Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

950 Gazoot would he take the boat, minus the cargo, and call it square and he said he would,” Jeff said. So we consoled ourselves with that. It wasn’t so bad when you’d stop to think of it. And I went to bed that night with a fair disposition. _ We were within two days of Seattle by this time, and Jeff and I were getting back into good humor once more. Really, it wasn’t going to be so bad. The chances are that after all our debts were paid and the rats disposed of, we would still have mebbe twenty-five thousand dollars apiece to the good—and I would have my twenty thousand dollars back. Not so bad—not so bad. It was a fine serene morning when I woke up and the sea was as calm as a Friday night. I shaved and dressed and hummed a merry lay and got ready for a fine breakfast. Jeff wasn’t anywhere in sight when I tripped gayly out on deck, but it was kind of late and I figgered he was at the eats. - It seemed good to be alive, after all, and in a couple of weeks I would have a lot of good money. Then me for Tia Juana and the races and the care-free life. I breathed in a lot of fine ocean air and hummed a little ditty. “Ah, the rats,” I trilled. “1 shall go down and take a look at our own wealth and then for a little promenade on the deck, and breakfast.” So I went down into the hold and turned on the lights. I looked—and looked—and then put on my glasses and looked again. I was looking for rats, gentlemen, but I looked in vain. Yes, sir, what had once been a million tats all piled up in nice even rows was nothing at all. Every rat was gone! Frantically I rushed about seeking our cargo, but there was not a sign of a rat. They had vanished in the night as com- pletely as if they had been but a dream! It was the strangest thing I ever heard of. It was inexplicable! It was awful! I hurried up on deck and sought Jeff. ‘At last I found him sitting dejectedly upon a roll of rope, his head in his hands. . “Where’s our rats?” I shrieked. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “They’re gone—a million rats have dis- appeared from this ship! Where did they go? How?” “T don’t know,” Jeff answered, gloomily. ‘“‘{ just came from there. It’s a mystery and—and—I’m afraid. It’s black magic!” “It’s black something,” I yipped. ‘“ I’m gonna find out!” So I beat it across to the West Gazoot. The sailors were loafing and laughing and enjoying themselves while our crew did their work for ’em, but they didn’t pay any attention to me when I spoke to ’em. Finally, though, I found their captain. “Our cargo!” I said to him. “ Our cargo—it disappeared!” ‘““No! When?” he wanted to know. “Last night,” I told him. “ It—they— were all there last evening—and now they —it’s gone—all of ’em!” “That’s strange,” he said, puzzled. ‘‘Of course I don’t know what your cargo consisted of—but I can’t understand it.” “ Didn’t—don’t you know what we had in the hold of the Bessie Hicks?” I asked him, and he shook his head. “No, in some cases it isn’t the proper thing to ask,” he observed, kind of smiling, “and I said nothing to your captain or crew about it.” Then he turned to look after something, and I went away puzzled more than ever. Down at the other end of the ship was a sailor who looked like he might have some sense, so I went over to him and asked him if he ever heard of a cargo disappearing, and he said not unless it leaked out. I told him ours wouldn’t — we weren’t smuggling liquor, I said. “We got kind of a funny cargo,” he told me after a bit. ‘“ But at that I’ll bet the owners make some jack. We raided an island down the coast a ways—took us a month to get a load—but they’re the finest specimens I ever saw,” he said. ‘“ Come along; I'll show you.” Then as we started down below he added: “Tl bet they sell ’em as fast as they show ’em. They’re almost as fine as Persians.” He turned on the lights and there was the wildest commotion you ever heard of, quiet, though, but active. As soon as my eyes DOOK C©