The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-02-15
CHAPTER XVIII.

At a small hour of the morning they
made Diamond Harbor in pitch dark
ness and without misadventure were
successful in causing themselves to be
transhipped, bag and baggage, to the
twinscrew steamship Poonah, which
vessel rode at anchor in midstream
Toward eight o'clock of the white
hot forenoon that followed, O'Rourke,
in the shadow of a long-boat on the
Poonah's promenade deck, stood fin
ishing a matutinal cigar and watching
narrowly a tender ferry out a final
boatload of passengers from the east
ern river bank.
Slowly the tender forged toward the
steamers side; aud as it drew near,
ORourke forgot to smoke and bent
over the rail to inspect with unremit-
ting interest those upon it's decks
The forward deck of the tender held
his regard but briefly; those who
waited there, cycling impassively the
towering TANKS of the liner, were one
and all of the east, Of races, creeds
and types too numerous to catalogue.
These the adventurer might not read,
save individually upon personal con-
tact. If trouble was to come from
them, collectively or individually, he
would not know until the blow had
fallen. On the other hand, he might
be able to hazard shrewd surmises as
to the potential animus inherent in
any one of the Europeans who were
to be his fellow passengers.
The latter were a mere handful;
half a dozen commercial travellers
from London, Paris Berlin, their avo-
cations evident beyond dispute; a sal
low English missionary with his with
cred wife, sombre figures in the stark
sunlight, a red-faced deputy-sub-some
thing r-other of the Indian govern
ment, complacent in white drill and
new pith helmet with gay puggaree;
lone English girl, and a Frenchman.
The two latter held the lrishman's
attention; the girl because, even at
distance, her slim white-clad figure
and well-poised head seemed singu-
larly fresh and attractive; the man
because-well, because O'Rourke was
susceptible to premonitions.
He was tall man and broad, the
Observation-Disclosures, well-groomed,
carrying himself with an indefinable
air of distinction. His face was rath-
concourse of dark skins>, its features
strongly modelled the mouth and chin
masked by neatly trimmed and
pointed beard and mustache.
O'Rourke could not have said that
he had ever seen the man before; yet
there was this and that about him
which struck a spark of "Reminiscences
from his memory. A suspicion flashed
through his mind which he put aside
with disdain, as absurd and far-fetch-
ed. On the other hand. He
knit his brows in puZzlement
The very fixity of his regard drew
the eyes of it's object upwards. They
encountered O'Rourke's, fingered brief
ly in an unveiled, inquiring stare in
which there was not to be detected
the least hint of recognition, and
passed onward casually, indifferently,
ignoring the impertinence.
The tenders passengers began to
stumble up the gang-plank to lower
deck of the liner; and ORourke, with
a sober face, went below, taking some
care to avoid contact with the incom-
ing crowd.
He found Danny was in his state
room, engaged with some details of
repair to the adventures wardrobe.
{ O'Rourke remained for brief space
'astasdsng = tho middle Of the cabin,