OCR Text |
Show The Mutiny of tlie Albatross by WYNDHAM MARTYH , j OOPTHIOHT IN THE TJ. 8. WOT Servlc. FS SI if CHAPTER XI Continued 13 Silvers was at first Inclined to be disappointed at the mildness of the punishment' Dieted out to his enemy. The tarpaulin was removed from the sixteen-foot cutter stepped on davits outside the rail and the cook lifted with dlillculty and dumped into It. Then the covering was replaced and the boat swung again over the rail. "This Is an Interesting sort of game, Augustus," Bettington remarked, "and your part In It, so far, has been worth fifty dollars to you. Do you want to earn more?" "Is each of thera guys worth fifty bones?" "Metzger Is worth a hundred. I want them one at a time. How can you get Metzger here?" "That's a pipe," said Augustus, his eyes glistening. "He'll want to know where the cook Is. I'll say he's up here with the Jane he's stuck on and that you've got the other." "All right," said Bettington. "A ..hundred dollars If you work It right." Slivers found Metzger sleeping. It was easy to make enough noise to awaken him. He sat up with an oath and demanded that the cook be sent In with something to eat. Slivers' sly smile angered him. He seized the boy's arm and spun him round. "What are you grinning for?" be cried. The boy edged toward the door. "I was Just thlnkin' how cook's put one over on you after all. While vjou've been sleepln' him and the Doc tSi been showing the skirts a good time on deck." With a bellow Metzger drew his knife and rushed up the stairs. In moments of rage such as these he cared nothing for caution. He had been a fool to spare the handsome doctor so long. The handsome doctor dropped the noose accurately over his neck and choked him Into submission. And Metzger, gagged and bound, was dropped by the cook's side. "That's a hundred and fifty," said Slivers happily. "Slivers, tell Kenzie I want to see him for a minute," Bettington ordered. Blinking, the enfiijieer-c.Tfne Into the bTigirfTight. "Do you suppose," Bettington began, "that when this cruise Is ot, you'll ever get the chance to work on a craft like this again?" Kenzie shook his head sadly. He would end his days patching up marine ma-rine Junk, he supposed. This voyage was the purple patch in his gray life. There would never be another. "Listen to me," Bettington said. "I think If my scheme Is successful that Mrs. Radway will retain you permanently. per-manently. All I want you to do Is to keep steam up and join In no raid against me." "H 1," said Kenzle, "that's easy. What do I want to Join In any scraps -for?" "They may make you think It's nec- - eesary. Is It a promise?" Kenzle thrust out an oily paw. Bettington wrung It heartily. Of all the men on bonrd, he thought Kenzle alone hnd a face to be trusted. Bob had witnessed the two encounters en-counters and wnnted to know what was coming. Was it possible that Todd had been wrong In his estimate esti-mate of the doctor? Bettington would tell him nothing. Instead, he changed the course of the vessel. "We'll run for New York," he aid. "We shall have favoring winds and It won't take much longer." He ' felt certain that there would be no trouble with the gamblers for many " hours. By that time some new plan could be evolved for their overthrow. He was rather concerned for himself. him-self. In the fight with Sam he had been badly bruised and now the great r . exertion of lifting the two men into the boat agonised him. When he had ' lent Silvers below and cautioned him to report any new development, he stretched himself on the couch. "I'm going to try to get a little rest," he told Bob. "Wake me If necessary nec-essary and let no one come on deck but Silvers. Those men In the cutter can't get adrift." Bob forgot the perils which hedged him and his about In this now-found Joy of guiding a big boat. Full steam ahead was indicated on the gauge and he was heading for home. Crosby hnd told him that the only explanation explana-tion of the doctor's change of heart It were genuine and borne out by liecils was the hope of winning a pardon. He had Insisted that a double murderer would have little hesitation ' In adding another victim to his score If It seemed necessary. Hut Todd ' would not believe that Onue, as be 1 called him always In speaking to Mrs. Kadway, had repented. They were ' bound for a foreign port and when . na-y were no longer under the jurisdiction juris-diction of the American flag anything could happen. In his moments of depression de-pression Crosby Todd thought un-vastly un-vastly of what would happen to him. Dr. Andrew Orme had looked at him with an expression that did not speak of mercy. Todd experienced bitter moments of wUict th others guessed nothing. He had allowed himself to be fooled by Graumann over the wireless and had lost the opportunity to send messages that ndght have saved them. It seemed necessary for the common good to refuse to listen to any of Mrs. Itadway's speculations about the possibility pos-sibility that the doctor was their sincere sin-cere friend. Mary made common cause