starts to run again, get your sail- needle and take a couple of stitches in it.” “Carrol,” I said, “I’ve enough humanity in me to advise you to be careful. You've spoken as a man has no right to speak to a woman were she Satan’s mother. Try it again, and your lips will be sewed together like the lips of a wound; the stitches to be taken out at meal-time. Behave yourself, and you will be treated reasonably well.” He made no answer at all; and presently was carried into the galley, placed near the stove to dry, and fed by hand like a baby. Not long afterward Kelsey, Brandreth and Swigot came over the side; and three more forlorn, meek, spiritless sheep I have never had the pleasure to see. And they took to the idea of being bound with ropes as peacefully as tired men take to soft beds at the close of the long day. Two small penknives, one vicious clasp- COMICLMOOCKKS. CO