Trial by Typhoon by Albert Richard Wetjen Read online

  cursed and forced the dinghy alongside, eh?”

  catching hold of the pilot ladder and making

  “I

  do.”

  fast.

  “You’re quite sure you wouldn’t rather

  get back into th’ dinghy.”

  SOMEONE leaned over the bulwarks. “Who

  Something warned Bradley but he

  the hell’s that?”

  hitched forward his holster and set his jaw.

  “We’ll talk about that later,” Bradley

  “You heard what I wanted.”

  said irritably. “Is Captain Tench on board?”

  The other hesitated.

  “Maybe. But he ain’t receiving

  “You’re sticking your nose into

  visitors. Come back tomorrow.”

  something,” he warned. “What you doing out

  Typhoon was already half way up the

  here anyway this time of night?”

  ladder.

  Typhoon wasted no further words. He

  “You ain’t boarding us tonight!” strode forward. A man tried to check him and warned the speaker above.

  went reeling from a backhand blow. The

  Typhoon reached the top of the ladder

  second mate sprang forward to receive the flat

  and a heavily built seaman in worn blue of Bradley’s hand full in the face. There was dungarees laid a rough hand against his chest.

  an ugly under-current of oaths and Typhoon

  Bradley swore and pushed and the seaman

  spun around, his gun out and his eyes slits.

  went staggering. Before he could recover They were drawing on him, but the second himself Typhoon was on deck. The seaman

  mate’s snarling voice checked that.

  got up, swearing, and Typhoon saw he was

  “Let ’im go, fellers. The Old Man’ll be

  wearing a gun belt, a strange thing for a glad t’ see ’im anyway after what happened

  Action Stories

  6

  this afternoon.”

  you can shoot a lot better than you can fight.”

  The Gentleman smiled.

  THEY drew back then and after a pause

  “For what are we indebted to this little

  Typhoon bolstered his gun, turned and visit, my friend?”

  proceeded aft. He was angry, coldly angry. He

  Tench kept his hand on his gun but did

  was not used to being treated like that.

  not draw. The rest watched. Bradley stared at

  He strode up to the poop, approached

  his old enemy, his face like iron.

  the main cabin scuttle and dropped down the

  “You’re the reason, Gentleman,” said

  companion, his eyes like ice.

  Bradley coldly. “I don’t want you around.

  There were four men seated around the

  This ship will sail at once, with you on board.

  table and drinking, three of whom he The wind’s fair. The tide’ll be right by the recognized. One was Captain Tench, his head

  time you reach the channel. So get out.”

  swathed in bandages. One was the pock-

  “We are getting out,” the Gentleman

  marked mate. The third, Gentleman Harry,

  assured him, smiling. “In fact we are getting

  calm and smiling and malevolent as usual, in

  out tonight as you suggest. But we did not

  immaculate whites, his hair glossy black, a

  expect to have the honor of your company,

  blue silk cummerbund about his slim waist

  although I did warn Tench you might take a

  and his terrible scarred face lemon-colored in

  notion to come along.”

  the lamplight. The fourth man, a nervous,

  “Yeah, you warned me but I never

  pimply-faced youth, Bradley did not know.

  thought he’d be damned fool enough to come

  He faced the four, his face grim and

  here alone. Anyway we’ll handle him.”

  his thumbs in his cartridge belt. Tench glared

  Typhoon glanced swiftly about. He

  at him. The pock-marked mate swore sensed that if he had not actually walked into a sibilantly. The pimply-faced youth crouched

  trap they were prepared for the eventuality of

  lower in his chair and looked like a snake

  his coming. The Gentleman knew him and his

  about to strike. Only Gentleman Harry seemed

  ways; probably the Gentleman even knew that

  unmoved, unless the faint nervous twitching

  Typhoon knew of his presence on board the

  beneath his ears could be called apprehension.

  Wanderer. If not that the Gentleman was

  “You see,” he said smoothly, waving a

  certainly aware that when Typhoon Bradley

  well-manicured hand. “You see, Tench. I told

  was around it was always best to take

  you he would probably be along if he heard I

  precautions.

  was aboard.”

  “What’s the game?” said Bradley

  He smiled craftily.

  suddenly. The Gentleman smiled.

