Adventure Magazine Cover — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

76 ‘here a minute ago.” Then to the captain, ““Where’s Jim—Jim Mullins?” At the mention of the name Captain Bleibtree threw an arm before his face and cowered further into his corner. “My ——!" he cried. ‘“‘Who are you?” “I—I—” ‘The man wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and muttered vaguely. His military attitude was gone and he was back in his accustomed slouch. The main force of the squall had passed, and the rain, coming after, spattered upon the lean cheeks. With the first dash of cool water _ his features underwent a transformation and his eyes glowed in the darkness like living ' coals. He pointed a long forefinger at the master and his mouth worked with a fierce hatred. “Ah, now I know. At last—you—Cap- tain Bleibtree. You—the coward—the mur- derer. You—who shot Jim Mullins and left me to go down with the Penguin—in the rain—thesun. The heat—no water. Look at me! I’m Dolan, don’t you know me? Look here.”’ He bared his head and exhibited the scar showing white through his thin hair. “You did that! You dog! I'll strangle you—tear the heart out of you—with these.” He advanced and grasped the fear strick- en captain by the throat with his claw-like fingers. “With these—in the rain—north of Watling. You swine!” ON WHEN forced into a corner the (% Y, most craven of men will fight yy,” back, and it is often the cowardly, ™ fear-crazed man who is the most dangerous. Captain Bleibtree, though wild- eyed and blubbering with fright, fought with a savage ferocity that equalled that of the avenger. He exerted all the strength of his powerful body in a vain attempt to tear from his a the hands that were slowly throttling Across the bridge they struggled, then back again to the corner, where Dolan forced the captain to his knees and wrenched fiercely at the flesh within his grasp. The captain was weakening but with a last des- perate effort he threw himself backward and . kicked straight out with both feet, catching the other above the ankles and sending him toppling to the deck where his head struck solidly against the rivet studded angle-iron. Adventure He rolled over and twisted convulsively. With blood running from the corners of his mouth and down along his mottled throat the captain arose, and still in the throes of a mortal fear, and mad with a demoniacal hatred of the man who had menaced him for three years, he seized the limp form in his arms and sent it hurling over the rail and into the sea, then with his face ghastly, but with his mouth quivering with relief, he leaned weakly against the rail and stared out into the murk astern. He started at a voice but was unable to turn. ‘She is all right, Cap’n,” it said. ‘“‘And the squall is over anyway. I figured the position and we are fourteen miles north of Watling.” The captain, with his arms frozen about the stanchion before him, gasped, trembled, and stared fearfully into the night. ON THE bridge deck of the freighter Estrella del Norte, an- eas chored in Cristobal harbor and ' only waiting for morning to go alongside the dock, Captain Bleibtree lolled in his canvas deck chair and gazed lazily over the stern at the lights of the twin cities, Cristobal and Colon. He was ex- tremely comfortable and, although there was a Slight feeling of uneasiness lurking some where in the dim recesses of his mind, he was content. The menace of three years, the vague shadow that had haunted his dreams, the constant threat of vengeance that had dogged his footsteps, had been removed— fortunately without trace. A seaman had disappeared at sea—that was all. Such an occurance was not unusual and was nothing to cause undue comment. He had entered it in the log, written an official report of the happening to be sent to the authorities upon arrival and in the cap- tain’s opinion the matter was closed. All was well, and he rubbed his hands in a satisfied manner, then settled deeper in his chair and fell to watching the ever-changing clouds that scurried across the evening sky. It was a night to gladden the heart. The clouds, rolling in great fleecy balls over the sea rim and, sailing swiftly across the gray- blue inverted saucer of sky, reflected from © their under surface the silvery light of the moon not yet above the eastern horizon, and the trade wind, hardly more than a breeze, and laden heavily with its burden of spicy Gomichbooks.com