Show t WILLIAMS y BEN N u AMES lib f SYNOPSIS r f orge McAusland was 33 years old when ailed aUed from A America to undertake his as a missionary In the Fiji Islands A Ae Ae Aie ie e he had committed in a fit of ot excite excite- t had shattered all his confidence In 10 int elf He felt forced to avoid pretty Mary Mao feaster who ho boarded the ship at I Hono- Hono o t o She was en route to visit her parents were missionaries on Gilead Is Island r 1 Georges George's to tod y was attracted by attempts d her One OneMa da day George accidentally fell board Ma Mary u unhesitatingly dove Into sea to o rescue rescue George who fell In love he her When the the boat boat approached her here heron e on Gilead Island they learned that that's y's ys s 's a parents agents had both died George vol vol- ered erect to take charge of ot the mission and ed d Mary to be his wife wiCe She accepted clumsy proposal and they left the ship Ive ye ve In 10 her former home on the Island scanty dress of the natives shocked rge irre at first but he soon become rec recto recon recon- to their customs Mary discovered Corkran a sailor friend of ot Georges George's come there to help George and md Mary If U needed him Their peaceful life UCe was one day when a ship stopped In harbor In to search of ot pearls They sec see pearl pearl divers attacked and their schooner de J by a pirate ship The pirates head Ir boat toward the bay near their village urge rge sends Mary Inland for safety and ks Iks down to the beach alone and defense defense- i. i Nat Natives car carry him back to Mary hours f. f Jr r shot through the shoulder Natives ed e the pirates that night and set their It t afire The long awaited long awaited whaler the arrived Mary was told that Its had died and that his sons Richard RichardI I Peter Corr Carr were now in charge as cap cap- 1 i and first mate She liked Richard but butS S J told by Peter that he publicly laughed her affection George was a sick man manen mann en n the arrived George agreed rut nit j W leave the Island when he saw that the 4 demic among the natives was caused by SUch consumptive e condition A native gave dy dye ry L rY a small bag of pearls as a farewell sent aria atte tar 14 12 7 CHAPTER IX Continued IX-Continued Continued Hf 10 10 J ir Later Tomm Tommy made the bunk 1 t dy dy and Richard carried George rde Mary made him yew Jew w fc for the night When he slept she shet nt t to her own quarters Alone one there beginning to undress see N remembered the packet Jaram- Jaram had had given her She unbuttoned ts b tr waist and drew the little bundle t t tand and opened it Although she id td been sure what she would find s heart clutched at her throat j en Jen n she saw them Z In Tn the dim lamp light the little n dial of pearls glowed warmly n le stirred them with her finger J n Haunted anted them Fourteen he stood looking down at them themI t I lying ying to understand The men who C I ed Fritz must have looted his hooner before they burned the thet aft t and sank it in turn ji searched their vessel and found loc locae le pearls and kept them Mary Maryat 1 at ked at them in a sort of terror l 1 irr w when en a knock sounded lightly light Y d. d io the e door behind her she turned lut ui a gasp of surprise The door must Evened ened Peter eter st stood od there He looked past JT r saw the pearls Before she uld move to hide them he stepped test st her took some of them in his with an exclamation of dem de- de m iII ht He turned to her his eyes mg ing b be s fi-s you get them cl It gave them to me he get them She remembered Richards Richard's warn- warn I g. g I suppose he found them fae He said huskily Maybe he got I 0 oo tres iem at the e island Maybe there are t lore re Has anybody seen them ind No A the Well dont don't show them to any- any t a fame ra I I wont won't she promised She ale suddenly wondering at his indr in- in und dr here Did George send for lIe e- e le Jy Jp He shook his head smiling No e. e f just st stopped on my mv way to bed to j ft ake sure you were comfortable 1 He He touched the packet in in her 0 or end nd Better let me lock them up r you ut tl 4 ir Id rather keep them Ill I'll hide em somewhere He did not urge her yet he showed disposition to goIm go If Jf Im glad youre you're aboard Im I'm a wolf on the you know o ova he e crew is s down on me He ca ginned as he spoke but she thought calfa was not amused sm rn i Get id idU Why R RUG U Oh Oh its it's that business about your mile he admitted They think r was afraid Just because I used E D Y P py head I 1 back backed ed our boat clear of e he suds so Id I'd have a chance to jick tick up the men and after that started calling me Starn all He added appealingly You Your Youw w ow r Mary Im I'm still a kid in spite f this is beard tf Im I'm the youngest man board except Tommy I sure nee need