| Show it ON SYNOPSIS 6 van critic an ancl 1 dilettante ilet Is thrown into the water by 1 the sinking ot of a ferryboat in a tok tog in sun francisco baa and becomes ancon unconscious ac falls before help alm ilm on coming to lo his senses lie he blinds himself aboard the sealing schooner ghost captain wolf larsen bound to japan waters water witnesses hie he ilea death t h of 0 ti the first mate mat and hears bears tho the captain curse the dead ad man mail tor for freml ng to die the captain refuses to put pill humphrey ashore and makes him cabin boy for or the lie good 0 of his soul soui lie he lukina b p gins to learn potato peeling and dish wa washing 13 ieng under tile the cockney cook muirid MuK ridge ge Is in caught by a heavy sea shipped 0 over v er I 1 the he quarter paxter as ile he in im carrying carryl ns tea ot aft and his knee kee k ee Is seriously hurt but no one pays p y any attention to ills his injury humpa s q iuar u a r ter tars are changed aft MuRrl dge steals his money and chases him m when accused ot of it later ho he listens to wolf give his iden idea of lifelike life like yeast a ferment tile the bis big eat i allt tile the little cooky Is jealous of hump ump and pd I hazes him wolf hazes a a seaman and ana makes it the basis for or another philosophic dis discussion custon with hump wolf 1 om I 1 pertains in Ms ills cabin CHAPTER vil VII continued in the end with loud protestations that he could loss lose like a gentleman the cook cooks 8 last money was staked on the game and lost whereupon lie he leaned his head on his hands and wept wolf larsen looked curiously at him as though about to probe and vivisect him then changed his mind as 28 from the foregone conclusion that there was nothing there to probe hump he said to me elaborately polite kindly take mr Mug ridges arm and help him up on deck ile ha is not feeling very well arid and tell johnson to douse him with a few buckets of salt water he added in a lower tone for my ear alone I 1 left mr on deck in the hands of a couple of grinning sail bail ors who had been told off for the pur boeke poeke pos e mr was sleepily biering that he was a gent lemans son but as I 1 descended the companion stairs 0 clear the table aheard him shriek as the first bucket of water struck him wolf larsen was counting his winnings n one hundred and eighty five dollars even he said aloud 11 just as I 1 thought bought the beggar came aboard without a cent and what you have von voa is 3 mine sir I 1 said boldly ile he favored me with a smile hump I 1 have studied some grammar in my time and I 1 think your tenses are tangled was alie you 1 should have said not is mine I 1 I 1 it la is a question not of grater grammar liar but 0 of f ethics I 1 answered it it was possibly a minute before he spoke 1 dye know hump he said with a slow ow seriousness which had in it an indefinable nde fina ble strain of sadness that this is the first time I 1 have hava heard the word ethics in the mouth of a man you and I 1 are the only men on this ts ship hip who know its meaning mea at one ona time in my life he continued after another pause 1 I 1 dreamed that I 1 might some day talk with men who used such language that I 1 might lift myself out of the place in life in which I 1 had been born and hold conversation and mingle with men who talked about just such things as ethics arid and this Is the first time I 1 have ever heard the word pronounced noun ced which Is all by the way for you are wrong it la Is a question neither of oe grammar nor ethics but of fact 1 I understand I 1 said the fact Is that you have the money ills his face brightened ile he seemed pleased at my perspicacity but you wrong me by withholding it I 1 objected not at all one man cannot wrong another man he can only wrong him pelt pelf As I 1 see bee it I 1 do wrong always when I 1 consider the interests Inte repts of others dont you see how can it two wo particles of the yeast wrong each other by striving to devour each other it Is their inborn heritage to strive to devour and to strive not to be devoured when they depart from this they sin then you dont believe in altruism 7 1 I asked ho he received the word as it if it had bad a familiar ring though lie be pondered it thoughtfully let me see it means something about operation cooperation co doear doesn t it oh yes I 1 remember it now I 1 ran across it in spencer spencer Spen cerl 1 I 1 cried have you rend read him not very much was his confession his psychology left me butting around in the doldrums tor for many a day but I 1 did get something out of hla his data of ethics theres where I 1 rau ran across altruism and I 1 remember vv now how it was used what else did you run across I 1 asked in as few words as possible he be began spencer puts it something like this first a man must act for his own benent benefit v ato to do this is to b moral and good next lie he must act for the benefit of his children and third he must act for the benefit of 0 his race and the highest finest right conduct I 1 interjected Is that act which benefits at the same time the man his children and hla his race 1 I stand for that ho he replied see the necessity f for or it nor the tha common sense I 1 cut out the race and the children any sacrifice that makes me lose one crawl or squirm Is foolish and not