Evening star., 1921-05-22
.JETSAM
The Devil (or Demon) and the Deep Sea
By John Russell
Illustrated by Samuel Cahan

the highly moral lessons they are
supposed to illustrate to the inquiring
mind of childhood. But it is certain
he never profited by the acquaint-
ance-indeed, the contemplation or
such tenacious industry must have
afflicted his infant consciousness with
utter repugnance. BY, the time he
was twenty-seven the only living
thing that could be said to have serv-
ed him as a model was the jellyfish.
Thus it was with Junius Peabody.
who awoke one morning of his twen-
ty-eighth year on the roaring coral
beach at Fufuti. below Bendemeers s
place, to find that even the fiercest
heat of tropic suns seemed never
to warm him. a symptom familiar
enough to brandy drunkards. And his
last penny was gone.
Under the shock of conviction Mr.
Peabody sought to cast up the mental
log, in the hope of determining where
he was and how he came to be there
The entries were badly blurred. but
he could trace himself down through
Port Said. Colombo. Singapore. He
remembered a stop at Sydney. a
sketchy impression of the Shanghai
race meeting and mad sort or trip
in q private yacht full OF Australian
sheep p-something-kinSs, perhaps; tre-
mendous fellows. anyway. And then
Manila. of course. and Macao. ana
after that the hectic session when ne
and a Norwegian schooner captain MT
the bank at fan-tan. 1t was this same
captain who had landed him finally at
the point of a boot on the strand
where now he sat. So much was still
quite clear and recent, within a range
of days.
memoirs ran one consistent and tragic
motive-a dwindling letter of credit
the fag end of his considerable patri-
mony. 1t had expired painlessly at
last, the night before if he could trust
wake. He recalled the inscrutable
face of the tall white man behind the
lar who had cashed it for him AND
he recalled, too. a waif bit OF their
conversation as he signed the ultimate
"You can date it Fufuti." suggested
Bendemeer, and spelleed the name Tor
And where-where the devil is Fu-
futi?" he asked.
next pub" said Bepdemeer, with exces-
sively dry Significance.
The phrase came back to him now.
***
COME one shifted beside him. and he
- turned to stare into face that
might have been a distortion OF his
own yellow. haggard image.
Hello" he said-and then. by natu-
raj sequence: Say. you don't happen
to have a flask anywhere handy ABOUT
you-what?"
His neighbor scowled, aggrievedly.
'sDo I look like 'ad naSk?
The belligerent whine was enough
to renew the identity Of the NANCY
little larrikin whose, couch on the
Duck, they called him-a descriptive
title which served as we'll as any.
"It's my notion I'm going to have
the fantods." explained Junius' i
need bracer."
meseif lust now" agreed sydney.
lint y got no more credit with
Bendemeer?'
Peabody made an effort.
Seems to me was thrown out OF
Bendemeer's last night. Is that
"You was. and so was me and that
big Dutchman. Wilems-al thrown
out"
"If he threw me out the credit must
be gone" said Junius.
This was simple logic and unan-
swerable Maybe y got something
else hen take for tn price" suggest
ed Sydney: Damn im-e's keen
'I did have some cum links ana
things said Peabody vaguely.
wonder what's become Of them"
II wonder" echoed Sydney. AS II
some last possible claim upon his re-
gard had been dissipated. he let his
that's pity too. You got to learn
now what it means bein' on the beach
and doin' without drinks-'cept as
you kin cadge them oh'n 'alf-caste
Chinymen and such. lou "o" hAe
It, you won't"
DO your asked Junius.
NE? I'm used to it: But. Lord.
look at them 'ands: IN lay you never
Did YOU" inquired Junius Pea
% "Garn% retorted Sydney with a pc
culiarIy unlovely sneer. wy. you
don't know yet what you've come to.
you don't .Jaimss. ss,, fetch Haur me styI. me
only there int no Jaimes no more.
and no drafts to be 'ad. Ho. :.
You're only a beachcomber now. my
tey. A lousy beachcomber. And you
needn't expect me to do none OF your
beggin' for you. for l won't-no
fear
Junius examined the features of
the Sydney Duck. the undue promi-
nence of nose and upper llp. the SIN.
gularly sharp ridge of the whole front
5ace-whittled. as it might have been:
the thin, pink ears and the jutting
teeth that gave him something of the
feeble ferocity of rat. And with
new perception he saw the sydney
Duck as a type. the fitting comrade
and associate for such as he.
Its fact" said Junius Peabody:
"rve fallen pretty low.
y =
TIE looked out again upon that un-
L profitable dawning. To right and
left stretched the fiat. dim monotony
Of the beach. lined in misty surf and
hedged with slim palms like tuft
cd paIisade From behind drifted
the smokes from scores OF homely
h.ar,hs Down by Tenbow Head the
first pearling luggers were putting
out under silver clouds Of sail. Sea
and land stirred once more with the
bore between land a@d was the
f-'nge uf things. the des"~tsd domain
of wreckage and cast-of remnants.
Here lay broken sDar half buried
In the sand. part OF the complex fab
ric that once enabled some fair ship
to skim the waves. And here among
the kelp and the bodies of marine
animals he saw the lcosered slaves
OF barrel Imply spread and up
thrust like the fingers of some dead
giant. with an empty bottle near by
as if fallen from that slaci: grip: And
h"-e, lastly. he was aware OF Junius
Peabody also on the beach. washed
up at the far edge of the world like
any other useless bit of jetsam; to