d lends Well Well youve you've got one now Peter bid d really they're all your friends f if course Youre You're just sensitive For leavens leaven's sake dont don't go feeling sorly sory sory sor- sor ly y for yourself tc t The devil of it is not having any- any me ne ne I can talk to I r You can talk to me to George i id d me She laughed In the orning she added I want to too too too o to bed now Peter i Right he assented and left the abin 3 1 During the first days aboard the George slept much of the time line while strength crept back into lim m. m When he was awake Mary stayed with him giving him tenderness tender- tender I I ness ess and strength from her store of e it and courage and comforting but S When he was asleep and did not need J bier er she was apt to come on deck J 3 he learned to recognize some of the line men in the crew Some were fo food sailors brisk competent and but others Richard ad ad- to Mary were a poor lot to We V recruited off the beach at Honolulu he explained Father signed Hurd there I wouldn't have taken him and I dont don't let him aft at all Theres There's something I dont don't like about that man He grins too much maybe and hes he's a poor hand to steer anyway She led him to discuss other men aboard and she watched him as as' as the days passed develop into a mature and resolute man before her eyes guarding his every word speaking strongly when he ga gate gabe e orders keeping keeping keeping keep keep- ing himself a little aloof even from the mates Peter she saw put himself under no such restraint She thought sometimes he was too friendly with the men When George was well enough they brought him himon on deck When he was on deck Mary was always near him and Peter spent much time near Georges George's chair in cheerful talk But she saw that whoever was with them when Peter approached was apt to move quietly away And the others aboard treated the mate with scant respect He spent more time with George and her than was natural seeming to turn to them as a refuge and a sanctuary to escape from the dislike which 1 t t t I Corkran have you served on whalers before met him elsewhere She wondered whether it were true that others like Tommy blamed him for the tragedy of her uncles uncle's death There were questions she wished to b ask She chose to ask them of Corkran since he presumably could not suspect suspect suspect sus sus- what was in her mind One day when Corkran had the wheel Mary moved Georges George's chair near the companion to catch the sun behind behind behind be be- hind the after house and walked over to the wheel CHAPTER X Corkran have you served on whalers before Mary asked I have that maam ma'am Were you a harpooner Aye maam ma'am and I was Does Corr know it I He said with a respect which made her warmly happy If theres there's anything anything anything any any- I thing about any man aboard the doesn't know maam ma'am then i the man dont don't know it himself Hes He's able that one She nodded in content and she asked Corkran Did you have some exciting fights Aye some but mostly a whale dies by the book i if they're struck right and lanced fair When U they get mad and nd wreck the boat and charge around you cant can't do anything but keep out of the way can you Well VeIl an extra iron into him will turn him like as not he said With a fighting whale theres there's no knowing but Ive I've seen it come out so So she thought if Peter had harpooned harpooned harpooned har har- that other whale it might have saved her uncle Her eyes clouded and she felt Corkran watching her but George asked a question that started the man on some new tale and George listened with intent interest Mary thought George was better every day She thought more often after that about the attitude of the others aboard toward Peter Tommy Hanline Hanline Hanline Han- Han line was beginning to avoid her as asif asif asif if he liked her in his mind with the mate One day she made an opportunity opportunity opportunity op op- op- op to talk to Tommy about it She said Tommy I dont don't see much of you you lately Im pretty busy Got a lot of I work to do He added sullenly I Iguess Iguess I guess youve you've got plenty of com com- pany I She decided to push the issue You mean Peter I Sure She said gently I expect youre you're feeling Ive I've sort of deserted you for h. h him un His voice suddenly was husky Well Vell youre you're my cousin arent aren't you And even that first night when I came ashore because I couldn't wait waitto to see you you just sat and talked to him all the time didn't pay any attention to me She smiled secretly amused at athis athis athis his boyish jealousy Tommy she suggested I uI know you think Peter might have saved Uncle Tom from being killed but dont don't people get killed whaling right along Im I'm sure if anyone could have