Adventure Magazine Cover — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

Pearl-Hunger 63 had half-won his fight, but felt half-dead. He had known that he could not beat this man down; his body was too great. He took blows as a sand-bag takes them. All Heddon could hope for was to blind him, and to do that he had to punish himself as if he struck his bared knuckles on wood. The fight went on. Both men breathed noisily. Both were tired. The wind was up. There was a splintering grind when the ships rocked together; and, though bare- footed on the deck, the men swayed and at times reeled stumblingly. Across the Gloria’s rail Margaret stared at them. Her small white fist was between her teeth, and she had broken the skin with her teeth and did not know it. She, in her moment of worst doubt before the fight, had thought that Heddon would make merely a pretense of struggling with this giant; and then could say he had tried and lost, and that she would have to go to Salvador McGree. Faq McGREE, now with upraised fore- coy orm, tried to guard his good eye as we est he could, turning around and around as Heddon circled him, striking as Heddon shifted in with rapid feints and body blows that made McGree lower the fore-arm guard. It was with his left almost altogether that Heddon struck, but he struck two, three, four times to McGree’s once. McGree was baffled, confusedly angered. Again and again he made lunging jumps, springing, not to hit but to grab, wanting to clench, wanting anything that would end that tormenting fist-pelting that fell on him. The opening came, and Heddon took it; he had saved himself for it, saved his right hand. Again he put his two hundred pounds behind an overhand right arm drive. It caught McGree’s right eye—and buckled the knuckle bones in Heddon’s fist. McGree bellowed angrily, hastily touch- ing the eye. Heddon jumped back, pulling at his knuckles. They were broken. From then on a one-handed man fought with one half-blind, more than half-blind, for the eye began to swell so that McGree thrust forward his face to peer fromit. And, though one-handed, Heddon could strike al- most as he pleased. It was like butchery. Heddon’s lips were cut. speak easily. ‘“‘You’re blind, McGree!” he cried. ‘Let’s stop this thing!’’ He could not — “T’m on my feet!” wrist across his eyes. “No man could keep you off your feet, McGree—without a club! I can’t hit you now, man! You’re blind!” “Put me to the deck and keep me there,” he roared, “‘and then I’ll say you win!” “No, McGree. It’s no fight now to strike you!” “Por Dios! You coward!” He could see only as a half-blind man peers through a mist, but he thrashed out suddenly, whirling both arms, sweeping right and left for the chance blow. % you, McGree,” said Heddon, easily leaping out of his way. ‘‘You’re a better man than I am—but I’ve won this fight. Give in!” “No! No! No!” He rushed again. He could hardly see at all. At times he struck the air not even near where Heddon stood. “Why don’t you fight me!’ McGree bel- lowed, thrusting his face forward, peeriny purblindly. ‘“You’re hiding—tricky coward of a dog!” “Why, man, you can’t see!” McGree rubbed a palm back and forth across his face. Then he twisted off the scarf that bound his head and rubbed with that. His eyes would not clear. “Fight me! Fight me!” he begged, turn- ing about and losing track of where Heddon stood. ‘““You’re blind, McGree! Stop this thing!” ““No!”? McGree stopped flat-footedly and stood still. ‘Come here and fight me!” “Nol” McGree faced toward the sound of his voice. Gigantic, hairy, crouching, he hung a moment, peering, then rushed furiously. Heddon circled on light toes out of his way. McGree rushed on along the deck. His foot struck the stool. He pitched headlong. His head crashed to the deck. He lay still. Heddon went to, him, pulled at a shoulder, turned him over. McGree did not move. ‘‘Here, you men,” Heddon called. ‘Get some water on him.” ‘“Youah didn’t win that fight faiah!” said the negro Dott, shifting his eyes up and down, sidelong and up. “T didn’t what!’ Heddon snapped, lurch- ing forward. Dott shuffled back: he bellowed, wiping a You can’t see! DOOK 1 @)