  The bearded captain struck the table

  “A very sweet little game, my friend.

  with his clenched fist and ripped out a But perhaps you had better throw your gun scalding oath.

  away first. There are four of us here. The

  “Damn you, Bradley! I never thought

  second mate on deck had orders that if you

  you’d have th’ nerve to board a ship of mine!”

  should happen to arrive and be alone and

  “I’ll board any damned ship in insisted upon coming aft, you should. But Funafuti I choose,” said Bradley coldly. “I’m

  right now there are two men covering the

  a magistrate and I’ve got that right.”

  scuttle up above so you can’t get out. And

  Tench got up, choking, and made a

  there are two more covering you with

  move for his gun. The rest got up, excepting

  Winchesters from the skylight.”

  the Gentleman. Bradley stared at Tench.

  “I wouldn’t draw if I were you, unless

  BRADLEY did not turn his head to look. It

  Trial by Typhoon

  7

  was an old trick to distract attention though he

  just three men in the Islands who can draw

  believed the Gentleman was telling the truth.

  faster and shoot straighter than I can. Those

  “Fair enough,” he said quietly. “But

  three men are Larsen of Singapore, Shark

  you ought to know me better, Gentleman. If

  Gotch and Typhoon Bradley. Would you care

  you want me—come and take me.”

  to dispute the fact?”

  He jumped back against the bulkhead,

  Tench stared at him for a moment and

  out of line of the skylight fire, and his draw

  then wilted. He had seen the Gentleman shoot.

  was fast as the strike of a rattler. They had him

  “Well, you did duck,” he said sullenly.

  trapped perhaps, had him cornered, but he

  The Gentleman nodded.

  never surrendered. He would go down fighting

  “That was common sense with Bradley

  like all the Island pioneers went down, his

  shooting.”

  back to the wall and his gun spouting flame.

  The pock-marked mate swore.

  It would be a battle to the finish.

  “Aw, what th’ hell are you arguing

  The Gentleman dived for the deck and

  about? We plugged th’ swine, didn�
�t we?”

  missed death by the sixteenth of an inch.

  Captain Tench had drawn and was firing. GENTLEMAN HARRY, his own gun drawn Bradley’s gun ranged the cabin and the now, gingerly approached Typhoon’s prostrate pimply-faced youth went down with a hole

  body as a man might approach a wounded

  between his eyes. It was nothing but sheer bad

  grizzly bear. He would not even stoop to see if

  luck that Typhoon did not get every man Bradley was dead but made the mate do it.

  present. But he only had time for three shots

  The Gentleman knew Bradley and once before

  and then a bullet from the pock-marked mate’s

  he had shammed dead to advantage.

  gun, wide of the mark, ricocheted off one of

  “Hell, he ain’t croaked,” said the mate

  the brass hanging lamps and grazed Bradley

  disgustedly after a brief examination. “Just

  across the back of the head, stunning him as

  creased, that’s all.”

  neatly as a blackjack could have done.

  “Better finish him anyway,” grunted

  He pitched forward and lay still and

  Tench, cocking the hammer of his gun. “Th’

  there was a silence in the main cabin save for

  swine butted into my business this afternoon

  the hard-drawn breathing of Captain Tench

  and damned near knocked my ear off.”

  and the harsh whistling noise that his mate

  “We won’t kill him,” said the

  made between his teeth.

  Gentleman decisively. “At least not yet. He’s

  “Gawd, I never saw a man draw as fast

  given me more grief than you’ll ever have,

  as that afore,” said Tench, choking a little.

  Tench, and I’ll get rid of him in my own way.

  “He’s killed the supercargo.”

  Tie his hands and feet and chuck him into a

  Gentleman Harry got up from the deck

  spare room.”

  and brushed his clothes. He was a little

  The other looked puzzled.

  shaken.

  “I don’t see why we don’t croak him

  “I never thought the fool would fight,”

  now,” swore Tench.

  he said harshly. “It’s bad enough if he gives

  “Because I say not!” rasped the

  you an even break but when he jumps you first

  Gentleman. “This is my deal and I’ll play it as

  it’s time to duck.”

  I see best. The thing you want to worry about

  A respectful fear showed in his eyes.

  is if anyone in th’ lagoon has heard the

  “So I noticed,” sneered Tench. The

  shooting and wants to come over and look-

  Gentleman’s dark eyes glittered.

  see.”

  “Tench!” he said crisply. “There are

  “Another thing,” suggested the

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  8

  pockmarked mate sourly. “Th’ boats oughta

  and went. Chang strode thoughtfully along

  be back.”

  until the last of the shacks had been left

  Gentleman Harry consulted his watch.

  behind and he met no one save an occasional

  His head nodded in agreement.

  Kanaka hurrying from the village. Typhoon

  “That’s

  right.