with her fiance against Bettington. What a brave and steadfast child she was, thought the elder woman. Here,- at the threshold of a new and fuller life, she was likely to be stayed by death. For her own part, life held no more prospects. And like Mary, she, too, was to be halted on the threshold. For a few glorious moments mo-ments she had been conscious of her destiny; and now she knew they were only moments of self-deception. Women Wom-en had always envied her for beauty, wealth and position. None had ever envied her for her happiness. Happiness Happi-ness was, broadly speaking, the common com-mon lot. She had been given everything every-thing else. There was no morbidity in dwelling on the fate that was enwrapping her. She could not have lived so long nnd seen so much, without being aware of the lawlessness of men's desires. She thought of Metzger's burning eyes : Sam was gone, but her menace remained. And perhaps this strange man, whom she knew now to be Andrew An-drew Orme, escaped convict and twice a murderer, loved her. In her heart she was convinced of it . . . Never, never would she let any human being know that she, too, had loved lilm, a murderer! A man for whom not even the most splendid of heroism could win pardon. A man for ever without the pale. Those elements of lawlessness In the individuals of the crew, which Clements, by his adroitness and the terror he Inspired, had contrived to keep in subjection, were not long to lie dormant. Already unaccustomed ease and freedom from duties had awakened In men, to whom all honest work was abhorrent, the desire for a continuance of these romantic conditions. con-ditions. The four in the feiecastle experienced experi-enced much of the feeling that Aladdin Alad-din must have known when his lamp proved so obedient a servant. It was with a certain timidity, covered by an air of bravado, that they first made demands on Slivers for food and drnk. They ordered; he obeyed. They sent him for Radway's famous cigars; Silvers brought a humidor filled . with them. Mike suggested champagne. The genie they had known as Slivers delivered it to them. Hamuer was chicken-hearted. He believed that his arrest at some time or other was certain. And there were lifers In at least two of those convict con-vict establishments to which he might be sent who had threatened to kill him. And they would succeed. He had been a trusty end he had been a stool-pigeon. Alone of the men he had a profound distrust of Bettington. He thought the surgeon was going to try to help Mrs. Kadway and so save his skin. Two could play at that game. If he so stirred up the three plastic men before him that they attacked at-tacked Metzger and Fereira and killed them and he felt this would be the result he could be hurrying to the doctor with the news and Implore him to mete out Justice to the slayers. It was a pretty scheme and his expression ex-pression annoyed Graumann. "What are you grinning for?" he snarled. "What makes you so d n happy?1' "I was thlnkin1," Hamner returned, "bow good and surprised them da-goes'd da-goes'd be If we went aft and turned 'em out of the Boss' quarters and made them come here where they belong. be-long. There they sit and wait till we get to Union. They speak the lingo; we don't. They'll speak us Into Jail before we know it. You know what them Central American prisons are. Nothing won't ever get us out. We won't even know what we're in for." "That's a fack," Mike agreed. "1 was In one In Bahla and I don't know yet why, unless it was for throwing a bull off the dock." "If we had to shoot 'em.11 said Hamner, "we'd say It was because they tried to get at the women folk. That'll listen good at home." "He's got a head on him," Mike said, with genuine admiration. "That stuff gets over every time, believe me. 'Brave seamen save the women and children first.111 lied Mike was one of those drunkards drunk-ards who, after a sufficient amount of poison, lose the more obvious murks of Intoxication. Where the other three slept stertorous!- he was kept awake by the growing ferocity he felt toward Metzger and I'ereira. It was about seven o'clock when he roused his reluctant comrades from their slumbers. They awaked sober but savage. It was not hard to bring them to their last night's mood of vengeance. The bottles on the table helped them to that. It was deckled then and there to hunt for the traitors. Kvery stateroom state-room and storeroom was drawn blank. The two must be on the upper deck with their crony the surgeon. That would mak three against four. rjt,r-n:-iM-trt'rMe"r fill film Graumann was chosen to ask leave to speak with the autocratic navigator, and while speaking, locate the missing men. Bettington listened to Graumann's story when he had given permission, through Slivers, for him to come on deck. He entertained a profound mistrust mis-trust of the man. "Well," Bettington said, seeing him gazing about him. "What is it?" "I was wondering If the cook was up here, sir. We ain't seen him in the galley nor Mr. Metzger neither." "Do they look to be here?" Graumann glanced toward the wireless wire-less bouse. It was their only possible hiding place. Bettington watched him sidle up to it. "Are ' they there?" the surgeon asked, as If interested In their disappearance. disap-pearance. Graumann took this as an invitation to investigate. "I guess they're below," he said, touching his cap. His news added to the wrath of the tricked four. It was plain they could rT f LI mm "What Makes You So D n Happy?" only be in the fore part of the ship Immediately above the forecastle where the men were now sitting. 