Evening star., 1924-04-06

red the skipper, with his sleepy y-eyed
smile. "Well-well-here's loyalty"
In the band of his sash hung a little
douhle-ended bag of fine cocoanut fiber
that gave the faintest tinkling music
as he ran 1t through his fingers. Now
just for that--what will you have? A
istfuIl OF beanties like these? A hat
full of Chile dollars? Name your will
and say your pleasure, my lad. You
shall have your pick from our very
next haul-within twenty-four hours"'
{ Gunny's jaw dropped.
| You're going on with it?"
I'm going on"
Prompt as at cue there rose a
sudden hail from oversize that brought
them both around, tensed.
! What's there?' called the skipper.
"Cap'n,' came a voice. "Capn"-
quiet and mysterious out of the leaden
gloom that foreruns the dawn. Have
you room for an extra hand, Cap'n?
Here's man to work his passage"
! "A man-what kind of man."
! "A white man-an able man"
| And what kind of a passage"
l
| off this ruddy beach" was the calm
reply. Il just heard there was a ship
here. Wherever you're goin' is the
! place for me. And if you want to
| catch this tide-there's a Whit of
breeze stirring now. Come aboard,
| sir" he added, as he stood on the
deck.
Then the skipper threw back his
head and laughed wide over the
water, for it was true a warm breath
! famed his cheek and the schooner
/ had swung on the first of the ebb.
"Self-acting crimp"' he chuckled.
That settles 1T. couldn't ask better.
All hands" he cried. "Heave short
and stand by to break out. Gunny"
He found the mate creeping up be
hind and nailed him there at a grab.
Hag-ridden by his fears, the creature
had whipped up a degree of despair
ing courage.
You can't do it," he stammered.
You darent try, My Cav, we amt
fit--a ship like us on an errand like
yours, | tell you there's a fearful
time brewin'. a fearful blow; SO dark
Of shape are we with all we got hang
in over us-wot kind of oily captain
are you-to risk a reckonin' now in
storm and big waters? And be-
sides" He gulped. The glass.
D you know-d' you know where 1t
isc Down below 1856 and still
fallin'"'
Il krow," said the skipper. grimly.
:: X +
THE Galloway Lass might once have
been the trader of the isles she
purported to be; her look belied 1t as
the family tightening day revealed
her. with rigging set sIackhanded and
anyhow, her decks a sloven litter of
filth. loose cordage and empty bot
ties. All about her main hatch was
strewn a mess Of rotting pearl shell,
and here and there lay an outsprawl-
ed figure-as if these too had been
left to yield some potential gem only
through corruption. Their faces
! showed putty-white with soot-ringed
eyes, sly and CRUEL.
Straddling wide-legged on the deck,
looking down from knotted black
passed them in contemptuous review.
And there he made his defiance of
them: of chance, of events. of all
checks and bars-the unconquored
embodiment Of evil and evil will.
I'm speaking to you" he said.
''This cruise goes through, weather
or wind or crew as may be. 1t goes
through and all heaven or hell can't
stop 1t now. Tyree. Molloy, Silveira-
and you over there. whatevers your
beach combing name before l sign
you on with boots end-you hear
me? Jump
They jumped
With a racing tide and a hot, puffy
wind out of the northwest that made
he sails to bulge like fat cheeks, the
Galloway Lass shot the narrow pas
sage and stood of to sea.
The skipper made his first conces-
sion when he relaxed to wipe away
stinging blink OF sweat and sum-
moned Gunny with a jerk of his
head. ..
"You that's so clever at the glass;"
he said, with an unwonted fasp, HOP
below and see what 1t reads now"
The unfortunate mate, who seemed
to move in state of stupor, went
Imply sliding and dangling to obey.
A moment later he crawled up the
companion again and clung there
making lip talk against the wind un-
til his chief impatiently called the,
nearest hand to the wheel and step
ped over.
II said, whsre'd you shift it?" piped
Ghnny.
Shift what?''
"The aneroid"
The skipper dived past into the
cabin and presently returning took
him softly by the neck and pulled
him backward.
"If you did that-!' he began.
But Gunny's fiuttering lids covered
no secret this time.
my Cav, wot should do 1t for?
I come to look like you said-and the
thing ain't there. That's all know"
'If anybody thinks he can make me
| turn back that way he's due for a
shock,'' said the pearl-poacher.
They had more to puzzle them ere
long. Far and clear of ali weather
breaks in the coral group the schoon-
| er had now to labor the great ground
swell and she met 1t but sluggishly.
| Too slugEishiy. They learned why
| when Giinny, dispatched on another
erfand, came staggering aft with the
sounding rod.
"a foot an a half" he cried. "And
maxim fast!'
! His chief turned a convuised face
on him and would have struck him