  We’ve got to get out of

  must have learned something, possibly

  the lagoon before the tide turns. I told that fool discovered the reason for Gentleman Harry’s

  Limpy not to wait and clean-up if time got too

  presence at Funafuti. But why send for him to

  short.”

  come to this out-of-the-way place?

  Tench went upon the poop grumbling

  Chang approached the pandanus palms

  to himself and ordered two men below to

  suspiciously, his hand on his gun. He had

  bring up the supercargo’s body. The thirty thousand dollars’ worth of pearls in the Gentleman saw personally that Bradley’s canvas belt about his waist, and men had been bonds were sound and aided to drag him into a

  killed for less than thirty dollars on the

  cabin and lock him in. After that he too went

  pearling beaches. Funafuti had been singularly

  on the poop.

  free from that sort of thing since Bradley had

  taken over, otherwise Chang would never

  have ventured into the shadows without at

  CHAPTER III

  least half a dozen of his men at his back.

  THE CLEANOUT

  He reached the first palm, peered into

  the blackness of the grove and called.

  “You

  there,

  Typhoon?”

  ASHORE things were happening, also, but so

  He sensed the danger even as it caught

  smoothly they passed unnoticed. Perhaps half

  him. Something swished through the air.

  an hour after Bradley had left him, Chang, still

  Chang ducked, drew and fired, the sound of

  sitting at the poker table, felt a touch on his

  the shot muffled by the wind-noise in the

  shoulder. He looked around to discover a palms and the shouting and laughter back hawk-faced man in worn dungarees standing

  along the beach. A noose settled over the

  beside him.

  Chinaman’s shoulders, jerked tight. He lost

  “What is it?” he asked calmly.

  his feet, crashed down and several men fell on

  “Captain Bradley wants to see you,”

  him. Something crashed on his head and he

  said the man, his voice curt and businesslike.

  lost consciousness.

  “He’s waiting down by the pandanus grove.”

  “That’s one, Limpy,” someone

  “What . . .” -Chang began but the man

  grunted. There was a short laugh.

  abruptly turned on his heel and vanished in the

  “All right. Drag him back a ways and

  milling crowd that was arguing, drinking and

  tie him up.”

  gambling in Boston Charlie’s that night.

  Chang frowned a little, stared at his cards,

  FIFTEEN minutes later Jack Cummings,

  absently raised a bet and when the hand was

  buyer for Lascelle’s of Paris, busy examining

  done politely excused himself and went out.

  four large pearls in a back room of Lascar

  He wondered about the odd request.

  Pete’s store, was interrupted by a hawk-faced

  The beach was dark save for the man.

  starlight, the glows from several bonfires and

  “Chang says he’d like to see you if you

  the shafts of light from the windows and doors

  can get away,” said the hawk-faced man.

  of the pearling city. It was a place of dense

  “He’s waiting down by the pandanus grove.”

  shadows that shifted and moved as men came

  “Chang?” said Cummings, surprised.

  Trial by Typhoon

  9

  He swept the pearls into a wash-leather bag

  Tench growled something in his beard

  and looked at the stalwart native diver who

  and felt tenderly of his torn ear. The pock-

  faced him across the table. He finished his

  marked mate hitched at his cartridge belt and

  business hastily.

  swore sourly.

  “I’ll take them, Kinoo. One thousand

  “It’ll be
a near thing if they get after us

  dollars cash. You’re in debt for supplies four

  in whaleboats,” he stated. Gentleman Harry

  hundred. I’ll pay the balance in the morning.”

  lighted a cheroot and laughed.

  “Ai,” said Kinoo with a flash of betel-

  “I’ve got it figured pretty well. All we

  stained teeth. He lifted a hand in a sort of half-needed was a fair wind and we’ve got that.

  salute and went out. Cummings looked around

  The tide won’t bother us yet and we ought to

  for the hawk-faced man but he had get out before it turns. Once it turns no boat’ll disappeared. He got up, went out into Lascar

  be able to buck it and no ship can clear the

  Pete’s main room and beckoned to Peira, channel. By daylight we’ll be at sea, with buyer for a Papeete syndicate.

  twelve hours start anyway.”

  “Come along with me, Peira,” he said.

  Funafuti Lagoon, which is one of the

  “Chang wants to see me. Sounds like largest in the Islands, runs twenty miles from something’s up.” They left the place together

  the pearling beach near the native village to

  and walked down the beach to the pandanus

  the only channel practical for deep-water

  grove where sundry things happened to them

  vessels, and that channel is only practical at

  with amazing swiftness.

  high water. An hour after high water is

  “He brought Peira along,” chuckled a

  reached the passage is dangerous; two hours

  voice as the unconscious men were examined.