Adventure Magazine Cover — page 59: what you’re looking at

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

Yellow Men and Gold | “You've got sick aboard?” said he, in his quick, chirping voice of a dickie-bird. “What ails them—scurvy? I'll dose ’em all round and send you out a boat-load of salad. Any other sick? One case? Don’t know what it is—eh? Mysterious?—lI see. T’ll have a look at him.” “We're obliged to keep him in confine- ment, Doctor,” said I. “ Mutinous—something of that sort?” he interrupted. “J see.”’ “Well, not that exactly,’ and I was for giving a certain truthful, if not complete, account of the situation, but Don Philip had not been born with the faculty of lis- tening—at least to me. ““T see—TI see,” he said. ‘Now where is he? Pretty woman, that. Your wile? Your - “No,” I shouted, “nothing of the kind!”’ ‘“‘T see—I see,” he said. ‘‘ Pretty—plump — affectionate — good-natured — big eyes. Now about this mutineer. In the galley— eh? Have the goodness to point him out.” Carrol had rolled over on his face, and was now moaning and breathing very heavily. “Looks like stomach-ache—roll over, my man—glarey eyes—just put out your tongue — phew! white as chalk — pulse — hum, hum—regular enough at the moment —but weak—very weak. How long have you been feeling bad? Any fever? That’s bad. Ever been this way before? Plenty of fat left. if I know what’s the matter with you, my man.” “Water!” moaned Carrol. I stepped out of the galley to fetch him a dipperful and when I returned the Doc- tor was kneeling beside him, and pressing his ear to him here and there as if to listen to the workings of his heart and lungs. But in those few moments a change had come over both Carrol and the Doctor. The Doctor’s loquacity had left him, and Carrol had in each cheek a spot of color. “‘Here’s the water,” said I, ‘‘and by the Lord Harry, Doctor, your man looks better already.” “Better!” said the Doctor, “‘not much —he’s not better. Look here—” He rose from his knees, and whispered in my ear: “Tt’s incipient yellow fever, I’m afraid.” The little man’s voice shook. ‘It hasn’t reached the virulent contagious stage— but it’s on the verge. Did you see his tongue? Now you must see what arrange- 623 ments can be made to quarantine him from the others.” ‘We must put him ashore,’ I said. “Not much, you mustn’t,” said he. ‘What do we keep a quarantine for?”’ “But,” said I, “I never heard of yellow fever coming on this way—and hanging off so long. Why, the man’s been com- plaining for weeks!”’ “There are twenty forms of yellow fever,” said the Doctor. ‘This is one of them. And by the way, if you'll muster the crew, Tll —’ He seemed _ unac- countably agitated, and I attributed this to his personal fear of taking the fever from Carrol. ‘‘I’ll,”’—he said,—‘‘T’ll dose them, all round. Tell them to go into the forecastle and lie down in their bunks; I’ve some strong specific here, and it’s best to rest after taking it.” It wasn’t very difficult to persuade the Chinamen to lie down; they were very tired, poor fellows, sick and listless. Jili, especially, looked to be at death’s door. They drank a tumbler apiece of the medi- cine the Doctor had mixed for them; made no complaint of its taste, which he said they would find bitter and disagreeable; and one and all turned their faces to the wall and lay like dead men. ‘““Now, boys,” said the Doctor, “that medicine will begin to burn presently, but don’t mind—that only shows it’s working. Now, Mr. Parrish, I’ve mixed a glass for you, too.”’ ‘““No, no,” I said, “‘a little fresh salad will fix me. There’s not anything really the matter with me.” Jili turned his face toward us, attempted to smile, and, rubbing his abdomen with one hand, “‘ Him burn all same fire,” he said. “That’s right—that’s right,” said the Doctor. ‘‘The more it burns now, the quicker it will stop burning.” He seemed unduly agitated, and in a great hurry to get on deck into the open air. “It’s too close for me,” he said, ‘“‘down here.” I followed him up the ladder. Bessie, holding Lichee by one hand, was waiting for us. , ‘““Have you given them some medicine, Doctor?”’ she asked. ‘““Yes—yes,” he said hastily, “but I must ask you to make that child scarce. . You’ve a case of yellow fever aboard—the © man Carrol—better go into the cabin until CoOnnicloookxs (C@