'There they are, the stinkin1 dagoes," da-goes," said Hamner, "eating and drinking drink-ing with the women, while anything is good enough for us. If I was as strong as you boys I wouldn't stand It, no, not for one minute. Just overhead, over-head, they are, a laughin' at the monkeys they've made of us. We ought to break in. Graumann here, he knows how to open any klester ever made; it won't take him long to do the trick." Mike battered the table with his iron fists. "No, by G d," he shouted, "that's not the way I work. We'll batter the door down." With bars of Iron, Mike made his first savnge onslaught. The noise in the quarters of the prisoned people was deafening; Mary clung to Crosby. She saw Mrs. Radway take the automatic. auto-matic. During intervals of this battering bat-tering they could hear the most horrible hor-rible oaths hurled, as they believed, at themselves alone. To Mrs. Kadway It meant that the doctor had been, as she had feared, tricked Into helplessness. This was the end. Bettington, on hearing tie extraordinary extraordi-nary racket, ran to the bead of the companion. The shouts of Mike and his friends warned him tt grave danger. dan-ger. Mike, Graumann and Krause were trying to batter their way to the women ; there was no other explanation explana-tion possible. "S:op," he shouted. His voice arrested them for a moment. mo-ment. "We want Metzger and Pereira," they told him. "They are not In there," cried Eet-tington. Eet-tington. "Then where ore they hiding?" Graumann snarled. The doctor's unreadiness to answer promptly seemed direct proof that he was lying. Krause pulled out his revolver re-volver and took aim at Bettington. shouting obscene abuse as be did so. It was no moment for hesitation. Bettington Bet-tington shot first Krause spun round a bullet had gone through the hand that held the weapon. Another gun spat out and Graumann fell shot through the heart Bettington glanced round and saw Hamner's smoking barrel. "Saved your life them, Doc," said Hamner heartily. It was Hamner's treachery which staggered Mike and made him fall an easy victim to arrest. Bettington slipped a clove hitch over his wrist. Mike was led to the chain locker and pushed In. Hamner, although he was betraying Joy at the result of the fray, knew In his heart that until Mike was dead he was In hourly peril. Hamner cursed his inaccuracy of aim. He had meant to kill Mike, and by a Jerky, nervous pull on the trigger had slain Graumann. Graumann he could have managed. But Mike 1 Slivers had brought Kenzie up from his engines. The boy had become panic stricken. - He conld not understand under-stand how It was Hamner had emerged with so stainless a reputation. reputa-tion. Hamner was engaged In the necessary business of cleaning up. No longer filled with visions of vengeance, Krause followed Bettington to the doctor's doc-tor's room, where his wound was dressed. He did not venture to protest pro-test when be was locked in a small room. Things were going rather well for Hamner, but he still was in some per-. plexity as to where Metzger and I'ereira might be. Thinking it over, and bearing in mind Andrew Orme's Justly earned reputation for violence, what was more likely than they had been done away with and dumped Into the ocean? Hamner was evolving a story whereby where-by he enacted the role of Sir Galahad and Providence together. In the end it would be seen that, but for him, the voyage would have finished In utter disaster. He determined to attach himself to Mrs. Radway. He had been,' formerly, a specialist In those hard-luck stories whose success depended de-pended upon feminine sympathy. CHAPTER XII The Treachery of Friends After the first amazing clamor was stilled and Crosby Todd had whispered whis-pered some comforting phrases to Mary, two shots rang out. Then came Krause's yell of agony. After that there was a silence of half-an-hour. But the three, waiting as they expected ex-pected for death, made no move. Out of the silence came three staccato stac-cato double raps, the signal by which the doctor was known. "Don't open 1" said Todd, hoarsely. "It's a trick." "I must know," Mrs. Radway said, and unbolted the door. Bettington stood there. He was pale and unsmiling. "I'm afraid you have been very much frightened," he began. "I'm sorry; but It has turned out fortunate after all. I control the boat at last and you are free to use the upper deck when you want to." "Do you mean the dreadful danger has passed?" He looked down at her and