Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 5, 1928 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

656 air, but this hole is dreadful. der where we're bound.” Lester considered. ‘‘ She was empty when we came aboard and sailed dur- ing the night; so she must be going back in ballast to some oil port. Per- haps Galveston, Texas, perhaps Los Angeles. We've been shanghaied, Arthur. It doesn’t seem possible in this day and age.”’ 7 ‘Well, I don’t have to sell hot dogs to-day; that’s one consolation. I won- der what Hilda Brinker will say?” “Frankfurter men loot platinum es- tablishment. Police of four continents waiting to nab them,’ quoted Lester from a presumptive morning newspa- per. “ What a neat plot! I was read- ing somewhere that criminals are per- sons of low intelligence given to drugs, and incapable of reasoning. We're good for two or three weeks on this hooker, and then they’ll kick us ashore penniless, and on the beach will be policemen with our descriptions wait- ing to nab us.”’ “We've even got platinum on our person,” grinned Chipmunk, holding up the half-pennyweight which had en- abled them to build their theory of their incarceration. “ But it’s easy to get rid of this. I don’t suppose any- body would believe our story.” “ Not likely.” * Well, shall we rush the door?” Lester nodded. “ We've got to get out of here, whatever happens. We'll wait at the top of the ladder till some- body opens it, and then we'll break out.” They crouched for half an hour on the top step of the steep metal stair- case before they heard a key turn in the door, Then it opened wide, and suddenly a hoarse voice shouted: “Tumble up here, you swabs.” __ They rose sheepishly from their hams and confronted the whiskered face of the skipper, who looked less villainous by daylight, but who was by no means handsome and good-natured, to judge by appearances. l won-- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ‘So roared. that was your game,’ he “T’ve a good mind—come out here.” They entered the cabin, which seemed a palace compared to the dun- geon below. The skipper thumped Lester on the hip, and did the same by Arthur Colter. “ Didn't think you had guns, but it’s well to make sure,” he observed. “Now empty yer pockets out on that table. Come on. Hurry up.” Most reluctantly they turned out their pockets and the small reddish- brown eyes of the skipper brightened at the pile of greenbacks which rolled upon the green baize tablecloth. “Think of that now. They forgot to frisk ye,” he said pleasantly. ‘‘ This makes it nice.” ‘“ You can have that money, captain, if you put us ashore at once,” declared Lester. The skipper’s dirty right claw was already transferring the Treasury notes to his pocket. “T get it anyway,” he said with a wide grin. This skipper was a small but stocky man with a grizzled and unkempt whisker. He was wearing a torn brown suit and the old yachting cap they had noted the night before. He was evidently in high fettle at the discovery of the money. ‘Sit down, boys, sit down. I'll see you get something to eat presently,” he declared. “‘ We got to talk things over.” A wild idea of overpowering him and taking command of the ship en- tered the brain of Lester Lucus, but the first words of the captain showed him the futility of it. “JT couldn’t put ye ashore,” he said. “°’Cause why? ’Cause this is an oil barge, and we’re on the end of a steel cable a couple of hundred yards long. We're the last barge of a tow of three, and we’re bound for Galveston.” “ How are you going to account for our presence on board?’ demanded ~ Lester. 5A COMEGE DOOKS (F@)