The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-12-01
IA Man To His Mate
BY J. ALLEN DUNN

COPYRIGHT BoBBs MERRILL co,

new strike of which he had seen proof
in the gold dust streaming from the
poke.
What were they going to do with
him?
tie mistrusted the doctor, The man
mad drugged him. He was man
whose profession, where the mind was
warped, bellttled life. Captain Simms
mad been charged with leaving blind
man on broken foe. Lund was the
type whose passions left him ruthless.
The crew-they would be bound by
shares In the enterprise, a rough lot,
daring much and caring little for any
thing beyond their own narrow hori-
IONS. The girl was the only redeem
ing feature Of the situation.
tie wondered whether anyone had
seen him 90 aboard the Karluk with
Lund-anyone who would remember
it and mention the circumstance when
ne was found to be missing. That
might take a day or two. At the Of
fee they would wonder why he didn t
show up to cover his detail, because
he had been steady ilf his work. But
they would not suspect foul play at
first. He had no immediate family.
And all this time the Karluk would be
thrashing north we'll out to sea.
Rainey would be front-page won.
der for day, then drop to paragraphs
for a day or so more, and that would
be the end of 1t.
But they had made him comfortable,
He was not in a smelly forecastle, but
in a bunk in a cabin that must open
off the main room of the schooner.
Why had they treated him with such
consideration? He dozed off, for all
his wretchedness. exhausted by his
efforts to untangle the snarl. When
he awOke again his mouth was glued
together with thirst. His head ached
intolerably. Each hair seemed set In
a nerve center Of pain. But he was
better.
He sat up In his bunk, fully clothed
as he had come aboard, the door of
his cabin opened and the doctor ap-
peared, nodded cOOlly as he saw
Rainey moving, disappeared for an in
slant, and brought in draft of some
sort In q long glass.
"Take this" said Carlson. "Pul
you together. Then we'll get some
food into YOU"
The calm insolence of the doctors
manner, ignoring all that had hap
pened, seemed to send all the blood in
Rainey's body tuning to his brain. He
took the glass and hurled its contents
at Carlsen's face. The doctor lodged
and the stuff splashed against the
cabin wall, only a few drops reaching
Carlsen's coat.
Don't be ID FOOL he said to
| Rainey, his voice irritatingly even
"Are you afraid it's drugged? l would
nN be so clumsy. I could have given
you a hypodermic while you slept
enough to keep you unconscious fol
as many hours as ! chose-or for
ever.
"Tll mix you another dose-one
more-take 1t or leave it. Take it
and you'll soon feel yourself AGAR
after Tamada has fed you. Then well
thrash out the situation. Leave it, ant
I wash my hands of you. You can &C
for'ard and bunk with the men and dc
the dirty work."
Rainey felt that he had made a foo
of himself, and he took the secont
draft, which almost instantly relieved
| him, cleansing his mouth and throat
| and, as his headache died down, clear
ing his brain.
"Why did you drug me?" he de
manded. pretty high-handed. car
make you pay for this"
"Yes? How? When? We're vel
off Cape Mendocino, heading nor'wes'
or Whereabouts. Nothing between us
and Unalaska but fog and deep water
Before we get back you'll see the pay