Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

The Casual’s Return the scene with anxious faces and fixed bayonets. “Hey!” they cried. “Lay off!” There were scarcely fifteen of them, and at least two hundred battled. They plunged down the ladders to the well deck and so from sight. A long time afterward a rifle soared from the crowd and, having climbed into the air, floated over the side and into the sea. This was the last sign of the gallant guard. Eadie sat down upon the rungs of the forecastle ladder and gasped for breath. He was not long out of hospital and was easily winded. His lip felt like a balloon, and there was a lump the size of an apple on the side of his head. The sergeant panted and looked aft at the upper deck. He could see his own company commander there, leaning over the rail with a calm face. That man was an old soldier and let the proper authorities quell riots. Mean- while he enjoyed a fight as much as the next man. While Eadie watched, another officer appeared, wild with excitement. He seized the captain’s arm and pointed to the boiling mob in the well deck. The cap- tain nodded calmly. The other officer leaped to the head of the ladder and pre- cipitated himself into the throng. ‘“‘What a fool,” commented the sergeant. He saw the officer laying about him with a Swagger stick, saw a big gob reach forth and pluck at the officer’s Sam Brown belt, and the officer disappeared, clawing. “There’ll be some blood sweat over that, now,”’ said the sergeant. He looked again to see how his captain was taking it, but that man did not even appear to have noticed the fate of his brother officer. Eadie saw some sailors appear calmly around the corner of the upper deck, dragging what looked like a rope. This they laid down and leaned in- terestedly upon the rail to view the struggle beneath. They had been summoned by the officer of the watch and it was apparent to Eadie that they were going to play a hose on the fighters. Being but human, and liking a good fight as well as any one, they held off a while so that they might enjoy the spec- tacle. Below them men slugged right and left. A man socked his neighbor and re- ceived at the same instant a blow from a third man. The first man, turning to see who had smitten him, would be unable to 25 discover, but would make a swing at any one handy, just to relieve his feelings. A number of men mounted the hatch, whereat all on the deck did their best to drag them down, simply because those on the hatch had the audacity to elevate them- selves above their fellows. Black eyes, bloody noses and torn shirts were every- where in evidence. Eadie looked back at the upper deck. The men with the hose now presented its nozzle, and they had been reenforced by more with the fire hose from the port side of the house. 7 “It’s going to be wet,” thought Eadie, and rose to go up to the forecastle, where the hose might not reach him. A hand gripped his ankle and a hoarse voice cried— “Come down offa that ladder!’’ Eadie trod upon the arm that reached between two rungs of the ladder and so regained his freedom. He leaped to the fore- castle as the sozzling swish of the streams from the hose broke upon the rioters. _ What a glorious weapon is a fire hose! “Hey, hey! Glubulurpl’’ cried all. Immediately that well deck was changed from a caldron of snarling faces and waving fists to a transport’s deck full of helpless soldiers and sailors, their hair hanging sleekly about their faces like a wet rat’s, their eyes closed, and their mouths gasping, while they tried to protect themselves from the stinging water. Splosht the stream was turned upon a group who promptly swung their backs to it and hunched their shoulders. The water wafted them across the deck, soak- ing shirts and breeches, blowing their hair straight before them so that they looked like “Mustangs in a Blizzard” or “Riders of the Gale” or some similar artistic triumph. There was no fight left in that crowd. They streamed from the well deck as fast as they could crowd through the doors and the hose sprinkled them liberally. The navy does not like riots. Eadie, safe on the forecastle, laughed heartily at the men running about below, trying to shelter behind the winches or un- der the ladders. A heartless gob at one of the nozzles spoke to his mate and the two lifted the pipe a bit, so that it smote the laughing sergeant squarely. There was great mirth from the spectators on the upper deck. When Eadie could see again, the fighters had all gone and a ‘wrathful army officer was posting sentries. Comicbook (©