The spectator., 1922-02-14

luck, an l make q deal whereby the skipper gets the same as do, an the ship, which Is the same as his daugh- ter, gets almost as much. You men were offered share on top of yore wages if you wanted to take the chance-two shares to the hunters. It was d-d liberal, an you grabbed at 1t. l got left on the ice. blind on a hreakin' foe, an you sailed off an grabbed handful or so of gold, enough to set you crazy.
 What in blazcS would you know what to do with it, enny of you? Spill 1t all along the Barb'ry coast. or gamble 1t off to Deming. Is there one of you 'ud have got of thet foe an', blind as I was, turned up ag'in? Not one of ye. An when I did show you got sore becoz you'd fingered there 'ud be more with me away
 "A fine lot of skunks. You can take yore d-d bit of paper an light yore pipes with it, for all of me. To h--Il with 1t!
 
 murmurs at the table. Carlson sat quiet, sometimes licking his lips gent ly, listening to Lund as he might have listened to the rantngs of q melodra- matic actor. But Rainey senSed that lie was making mistake. He was letting Lund 90 too far. The men were listening to Eend. and he knew that the giant was talking for a specific purpose. Just to what end ne could not guess. The big booming voice held them, while it dashed them.
 Equal to me? Bah, I'm q man. Tore n lot of fools. Talk about me bein blind IL was iee=bink got ne Then ophthalmy matterin' up my eyes. It's gold-hlink's got you. Tore cave-fsh, q lot of blind suckers"
 He leaned over the table pointing a massive square finger, matched with red wool, direct at CarlSen, as if ha had been ieveHug a weapon.
 "Carlsens a fakel He's get you hipped. Ec thinks he's boss. hccoz he's the only navigator of yore crowd l aint overlooked that card. CurlSen. That ain't the only string he's got on ye Nor tho three shares he expects to pull down. He made you pore suck CTS fire off all your shells: he found out you aiH't get d gun left among you that's enny more Gse than club. He's got gun an he showed you how he could use it. He's sittn' back lartin ot tl,N E,qppl, of
 The men stirred. Rainey saw Carl sens grin disappear. He dropped the paper. His face paled, the veins showed suddenly lil,e purple veins in dirty marble.
 I've got that gun vet, Lund," he snarled.
 Lund laughed. the ring of ii so cou- fident that the men glanced from him 10 Carlson ncrvouIy.
 "Yo're fake, Carlson" hc said. And I've got yore number, To h-l with you an wore pop.gun. You ain't even a doctor. saw real doctors ashore about my eyes. NjphahlepSia, they call snew-hlindnesS. I'll bet you never heard of it. Tore only a woal- an-conninS dope shooter Else you'd have known that niphaA,ePsia a!n't permanent, Eve bin scttn' my sight back ever since left seattle. An HOW. d-n you for a moldy-hearteG. sllmy -seuled fakir, stand up an say yore my equal -
 He stood up himself. towering above .I, e, b,t tearing the blacl; glasses from his eyes and iinging them at Carlson who was forced to throw up hand To ward them off. Rainey got one glimpse of the giants eyes. They were gray blue. ihe color of aGateware, hard as steel, inplacable.
 CarlSen swept aside tho spertacles and they shattered on tho floor as he leaped up and the automatic shone In his hand Luad had folded lis arms above his great chest He laughed again, and his arms opened.
 In an instant Rainey caught the ob- ject of Lunds speeehmakiug. Hp had done it 10 enraSe Carlson beyond en- durance. to make him draw his gun. Giant as he WAS, be moved with the grace of q panther with a sWifineSs too fast for the eye 10 register. Some thing flashed in lis right hand. a gun. that he had drawn from holster slunC over his left breast.
 The shots blended Lund stood there erect, uniniured \ red blotch showed between Curlsen'S eyes He slumped down into his chair his arms clubbing the table, his gun falling from his neryclcss hand, his forehead striking tho wood like the sound of an auetloncer's sayel. Lund had beat en him to the draw.
 Lund, no longer q blind Samson, with contempt in his agate eyes, sur yeyed the scattering group of men who stared at the dead man duly. as if gripped by the exhibition of q miracle.