Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 176: what you’re looking at

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

174 out to the chief to go full ahead. Maybe we'll not need the cutter.” He stood bracing himself by the rail, one side of his mouth slightly lifted in a gri- mace, and his hands clenched so tightly that the knuckles showed white. Breen, standing beside Larken, glanced at the little captain, then at the Binghamp- ton, but a quarter of a mile to the north- ward; then he looked overside and studied the long, slick swells running toward the shore. His eye brightened and he softly whistled a note or two of a chantey as he figured his chances. It looked easy. He was a good swimmer and would be able to cover the short distance between the Hawk and the shore long before a boat could be got over the side. Wind and current would be with him and the oil slick would prevent the seas breaking over his head. Of course the handcuffs were still attached to one wrist, but—— “Tl be —— if I’ll let one bracelet stop me from gettin’ away!” he said to himself. Still whistling softly, he flashed a look at Larken out of the corner of his eye. The big seaman, the chain gripped tightly in one hand, was watching the approaching ves- sel. Breen made as if to scratch his head, and awkwardly shoved his cap so far to one side that it fell to the deck and rolled toward the waterway. ‘All clear, sir!’ cried the boatswain at that instant, and he and his men came clambering up the stagelines to the deck. There came a tremendous jar and a muf- fled grating sound from beneath them, and the old freighter’s worn plates groaned with the strain. ‘“She’s. struck!” cried Captain Mac. “Come on, men; get aboard. We'll go ahead—the propeller’s half in the water. Come on—swing your stage out of the way! Hurry—hurry!” Breen, with Larken following, started suddenly for his cap, and as he reached for it he slipped on the wet deck and fell heav- ily to one knee; and the seaman was forced to lean over to keep hold of the chain. Breen straightened like a flash, and his right fist swung upward in a short arc and landed with a sharp crack on Larken’s jaw. The big man fell forward on his face, releasing the chain, and rolled over till he brought up in the waterway. “Grab hold of him!’ shouted Captain Mac, leaping toward them. Adventure But Larken, floundering in the water- way, was temporarily partly blind, and was trying vainly to make something of the vague shadows flitting before his eyes. Breen had sprung to the rail; he steadied himself, and jumped—but as he left the rail a slender form shot after him, collided with him in mid-air, and turned over and over with him as he fell. Together they plunged into the water and disappeared; but a sec- ond later came to the surface, and a clear voice shouted— “Full ahead!’’ The order carried to Mr. Tenny, waiting by the open engine-room door, and he re- peated it: “Full ahead!’ The Hawk’s propeller thrashed; the blades, as they swung beneath the shaft, plunged into the water and sent a swirl of foaming wash toward the shore—and in that wash were two men, handcuffed one to the other, and fighting fiercely. “Well, strike me a blushin’ pink!” ex- claimed the boatswain. “Did you see that! Cap’n Mac snapped one o’ the handcuffs on ’imself while they was in the bloomin’ air!” “And now look at ’im!’’ said another. ‘That crooked-nose guy is just naturally gettin’ his pan hammered in! Wow! In the kisser! Another one! Wowee! What a beezer ’at guy’ll have when the Old Man gets through with ’im! Smack—smack! Sock it to ’im, Cap’n, sock it to ’im! Hit 1m again—ah, the big mutt’s gone and quit! He don’t want any more.” Slowly, very, very slowly, the Hawk was going ahead; and from forward came the clank of the anchor engine as the second mate began to take in the chain. The Binghampion swung into the wind and put over a boat; and the boat came tossing over the sea toward the spot where the two men were treading water in the oily slick be- tween the Hawk and Hinchinbroke Rocks. So) THE Binghampton’s boat, after ge picking up Captain Mac and Breen, went alongside the Hawk, and Mur- dock, the young officer in charge, went aboard with the captain to get information for his report to his commander. “IT don’t understand it, Captain,” said Murdock, sitting on the settee in the cap- tain’s room. “It’s a queer deal all around, seems tome. Why did you refuse to answer our wireless calls, and force us to chase you CoOMmicbool< A) (© 5}