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

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

154 unshaven face and his long locks. Ap- parently the missionary was satisfied after the scrutiny, for his manner became kindlier than ever. “You do appear to be in hard straits, my man. And I’m glad to see that you’ve preserved your respectability when beyond the bounds of civilized influence. Might I ask, are you an Australian?” “Yes, sir, Sydney man, years back. Been in Yankee ships a lot, and I’ve lost something of my accent. Hope you won’t mind, sir.” “And your shipmater What is he?” “Oh, him! Yankee American chap. Yes, we kept by ourselves. Not but what these natives ain’t good enough in their ways, but you knows natives, I dare say. But we don’t put much on beachcombers, me and my matey. Not that we’re what you’d call church boys—a bit rough in our ways—but we do have respect for men of the cloth. For that reason we thought as perhaps you’d say a prayer for a chap that’s most likely never to see his own land again this side of the grave. ‘This Salvation Jessup, I knows of ’im’, I tells my matey. ‘Good sort of a Holy Joe’, I tells him, beggin’ your pardon, sir. ‘An’, says I to ’im as I thinks it over, ‘Salvation Jessup’s not the sort of parson to leave you out in the cold when it comes to a prayer. He can’t refuse’, I tells my matey. And I promises [’ll bring you along back if I has to fetch you in my own arms, sir.”’ Doxey lowered his eyes to the sand and sniffed, as if his rude emotions had been stirred at the thought of his sick shipmate being disappointed in the matter of religious consolation. “Of course, I’ll do what I can,” said Jessup soothingly. ‘I know seamen and their ways. Just a minute, until I reassure my wife.” He moved out on an open spot of the beach and waved his hands to the figure of the sun-bonneted woman, who had just appeared on the quarter-deck. Then he cupped his hands to his face and called— “Just a little walk—to see a sick sailor, my dear.” She waved her hand back to him in understanding. “Now then, my man,” said Jessup briskly. “T’l go with you. I’m only in for fresh water and a supply of fruit for my good crew, and I thought I might as well sing a hymn or two in the cool of the evening Adventure to lift these poor souls to thoughts of their Creator. And as you’ve called on me for service, indeed, I can not refuse. It would be a bad demonstration if I were to neglect my own kind of people when I’m _ here preaching the religion of the white man. So while my water casks are being filled, I’ve time to see your comrade. Lead—and I follow, my man, in order that I may lead.” He laughed whimsically. “Thank you, sir,” said Doxey. the beach a ways,” He turned toward the palm grove, and Jessup followed, paying no heed to the dis- appointed chatter of the natives, who saw the man who was entertaining them lured away by one of the inhabitants of the glade. They were a nondescript lot, these island- ers of Andrus—mostly half-Malay fisher- men and their families of native stock, a few from the Sulu group, other vagrants blown south by storms from Palawan, and drifters from the tin mines of Banka who were too careless ever to make the attempt to get back whence they came. “Tt’s up IV staey DOXEY kept well in advance of the yrj missionary, wanting to avoid now a * conversation which might bristle with questions. And when Doxey had re- vealed himself across the open spot where he knew Wade would be warned of their com- ing, he slackened pace and gained the open- ing to the glade by a roundabout path. When they reached the clearing before the half-concealed hut, Doxey waited for Jessup to come up with him. “T had better rest here in the shade of these bushes,” said Jessup, panting. ‘‘Go and tell your shipmate that I’ve come. So that’s your domicile, is it? How perfectly picturesque!” He sat down on a moss-grown rise of lava- rock twenty feet from the hut. There was a spring nearby, and the shade was grateful. “Very good, sir,” and Doxey trotted across the clearing to the hut. Jessup looked about him with interested eyes, noting the age of some of the cuttings of vines, studying the narrow footpath worn in the soil, ahd altogether taking in what could be seen of the clearing and the hut with shrewd eyes. When he saw Doxey disappear in among the vines which grew down over the crude platform which, with CoMmiclhook Wh) (© 5}