Page 116 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

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Sorcery and Everhard III

. "Sin Chang'd be all right if it wasn't for cruiser, unscrewing bolts and folding down
his slave trade. But he's a Chinaman. I the superstructure almost flush with the
take his money. . . . What? . . . Forget deck. A light mast was set up with gauze
it! Don't you eat in the same café that bunched around it to give the appearance
serves wife-beaters if said beaters pay the of furled canvas-which is what now is
bill? Sm Chang's a friend to me. known as "camouflage."
"That ruby-the Red Moon? It's a It took them over an hour to get the work
beauty but don't you ever believe Sin done. I was surprized at the agility and
Chang is goin' to turn loose of it-not very tirelessness of the foppish Lord Bob, who,
far, anyway." · having changed into working-clothes, and
I did not venture to tell him my suspi- though his shoulder must have been a little
cion that Hurgronje had probably offered painful still, jumped about with a sort of
for the Red Moon a price that would tempt one-handed alacrity that was astonishing.
even Sin Chang. I did tell him that I had I gave a hand at lifting and dropping, but
nothing of his faith in Chinamen. otherwise kept out of the way. .
"You never know what they are up to," I "All set, skipper?" Lord Bob asked cheer-
said. ily.
He profanely remarked that I was a fine Jackman came into the cockpit and with'
fellow indeed to reproach anybody for con- a torch-electric torch-examined the en-
cealmg what he knew or had in mind. gine, from which he had removed the cover.
"But say, old man, if Sin Chang passes He fumbled about with a kind of affection-
the word I'm takin ' the Sea Breeze out to- ate inquiry, doing those many things that a
morrow night. You willin' to turn smug- loving mechanic always does to his idol, and
gler?" poked the snout of an oil-can into a hundred
I was. The word came all right. places before he pressed the button that,
"Of course it' s off if there's a fog-looks connected with a starting-battery, set the
more like rain, though," Lord Bob said, engine to chugging.
pressing his nose against the window and It was a good deal like a woman, that en-
stooping to get a squint at the dull sky. gine, and did not want to do what was ex-
pected of it; but presently was warmed up,
IT WAS dark and cold, one of those and set into a muffied chugging with a high-
leaden nights that chill the blood. ly . rhythmic beat that was suggestive of
"Seems to me," I remarked after power. The power was there, too.
Lord Bob, Jackman and I had crawled on "Come into the bow with me," said Lord
board, "that you let too many people sus- Bob as Jackman drew up some heavy
pect your business." blankets, put one around Lord Bob and
I referred to the fact that we had taken offered another to me. "I'm lookout," and
one of those small tugs that ply across the he swung a case of night glasses to and fro.
water at all hours of the day and night like We went into the bow. The wind was
huge beetles, tossing and chugging, to come sharp. Lord Bob unscrewed the lid of his
to the yacht anchorage; and, having ar- silver flask and passed it to me; but I
rived, an old caretaker in a sheepskin coat pushed it back. I have nothing again t
had met us at the gangway of a rather large liquor of any kind except this: To send it
yacht to which the tug was directed. He into my stomach to cheer up my blood is
held up a lantern and glanced into the faces too much like calling for a policeman when
of Lord Bob and Jackman, but stared for a somebody is trying to impose on me.
moment longer into mine. In a low voice through a short mega-
The tug put off. The caretaker put us phone Lord Bob sent back a word from time
into a row boat and with slow strokes and to time to Jackman, and in order to go as
creaking oarlocks pushed us over to the Sea slowly as he wi hcd he often killed the en-
Br eeze. I could not have rested nights if gine and let her glide forward. It was al-
there had been so many uncertain links in most impossible to go slow with that engine
any enterprise of mine. kicking at the water.
Lord Bob laughed. We made our way out of the yacht an-
The caretaker had gone off with his chorage, and from the darkness came a muf-
creaking oarlocks; and without lights Jack- fled, hoarse voice as if from the clouds-
man and Lord Bob began dismantling the "Good luck, me boys."