by OMNICAdmin
Ganler have for keeping the ship in inky until I tell you to come up. We can’t hang darkness? Cautiously, he paced on past the
around here forever.”
Thrilling Adventures
6
date. The difference in positions was so close, WHILE he waited for the Malays to get his
his sextant had failed to show it. Poaching was diving dress in readiness, Haxton stood with
a criminal action which would be dealt the
tight lips, staring out over the water. He was
limit in any court—which would blackball a
more perplexed now than before. A few diver everywhere.
moments ago, when he was sure he was not
being watched, he had brought out his sextant,
ANOTHER thought came. The Malay diver
always a part of his luggage, and taken the
had been below on the Morinda’s first visit to sun. Checking the longtitude with the the island, when another ship, probably a chronometer, the result tallied with Tiger Dutch patrol craft, had been sighted. Without Island’s location on the chart.
compunction, Ganler had slashed the Malay’s
As he stood there, Simms approached.
line and raced seaward.
The operator was smoking a cigarette in his
The ruthlessness of the skipper’s
calm, deliberate fashion.
action was like a shock of cold water.
“I don’t like it,” he said in a low voice.
Mechanically Haxton dropped the book, left
“Ganler drunk again, and Fail nervous as a
the charthouse, paced onto the boat deck, abaft floating cork. Have you noticed the skipper
the bridge. He could hear Ganler aft now,
keeps steam up all the time? Funny.”
barking commands at Fail who was getting
Haxton nodded. “I signed on as diver,”
ready to dive.
he said, “and I suppose I’ll have to go down,
Haxton clenched his fists, went down
but—”
the ladder and headed for the skipper.
Abruptly his words died off. He
“Get in that dress of yours,” Ganler
stiffened, rocked backwards as a thought roared, catching sight of him. “You damn struck him full force. Turning, he ran up the
scavenger, what do you think I’m payin’ you
ladder to the bridge and raced into the for?”
charthouse. As he had expected, there was a
Haxton glanced at Fail, who, helmet
Pacific Islands Pilot book there. He whipped
off, stood waiting.
through the pages. Five seconds later he was
“I’m not diving,” he said. “For you or
staring stunned at the printed words:
anyone else.”
“Not diving!” Ganler’s sweat stained
An island named Tiger was reported by
face crimsoned. “Why you— What do you
Captain Bristow in 1817 to exist in latitude 1o45'S., mean?”
longitude 142o19'E., but in 1894 information was
“We’re in Dutch grounds,” Haxton
received from the German Government that no island existed in this position, and that the so-called Tiger continued quietly. “This isn’t Tiger Island,
Island was probably identical with Matty Island, now Ganler. It’s Matty Island. Leased fisheries. My known as Wuvulu, which was discovered by Cartaret in papers didn’t say anything about poaching.”
1767, and which lies in latitude 1o46'S., longitude For an instant the skipper remained
142o56'E. Matty Island is a German possession, leased silent, eyes slowly closing to crescents. Then
recently to the Dutch fisheries at Macassar. It is low, covered with cocoanut palms, about four miles in with a bellow he lurched forward. His right
length in an east and west direction and—
fist leaped like a mallet, struck Haxton hard in the jaw. He followed with two more lightning
Haxton’s teeth came together with a
thrusts in quick succession. Haxton, taken
click. He saw it all now. Poaching. These were
unawares, staggered and fell.
Dutch fisheries. The chart Ganler had left on
“Back, damn you!” Ganler whipped
the table for him to see was an old one, out of out a revolver and turned it toward Simms as
Tiger Island
7
the wireless operator charged forward. Haxton
the knife at Haxton. Haxton had clicked on his
slowly rose to his feet.
electric lamp a split-second before. He caught
“You’re goin’ down, see,” Ganler the movement and heaved his body aside. The continued, moving the revolver to cover the
knife scratched harmlessly off the side of his
two of them. “If you don’t, there’s a bullet
suit, just below the breastplate.
lands straight between your eyes. Into that
In an instant Fail was lunging for
suit, blast you.”
another attack. Haxton clawed downward,
Cowed Malays came forward and seized the weapon hand, and tried to wrench helped Haxton into his diving dress. Three
the knife from its grasp. They clinched.
feet away, Simms looked on with tight lips.
Sixteen fathoms down, they were,
Revolver still in one hand, Ganler slammed
ninety-six feet below man’s natural element.
shut Haxton’s faceplate, gave the order to lift For each foot of that depth, a thousand pounds
him onto the sea ladder.
of water pressed down on them, almost fifty
Then once more he was descending.
tons in all. Haxton knew that the nitrogen
Down he went, the current whipping at his air
being forced steadily into his blood would not
hose.
stand much exertion.
The water grew darker. Pressure
Fail brought his knee upward into
increased against his suit. A school of tropical Haxton’s abdomen, struck twice below the
fish fled before him. He was on the bottom.
breast plate with brute strength. Their helmets Mechanically adjusting his air, Haxton
clanked together. Heart laboring, Haxton
stood motionless, brain in a turmoil. answered blow for blow.
Whichever way he moved, his way was
Suddenly, he realized that as he was
blocked. In a moment Fail and the baskets
fighting here on the ocean floor, so Simms
would be down. He would be forced to must be battling for his life topside. With that continue poaching. Topside, Ganler with his
revolver Haxton had given him, the young op
revolver, would be watching Simms’ every
would not submit long to Ganler’s inquisition.
movement on the line.
Even then Haxton felt the air falter in his
The two baskets came down. Fail helmet. The pumps—
followed an instant later. The mate diver
Again Fail attacked him with the knife.
motioned to one of the baskets, lips snarling
Again Haxton managed to drive the blade off.
something unheard in his helmet. Haxton And then abruptly the first mate leaped to the made no move.
side.
