Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

GREEN SPIDERS. a squinting into the main hatch, I remem- bers there’s a Chinee tub-boat stowed in there. All we got to do, cap, is rig up blocks an’ tackles an’ h’ist her. I won't take my ’davy she’ll ride them fierce break- ers, cap, but she’s pretty deep keeled, an’ we can do wuss’n take a chanst, I guess.” For the next two hotirs the three of us worked hard, and when we had hoisted the little tub to the deck, rendered her sea- worthy, shaped an extra pair of-oars, and lowered her over the stern, we turned in to test till daylight. The question of who were to go on the expedition was the first thing that en- gaged our attention next morning. Falkens seemed to take it for granted he and I would go. “Doctor, are you ready?” he asked, after we had despatched a hasty breakfast, while Mankus was out on deck collecting tools. “See here,” I objected as Dorothy went out with a tray of dishes. “‘ We can’t leave Miss Gaylord alone with—” “That’s so!” he exclaimed. “TI tried it yesterday. I thought I could trust—but it won’t do. You must stay here, Vawter.” I had set my heart on the trip, and we finally compromised by matching coins. I won. Without further ado we walked aft, and I took my place in the little boat and untied the painter. “So the cap ain’t a goin,” observed Mankus, sticking his square head over the rail. ‘Ye look sort o’ lonesome, doc. What ’d ye say if I was to offer to ply an oar fer ye?” I hesitated to acquiesce on account of his animosity to Letcher, but not-wishing to seem ungracious, I told him to jump in and come along if he thought Letcher would not take to the bushes at sight of him. “Oh! Aye!” he grunted, closing one eye in a tremendous wink. Then he slid down the rope and sprang aboard with a . dexterity and an agility I envied. “Letcher, he’ll be tickled to death t’ clap lamps on any one that’s a bringin’ the grub wagon. Letcher, he’s in the rocks at the tip of the first p’int of land, did ye say, Mr. Falkens? A hundred strides up the beach? We can’t miss him in a fog! Don’t let nothink hap- 429 pen to the little gal, cap. I’d leave ye the gun only—” “That’s all right, Mankus,” called Fal- kens, though I believed he was not par- ticularly pleased with the arrangement. “As for the gun, you keep it till you get back.” “Thankee, sir. You’re man enough t’ take keer 0’ her. Look what ye done t’ the—” He paused as if remembering him- self. ‘‘ Look what she done to the skipper. Stab my guts if I'd admire to be in the shoes of the next man wot tried it. Damned if ever I see an uglier corp ’n him when he come a lungin’ out’n that berth, all swellt up so his laigs was like to bust out’n his drawers. But I guess Letcher’s elected for the next one. Yoho! There’s the little gal now. So-long, Miss Dor’thy. We'll we back a bringin’ a precious cargo by noon.” Dorothy came quickly to the rail at some distance from Falkens and looked down at us. Her realization that she was to be left alone with Falkens did not seem to appeal to her. Ever since Falkens had discounted her confession of the murder of Jessup she had avoided him. I had seen her gazing at him with an expression I could not define. Well, it was a peculiar mix-up, and that was the truth! Mankus and I bent to the oars and soon reached the outlet. - My impression that Falkens doubted the wisdom of allowing Mankus to go lingered in my mind, and just before a twist in the channel whisked the ship from our sight I thought I saw him waving to us frantically. But when'I sprang to my feet for a bet- ter view I could see nothing, and I came to the conclusion I had been mistaken. After a short struggle with the billowing surf, we made open water and turned west along the cliffs. The breeze was extremely light and va- riable, the sea comparatively calm, the sky almost cloudléss. “ The early morning sun beat fiercely hot upon our backs as the elongated shadows which it threw in front of the prow gradually contracted. Mankus peeled off his shirt and, fastening it to a leadline, dropped it astern. ‘Look at the sweat run out’n it already, commiclooolkks.conn