Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

Every Tuesday BOY'S CINEMA ancient civilisiitioiis that had existed centuries ago and had perished. And people often did come out to look for them. But they camo as expedition.?—several scien- tists together. A single man would not have much chance of comingr ba.k alive; a single gill would have no chance whatever. Dan .sat down to think the whole problem out. But ho did not solve it. At the end of ten miiuites Tiny came back, lie was loaded with odds and end?—his lug- gage, that he hail rescued fiom the ramshackle lint that the bar proprietor let his employees sleep in. Ilalf-way across the lobby he dropped most of it. "Are you sine you haven't- left anything behind?" Dan asked, grinning. "Nope," Tiny answered perfectly seriously. "There wa.s a few copies of 'Flash Gordon' that I couldn't quite find room for, but I can go back for them." He turned and beckoned to a porter. "Hey, you! Get my baggage U)i to Mr. Burton's room." The following morning, wliile Dan and Tiny were cleaning up. ready to go out, a scene vas taking place in Gallon's office that would have interested Dan considerably. Gallon was sitting at a desk, signing on fresh labour for the rubbei- plantations. A number of natives had drifted in, trying to find work on the waterfront, and Gallon was doing his best to send them up the river, ■, "The rubber tappers get fine wages at the C'olonia Bcipio," he said persuasively. "No- where else are they treated so well. You sign for six months, and when j-ou return your pockets will be heavy with spending money." The native on the front of the queue shook his head. "Guamao bad country," he said. "Me hear things." Gallon hid a smile. He knew how to get them to go. He made a sign to one of his employees, and two or three pretty native girls came in. "Hov/ about you?" Gallon asked them. "Do you want to make plenty of money at the rubber plantations?" "Me sign." said one of the girls quickly, and did so. The others followed suit. The native* looked at each other. The girls Bmiled at them. Instantly the leading native eaid: "Me sign, too." Thereafter business was brisk for a few minutes. Gallon gave the men instructions to be ready al the wharf at dawn the following morning, and sent them away. liate th.1t afternoon a river canoe tied up alongside the wharf and a man stepped ashore. He thrust the rifle at Dan's chest He was lean and vicious-looking. At his hip was a well-filled holster, and in his hand was a powerful whip. He walked into Gallon's oflice. "Hallo, Solcdad," said (Jallon. "I've got some more workers for you." He held out the list. Soledad took it and glanced down the names. He scowled, "This is no good," he said. He was a half- caste, and his skin was the colour of mud. " Scipio tells me to bring back fifty men, and you sign only eighteen." "It gets harder every season to find fresh rubber tappers," Gallon answered. "I can't help that," came the harsh reply. " Scipio wants fifty, and it is your business to get them. I travel a long distance fioin the Coloma Scipio, and I do not like to come for nothing." The argument looked like getting ugly, for there was no love lost between these two men. But at that moment Judith walked into the oflfice. "Hallo, Miss Adams," said Gallon. "You have come at the right time. This is Soledad, and he is going to the Guamao headwaters." He turned to Soledad. "Miss Adams is anxious to go, too. She is interested in lost cities or something." Judith turned to Soledad eagerly. She did not much like the look of the man, but she was anxious to steal a march on Dan if she could. "When ara you leaving?" she asked. "Very soon," Soledad .said, and looked at Gallon. "Mr. Gallon, if you will ask your men to round up those new workers, I think I will start back right away. I will leave my head boatman here, and he will brin§ along the otheis we spoke about. It would be a convenience if he started first thing to-morrow morning." Gallon glanced at him and shrugged. He knew that Soledad would stand for no non- sense. He was paid well for finding workers for the plantations; it was up to him to round up more. "Very well," he said. "I'll be back here in half an hour." said Judith quickly. "I just have to pack a few things." "Mr. Gallon will conduct yo<i to my boat," said Soledad. and Judith hurried away. In the meantime, Dan returned to the hotel after a wearying day at the waterfront and around the native quarters. He found Tiny sitting in th-» lounge, reading a detective magazine. "Any luck?" Tiny asked. "None at all," Dan replied. "I pretty nearlj' offered them the earth, but Gallon had most of the possible ones signed already." The clerk came over and gave Dan a note. "Miss Adams left thi.i for you when she checked out," he said. "Checked out!" Dan snatched the note and luifolded it. He gave a low whistle. "Listen to this. Tiny! "Dear Mr. Burton— Sorry I couldn't stop to say good-bye, but I had to leave for the interior in a hurry. If I riui across any interesting bugs, I will save them for you. Perhaps we shall meet again up-river—that is, if yo\i ever succeed in leav- ing the coast.— Judith Ad.\ms.' So she's beat me to it!" Tiny looked grave. "The stories I've heard about that rubber country are enough to make your hair curl," he said. "There's a sort of rubber king up there that controls the country for miles around. And, if rumoiu- is ;ight. he has a yen for wholesale homicide—which is the reason why none of the boys like going that ',\ay. None of them ever seem to come back." Dan thought lapidly, and came to a decision. "That settles it," he said. "We head for the interiof the first thing in the morning." Tinv leapt out of his chair in alarm. "What?'" he roared. "You're going with me." said Dan. "Me?" Tiny shook his head emphatically. "Oh, no, brother. I want to get out of this place—not deeper into it. I wouldn't go up the Guamao River for a million dollars." Dan felt in his pocket and puled out a bill. "Did you ever see one of these?" he asked casually. Tiny stared at it and gulped. "A thou—a thousand dollars!' he muttered. "So you can read, eh?'.' said Dan. "Sure I can," said Tiny. Then he saw that Dan wa^ tearing the bill in half. "Hey, you'll spoil it!" Dan handed him one half of the bill. "That's yours," he said. "You get ths other half when we get back. Are you with me?" "With you?" Tiny chuckled gleefully. "Brother, I'm half yours from now on. You talk a language I sort of understand." "Bight. Here's where you start earning it. Get along to Gallon's office and find out when the next batch of natives is leaving. When I know that, I'll tell you what to do next." "Okav," said Tinv, and trotted out of the hotel. Late that night, after Dan and Tiny had laid their plans. Tiny wandered into Gallon's office. Gallon was still trying to sign workers on. Tiny went over to him. February 17th, 1910.