The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1920-01-01

knights station iS-Where [ was
brought ashore after I was picked up"
Laynton snorted savagely, and pick
ing up pair Of dividers indicated the
position with exact precision.
ITO the nOr'ad bit, among those
islands y he snapped. .'You know fast
enough what meanE'
Wallen shook his head.
'Don't your Laynton rasped. 'sWell,
how about this?" He pulled piece Of
paper from his pocket, and fattened it
out on the chart. '"They correspond,
don't they? You dropped this out of
your pocket. had a Kanaka aboard
then, who picked it up and gave it to
me-"
He smiled at Wallen unpleasantly.
81 haven't got that Kanaka now.
He disappeared. There's something
damned queer about it-anl about
those shots last night, wouldn't you
say? Dye think I'm fool-d'ye think
I wouldn't stake my oath that mealy.
mouthed Indian you brought aboard
with you didn't fire 'em? But I still
thought you were Wallen then, and !
was still for giving you all the rope
you wanted.
"Well, here's the latitude and 1ongi-
tude on the paper and here's the pc.
sition on the chart, and guess in
general way we're pretty hot ON the
scent-it's only the few details that
may be lacking when we get there that
I'm asking you to supply. What?"
1t was moment before Wal1en
spoke.
The position given on that piece Of
paper had come, Gunga had said, di-
rect from Ram Gulab Singh. There
were many islands around Mac
Knights station, and among them, evil
IDENTIFY enough now, Ram Gulab Singh
had his lair.
''Do you mean," he asked abruptly,
"that you are going there?"
'sD'ye think there's any doubt about
it?' returned Laynton caustically.
''Then," said Wallen earnestly, 81
warn you. you're running the head Of
every one aboard this ship into a
moose. If you want the truth of the
whole business, it's this: Years back
my father had trouble with a power.
full native named Ram Gulab Singh
who was and is the head of many of
the Malay pirates that infest these
waters. The man swore revenge. The
feud still exists.
'It was to save me from plot Ram
Gulab Singh had Matched to murder
me on the UpolO that my father char
tered you. Furthermore, there was no
accident aboard here when my father
died. It was this Kanaka, that you
say has disappeared, who murdered
him-the man who started this cock
and-bull story about treasure because
he is in Ram Gulab Singh's pay, and
that paper he gave you was to lure the
ship into his masters claws if he was
unsuccessful in doing away with my
father himself.
"He did away with my father, but
he still gave you the paper for the
same purpose, except, Of course, that j
am substituted in my fathers place."
There was an incredulous sheer on
the faces of the two men.
sounds almost as f1shy as you
writing yourself down dead in the
logl" commented Laynton, with an
ugly laugh. "Of course, you don't
want us to go there, eh!- Well, that's
all right, and thanks for the warning
but don't worry about Us coming to
any harm, though it does credit to
your heart! We don't scare aboard
this ship. Mebbe if there was the
prospect Of bit of a scrap it wouldn't
stand in our way none, either. Have
you by any chance taken note Of the
crew."
A sort Of savage anger came upon
Wallen.
81 grant you they look like cut
throats," he said evenly.
you're wrong!" rejoined Laynton
with evil smoothness. "You amt half
looked at 'em, and you don't do 'em
credit. Fallen angels are saints along
side of 'em; and there amt one of
'em but has been aboard here with me
for the matter of a good few years
which proves that your yarn about the
Kanaka and this 'ere friend of yours
Ram What-d'ye-call-him is another lie
"'Tain't likely. you've ever heard OF
the Mon1eigh before, because we've got
a superstition aboard here that keep
ing the same name too long is bad
luck.
"When we carry cargo it's because
times are Internally poor and the pick
ing thin-the crew has got prefer
ence for private pearl beds, or mebbe
the opium trade, or I've even known
'em to horn in on bit Of black-birding
by way Of variety. We've been living
under a kind of righteous restraint,
Mr.. Man, out of Difference to who we
thought you were, and could see the
crew was sort of chatting under it; but
guess you'll get a better idea Of
things from now on, and by the time
we get down off Arru again you won't
need to be told what to expect if you
don't come around to our way of think
ing"