Tiger Island bby Carl Jacobi

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Tiger Island bby Carl Jacobi Page 1

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  Thrilling Adventures, May, 1937

  HE island came into sight off the of the wheelhouse to meet the skipper who Morinda’s port bow at six bells in the

  had just come up from below.

  T afternoon watch. Haxton was on the “There she is, sir,” Fail said, eyeing bridge when Fail, the first officer, strode out without interest Captain Ganler’s drink

  Thrilling Adventures

  2

  reddened face. “Tiger Rock dead ahead. We

  New Guinea coast. But Ganler had discovered

  slide in to the lee of it, same as before, eh?”

  something that put copra in second place in

  He awaited confirmation.

  his mind. He had outlined the situation to

  Ganler swayed slightly, jerked the Haxton before sailing.

  glasses to his eyes. He looked a long time,

  Just south of the line in longitude 142o

  first at the island and the little cove, then at the 19' E., was Tiger Island. A British possession, horizon. Then he nodded.

  uninhabited, with a virgin bed of pearl oyster

  “Quarter speed. See if you can find the

  on the south bank. Outside the Queensland

  same anchorage. Haxton!” he answered boundaries; therefore open fishing.

  thickly.

  “But it’s sixteen fathoms and too deep

  Haxton, a frown on his lean face, for the natives,” Ganler had said. “I need turned and came forward. He hadn’t liked

  another diver. I’ll pay you regular rates and

  Ganler’s looks the day he came aboard. Now

  passage back. What say?”

  that the skipper was drunk, he liked them even

  Haxton entered his cabin, opened a

  less.

  chest and began to haul out his heavy diving

  “Haxton—”

  Ganler rubbed a beefy dress. There was a fly in the ointment hand over his unshaven face and spat over the

  somewhere, he felt sure. It was odd for one

  rail, “haul that newfangled diving gear of thing, that a ship of such low tonnage carried a yours on deck and get ready for a dive. Move,

  wireless in these seas. Yet that proved to be

  damn you! Want to get as many shells as we

  the one favorable item. For Simms, the

  can before dark. Fail will go down with you.”

  wireless op, was the only man with whom

  For a moment while he relit his cigar,

  Haxton had cared to make friends. There was

  Haxton studied the skipper coldly. Then he

  something about his quiet attitude that

  nodded, stepped to the port ladder and headed

  inspired confidence.

  below.

  The diving dress laid out on the floor,

  Somehow this job, which had seemed

  Haxton stripped and donned a suit of

  such a gift from the gods before, had taken on

  underwear. He was pulling on his heavy socks

  an unsavory aspect. Not to have accepted when the door opened and Simms entered.

  would have meant another two months on the

  “Hello,” the op said. “Understand you

  beach back in Port Moresby, of course. Pearl

  want me to handle your lines.”

  fishing was pretty much a closed game these

  He was a tall man. Clear grey eyes

  days. A diver out of work couldn’t be very

  were shining pleasantly under the visor of his

  choosy.

  blue cap. Haxton nodded.

  “Help me carry this stuff out on deck.

  YET he had known what he was up against

  I’m going down right away.”

  when he shipped. The Morinda was a dirty, rat By the time two Malays on the after

  infested tramp. Captain Ganler had a blood

  well-deck had clumsily helped Haxton into his

  temper that came to a head on the slightest

  rubber suit, the Morinda had reached a point provocation. Fail, the first mate who was to

  just within the entrance to the cove. Ganler

  help with the diving, was a hard faced bawled a command. A gong clanged, and the scoundrel. A nondescript Limey for a Second,

  engines came to a dead stop. The anchor chain

  Eurasian quartermasters, and a lascar Chinese

  shot out through the hawse hole. Beyond,

  fo’c’sle didn’t improve the picture.

  Tiger Island presented its silent, palm-fringed The

  Morinda had come up through the

  shore.

  Dampier straits, taking on copra along the

  Fail got into his own suit, a cheap

  Tiger Island

  3

  piece of shoddy that had seen better days, and

  With his lamp feebly illuminating his

  the two divers stood waiting orders.

  movements, Haxton seized the nearest. Fail

  “Now listen.” Ganler looked at them

  stepped to his side; they pressed their helmets with bloodshot eyes. “Fail, you go down first.

  together, a method of conversing under water.

  Three jerks on the line if it’s the right spot,

  “You work here. I’ll go farther in.

  and Haxton follows. It’s sixteen fathoms, but

  Take the big ones, not those that are too

  you’re stayin’ below until you get a good load.

  young.”

