Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

64 Adventure Gradually Bain took up slack on the line. Tense and breathless, the dark crescent of faces focused upon the water. The hook caught! By a miracle, as it seemed to them, the chain was grappled at the first trial. They fell over one another helping to drag it out. ‘Look yonder!” shouted Channy from the top of the mound, pointing toward the oak. Freed of the chain, the wagon-body had floated out of the rocking bolster. It now drifted just flush with the surface of the water. The chain had been landed. Bain coiled the line carefully. It was an easy cast, but he took no chances. The weighted hook’ fell squarely in the wagon-bed, and again all hands hauled in with a will. They thought only of the good planking in the bed, but securing it meant much more. An ax, a hatchet, a coil of rope, a small sodden paper bag of precious tenpenny nails and a hammer were found inside. It took the united effort of them all to haul their prize ashore and tilt the ton or more of water out. Bain scratched his head. That barge was many times bigger and heavier than this, and stuck in the mud besides! Well, they’d see. “Uncle John, you and Willle and Robert go over this bed and make it water-tight. It oughtn’t to leak much after soaking that long. We'll use it fora boat. It’ll come in handy in raising the barge.” “Yessuh. You niggers give us some shirt- tails an’ rags an’ things to plug hit wid.” By nailing the tail-gate in, and caulking a small crack here and there, the wagon-bed was converted into a very serviceable boat. Then Bain called another general assembly. “Boys, only about six men can ride in the wagon-box safely, and there’d be some danger of it swamping even at that. Here’s what we'll do: We’ll get everything ready, do..what we can today, and pull that old barge out tomorrow. If she ain’t too rotten to patch up, she’ll carry us all—would carry as many again, for that matter. But if she’s too rotten, you'll draw lots, and five of you go for help in the wagon-box.”’ Spacey. IN THE remaining hours of day- xc light, wood was cut, the under- brush cleared from around the et “YS landward end of the barge. and a successful hunting voyage undertaken in the newly acquired boat. A number of animals were found adrift on logs, or ma- rooned in tree tops and hollow trees. Chilled, starving, and with the last hypnotic stage of death-fright on them, they were readily clubbed or brought down with heavy throwing sticks. There was no shortage of meat for supper. This, and the hope inspired by the suc- cesses of the day, made the campers more cheerful than they had been since the com- ing of the flood. Drugged by hard work and by the huge quantities of hot, unsalted meat, the negroes soon settled in their places about the fire. Bain had superin- tended hunting the night before; he lay down with the earliest. Just before he fell asleep, the giant negro who had before excited his curiosity came over and respectfully accosted him. “Cap, is you sleep?” “What isit?” | “If you wants huntsmens fo’ tonight, me an’ dem three boys will go.” | ‘‘No, get your rest. There’s stuff enough for two days, cool as it is. We want every- body ready for hard work in the morning.” “Yessuh.” | The man seemed disappointed. Bain fell asleep puzzling over it. Why should any one wish to splash around in the dark of a cold night after coons and rabbits, when he might be curled up warmly by the fire?” He was awakened to receive just the in- formation needed to answer his question. A hand grasped his shoulder and shook it nervously. | “Mistuh Bain! Oh, Mistuh Bain!’’ “All right, Uncle John!” The manager was a light sleeper; in the instant of regain- ing consciousness he had recognized John Key’s voice, although the old timberman spoke in a low, excited whisper. “Boss, some niggers is aimin’ to steal de wagon-box an’ skip. Dey done put all de meat most in it, and de quile of rope.” Bain instantly arose, and without noise descended to the landing. Four figures. were moving about in the dark near where the wagon-bed had been secured. “All right!” he barked through the gloom. “Get that stuff out and back where it be- longs. I give you one minute to get started.” | The surprize was complete. The au- thority of the voice had instantaneous effect. Crest-fallen, the deserters began to unload COMIGDIOOKSEEO