only foolish tor for it Is a wrong against my self and a wicked thing I 1 must not lose one crawl or squirm it if I 1 am to get the most out of the ferment nor will the eternal that Is coming to me be made easier or harder by the sacrifices or selfishness ot of the time when I 1 was yeasty and scrawl then you are a man one could riot not trust in the he least thing where it was possible for a selfish interest to intervene now youre beginning to understand he ha said brightening you are a man mail utterly without what the world calls morals it A man of whom to be always afraid the way to put it As one Is ia afraid of a snake or a tiger or a shark now you know khow me he said anil and you know me as I 1 am generally known other mancall men call me wolf you are a sort ot of monster I 1 added audaciously a caliban who has pondered Se and who acts as you act in idle moments by whim and fancy ills his brow clouded at the allusion ile he did riot not understand and I 1 quickly learned that he did not know the poem im just reading browning h he I 1 confessed and its pretty tough I 1 got very far along and a as it is ive about lost lily my bea bearings ri not tober to be tf tiresome I 1 shall say that the book frem from his stateroom and read caliban aloud ile he was de lighted it was a primitive mode of reasoning and of 0 looking at ai things that he understood thoroughly lie he interrupted again and again with comment and criticism when I 1 alnis finished hed he be had me read it over a second time A he leaned his head on his hands and wept and a third we e fell into discussion philosophy science evolution religion time passed supper was at hand and the table not laid I 1 became restless and anxious and when thomas glared down the compan bonway sick and angry of countenance I 1 prepared to go about about rry my duties dut but wolf larsen cried out to him cooky youve got to hustle tonight im busy with hump and you 11 do the best you can without him and again the unprecedented was established that night I 1 sat at table with the captain and the hunters while thomas waited on us and washed th dishes afterward a whim a caliban mood of wolf lar sens and one I 1 foresaw would bring me trouble in the meantime we talked and talked much to tie the disgust of the hunters who could not unde understand r standa a word CHAPTER VIII three days of 0 rest three blessed days of rest are what I 1 had bad with wolf larsen eating at the cabin table and doing nothing but discuss life literature and the universe the while thomas fumed and raged and did my work as well as his own watch out for squalls I 1 Is it all I 1 can say to you was ilas louis warning given luring a spare half hour on oil dock deck while larsen was engaged in straightening out a row among the hunters I 1 was riot not altogether surprised when the squall foretold by louis smote me wo we had bad been having a heated discussion upon life of course and grown overbold I 1 was passing stiff strictures upon wolf larsen and the life of oe wolf larsen the dark sun bronze bronza of his face went black with wrath his eyes were ablaze lie Ile sprang for me with a halt half roar gripping my arm I 1 wilted and shrieked aloud my biceps were being crushed to a pulp ile he seemed to recover himself for a lucid gleam came into his eyes and he relaxed his hold with a short laugh tha more like a growl I 1 fell to the floor feeling very faint while he sat down lighted a cigar and watched me as a cat watches a mouse As I 1 writhed about I 1 could see bee in his e eyes that curiosity I 1 had bad so ofton noted that wonder and perplexity that questioning tio ning that everlasting query of his as to what it was all about 1 I finally crawled to my feet and aa ascended the companion stairs fair wea weather ther was over and there was nothing left but to return to the galley I 1 my lert left arm was numb as aa though par and days passed before I 1 could use it while weeks went by before the last stiffness and pain went 0 out ut of it and ana lie he had done nothing but put ills his hand upon my arm and squeeze what he might havo have done I 1 did not fully realize till next dav when lie he put his head into the galley and ns as a sign of renewed friendliness asked me how my arm was getting on oil it might have been worse he sm smiled ailed I 1 was peeling potatoes ile he picked ons up from aiom the pan pair it was nas fair sized firm and unpeeled ile he closed his hand band upon it squeezed and the potato 8 squirted out between his fingers in mushy streams the pulpy remnant he dropped back into the pan and turned away and I 1 had bad a sharp vision ot of how ho it might have fared with me had the monster put his real strength u upon poll me but the three days rest brought the trouble I 1 had foreseen it was wae plainly thomas Mug ridges a intention to make me pay for foi those three days ile he treated me vilely cursed me contin u ally and heaped his on oin work upon meo me ile he even ventured to raise his fist to me but I 1 was becoming animal like myself and I 1 snarled in his face so terribly that it must have fright ened egied him back babli A pair of beasts la is ahat v hat we he were penned together and showing our teeth lie he was vaa a coward afraid to strike me because I 1 had bad not quailed sufficiently in