  Remember, we’re after pearls, not button

  Haxton nodded. He looked down at the

  shells.”

  oyster bed. No yellow or inferior green edged

  The copper helmet was fastened down

  shells here. They were pure white. Chances

  on the head of the first mate. He went overside were, it would be rich in pearls.

  in a stream of bubbles. Almost immediately

  When the basket was filled, Haxton

  his line jerked three times. Haxton motioned

  sent it up, watching it disappear like a fat

  Simms to his side.

  porpoise in the murk. His eyes had grown

  “Ganler’s drunk, so I’m depending on

  more accustomed to the depth now, and he

  you,” he warned. “That pump—”

  stared about him curiously. Funny no one had

  “Don’t worry,” Simms nodded, as he

  thought to fish here before. But of course most replied quietly. “If any of these swabs British islands lay inside the Australian interfere, there’ll be trouble.”

  boundaries.

  Simms helped the Malays place the

  Five more baskets, and Haxton moved

  helmet on Haxton’s head. He gave it a quarter

  slowly in toward the island. He selected shells turn, locked it into position. The lead belt and with an experienced eye. Abruptly he noticed

  heavy breastplate were already secured. a darker shape lying on the ocean floor some Haxton seized his electric lamp. Native distance ahead. Curious, he hesitated a handlers lifted him overside onto the sea moment, began to work his way toward it.

  ladder.

  An instant later he was standing rigid,

  For an instant he hung there, the water staring down. An inert, armored figure lay swishing over his head. Then with a jerk, he

  there, half hidden in the marine growth. The

  began to descend. The water changed quickly

  figure was that of another diver, his life line from blue to pea green. Air gurgled out the

&n
bsp; and airhose lying in a twisted tangle beside

  exhaust valve in the back of his helmet. He

  him.

  swallowed several times to relieve the heavy

  Dead! For a moment Haxton’s brain

  sensation in his ears and throat. Down, down

  refused to act. Then a succession of thoughts

  he went, while the pressure against his suit

  assailed him. A dead diver here on the sea

  slowly increased.

  floor—The Morinda alone had visited these An eternity, and then abruptly his lead shoes

  waters in recent months—Then the man was

  struck bottom.

  off the Morinda on her previous trip. But what He jerked his life line once, stood had caused the accident, if accident it was?

  motionless, waiting for that first dizzy feeling Unmindful of Fail who had

  to pass. He switched on his lamp and looked

  approached and stood glaring at him, Haxton

  about him. Five feet away stood Fail. bent down and examined the rubber-clad Magnified by the water, the man seemed twice

  body. Wide-open eyes stared at him out of the

  his ordinary height.

  faceplate. But he saw no mark of violence on

  Two large wire baskets settled to the

  the suit.

  bottom, each at the end of a separate line.

  Thrilling Adventures

  4

  THIRTY seconds, Haxton like a wooden bothers with a wireless. I signed on the day image, remained transfixed to the spot. Then

  before you did, you know, and only because

  he seized his line, jerked twice in rapid my last ship was being scrapped by her succession.

  owners.”

  Immediately the line tightened, and he

  was jerked upward. He ascended swiftly to the

  HAXTON nodded, finished dressing in

  approximate seventy foot level. There he silence. He slid into a suit of white drill, then stopped, swayed with the current, while the

  strode across to the locker and took out an

  necessary period of decompression sailed by.

  automatic.

  When he finally gained the deck,

  “You might need this,” he said,

  Haxton waited until his suit was entirely handing it to Simms. “Won’t hurt to have it removed before he answered the skipper’s along at any rate. I’m going up and have a sullen glare.

  look at our position.”

  “Ganler,” he said, “there’s a dead diver

  Haxton made his way quickly to the

  down there. Dead and off this ship. I want to

  bridge and the deserted charthouse. With a

  know what it means.”

  quick glance over his shoulder he bent over

  Ganler wiped his mouth, clamped his

  the table and examined the chart which lay

  yellow teeth down harder on his greasy pipe.

  upon it. Carefully he traced the Morinda’s

  He glared at Haxton sneeringly.

  course from Port Moresby. Almost directly on

  “Keep your shirt on,” he snarled. “That

  the equator a circle in red ink had been drawn

  diver was a dirty Malay I picked up in Rabaul.

  around a pinpoint whose marking read: Tiger

  Can I help it if his suit was old and rotten? His Island. With the aid of dividers Haxton

  line busted, that’s all.”

  checked the position.

  “His air hose broke?” Haxton repeated

  Frowning, he stood up, drew a cigar

  unbelievingly.

  from his pocket. The island was in the location

  “Sure.”

