Adventure Magazine, December 10, 1924 — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

The Pirates of Andrus Island peculiarly ferocious. He was still panting a little from his run, and he seemed to quiver all over with suppressed excitement. “We can get away from Andrus Island— tomorrow—safe as a church!” he declared. There was a glowing fierceness under the forced quietness of the words. Doxey, startled, drew back from him a little, blinking his eyes out over the clear- ing. The movement was gentle and with- out any sign of resentment. But he seemed hurt and disappointed. It was with pity- ing eyes that he turned to Wade. ‘“‘Another touch of fever, eh? Told you to keep out of the sun.” He noted the tenseness of Wade’s grip. Wade laughed lightly. “Things fall our way at last, old man. We can chuck this place and get to some port so far away that we’ll be safe.”’ He was coldly calm now, and showed that inner satisfaction which goes with a plan entirely settled. “I don’t intend to take the chance of a long cruise in any outrigger,’ objected Doxey. “If you’ve gone back to that idea, IT tell you now just as I’ve told you a mil- lion times, I’m off it. I don’t care to be picked up a raving maniac.” Wade waved a dismissing hand. “This ain’t outrigger stuff, man! This is what I’ve thought of many a time, but it was too good to hope for. And this is made to order—just cold luck, like a starving man picking up a boiled ham in the road!” Doxey’s interest was suddenly pricked into life. He stared at Wade now, con- vinced that something had happened which was decidedly worth while. “Say, what the ’s happened, anyway, to light you up like that? I thought you’d gone off your head!’ Wade good-naturedly thrust him against the attap wall of the hut and held his shoul- ders pinned there. “Say, Dox, you’ve heard of Salvation Jessup?” 7 “Jessup! Why, yes! That’s the parson who floats around in one of these Holy Joe schooners and converts the natives.” “Ever seen him? Or rather, has he ever seen your” “Don’t know that I have—or he has. Why, what’s Jessup got to do with this— and us?” “Nothing much—yet. But it will have, before I’ve had another night’s sleep, I'll 149 bet! He’s got a first-class little schooner— Gospel Argonaut!” “Yes, I know her. Saw her lying in Tan- jong Priok couple of years ago. White little party, may be some four hundred tons.” ‘Awful cute little schooner!’’ cried Wade enthusiastically. ‘‘Just the thing to take a nice little cruise in, of say a thousand miles. Nobody’d bother such a schooner—coast guards wouldn’t want to board her, no- body’d think of watching her to see that she didn’t carry what you might call—well, _ contraband passengers.” He grinned at his own facetious way: of expressing his little joke. Doxey snorted with disgust and pushed himself free of Wade’s hands. “You talk like a kid planning to go to a circus—that ain’t in existence. Might know you were off your head again. ~Go on in and climb into the hammock and I’ll cook you up something hot with ginger root in it. You’re off your head.” Wade laughed openly at him. “No, Dox, I’m not Joco. I know what I’m talking about, but just wanted to fix it all up in my own mind before I crashed it on you. It’s simple! So blasted simple that it came to me in a flash.” ‘“‘Something’s simple,” growled Doxey. “Where are the coconuts you went for? I want a drink!” “Listen, Dox! Salvation Jessup’s in the bay with his Gospel Argonaut!”’ Doxey turned on him, open mouthed and staring. “Say!” he demanded. “Are you trying to string me? Or are you seeing things?” “Not a string!’ replied Wade seriously. “Blasted near missed seeing her until I heard her bell. Thought it must be a cutter at first, with that music-box bell. Couldn’t think of anything but a cutter with a fool bell like that—fooled me! Sounds just like a clock back home striking in some old wo- man’s parlor!” He threw back his head and laughed up at the bit of blinding sky that was visible through the greenery. ‘“‘What’s all this got to do with us?” de- manded Doxey. “Except that we got to keep out of sight of this tract-giving, hymn- singing parson?” “Tt has everything to do with us,” re- torted Wade sharply. ‘“‘We’ve got to get aboard that schooner, Doxey!”’ Doxey made a disgusted face. Comicbook © 5}