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ty LOUIS JOSEPH W< IlLDSTRATIONS^BY ^ CCTYRICHT 1909 6y loui^-?oszpH "\ belicve that me luck holds, after all!" From the bottom step of the tramp's ladder he tossed a coin to the boat man, then mounted to the deck. In continently the stout man fell heavily upon his neck with symptoms of ex treme joy. A lull succeeding his first transports, he wiped his eyes, beamed upon his guest and suggested insinuat ingly: "Drink?" "Brevity's ever the soul of your ,wlt, captain," said O'Rourke. "I will." And he meekly followed Quick's bare heels forward to the officer's quarters beneath the bridge. Having set him in a chair, Quick, still a-gurgle, wandered off, unearth ed a bottle, beamed upon his visitor, asked a dozen questions in as many breaths and, without waiting for an answer, waddled off again to return with a brace of dripping soda-water bottles. "Schweppe's," he said, pat ting their rotund forms tenderly; "and the last in our lockers-all in your honor, colonel." ^ "So?" commented O'Rourke. "Hard .up, is it? 'Tis not the O'Rourke who would be wishing ye ill, captain, dear, but, faith, meself's not sorry to hear that word this day. I'm thinking me luck is sound, after all." Quick had again vanished. Present ly O'Rourke heard his mighty voice booming down an engine-room ventila tor. " Dravos'. Dravos, you loafer! Come up and see a strange sight!" He came back, still vibrant with an elephantine sort of joy. "O'Rourke," he panted, mopping a damp brow with the sleeve of his jacket, "you're a good sight for sore eyes. Never did we meet up with you yet but there came a run of luck." ? " 'Tis good hearing," said O'Rourke, smiling. A slight little man slipped a bald head, relieved by ragged patches of gray hair about the temples, apolo getically Into the cabin door. "The top of the day to ye, Dravos!" said O'Rourke loudly, for little Dravos was partially deaf. "And how are the engines?" The engineer carefully hitched up his trousers and regarded the wander er with temperate geniality. "Good afternoon, Colonel O'Rourke," he replied, clipping his words mincing ft wm With an Unconscious, Surprised Oath, O'Rourke Stepped Aside. ly. "Very nicely, I thank you." He shook hands, sat down on the edge of a berth with the manner of one who fears he intrudes, and glanced searchingly at Quick. "If you're go ing to serve the drinks, cap'n," he snapped acidly, "hump yourself!" He accepted his glass with a dis passionate air and drank hastily after a short nod to the guest, as one who sacrifices his personal inclinations to the laws of hospitality. But from his after-glow of benevolence, O'Rourke concluded that the drink had not been unwelcome. "What brings you here?" demanded Quick in a subdued roar. i "Tve a job for ye, if so be lt yerre not otherwise engaged-and if ye can do lt" Quick slapped a huge thigh delight edly. "I knew it-could have sworn to lt!" "Can do anything," asserted Dravos with asperity. "Tis merely a question of speed," explained the Irishman. "Can ye make Bombay in four days-be the fif teenth?" t "Dravos," roared Quick, "how much speed can you set out of those damned engines?" "Twenty knots," snapped Dravos. . "When can you Ball?" I To-night," said Bravos. "If," stipulated Quick, 1 can pict up a crew in Aden." " 'Tis settled then." "We'll need a blt ot money In ad vance." . ?Te shall have it, within reason." ' Dravos rose and sidled towards the door, a faraway look In his pale eyes. Toa strike th? bargain, Quick," he said; "I'll have a look around the engine-room." 1 "Right-O, Bobby. ... ; Yourself alone, I s'pose, O'Rourke?" "And three others. Danny-" "Yes, yes." "And two ladies; an English worn an and her maid." ! CHAPTER XXII. By nine o'clock the Ranee lay with steam up, ready to weigh anchor. It is no praise to Dravos to state that his engines were in admirable condition. Such was their Invariable state. For an assistant he impressed Into service none other than Danny Mahone, to Danny's intense dismay. O'Rourke took upon himself the du ties of Amt officer under Captain Quick. The Irishman cared little for the sea, knew less of a first officer's duties; but it was patent that Quick could not stand every watch, and O'Rourke was not to be daunted by any such slight matter as nautical in experience. In the knowledge that they were safely off at last there was poignant relief to the wanderer, as he stood by Quick's side, on the bridge, with mid night imminent and the ship still and peaceful. "I'll stand the night watch es,"- the captain announced. "By morning we'll be far enough out fore you to take hold without spraining the 1 art of seamanship. G'dnight." ? "Thank ye," said O'Rourke. In fact, he had long been sensible that be waa i very drowsy; the night wind in hisc face had something to do with thatt "Good night," he returned, and went down the ladder to thc deck. 1 At its foot he paused, turning curi-t ously; it seemed that surely there ? must be some serious trouble afoot in the crew. The Irishman could see in the glimmer of the forecastle lantern] a confused blur of naked, shining brown bodies and limbs, apparently ( inextricably locked. A scream rang'' shrill and there followed the sound oil a heavy fall. i Overhead, on the bridge, Quick waa roaring himself hoarse, without effect t The sounds of shuffling, of blows, 1 harsh breathing, stifled cries, contin ued. A knot of the contestants swept, c whirling, aft, toward the superstruct-1 ure. Something shot singing thrrugb the air; the wind of lt fanned] O'Rourke's cheek. With an unconscious, surprised oath, i O'Rourke stepped aside, his hand go-1 lng toward his revolver. The missile i struck a stanchion, glanced and fell < clattering into the scuppers. Revolver] in hand, he went forward to the rai] i overlooking the struggling rabble oni the de?k below. But they seemed in-1 tent only on their private differences, 1 and Quick's roars were bringing them to their senses. Gradually the tumult i subsided, the contestants separating: and slinking forward to their quarters. 