The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-12-24
I A Man To His Mate
BY J. ALLEN DUNN
COPYRIGHT MERRILL
COPYRIGHT BoBBs MERRILL co.

to protect the girl. If Lund, seeming
more like IA pirate than ever, with his
cold eyes sweeping the horizon, his
bulk casting Rainey's into a dwarf'S
by comparison, attempted to harm
Peggy Simms, Rainey resolved to play
the part of champion.
He could not shoot like Lund, but
he was armed. He felt the mastery OF
the man. And he felt incompetent be-
side him. Lund held the power OF life
and death, not by brute force alone
He was the only navigator aboard
with the skipper seriously Ill. AS such
alone he held them in his hand. once
they were out of sight Of land.
Hansen" said Lund, "Mr. Rainey'll
relieve you after we've eaten. Come
on, Rainey. You amt lost yOre appe-
tite, hope. Watch me discard that
spoon for a knife an fork. l don't
have to play blind man emmy longer"
Food did not appeal to Rainey. 1t
was Lund's demeanor that gripped
him. The giant dismissed Carlson as
| unceremoniously as he might have
tipped the ash from cigar, or tossed
the stub oversize.
'I've got to tackle those hunters,
Lund said. II expect trouble there,
sooner or later But I'm gOin' TO lay
down the law to 'em. If they come
clean, well an good. they git their
| original two shares. If not, they don
get a plugged nickel. An Deming's
the one who'll stir up the trouble, take
1t from me. I'd jest as soon 1t was
war. l don't see as we can help the
skipper much less we try reverse
treatment of what Carlson did-t we
knew what that was. If he gifts worse
she'll let us know, l reckon. See you
later"
4 Rainey took the dismissal and went
up to the relief of Hansen. He did
not mention what had happened until
the Scandinavian referred to II indi'
rectly.
"They put the doc overheard, sir
soon's MIR. Lund an you bane go be
low"
1t seemed a summary dismissal OF
the dead, without ceremony. Yet. fol-
the rite to be authentic, Lund mus
have presided, and the sea-burial serv
ice would have been a mockery undel
the circumstances. 1t was the bes
thing to have done, Rainey felt. but III
could not avoid a mental shiver at thu
thought of the man, so lately vital, nj
brain alive with energy, sliding through
the cold water to the ooze to lie there
, sodden, swinging with the sub-sea cur
rents until the ocean scavenger
claimed him.
GAN right, Hansen" he said in an
> swer, and the man hurried Off after nj
{ extra detail.
Lund came up after a while, an
: Rainey told him of the fate of Car
sens body.
/. 81 figgered they'd do about that,
/. commented Lund. "They sawed he
!. aimed to make suckers out of EN-, al
they dumped him. But they amt o
Y our side, by long sight. That Denim
: is a better man than l thought. He
n the main crouch among 'em. Said II
hadn't had a gun he'd have tackled m
" in the cabin. Meant 1t, too, though 1
: have smashed him. He's sore becoz
e said he warn't my equal. l told him
o he wanted to try it out, I'd accomm
h date him. He didn't take it up,
" they'll kid him about it. He'll pack
y grudge. l amt afraid of their knifi
W me. not while the shippers sick. Tit
st need me to navigate"
II "This might be good chance for 4
Dt to handle a sextant," suggested RAIN
casually.
ID Lund shook his head. smiling. b
/ his eyes hard.
ne "Not yet, matey," he said. IN
ne that 1 don't trust you, but for me
m be the only one, jest now, is a sort