smiled Just for a moment "1 thiuk so. I shall want Todd up there at once." Todd came forward. "Well?" "DoD't go anywhere but on deck and these quarters of yours. I haT very good reasons." He bowed to Mrs. Radway and went out "What's happened?" Bob cried eagerly eager-ly when he was relieved at the wheel. "Murder and sudden death," said Bettington. "You'll be able to see your sister and your esteemed friend Todd soon. Ah, here they come." Evelyn Radway seemed paler and more slender than he had ever seen her. He reflected that she had endured en-dured agonizing hours compared with which his own had been as nothing. Briefly he told them of the struggle Just over. "But what about Metzger and the cook?" Todd asked. "1 am coming to them." He turned to Mrs. Radway and the giH. "Don't be frightened." He swung the davits round so that the cutter was over part of the deck. Then, with the aid of Slivers who had hurried up, he lowered it a bit aud removed tiie covering. The two women shrank back at the sight. "I'm going to make the cook work In the stokehole," he announced. "He is not dangerous without a knife and he'll have no chance to get one this side of eternity. I shall lock Metzger up until we reach New York." "New York?" said Mary, smiling for the first time. "We're heading for home now," be answered. Todd was bombarding Bob in the wheelhouse with Innumerable questions. ques-tions. He voiced again his suspicion of the doctor and speculated as to what his motive might be. Hamner, polishing brass, crept near enough to hear what they were saying. Evidently Hallett's nephew writhed under the authority of Andy Orme. That was a new angle to look at the future from. "Beg pardon, gentlemen," said Hamner Ham-ner urbanely, "but is there anything I can get for you? You'll be taking command, sir, I suppose?" He addressed ad-dressed Todd. "You're the only officer offi-cer aboard now your pore uncle's gone." "You see," said Todd, when Hamner Ham-ner had gone away unanswered, "what they think. It's abominable how a doctor, and such a doctor, is allowed al-lowed to take command." He forgot that his qualifications were nil. Bob's sympathy was very grateful. It was easy for Hamner to mold these young and enthusiastic lads to his liking. Already they had commended com-mended him highly to Mrs. Radway. But she persisted In her mistrust "Look at them," she said to Mary, when they had slept themselves Into better spirits. "Are they conspiring together?" "Crosby wants to get all tbe evidence evi-dence he can," Mary answered. "You see, he's really an officer and will have to be chief witness. He says this will be a celebrated case." "Not If I can help it," Evelyn Radway Rad-way said. The Idea of widespread publicity was abhorrent. "May I wireless to my lawyers?" she asked of the doctor. She had been told indignantly by Todd that he had been locked out of his own quarters. quar-ters. "Of course," he answered. "I forbade for-bade Todd because he was for wiring accounts to the papers. May I ask you to see that he sends no other messages mes-sages ?" "I will look after that," she said. "When can we get to New York?" "Let me see," he meditated. "This is Tuesday noon. We ought to be in by Thursday afternoon. I think you may safely promise that" Instead of Bob Unwin being allowed to remain on deck nnd talk to Todd, he was sent below to aid the weary Kenzle. It was plain to Mrs. Radway that Bettington had deliberately broken up the committee on grievances. griev-ances. "Mary," she said abruptly to the girl, "I'm going to live at my home up the Hudson. It Is near Peekskill and perched on the top of a hill with a marvelous view of the river. It's very, very big. I was wondering if your father, would care to live there, too, and act as a sort of secretary and generally useful business man. There would be a great deal to do and I think the place would benefit Mrs. L'nwln. Of course, you'd be there, too." "Oh, Mrs. Radway," cried the enraptured en-raptured Mary, "there Is nothing in the whole world that could make me happier. How'be hates his work, poor old dear. May I break it to him?" "You shall wireless-him to meet us on Thursday and tell him whatever you choose." On Wednesday night Bettington Informed In-formed Mrs. Radway that be hoped to be in early on the following morning. "You talk as if you were glad to be in," she said. "I am," he answered. "1 want to be done with this nightmare business." She could not understand why It was he did not appear to dread the end of the trip which spelled for him prison. "I shall Instruct my attorneys to put themselves at your service," she said presently. It was not easy to say what she desired to tell him. "I know nothing of the reasons you shipped on the Albatross. I know only that you have brought us Into sufe.y and I am grateful." "You could have heard what brought me aboard if you had wanted to," he reminded her. "Why not listen to the whole thing now?" She had a dread of hearing some confession which most rob her of the confidence she stubbornly held to. (TO BE CO.NTI.VUED |