Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

84 tossed aside a garment. They were jungle- folk now, clamoring for their mates. ‘‘Some of you will die first,’’ he answered, menacing with the useless barrels. “Let it be so! Yet shall the white witch die, unelss the men come with the intide. We will go now until the outtide flows. Then we will come with fire and burn down the fence.”’ Tiarau turned to the mob and spoke rapidly to them. ‘There were yells of as- senting ‘“Azs’”’ in reply and they withdrew, savage face after savage face appearing in the dying ray of the searchlight and vanish- ing into the blackness. . Jimmy drew a long breath. It was up to Fuatina now. “Hif Hi could honly find some car- tridges,”’ he muttered, as he entered the storehouse. Mrs. Boyle spoke from the darkness. ‘What did they say?” she whimpered. “Nothing much,” answered Jimmy. ‘“‘They’vegonenow.” Hescratcheda match and lita cabin-lamp that hung froma rafter. “Are they coming back? Are they going to kill us, Jimmy?” ‘‘Not hif Hi can find some cartridges,” he said, pawing over the junk in the big room. “Hi suppose Hold Tomato’s fired h’em hall hoff long hago.” “Don’t you worry,” he told the frightened woman. “They hain’t goin’ to do nuffin’ till the hebb. That don’t start huntil habout heleven, hand I think they’ll wait till the tide’s nearly hout.” ‘What time is it now?” ‘“‘Close hon to nine.” He consulted his wrist-watch. ‘“‘Hit’ll be hall right. Don’t you worry. Fuatina can make hit hin a little hover a hour. Thye’ll come back a kitin’ hin the whaleboats. Hought to be ’ere by ten.” “May I have your watch, Jimmy?” Jimmy looked round the room. He needed the watch himself to check the anxious minutes. “TTi!” he said, his eyes catching what they looked for. ‘‘’Ere’s a clock. Hill wind hit hup.” i He turned the clicking key and set the hands. As he stepped down a little door flipped open above the dial and a wooden bird jerked forward while a throaty cry sounded nine times. ‘“‘What’s that?” nervously exclaimed Mrs. Boyle. Adventure “Flit’s a cuckoo-clock,”’ explained Jimmy. ‘fA cuckoo,” he went on, “his a Hinglish bird w’ot’s halways buttin’ hin w’ere hit hain’t wanted. Mostly the ’ens, I reckon.” If Mrs. Boyle caught any personal allu- sion she was too far gone to resent it. She shrank, as far as her figure would allow her, into one of Tamatau’s roomy upholstered chairs, and moaned feebly. “Not a bloody cartridge,’ announced Jim- my. “Hand that light’s gone hout.”’ He went outside to tinker hopelessly with the caked carbide. The ridiculous wooden bird clucked at it’s appointed intervals until the hands pointed to half-past ten. Jimmy, on nervous watch outside, heard a growing murmur from the village and saw a glow from behind the rear fence that spoke of advancing torches. ‘““Gawd!” he exclaimed under his breath. “This his too bloody close to be hamusin’. Ho, for just one load hof number twelve! Gawd” The murmurs died away and he could hear the woman moaning in the storehouse. A flaring palm branch was tossed over the’ fence, followed by another. A little flame licked through the angle of the stock- ade and the dry posts began to crackle, while triumphant howls sounded from the frenzied Totuluans. The cries suddenly merged with, then were drowned by deeper tones, among which the exultant Jimmy recognized the voices of his captain and of young Wilkins, the second mate. “’Ooray! Won hin the larst lap! Come hon hout, Mrs. Boyle, hit’s hall right.” And he pried at the staples of the improvised fence. “Take me away, Jerry lad, take me away,” pleaded Mrs. Boyle, sobbing in her husband’s arms. “Sure, my dear,” he comforted. ‘Sure! The ship can’t get in against the ebb. Tide’ll run for six hours. But we’ll go in the mornin’ to Tahiti and rest up a bit at the hétel L’Egalité. We came in the boats. There’s another comin’. Tamatau’s in it. There, there, acushla, it’s all right, it’s all right!” Kokua, who had been working over the searchlight, succeeded, and the ray swept the lagoon. Jimmy and Fuatina had disap- peared. All about stood the once more friendly women with those of their men who CoOMmichoooks (CO