Evening star., 1929-12-01

aafk Smuoge along the heat-blurred
! AZ horizon. To the west cumbersome
junk yawed aleng as If her helmsman
was doing or was not particular as
TO which direction he steered. The last of the
haTbor shipping had faded from sight and
Singapore sMoldered far away in a violet SHIN
MeFing haze. The sky was bowl of aching
blue, 8ecked with vague misty cloud patches,
and the lazy wind lifted an occasional ruf1e
of white across the sheen of the purple, oily
sea.
The trading schooner Arrabelle rolled slowly
and ereakingly, as if reluctant to depart from
the land while ruSty-cOlored bird hung as
If suspended above her main truck, keeping
pace with her without motion of its wings
it was appallingly hot.
There were five men on the poop of the
little craft. The helmsman, a squat Malay,
was naked to the waist and wore a dirty red
sareng his head covered by battered old
straw hat that cast dark shadow acgoSS his
eyes as he Squinted alternately ahead or up
at the mainsail, and occasionally spat blood
red betef juice over the rail near him. Near
the forard taffrail stood other men, white,
Though so heavily sunbuTned by years in trop-
1eal waters as to be scarcely diStnguiShabie
from the Malay seaman, except for their
clothing. They were dressed in duck and
wore canvas shoes, and enc of them boaSted
q blue silk sash about his waist, instead Of the
customary belt.
THESE three men conVersed in low tones
* as if afraid of being overheard, and some
times turned their heads to glance at the
fourth white man, who stood leaning against
the ta1frail some distance away, his arms rest
ing on the sun-scorched teak.
He was Insignificant enough this last man,
Q little above medium height, gaunt, bony,
aged. His hair showed white beneath the edge
of his sun helmet, and there were age wTin-
kles about his mouth and across the sun
reddened nape Of his neck. Hts shoulders,
which had apparently once been wide and
massive, were cayed over the ruin Of once
fine chest and his eyes, squirting from between
puekered Ids were a lifelesS and tired gray.
He was the ATrabelle'S passenger, Mr.. Smith,
who had bought a cabin on the little craft the
previous day and had boarded her an hour
or so before sailing time. He took notice
of the three other white men, but seemed lost
in bleak reverie, as if he dreamed
Like not a missionary" commented the
man with the blue sash. His name was Anselm,
and he had thin, hawk-like face, with prom
inent cheek bones. His eyes were a cold blue,
impaSsive and without emotion, and his lips
were a mere slit beneath slightly beaked
nose.
Don't matter much,' commented one of his
companions, short, fat man with heavy
bristle of dark beard. But it's lucky we ran
across him. We needed his passage money
to get away on"
AIlSelLn glanced at the speaker ana nOuQeU.
The third man was chewing tobacco, and he
gave grunt thai might have meant anything.
He was taller than either of his companions
and very broad. One eye puckered queerly,
due to an old scar that zgzagged below it, and
his lantern-j -jawed features were gashed by a
ragged red mustache stained brown at the
edges. He was the captain of the Arrabelle
and, together with the short fat man, who was
the mate, her owner.
wen get rid of him at Billion anyway"
observed Anselnn, in a tone of voice that dis
missed the matter for the time being. He
pulled a stubby, twisted black cheroot from
the pocket of his duck jacket, lighted it and
pulled contentedly A Malay stuck his head
out of the scuttle to the main cabin and called
In a high-pitched voice. Anselm sighed.
''Time to eat, but it's too hot"
The master of the Arrabelle grunted again,
spat oversize, and then with a dexterouS mo-
tion of his hand disposed of his quid. He
hitched up his belt and turned. Anselm and
the mate followed slowly, halting for moment
as the captain called to his passenger:
"Grub'S ready!"
The man leaning on the taffrail reused with
slight start and nodded. The captain ducked
down the scuttle and entered the main cabin,
taking off his jacket as he did so and tossing
1t on small flat-topped desk. Anselm and
the mate followed suit and then sat down
and watched the captain slop drinks from a
gin bottle into some tin pannikins.
well" said Anselm significantly, we're off
And here's luck"
Luck" grunted the captain. The mate
merely wiped his lips and sighed. All three
drank. Mr.. Smith came down the companion
from the poop and without speaking sat in the
only vacant chair He did not remove his
Jacket as the others had done, and he seemed
unaffected by the stuffy heat tween decks,
which was bringing the sweat in glistening
nOdules to the foreheads and throats of his
companions. It was as if he had been dried
out some time in his youth, for he seemed