  Ganler had said, British owned and outside of

  “Why didn’t you tell me about it any restricted pearl fishing ground. Haxton before?” Haxton’s eyes narrowed.

  gnawed his lips, went down the ladder and

  “I had reasons. Main one is, you walked aft.

  blokes are a superstitious crowd, and I wasn’t

  Fail was up now. He had stayed

  takin’ any chances of you backin’ out.”

  underwater the full time limit, and his face

  Haxton pressed his lips together was white and drawn with pain. By the after grimly. He turned without another word, and

  hatch, five Malays squatted on the planking,

  headed for his cabin. Simms followed. There,

  busily opening the shells which had been

  while the radio operator looked at him with

  brought aboard.

  puzzled eyes, Haxton briefly described the

  Within twenty minutes the bed proved

  situation.

  its value. The Malays extracted three pearls,

  “It might be true, of course,” he then two more. Ganler pawed over them concluded. “These Malays are careless as hell.

  greedily.

  But all the same, I don’t like it.”

  “Smooth, eh?” he said, turning to

  “Fail’s a blackguard,” Simms replied

  Haxton. “A fortune just waiting to be taken

  slowly. “Ganler’s worse. He keeps me at the

  up. Tomorrow you dive full time. I’ve had

  wireless every minute I’m awake. Wants a

  enough of your stalling.”

  report on every ship in the district. And if you A flush rose to Haxton’s face, but he

  ask me, it’s funny a ship carryin’ only copra

  made no reply. A few moments later, he

  Tiger Island

  5

  entered the wireless room. Simms was at the

  after main hatch. Then voices came to his

  transmitter. He looked up at the sound of

  ears, and he saw the skipper standing at the

  steps.

  taffrail, a darker shadow in the gloom. Ganler

  “K.P.M. ship off Halmahera,” he said.

  had night glasses to his eyes. He was gazing

  “Reports a bad typhoon there, but it’ll miss us seaward.

  of course. What’s new?”

  Haxton hugged the shadows and

  “Nothing new.” Haxton dropped into a

  watched. The voices he had heard, began

  chair and studied his cigar. “There’s pearls

  again. They were speaking Malay, and they

  here, which makes Ganler plenty satisfied.

  seemed to come from beyond the ship, from a

  The position is right, according to the chart.

  point low down near the water.

  Open fishing. And yet that dead diver—”

  A moment later two lascars came over

  Simms got up abruptly, paced to the

  the rail. They mumbled something to the

  door and closed it.

  skipper and shuffled off.

  “Listen,” he said. “Couple of minutes

  Ganler continued his scrutiny of the

  ago I was up for’ard, and I heard two of that

  black sea. From east to west he looked, long

  black gang talking. Those lascars are a bad lot and intently. Chuckling softly, he turned and

  and have a lingo that beats me, but there were

  headed for his cabin. He passed within a few

  a few words in pidgin English that set me to

  feet of Haxton, but the diver made no sound.

  thinking. One of them said something about

  When he had gone, Haxton darted up

  ‘deep down fellah off when sea fellah come.”

  to the rail, and leaned over. Only dark water

  Now what does that mean?”

  below. Then a heavier blot in the blackness

  Haxton smoked a moment, shook his

  met his eyes, and he understood quickly.

  head.

&n
bsp; A bo’sun’s chair had been rigged over

  “Search me,” he replied. “Might mean

  the rail. The two Malays suspended in it, had

  anything. But maybe we’re worrying our stretched a sheet of canvas across the ship’s heads over nothing at all. See you at mess.”

  stern. Nailed down, the canvas completely hid

  Haxton slept poorly that night. Sultry

  the name, Morinda, from all outward eyes.

  heat filled his cabin, and at three bells—one

  “Blind ship, eh?” Haxton whistled

  thirty a.m.—he got up and decided to catch a

  softly. Something definitely was in the wind.

  breath of air.

  But what?

  Pajama clad, he strolled out on the

  He stood there in silence a long time.

  for’d well deck. The Morinda lay under a A quarter of an hour later when he went to his

  vault of blackness. Water slapped bunk, he was no nearer an explanation. He rhythmically against the sides. Farther off, stirred restlessly until the change to the waves washed against the island’s shore.

  morning watch, when he fell into a troubled

  All at once, the diver noticed that the

  sleep.

  regulation anchor light was not lighted. Not

  Morning, and Ganler was drunk again.

  necessary in these waters, of course, but still a He stayed in his cabin, not appearing until

  ship without riding lights—Haxton turned. noon. Then he staggered into the mess cabin, The aft light, fifteen feet lower, was not whiskey bottle in one hand, faced Haxton, visible either.

  swaying.

  With a scowl he made his way slowly

  “You dive right away, see,” he

  toward the poop. What possible reason could

  growled. “You go down, and you stay down

 

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