“Come on,” Fail said, stepping forward
to press helmets together. “One funny move
REACHING up, he seized Haxton’s air hose,
outa you, and—” He waved his knife jerked it down, and went at it with the knife. A threateningly.
vague horror came over Haxton as he saw the
Haxton stepped obedien
tly toward the
movement. He lurched forward, grasped the
baskets, but halfway, a storm burst within
mate by the shoulders and yanked him
him. He whirled, and touched helmets.
backward.
“I don’t poach,” he said. “Not if I have
Fail made one last attempt. Knife
to stay down here all day. Put that in your pipe before him, he charged like a striking
and smoke it.”
devilfish, came at Haxton in a fury. Three feet Eyes gleaming through his faceplate as
he moved, no farther. His lifeline, trailing
he heard the words, Fail suddenly brought his
slackly from the struggle, caught between his
right hand up through the heavy water, thrust
feet. He tripped, fell. Even as his helmet
Thrilling Adventures
8
crashed onto the bottom, Haxton saw an
“On the bridge!” Haxton yelled. “We
accompanying mass of bubbles shoot upward.
can’t hold ’em here.” He spun around as he
Fail had fallen with his knife under him. The
spoke, slammed a wild blow at one of the
blade had penetrated the suit.
Malays who had been forced to haul him.
But Haxton had no time to look Then with the pack at their heels, the two men farther. An instant later he felt his line jerk raced for the ladder.
hard, and he was lifted upwards. Swiftly,
On the bridge, Haxton leaped to the
while he fought to regain his breath, he was
wheelhouse, jerked down a rifle which was
taken toward the surface. No decompression
mounted on the inside wall. A cartridge belt
period this time. He had not been down long
hung below it.
enough, and besides, as he knew, hell must be
They were safe for an instant. Simms
raging on deck.
crouched at the break of the bridge and fired at Then he was being hauled overside.
every head that mounted the ladder. Haxton
Malay handlers lifted the helmet from his edged carefully around the wheelhouse, head. Simms’ voice, cold as ice, snapped into
searching the well-deck for Ganler. He knew
his ears.
with grim clarity that it was only a question of
“Keep away from that gun, Ganler.
time before it would be all over. Two against
One step, and I shoot. Look alive there, you
that rabid pack. The odds were too great.
black rats. Get that suit off fast. Okay, Haxton, Shots hammered into the deckhouses.
everything under control.”
Ganler evidently had lost no time in dealing
The wireless op stood by the rail, out guns. A bullet splintered the glass by automatic before him. Ten feet away Ganler,
Haxton’s head. Below, on the deck a figure
the Limey Second Officer, a crowd of lascars
moved into his vision. He fired deliberately,
crouched like wolves at bay. Two Malays,
missed, fired again. The man fell.
grinding steadily at the pump, worked only
because they were also in line with Simms’
SIMMS’ warning shout whirled him about.
weapon.
Two lascars had climbed the port ladder. In
“You can stop the pumps,” Haxton front of them, lumbering toward him, face said, his diving dress removed. “Fail is below
twisted in fury, came Ganler.
dead, a hole in his suit. The game’s up,
Haxton’s rifle was ripped from his
Ganler.”
hands. Two iron fists pounded into his face.
“Like hell it is,” the skipper said. The skipper was fighting like an enraged tiger.
“Mutiny, eh? Two men seizing the ship Haxton, breathing hard, delivered blow after against the crew. Well, it can’t be done, you
blow.
damn wharf rat. I’ll—”
And then as he stood there swinging his arms,
The captain’s own revolver lay two
a hollow voice rang out over the water.
feet before him on the deck; Simms apparently
“Morinda ahoy! Stop firing. Stand by
had ordered him to drop it when he brought
for boarding.”
the automatic into play. Ganler shot his right
A heavy club came down on Haxton’s
foot forward, kicked the weapon within his
head a split-second later. Ganler, the ship,
reach, lunged down. On his knees he pumped
whirled out in a circle of colored lights. He
three shots at Simms, urged his men on.
felt himself falling down—down into a pit of
Simms fired twice. A lascar toppled
darkness.
and fell. The Limey second mate clawed at his
There were two men in Haxton’s cabin
chest, screamed.
when he finally opened his eyes. One of those
Tiger Island
9
men was Simms, left arm swathed in come?” he asked slowly. “I don’t bandages, a heavy welt over one eye. The
understand—”
other was unfamiliar, a short, heavyset man in
“Mynheer Simms talked with us by
a white uniform with gold braid on his cap.
wireless last night,” Captain Schaff answered.
“How are you feeling?” Simms asked,
“He reported his suspicions of the Morinda
smiling.
and his position. These are Dutch waters, very
Haxton closed his eyes a moment, then
valuable, and poaching is not tolerated. We’ve
fought to a sitting position. His head still
sighted Ganler here before, but he’s always
throbbed dully.
managed to slip through our fingers. You are
“Feel elegant,” he said sarcastically.
to be congratulated—”
“What happened? Who—?”
“Never mind that,” Simms cut in.
“Meet Captain Schaff of the ship, “Feel strong enough to go out on deck, Wilhelmina. That’s a Dutch patrol boat, in Haxton? Then after we’ve had a good feed,
case you haven’t heard. He came up here just
we’ll head this packet back to port.”
in time, paid us a visit, much to Ganler’s
And Haxton with a smile nodded his
regret. Ganler’s below in irons now.”
agreement.
Haxton swallowed hard. “But how