Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

He was never so near becoming an agnostic as he was at that moment. % What is this sign you speak about, ”? Fang Wu flickered his eyes at Hendriks. “Sign? No sign—just any sign of Mr. Rutledge’s return.” “ Do not expect that sign, Captain Hen- driks. Mr. Rutledge will not return.” “ You don’t know Rutledge.” “ But I knew—cother things.” “Then that boat is the one you sent that message tol” iss Perhaps.” ‘‘ You would have me believe so, anyway. It’s to your advantage to have me believe so.” “ My dear captain, if there were a friend- ly armada around you, still what could you do?” He pointed, significantly, toward the adjacent cabin. Hendriks sat silent. “ You white men are so, shall we say, hero'c, ro- mantically heroic, when it is a question of a woman. You go to such never-ending lengths of sacrifice. A dangerous trait in amy race. A trait detrimental to the per- fect advancement of any race!” “ & trait I thank God for, I’m proud of —4 trait any man of us would die for, sir!” “ That is one direction in which I can- not possibly prevent you from following your inclinations. Kindly call your other two officers in here with you.” * They shall not leave their posts!” “Do as § say or—” Fang Wu shrugged. “ Blindness, dear captain, is only one of the lesser terrors I have up my sleeve.” Hendriks crosséd to the door and called below. “ Mr. Harris, come up here, please.” A much resigned and gloomy Harris came imto the cabin. MacDonald burst in cm his heels. “He’s given the sign, sir!” MacDonald shouted. “ They aren’t armed. We’re to resist at all costs!” Fang Wu stood beside an open porthole, _ Smiling at them. He took. the white hand- c “DIRTY WEATHER. cab * at) oe * : kerchief from the breast pocket of his coat and fluttered it three times, outside the port. “I wouldn’t advise moving, gentlemen,” Fang Wu said quietly, “not so much as an inch. Look behind you!” CHAPTER XX. THE GREAT ADVENTURE. PARKS, after Rutledge had mounted S to the bridge of the Yung Swei, and the three Chinamen had Ieft him alone to his own devices, took a careful and minute survey of his surroundings— very much d Ja Ernest Montague de Beau- prix in “ For His Country’s Honor.” His royal blue funk of the night before had completely departed with daylight, leaving him cool, calm and collected, which was the perpetual state of the aforementioned Ernest M. de B. To get to the wireless shack, technically dubbed his objective, he would have to walk aft through one of the passageways amidships and would then, undoubtedly, find a ladder leading up to the deck on which the shack was situated. Or he could gain that deck by mounting to the main deck, standing on its railing, and hoisting himself up onto the deck above—provid- ing no one were looking. This latter alternative would further give him the advantage, an advantage heavily underlined by Ernest, of surprise, the wire- less operator of the Yung Swei being the proposed recipient of the surprise, for if the operator happened to be in the shack he would not be looking for anyone to ap- proach it from the rear. Any other method of procedure would be treason to Ernest, so he decided to take the chance, the chance of not being seen. He adopted a highly degagé air and pro- ceeded to stroll carelessly about the well deck. As no prying eyes seemed to be peering out at him from any corner, he took his degagé air by the hand and led it gently up the ladder to the main deck, where he promptly dropped it like a hot coal and scrambled nimbly, via the railing, onto the deck above soli ile Koro) lohan «. Wt — 22 =