The St. Charles herald., 1922-04-15

Dawn came DeIOTc tnty Wcic aware
of it, a sudden rush of light that dyed
the ice in every hue of red and orange.
that tipped the frozen coast with
bursts of ruby flame that fiared like
beacons and gilded the crests Of the
| long swells, tinging all their world with
| a wild, unnatural glory.
Lund, striding the deck, his red
| beard iced with his breath, suddenly
stopped and stared into the east.
There, in the very eye of the dawn,
was trail of smoke, like plume
against the flaming, three-quarters cir
Gle of the rising sun!
Lund's face, on which the bruises
were fast fading, changed purple
| black with rage. He whirled upon
Sandy, gaping near, and ordered him
| to fetch his binoculars. Through them
| he stared long at the smoke. Then
he turned to the girl and Rainey.
"Come down inter the cabin" he
said. "We'n need all our wits. That's
| a patrol boat, Japanese, for million!
None other this far west. An It's
| ID funny it should come up right at
| this minnit. We've made the trip
| on schedule time an here they show.
But we'll let that slide. We've got to
think fast. They'll board us. They'll
| overhaul lis lookin' for seal pelts. At
least / hope so.
We've got none. Our hunters an
| our rifles an shotguns'll prove our
| claim to be pelagic sealers. We got
to trust they believe us. If there is
a hide aboard or a club, or sign of
a dead seal on the beaches they'll nail
us. They may ennyway, just on suspi-
cion.
ITS lucky we didn't start mussin'
up that beach. But they'll 60 over
everything. l know 'em. They claim
to own the seas hereabouts. an they're
cocker than ever, since the war.
Rainey, you got to git busy on the log.
If yore father didn't keep it up, Miss
Peggy. so much the better. If he has.
you got to fake 1t someways, Rainey.
"Im Simms, get me, until we're clear
of 'em. An you, Rainey, ate Doc
| Carlsen. Nothin' must show in the log
about emmy Deaths"
"But why?" asked the girl. "Why
Go we have to masquerade If we
haven't touched the seals?"
| Uund barked at her:
II gave you credit for sharper wits"
| he said, ''We've got to have every
thing so reg'lar they can't find an ex-
cuse for haulin' US in an settin' fire
to the schooner. They'd do it in a
jiffy. We got to show 'em our clear
ance papers, an we've got to tally up
all down the line. Rainey amt on the
ships books-Carlsen is. Lund amt
but Simms is. I'm Simms. An you"
he stopped to grin at her-"you're
my daughter. I'll dissolve the rela-
tionship after while, I'll promise you
that. An I'll drill the men. They
know what's ahead Of 'em if the Japs
git suspicious.
"That amt the worst Of 1t! They
may know what we're after. If they
do. we're goners. Ever occur to you,
Rainey. that Tamada, who is a. deep
one, may have tipped off the whole
thing to his consul while the schooner
was at San Francisco? He was along
the last trip. He'd know the approx
mate position. Might have got the
right figgers out O. the log. him
havin' the run of the cabin. A cable
would do the rest. He'll git his
whack out of 1t, with the order OF the
Golden Chrysanthemum or some jig
arig to boot, an git even with the
way he feels to'ard our outfit for'ard,
that amt bin none too sweet to him"
The suggestion held a foundation OF
conviction for Rainey. He had thought
of the consul. He had always sensed
depths in Tamada's reserve. 1t looked
plausible. Lund rose.
"rn fix Tamada," he said. But the
girl stopped him.
"You don't know that's true. Ia
mada has been wonderful-to me
What do you intend to do with him?'
"T'll make up my mind between here
and the galley" said Lund. grimly
"This is my third tine of tackling this
island, an no Jap is goin' to stand be
tween me an the gold, this trip. Why
even If he amt blown on us, he'll give
the whole thing away. If he didn''
want to they'd make him come through
if they laid their eyes on him. They've
got more tricks than a Chinese man
DARN to make man talk. Stands II
reason he'll tell 'em. If he can tall
when they git here" he added ON
inously, standing halfway between
|, the table and the door of the corridor
bis hand opening and closing sugges
, lively. 1.-THE crew'd settle his hasl
If l didn't. They amt fools. The!
know what's ahead of 'em in Japan
You. Rainey. git busy with that log
, That gunboat'll have a boat alongsid'
this foe inside Of ninety minnits."
. But Peggy Simms was between hin
and the door.
"You shan't do it." she said. he
!. eyes hard as flints. II Lund's were lik
, steel. "You don't know what he wa
Ito me when-when dad was buried
, Call him In and let him talk for him
~~te -. a.. r,ll <oI, tho Tonouoco rovSol