3 "It may have been chance."] O'Rourke conceded a bit doubtfully.] He swung about and moved aft slow-! ly, examining the deck intently. In a< moment or two he stopped and picked i up a long, thin-bladed knlfe,t double-1 edged and keen as a razor. The point! was broken, having doubtless been snapped off at the moment of contact] with the deck-house. O'Rourke turned; it? over soberly. i "Faith, I don't like to think lt was intentional-but me head would havel been split had it come two inches to] the left." i He returned to the bridge, calling Quick aside. "You're armed?" ? "Certainly-always armed when I'm? dealing with these devils.- Why?" 1 O'Rourke scowed him the knife, j Quick laughed at his theory. "Noth-1 lng in it," he was pleased to believe. 1 - 1 CHAPTER XXIII. 1 o - 1 The day came out of the East with j a windy swagger; as Quick had fore-i told, a series of thunderstorms swept? the sea before dawn, so that it, likei the sky, seemed newly washed, clean! and brilliant. i O'Rourke relieved Quick at four] hells of the morning watch and kept the deck for the remainder of the day, '. his meals being brought to bim on the bridge. His duties were simple I enough, requiring nttie more than ai display ot the habit of authority? Which sat so well on his broad BBOUM ders. It was no great trick to keep! the crew in order: they went about their work peaceably enough andi showed no signs of desiring to renew] their disputations. Otherwise he had! to keep an eye upon the helmsman and see that he held the Ranee to the? course prescribed by Quick; and that1 was nothing difficult to a man of av-: erage intelligence. Naught but deep] water lay between them and Bombay,) eo long as a direct course was shaped i and maintained. As the sunlit watches wore out and) nothing untoward took place, O'Rourke's grim apprehensions dissi-< pated into shadows. He began to be- < lleve with Quick that the affair of thei winged knife was merely a hapchance accident, quite unpremeditated. , Below decks, Dravos and Danny? were standing watch-and-watch, with^ clockwork regularity, where th? for-j mer's beloved < ngines were justifying his confidence and pride in them and licking knots with ut a hitch. Now Danny happened to have "off" ie first afternoon watch. O'Rourke .om the bridge saw him come up the ngine-room companion ladder, dive ito the messroom for his dinner, and iter emerge, picking his teeth and rinning self-complacency until hi? laster could have kicked him, had neb. a course been politic before the rew, or even consistent with the dig ity of his office. "A word to say to ye, sor, If I may lake so bold." O'Rourke glanced at the helmsman, nd having long since made up his lind that the man was competent, jft him in possession of the bridge or a space, and joined Danny below. "What is it?" Danny lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper. "Kape yer eye on thot black He Continued to Watch the Serang. livvie up there, sor, for the love ol liven, and don't look surprised at inything-" O'Rourke moved a few paces aft, ilong the rail, to a point whence he :ould see the head and shoulders of he helmsman. "Well?" " 'Tis nawthin' I cud swear to, sor, jut 'tis meself thot's mortal leary av hese naygurs-rapspicts to ye-and ind-" "Come, come! Out with it. Danny." "Sure, sor, 'tis the serang. Have re chanced to notice him, sor?" O'Rourke glanced down to the fore leek, where the personage in question ?vas standing at ease. "What of him?" ie Inquired, running his eye over the ellow's superb proportions. " 'Tis nawthin' I'd take me oath to, sor, but I'm thinkln' he's the man who loarded the Panjnab at Suez, sor. \nd as for the naygur I run against in the s'loon deck, yer honor, he's his nortal twin." "Ah," commented O'Rourke. "Thank rou. Danny." He continued to watch the serang mtil the latter, as if influenced by tho Ixity of the Irishman's regard, turned md stared directly into O'Rourke's jyes. For a full minute be gave him look for look, dark eyes steadfast and unyielding above his fine aquiline lose, then calmly turned his back, re suming his contemplation of the tur 3ulent horizon. An instant later Quick came up to relieve O'Rourke, and, eight hells sounding, Danny dived below to take Dravos' place. O'Rourke, unpleasant ly impressed by the incident, still for bore to mention it to either of the ship's owners; he retired to jthink it jver, and spent a long hour consum ing an indifferent cigar and studying the cracks in the bulkhead between ,iis room and the cabin. Without profit, however. Lacking more substantial proof than Danny's suspicions, he could arrive at no defl aite conclusion. The night passed without incident; :he second day dawned the counter part of its predecessor, and wore iway quietly enough. It fell to O'Rourke to stand the first log-watch, from four to six In the ?vening. Shortly after he ascended :he bridge, it was his happiness to be loined by Mrs. Prynne, who improved :he moment to express her gratifica, ion with the propitious tide In her af fairs. The King's courier was pleased :o declare herself very well pleased Indeed, though she admitted, under locular pressure, that she considered she was roughing it. Captain Quick's juarters were by no means palatial, md the bill of fare, while substantial y composed, lacked something of va riety; but that was all a part of the ?Treat and fascinating gama she played -the game o? secret service to His MajeBty, Edward VII. Not that alone, but she was com 'orted by the assurance that her voy ige would soon be over, her mission lischarged, her responsibility a thing il the past. She would be glad to see Bombay. "One never knows, you know, Colo nel O'Rourke," she said with a little gesture expressive of her allowance .'or the unforeseen. O'Rourke divined she had something jn her mind which she hesitated to voice, though they were practically il one; the man at the wheel was a nonentity- bronze statue in a faded shirt, ragged turban and soiled cum merbund. "Then 'tis yourself will be glad, I gather, to be rid of us, madam?" She smiled, deprecatory. "What Mould your' sh? aa ked In French, sith a significant glance up into ^Rourke's eyes. 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