done anything Peter would have He cried Oh all right You can stand up for him if you want to She decided that for her own peace of mind she must know in detail how her uncle died The log was usually on the desk in the common common common com com- mon room She had never looked at it but she went to do so now turning ba back k the pages slowly Since the left Gilead Richard had made the entries and she thought his handwriting had changed tremendously in the five or six years I since he wrote her that harsh note in reply to hers which Peter with a aboy's aboy's I boys boy's malicious cruelty had given him She turned back the pages of I the log till she came to entries in she Richards Richard's fathers father's hand till found at last the one she sought It did not make the matter clear Nevertheless its implications were damning Captain Corr had written Day began fair wind light and westerly Sighted bowhead well out from the ice and lowered three boats The mate Tom Hanline got fast but the whale cut his flukes and smashed the boat then swept the water Tom Hanline was holding holding holding hold hold- ing up Joe Bingham who could not swim The whale smashed them Third mate Peter Corr was handy He picked up the other men My Myson Myson son Richard came up fast and killed the whale Cutting in tonight The bodies were not found Day ended as it began The words Mary thought carried an overtone of deep regret like shame She put the log away wishing she had not read it and during the next few days she tried to forget this cloud which hung over Peters Peter's head Richard counted on filling the their I remaining casks among the right whales south of Juan Fernandez but before setting his course that way he wished to provision the ship When Mary looked out of her cabin window next morning she saw an island close aboard and after breakfast she brought George on deck to sit with her under the boat boathouse boathouse boathouse house and watch the rugged luxuriantly luxuriantly luxuriantly lux lux- wooded shore along which they were making Isaiah joined them Mary wondered why no canoes canoes canoes ca ca- ca- ca noes appeared The uThe anchorage is further on Isaiah told her be there thereto to meet us and a pretty covey of girls swimming out to come aboard Ive I've put in here before The girls are a main fine lot George looked at him and Mary said smilingly Such talk Isaiah Im I'm surprised at you A little later he nodded toward the bay they were entering Here come the canoes to meet us now I uI see them Mary assented He seemed absorbed in the scene before them chuckled said Them canoes coming off are loaded down with what well we'll want That un oft of boards board's got a live pig in it Hear him squeal The men were aloft busy with the sails the canoes laden deep and full of eager islanders came racing near as the swung to her anchor George and Mary went aft where Richard was and Mary saw that Richard was frowning looking looking look look- I ing uneasily at the canoes and the black heads of the girls swimming out to the ship The men aloft finished finished fin fin- fished their tasks there and tumbled down to the deck again and lined the rail Swimming girls their long hair streaming came nearer and the themen themen themen men aboard shouted to them in a ar r robust bust and gusty welcome Mary watched smiling catching the happy happy happy hap hap- py infection of their friendliness and she turned to speak to Richard and saw him watching George and then Richard said suddenly Mr McAusland I wish you and Mary would go below George was looking at the girls his face stern He asked Why Corr Those girls will be swarming aboard here in another five min min- utes Then why need you let them aboard Keep the girls off oft the ship Surely you can hold your men in hand Richard shook his head Be reasonable reasonable reasonable rea rea- Mr McAusland Father always always always al al- al- al ways picked young men for his ships They haven't seen a woman for over four months Youre You're young I enough yourself to know that a ayoung ayoung ayoung i young man misses the sight of a I pretty girl Its It's human nature George spoke with more restraint than he felt If men cant can't control control control con con- o o themselves shouldn't they be controlled Ever try to stop rain falling Richard challenged These men I have to work for me You know Mr McAusland you can boss a man just lust so far and you can do it two ways I can have a ship full of fights on my hands fists going all the time bloody noses whippings and maybe killings before were we're done Or I 1 can have a crew of men who know Im I'm fair and reasonable reasonable reasonable reason reason- able and try to be the same George said Youre pretty cold cold- blooded My job is my ship Youre responsible for lor your men too TO BE CONTINUED |