Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

18 to Be) LHE Great Adventure at last. To ig@a France, to battle, and to glory. The ancestors of these men had gone out across the Western plains to a new land, and had lined the way with their bones. They had gone out by scores and hundreds, done battle with the red men, defeated him and left a glorious tradition behind them for the encouragement of weaker generations. Now these boys went themselves on the path of glory, but they went by the thousands. They left their families and friends behind and were friend- less ‘and alone in the midst of multitudes. And their enemy did not come upon them with bow and arrow, and slow-firing muzzle- loading rifle, but with the most scientific of modern weapons, nor did he show himself when he struck, nor fight as becomes a man, but approached silently with stealth, hidden under the waters, and having struck, darted away and left the hungry ocean to finish the work he had begun. “And now,” concluded Eadie to himself, “et’s see if I can find somewhere to sleep.” He found his way with some difficulty to the upper deck and passed a sentry at the head of the last ladder. This ladder opened into an alleyway that ran from the forward well deck to the well deck aft. Eadie ex- plored it. The galleys, storerooms and the fire-room entrances opened off this passage, so that it would probably be a well-traveled way. There would be no place to sleep there. Eadie remembered that there was an open space under the poop, a small place about a stairway that went down to the next deck. This was probably the old second-class social hall. Anyway, there was room there and to spare and Eadie could wrap himself in his overcoat and lie down. If he found the place suitable, he could bring up his blankets later. He hurried through the alleyway and, crossing the well deck, went under the poop. It was dark in there and as Eadie stepped over the weatherboard, he felt something soft beneath his feet. “Ow! Whyin don’tcha look where ye’r’ goin’?”’ muttered a sleepy voice. Eadie stepped quickly to one side and, tripping, brought up with both knees in some one’s stomach. The man beneath his knees groaned heavily. The sergeant fran- tically tried to clamber to his feet, put his hand in somebody’s mouth, received a strong shove from behind, heard the swish Adventure of a swinging fist go by his ear, and finally fled, panic stricken, across billowing bodies to the door again. “T might have known,” he informed him- self, panting, “that every soldier on the boat would see that place and make for it. Boy! It’s a wonder I didn’t get killed!” Feet tramped across the deck, and the dark forms of several men loomed against the sky. There was a crash of steel butt. plates on the steel deck, and the men sighed and shuffled their feet. ‘Relief fall out,” some one said gruffly, and the men made for the door under the poop. There was protest from within, queries as to how many guys were coming through that con- demned door, pleas for quiet and requests to shove to —— over and let a man lie down. “One soldier, one bunk. Histe yourself.” In a little while there was quiet. came out and leaned over the rail his bay- onet scabbard ciicking on the bulwark. “Tl bet,” thought Eadie, “that that’s where the guard hangs out. Yessir, that’s the very place! It’s lucky I didn’t find a place to lie down; I might have been turned out and made to walk a post all night. Well, this isn’t getting me any nearer bed. Let’s try the other alley.” The other alley yielded no better results. There were staterooms there, door after silent door. No niche or corner where a man might lie down. Eadie felt his way along, one hand on the panels. It was black as a wolf’s throat in that alley. When he paused to get his bearings from time to time he could hear breathing and the inev- itable snores. The staterooms were all occupied. The unattached troop officers slept there, quartermaster lieutenants for the most part, going over to take up the burden of paper work in some of the base ports. Ah! An alley leading off the main pas- sage. Where did it go? Eadie would dis- cover. He felt his way down the right-hand side. There was nothing but paneling as far as the ship’s skin, where there was a door. This door was in two halves, with a shelf on the lower. Probably the library, or the canteen, or something like that. It would not be used during the night. On the other side, paneling, clear to the main passage again, where there was another door. “Now,” decided Eadie, “the lower edge of this place won’t be traveled after dark. CoMmicbook A man A) (© 5}