Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-12-12
Adventure
A Romance of
The South Seas
BY
JACK LONDON
Copyrilht. 1910. BY Street q Smith
Copyright. 1911. By the Macmillan Company

You pay me now
Then it was that she lost her TEN.
per and cuffed his ears so soundly as
to drive him back among his fellows.
But they did not break up. Another
boy stepped forward.
"Me Gogoomy." he said. "Bawo
brother belong me-
BawO, she remembered, was the
sick boy who had died.
Go on" she commanded.
"BawO take IN medicine. BawO nm.
fish. Bawo my brother. You pay me.
Father belong me one big fella chief
along Port Adams. You pay me-"
Joan laughed.
"Gogoomy, you just the same as
Aroa, one big fool. My word, who
pay me for medicine?'
She dismissed the matter by passing
through the gate and closing it. But
Gogoomy pressed up against it and
said impudently:
Father belong me one big felia
chief. You no bang m head belong
me. My word, you fright too much"
"N1e fright?' she demanded. while
anger tingled all through her.
'Too much fright bang IN head be-
long me-" Gogoomy said proudly.
And then she reached for him across
the gate and got him. 1t was a sweep
ing, broad handed slap. SO heavy thai
he staggered sideways and nearly fell.
He sprang for the gate as If to force
it open, while the crowd surged for
ward against the fence. Joan thought
rapidly. Her revolver was hanging
on the wall Of her grass house. Yet
one cry would bring her sailors. and
she knew she was safe. So she did
not cry for help. Instead, she whistled
for Satan, at the same time calling
him by name. She knew he was shut
up in the living room, but the blacks
did not wait to see. They fed with
wild yells through the darkness. fol-
lowed reluctantly by Gogoomy. while
she entered the bungalow, laughing at
first, but finally vexed to the verge Of
tears by what had taken place. She
had sat up whole night with the boy
who had died, and yet his brother de-
manded to be paid for his life.
ugh! The ungrateful beast! she
muttered, while she debated whether
or not she would confess the incident
to Sheldon.
"And SO 1t was all settled easily
Sheldon was saying. He was
on the veranda, drinking coffee. The
was being carried into its
shed. Boucher was bit timid at
first to carry of the situation with
strong hand, but he did very well once
we got started. We made play ut
holding a court, and Telepasse, the old
accepted the findings. He's
Port Adams chief, filthy bessar. W"
fined him ten times the value Of the
pigs and made him move on with bis
mob. Oh, they're IL sweet lot, ! must
say, at least sixty Of them. In five big
canoes, and out for trouble. They've
got a dozen Sniders that ought to be
"Why didn't you:'" Joan asked.
''And have row on my hands with
the commissioner? He's terribly
touchy about his black wards. as ne
calls them. Well. we started them
along their way, though they went IN
ON the beach to kai-kai several miles
back. They ought to pass here some
time today
Two hours later the canoes arrived.
No one saw them come. The house
boys were busy in the Kitchen ut their
own breakfast. The plantation hands
were similarly occupied in their quar-
tiers. Satan lay sound asleep on his
back. under the billiard table, in his
sleep brushing ut the flies that pes
tered him. Joan was rummaging i'll
the. storeroom. and Sheldon was taking
his siesta in hammock on the We
randa. He awoke gently. In some
occult, subtle way warning that oil
was not well had penetrated his sleep
and reused him. Without moving he
glanced down and saw the ground be-
meath covered with armed sayages.
They were the same ones he had
parted with that morning, though he
noted an accession in numbers. There
were men he had not seen before.
He slipped from the hammock and
with deliberate slOwness sauntered to
the railing, where he yawned sleepily
and looked down on them. 1t came to
him curiously that it was the destiny
ever to stand on this high place look
ing down on unending hordes of black
trouble that required control, bullying
and cajolery. But while he glanced
carelessly over them he was keenly
taking stock. The new men were I'LL
armed with modern rifles. All. he had
thought So There were fifteen OF
them, undoubtedly the Lunga runa
ways. In addition a dozen old Sniders
were in the hands Of the original
crowd. These were the very same
men who had killed his trader, Oscar.
at Ugi.
"What name you walk about this
place?" he demanded.
At the same time he stole glance
to where the Flibberty Gibbet
reflected herself in the CLASSY calm OF
the sea. Not soul was visible under
her awnings, and he saw the whale
boat was missing from alongside. The
Tahitians had evidently gone shooting
fish up the Balesuna. He was all alone
in his high place above this trouble.
while his world slumbered peacefully
under the breathless tropic noon.
Nobody replied. and he repeated his
demand, more of mastery in his voice
this time and hint Of growing anger.
The blacks moved uneasily. Ike herd
of cattle. ut the sound Of his voice.