Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

948 Jeff, he came tearing down to where I was at and shouted that if we wanted to get off alive, we would have to lower the boats. “The operator is sending out a call for help,” he yelled at me, ‘“ but the chances are help won’t come in time!” Yes, ma’am, Jeff was scared. Because he didn’t linger only long enough to cast a sad look at our nice fresh rats, and then he dashed back up on deck again. If everybody else was going to get out and row I couldn’t see any good reason why I should stay and watch the rats any longer. Rats, I always read, left a doomed ship, but ours wasn’t leaving any to speak of. It began to look more like the doomed ship would leave the rats! But I didn’t have time to speculate much on that re- versed angle of the rat question. It seemed like it was time for me to go bye-bye. But I didn’t go. Succor came flounder- ing along toward us about the time I fell on the upper deck in the general outlines of another schooner that wasn’t afflicted with general debility like Bessie Hicks. Xt was the West Gazoot, and she hove to, as the saying goes, and threw us a line. It was as good a line as the West Gazoot ever pulled, too, Ill say that. Then she edged in closer and closer till she was floundering alongside of the Bessie Hicks. Next a mess of sailors, who didn’t seem to mind getting wet in the least, tied us together—lashed the Bessie Hicks solidly to the West Gazoot —and started along through that there storm hand in hand like they had known each other all their lives. The weather certainly fooled us, though. Because I'll bet it wasn’t more than half an hour after we were all serenely tied up to the West Gazoot till the darn storm stopped churning the ocean and tearing little particles of Bessie into shreds, and the sun came out, and everything began to be jake again. “Lookit!” I said to Jeff. ‘“‘ What did you go and call in some outside help for? We didn’t need no assistance in this kind of weather.” But Jeff, he turned sadly away and went gnd lay down somewhere. Jeff Parker was almost as much of a wreck as Bessie Hicks. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. I sought me a couch, too, where the weather hadn’t unmade the beds, and slept till Morpheus got tired of me, and then I got up, which was along about the day afterward. When I came on deck again the sun was shining brightly, the waves were rippling merrily, and if there had been any birds around there they would have been singing. Most of our crew was on the West Gazoot helping out the hired men over there and getting themselves something to eat between intervals, and Jeff and the captain were taking a drink. So I went up and joined the party, mak- ing three of us who were thirsty, and Jeff said he wanted to talk serious to me, which he did. “The captain of the West Gazoot will want salvage,” began Jeff. “Well, let him have it,” I said. “I ain’t got a bit, myself, but mebbe we can find some around the Bessie Hicks. What,” I asked, “is salvage, and what do they use it for?” “They use it for lining the pocketbook,” answered Jeff. “Oh, well, he doesn’t want much then,” I comes back. ‘I reckon we can let him have enough to line his wallet.” “Salvage,” explained Jeff, ‘is dough, dinero, kale, jack. It’s the stuff any boat claims when it rescues another one calling for help. They mostly name their own price.” , “Oh,” I said. ‘“ So that’s it. How much does this here Gazoot want for rescuing Bessie?”’ ‘“‘ He seemed to think about thirty thou- sand dollars would square it,” answered Jeff. “Thirty thousand dollars!” I yipped. ‘“‘'Why, we only paid—say, is this here one of Captain Kidd’s boats?” “It’s tough luck,” wailed Jeff. I don’t know what we can do.” “TI know what we can do—fight him,” I said. “I ain’t going to give that captain more than the boat is worth for saving the darned thing.” “You gotta remember he saved our lives —and saved the cargo,” asserted Jeff. “‘ He figgers those items in, too, you know.” But DOOK C©