Show UEE jivu r FIFTEEN THE STORY SO FAR karen waterton ton who has come to honolulu to press ker claims to the island estate of ala koa learns that she ts Is not an heiress at LII U IS as her grandfather garrett waterton Is still alive and on his way to the island she and tonga dick or richard wayne a member of the wayne family which has been in control of the property since her grandfathers disappearance find they are in love but they quarrel over karens claim to the island karen and her lawyer john colt who Is also in love with her decide to leave alagoa but when their ships captain ramey asks for a man to pilot them through the dangerous reefs in Ala koas koals harbor dick refuses him now continue with the story by gar then ramey jabbered jabberer jabb ered ill t her out myself ill run you channel ill run your darrin lF bals theres no coral in the pacific that can stop me you wont pilot this dick told him the tide has changed on you ramey never find the way without someone to tell you where you are go ahead and pile up your boat when youve piled her up ill take your people off but the seal will never get out of this bay tonight ill get a kanaka pilot off the beach youve already tried that or you be coming to me A storm of blasphemous vituperation from boat assured dick that what he had guessed was true ramey had already failed to find a pilot ashore weary of argument weary of ramey very much tired out with everything that was going on around him dick left the rail and went to the other side of his ship for a little while the shouted imprecations of the seals skipper still disrupted the night but since he answered no more even these at last died away and the bay of alagoa was silent except for the clink and thug of oarlocks oar locks as the seals boat went home dick grinned sardonically at the anchor lights of the seal but it was not the boat he was thinking about at least he said aloud 1 I know exactly where she is and where she will stay this one night more CHAPTER XIII presently dr came on deck and talked to dick wayne 1 I think ashes all right now he said you go look for yourself the knife wound dick asked the wound going to amount to anything I 1 hope but you come with me and look so I 1 can go home dick went below with dr and h hant bantly bantly ly made his way into the little broom j er oom in the stern where he aly slept bokano was stretched out face down upon the bunk beside lilua his face upon his arms and lilua had turned a little so that she could hide her face in Ho kanos shoulder when dick had stood there for a moment lilua lifted her head and looked at dick without expression at first he be thought that she was unable to see him but in a few moments he decided that she did she was simply looking at him with complete impersonality like a cat or perhaps simply like a girl looking at someone who mean anything to her any more soon lilua lowered her head bead again returning her face to Ho kanos shoulder and it was perfectly evident that dick was instantly gone from her mind 1 I f you were right dr shi M mazuri azu V it takes a kanaka to fix a kanaka providing they dont kill each other first of course I 1 was right dick said can shebe moved ashore now 1 I think so yes Iny ashil see that the girl is moved ashore ashor 6 carefully and taken home yes tonga maybe dr suggested 1 I can go home now your night is only starting dick answered ive got other work for you now dick called away the shore boat again and with went aboard the sarah garrett Water sons cabin as they entered it now was a strange mess it differed from all other cabins in that it was full of more charts than most people have ever seen there were charts all over the wall overlapping each other in reefs and pads and a great number of these had been drafted by dick wayne there was even a chart nailed to the bottom of the deck above garrett wa dersons ter sons bunk where he be could read it as he lay in bed hardly anyone ever got into this room certainly since garrett waterson had first taken possession no one had ever cleaned it up old shoes and sea boots and miscellaneous clothing were piled about or hung upon nails but all this litter could mean nothing in this room the charts were everything here everything that is except the man the ancient figure in the bunk had been a man mag of huge frame once fever had carved his face very close to the bone taking away much of his substance yet neither old age nor wasting fever could ever make this man appear ascetic he simply never had been made on ascetic lines everything about him had been built in the beginning to be big and vital there was something arresting even terrible about this big frame which had been built to a vitality for which the fuel was now gone and there was no doubt about the fuel being gone A taint faint surprise showed in the eyes of dr as he perceived that garrett waterson was still definitely alive little but the body structure of the frame itself now remained to show what garrett waterson had been first inspection found no sign of life in the face or in the big etoni zed form under the blankets after a minute though they saw the gleam of the living eyes in garrett Water sons eyes still lived the embattled flame which had driven this man always to wild extravagant and uncompromising things garrett waterson spoke huskily to tonga dick youre a knockout you little squirt you are he said the idea perhaps no one else in the warm seas had ever been able to domi 4 a so the way the wind sets garrett waterson said at last well I 1 guess the worst of all nate tonga dick as garrett waterson could was amazed to hear dick speak hesitatingly well dick said without much effect 1 I thought I 1 ought to come back here garrett Water sons voice roared hollowly what the hell else should