advance so he chose anew a nen way to intimidate me there was only one galley knife that as a knife amounted to anything he flo whet ted led it up and down all day long ev ery cry odd add moment he could find ho he had the k knife a I 1 fe and stone out and was whet ting away till I 1 could have laughed aloud it was ss so very ludicrous it was wab alta serious tor for I 1 learned that he was capable ot of using it trial that under all his cowardice there was a courage of cowardice like mine that would impel him to do the very thing hla his whole nature protested against do ing and was afraid of doing Cook cooky ys s sharpening his knife tor for hump was being whispered about among the sail ors and some of them twitted twisted him about it this he took tooh in good part and was really pleased nodding hla his head with direful foreknowledge and mystery until george leach the erstwhile cabin boy ventured some rough pleasantry on the he subject now it happened that leach was one of the sailors told off to douse after his game of cards with t the e captain leach had evidently done hla his task with a thoroughness that mug ridge had bad not forgiven tor for words tol fol lowyd and evil names involving blair smirched smirch c ed ancestries ances tries men aced with the knife he was all sharpening ar pening for me leach laughed rind and hurled burled more of his telegraph hill bill billings gate and before either he or I 1 knew what wha thad had happened his right arm had been ripped open from elbow to arf by a quick slash of the knife the cook backed away a fiendish espres sion on ills his face the knife held before him in a position of defense but aut leach took it quite calmly ahugh th ugh blood was spouting upon the leek deck as generously as water from a fountain im goin to get you cooky he said aej ill get you hard and I 1 wont won t bo be in no hurry burry about it you 11 be without that knife when I 1 come for or you so saying he turned and walked quietly forward tare face was livid with tear fear at what he be had done and bt at what he be might expect sooner or later from the man he had stabbed gut but his demeanor toward me was more ferocious than ever several days went merit by the ghost still foaming down the trades and I 1 could swear I 1 saw madness growing in thomas Mug ridges eyes arid and I 1 confess that I 1 became afraid very much afraid whet whet it went all day long the look in ills his eyes as he felt the reen keen edge and glared at me was positively lively carnivorous I 1 was afraid to turn my shoulder to him and wit when ell I 1 left the galley I 1 went out backward to the amusement ot of the sailors and hunters who made a point of gather ing in groups to witness my exit several times wolf larsen tried to inveigle me into discussion but I 1 gave him short answers and eluded him finally lie he commanded me to resume my seat scat at the cabin table for or a time and let the cook do my work then I 1 spoke frankly telling him what I 1 wits was enduring from thomas because of the three days of 0 favorit isal which had been shown me wolf larson larsen regarded me with smiling eyes so youre afraid ell eh he be sneered it was plain that I 1 could look for no help or mercy from wolf larsen whatever was to ile ho done I 1 must do tor for myself and out of the courage of Z aw ts you are a man utterly without what the world calls morals fear I 1 evolved the plan of fighting thomas with his bis own deap S I 1 borrowed 96 whetstone frow from johansen louis the boat ste eror had already begged mo me tor for condensed milk and sugar the lazaretto where suc such h delicacies were stored was situated abed beneath the cabin floor fiber watch ing my chance I 1 tole stole s five cans calla ot of the milk and that night when lt was L louis als watch on deck I 1 traded ahem hem with him for a dirk as learl lean and aruel ruel looking as thomas vegetable knife it was rusty and dull but I 1 turned the grindstone while louis gave it an edge I 1 slept more than usual that night next morning after breakfast thomas began his whet whet whet I 1 glanced warily at him for I 1 was on my knees taking the ashes from the stove stave I 1 put the shovel awa away y and calmly sat down on the coal dox box facing him ile he favored me with a vicious stare still calmly though my in y heart was going I 1 pulled out louis dirk and began to whet it on the stone I 1 had looked for almost any sort of explosion on the cockneys cock part but to my surprise he did not appear aware of what I 1 was waa doing he went on whetting his knife so did I 1 and tor for two hours we sat there face to face whet whet whet till the news of it spread abroad and halt half the ships hips 11 company was crowding the galley doors to see the sight encouragement and advice were freely tendered and jock horner the quiet self spoken hunter who looked as though he would not harm a mouse advised me to leave the ribs alone and to thrust upward for or the abdomen a at t the same time giving what he called the spanish twist to the made blade leach ills his bandaged arm prominently to the fore begged me to leave a few remnants of 0 the cook tor for him and wolf larsen paused once or twice at the break of 0 the poop to glance curl curf busly at what must have been to him a stirring and crawling of |
