Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-11-17

4 WIN N0AAWl anu hMALAi
thrObbed with dull persistent ache
with a throat that seemed to be coated
with ashes, strangely cOntracted-a
nauseated stOmach-eyes that saw
/ things through a haze-liInbs that
ached as If bruised-the sounds that
beat their way through his sluggish
consciousness were familiar enough TO
place him almost instantly.
AS he lay there In a narrow bunk,
watching the play of light that came
through a portfolio beyond his line Of
vision, listening to the low boom o.
waves followed by the swash along
side that told him the Karluk was
bucking heavy seas, slow rage mas
tered him, centered against the doc
tor with the sardOnic smile and Cap
tain Simms, who Rainey felt sure had
tacitly approved of the doctors &C.
tions.
He remembered Lund's exclamation
of, "Here. what's this?'-the question
of blind man who could not grasp
what was happening acquitted
him.
They had deliberately kidnapped him,
Shanghaied him, because they did not
choose to trust him, because they
thought he might print the story Of
the island treasure beach in his paper.
or babble of 1t and start rush TO the
new strike of which he had seen proof
in the gold dust streaming from the
poke.
What were they going to do with
him?
He mistrusted the doctor. The man
had drugged him. He was man
whose profession, where the mind was
warped, belittled life. Captain Simms
had 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, rough lot,
daring much and caring little for any
thing beyond their own narrow hOrt-
IONS. The girl YVES the only redeem
ing feature of the situation.
He wondered whether anyone had
seen him go aboard the Karluk with
Lund-anyOne who would remember
it and mention the circumstance when
he was found to be missing That
might take 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 in his work. But
they would not suspect foul play at
first. He had no immediate family.
And all this time the Xarluk would be
thrashing north, we'll out to sea.
Rainey would be front-page won
der for day, then drop to paragraphs
for day or so more, and that would
be the end of it.
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
Each hair seemed set In |
Il 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 long glass.
''Take this" said Carlson. "Pull
you together. Then we'll get some
food into you"
The calm insolence of the doctors
ignoring all that had hap
pened, seemed to send all the blood In
body Tuning to his brain. He
took the glass and hurled its contents
Mt 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 a id fool" he said to
Rainey, his voice irritatingly even.
Are you afraid It's drugged? would
not be so clumsy. l could have given
you hypodermic while you slept,
enough to keep you unconscious for
us many hours as l chose-or for
ever.
"I'll mix you another dose-0ne
it or leave 1t. Take It,
and you'll soon feel yourself again
after Tamada has fed you. Then We'll
thrash out the situation. Leave 1t, and
| wash my hands of you. You can go
Sor'ard and bunk with the men and do
he dirty work"
Rainey felt that he had made fool
If himself, and he took the second
lraft. which almost instantly relieved