we do but come back do you have to duck out with our only fast ship know you meant to come this time the effect was galvanic the old skeleton form that had seemed dead whipped up on one elbow boswith with a dreadful inappropriate energy garrett Water sons voice came like the ghostly shell of a roar that once would have blown a main sl si down who are you you insufferable pup to say what we are going to do As garrett waterson raised himself made a quick instinctive movement as if he be wished to stop an effort which obviously was more than that ancient and wasted frame could stand but dick halted with a gesture so casual that it carried an implication of utter fatality he knew if did not that only one thing would ever stop garrett waterson from any whatever sorry sir damn your garrett waterson said in a diminished voice he eased himself back until he lay as lifeless as before and damn you he added okay dick said damn me what then where is this girl waterson demanded well dick began the tact fact ls is she like garrett hurried him well dick began again she weighs about one hundred and twenty pounds with kind of blue eyes and P blonde and sallow garrett waterson said bitterly by god I 1 knew it self righteous holler holier than thou preaching half the time wears starchy clothes oh I 1 knew it the outburst winded the old man and the silence that followed gave dick time to consider he supposed that garrett waterson was assigning to karen the attributes he had chosen to recognize in the family into which his son had married or perhaps the old mans resentment had bad been inspired by something even more unhappy than that no dick said she like that there anything like that about her at all garrett waterson rolled questioning eyes upon dick and waited she has blue eyes like I 1 said but she has black hair and ashes the color of a gardenia and she ever tan at all theres no preaching about her tor for all I 1 know there even any morality and ashes more alive than anything you ever set eyes on yet there was a silence again so the way the wind sets garrett waterson said at last well I 1 guess the worst of all anything ever please you from what you say garrett waterson said the girl takes after me what worse luck could you have than that id like to know there was something ridiculous in the suggestion that karen waterson took after this gnarled and huge old man yet dick could see that in both there was a certain essential spirit that was the same the old man seemed to rest for a moment and dr took the opportunity to attempt a counting of Water sons pulse waterson made an irascible resistance get this japs hands off of me who do you think either let him examine you dick said or ill walk out on you altogether and probably never so much as set eyes on this girl there was anger in old water sons eyes but he must have known his disadvantage he attempted to ignore the situation by pretending not to notice as the japanese put a stethoscope to work no wonder garrett waterson said to dick that she goes rattling all over the pacific trying to grab stuff that belong to her it if you take my advice stay away from this girl she going to come to any good end and neither will you if you fool around with the likes of her a hell of a fine way dick said to talk about your own granddaughter dont you think garrett waterson said savagely 1 I know my own breed ashes no good you mark my word or else she doing here at this late date trying to dig up old trouble old waterson closed his eyes exhausted again looked at dick queerly as he rolled up the tubes of his stethoscope he came to the door and consulted with dick in whispers ill take his temperature as soon as were sure hes asleep said but even without that I 1 can tell you this is a very weak man he should have been in a hospital long ago certainly he should never have tried to come here now were going to find out theres more than one kind of fever in this case blackwater certainly and maybe something worse do you think hes in danger this time permitted himself a queer waxy smile at his age and with so much wrong with him theres no reason why he should be alive at all his heart is very irregular weak and slow my advice v e is if you want anything from this man get it soon for all I 1 can guarantee he may never talk lucidly again its as bad as that is it shrugged this is a worn out machine yes he added returning to the understatement that he favored this man is sick they stood silent for the space of more than a minute looking at the figure in the bunk A huge flying cockroach with a body bigger than a mouse flew blunderingly across the cabin and hit the bulkhead with a metallic clatter it recovered itself immediately and ran behind a large chart of rotoava anchorage ive got to get up garrett waterson mumbled ive got to see james wayne they ignored this and the mumbling ceased there were a few moments of complete silence suddenly the still figure spoke in a surprisingly strong voice a voice that seemed wrung from it by an unexplainable emotion 1 I would have given my whole life my whole life and a lease on my soul in hell just to see her just to look at her one time for some unknown reason looked appalled by god dick said then you shall he turned to the ladder its no good said by the time you get her here hell never know her tomorrow maybe if he is still alive then shell be here tomorrow too dick promised he went up the ladder like the jump of a marlin then as he came out of the companionway he was instantly checked now that he was on the open deck he could hear across the quiet waters of the bay the clatter of the seals loose jointed diesel and depould he see the seals lights moving away from her anchorage captain ramey had weighed his anchor and was putting to sea TO BE CONTINUED rrb |