Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine, Vol. 107 No. 3 — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

454 ‘“ And—one other point, Riley—”’ “ Yes, sir?” He ‘heard the captain clicking his teeth in the darkness. ‘I understand the wire- less code quite well—at least well enough to know what you say on the spark. If I should hear you giving us away—I’ll not be accountable for what happens to you. I’m in no mood for treachery!” “Very well, captain,” replied Donn Riley quietly, shutting the door behind him and adjusting the head-phones to his ears. That warning, he realized, had not taken him entirely by surprise. Not only was Captain Murdock in a naturally nervous mood; but, in light of what had already passed between them, it was only sensible to presume that the Barracouda’s master would be on the lookout for treachery. That Murdock was engaged in some treasonable undertaking he did not for a moment doubt, for more than one proof in- dicated positively that the steamer was headed for the Southern Ocean on an il- legitimate voyage. The next step along this line of reasoning was to suppose that the Barracouda was probably enjoying a very minor rdéle in a scheme the dimensions of which could not even be guessed at. The plan already half formed in the back of Donn Riley’s head was simply that if he could retain his captain’s good-will, an op- portunity might later present itself where- by he might be of inestimable service. He: was sorry now that it had been necessary to provoke the captain almost to the point of antagonizing him, merely to squeeze out - the unsatisfactory information now in his possession. He would not, he told himself, have lent himself to this night’s business had he believed that the law-breaking was over with. | As a matter of fact, the law-breaking was hardly begun. Leaving port without clear- ance papers, transmitting fraudulent dis- tress signals, altering the name and charac- ter of a ship—all these were insignificant, he believed, in contrast to the unknown scheme which inspired and explained them. His supposition that Captain Murdock’s main plan was of the most sinister kind fit- ted itself, as far as he personally was con- cerned, to an infinity of deeds and sacri- ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. fices. For the time being, indeed, he was quite justified to commit any criminal acts if by so doing he could cement the cap- tain’s trust in him. . And to Riley, whose official capacity was that of a professional wireless operator li- censed by the Federal authorities, there was no crime in the entire category of high- sea Crimes quite so heinous as that of trans- mitting a false distress message. He had taken his oath, with his palm on a Bible, when the license had been given to him, that he would never be disloyal to his country. If the steamer should be held up and taken over before reaching Mexican waters, his implication in her numerous misdeeds would close the gates of prison be- hind him for a long time. That thought was not reassuring. The most trying phase of the ordeal, he sup- posed, lay between now and sunup. The false distress message would exact the last drop of his nerve-power. He was thankful now that his brain was not clogged with the fumes of alcohol. That unknown girl to whom he had given so absurdly his silent promise was responsible. He wondered if he would ever see her again. His eyes were half closed, but the deep black pupils, in their irides of brilliant ocean-blue, were sparkling excitedly. His brow was drawn up into a dark frown, making him look very efficient just then. He tapped the detector wire to heighten the sensitivity of the silicon contact, _changed the coupling of the tuner coils, pulled a pad of blank paper toward him, and began writing. He was composing a piece of the most ridiculous drama that had ever come into his experience. And had he not been the owner of a most constructive and serious imagination, he might have paused at the end of the first sentence, thrown up his arms, and laughed at the utter foolishness of it. But with his brows darkly knit, his low- er lips between his white teeth, his head inclined a little to one side, he wrote on, throwing himself enthusiastically into the part. Executing that part was going to de- mand the steadiest of hands, the coolest of heads. COMmiCcoookS.€© mM