Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-30
the wisdom of the purchase. how he had
hesitated and haggled with his con-

the wisdom of the purchase. how he had
hesitated and haggled with his con-
science.
Even though Rhode had oyerdrawn
their Jeopardy tand Crittenden in his
saner moments little doubted such to be
the case: this was the twentieth century.
not those days when buccaneers haunted
those Bahaman waters through winch
the Cynthia was forging)-even though
Rhodes fears hobbled his judgment. still
1t was comforting to know that one was
armed. equipped for defense. Ana
even as he thought in this wise Critten-
den heard a succession of sounds that
left him scantily i'm doubt as to the
soundness of Rhodes most evil appre-
tension
He heard first cry, deep and hoarse
with anger though dulled by distance
and the anfractuous route 1t Travelled 10
reach his ears: then noise like that
made by bringing two plankS Smartly
together: and, finally, a confused noise of
voices and rough-and- tumble scuffling:
all, apparently. emanating from the up
per deck, where he had left Rhode. where
Cynthia and Nine. Savaran had their
staterooms.
Alarmed, he closed his trunk, showed it
back beneath the berth. thrust the pistol
into his pocket, jumped up and ran out
into the corridor as he opened his state
room door hearing the noise more dis
tinctly. and. with an addition to its vol
mistakably that of the Red Mana sus-
tanned gush of wrath as incoherent and
unintermittent as the roaring of an i'll
tempered child
Then. bursting headlong through the
swinging door at the end of the passage.
Crittenden pulled up i'm the middle of the
dining saloon, watching with amazed eyes
the gradual downward progress on the
companion-way of an apparently mex
tricably interentangled mass OF arms
hnlx t,ryfv 20
knot of struggling men-four or FIVE of
them, at least, all clinging tooth and nall
to q common center of devoted interest.
as IL in concerted effort to smother and
silence the source of that incredible eff
flux of sound.
tention glimpses of Rhode We're to be
had-spots and splashes of a huge red
shape squirming, heaving. quaking:
formless thing Of sangunary color that
wrought like a devil in chains.
With a forcible thud the writing heap
struck the landing. where the steps from
port and starboard united TO a single
flight down TO the main deck, and one
of the attacking party. stunned by the
impact of his head with a baluster. re-
Taxed and fell away His handicap thus
lightened, Rhode exerted himself mag
nifcently. Momentarily the snarl OF
struggling men was agitated as py
seismal shock.
Crittenden. with pistol poised, but Iear-
ing to fire, saw the Red Man upheave,
first gaining his knees. then with Ter
rifle effort his feet, shedding the human
bodies like garments. Men seemed TO
fly from him as through some singular
phenomenon OF centrifugal force. A
veritable eruption of limbs and torSos
clouded the air about him and subsidized,
leaving Rhode momentarily free and
erect.
He stood SO, collecting himself. Tor
bare moment; an accent OF triumph en-
phasizing his uninterrupted below: his
great red face empurpled with exertion.
eyes protruding like knots of blue stone
huge limbs quivering SO that ne seemed
almost to dance with fury.
Crittenden carried through life men
tai photograph of the scene. Tie remem-
bered later the background of the upper
companion-way; on the one hand the
white shape of Cynthia standing at the
head OF the steps, astare in fascinated
terror: on the other. two hgures. Perez
watching calmly, Claret gathering him-
self together with the concentrated IN
tent OF an animal about TO spring.
Presently he did spring. with neat cal
culation launching himself from the top
most step through the air to land on
Rhodes head and shoulders.
Wellnigh before he had time to realize
his fugitive moment of ascendeney.
Rhode was stricken and carried Oft his
feet. as by blow of sedge hammer
Claret on top. he went to the bottom
of the steps i'm a manner as ifeiess as
that of a log.
Then, while still confused by the
Rhode as little as by himself-and Won
dering how most wisely he might con-
duct himself for the good of Nine. Sa-
varan and Cynthis, Crittenden heard