Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

"Hallo, Mr. Gallon!" Tiny said. "How's tiicks?" " What do you want ?" Gallon asked. " I've come for some sort of a job," said Tiny. "I ain't been doinpr so good since I left my last position. I reckon you know about tint. Anyway, I heard a couple of fellers say you was looking for rubber tappers, and tliat the pay is mighty good." Gallon looked at him pleasantly. "For a strong puy like you, plenty of pay," he said. "Just sign here, senor, and you can leave on the boat in the morning." "Finel' said Tiny, and scrawled his signature. Dan and Tiny turned in that night feeling that at last they were getting somewhere. RIVER OF DEATH AT dawn the following njorning. Tin)' wandered dov>n to flie water-front. Dan slunk along behind him, making a pretence of keeping out of sight. Soledad's boatman was waiting by a river canoe. He said: "Hey. mister, are you the white man who signed on yesterday?" "That's me," Tiny answered. He looked about him. but Gallon was nowhere in sight. "I came along to tell you I ain't going." He looked fuiiive. "The fact is. a 7)al of mine has just blown into town, and he's in a jam. He was about two stops ahead of the cops." He turned to Dan. "Eh, pal?" "You talk too much," Dan growled. "Listen," Tiny went on. "If you've got room for an e.\tra man, I'll change my mind. If he goe.-^, I'll go." The boatman looked at Dan critically. Dan kept his hat pulled down well over his eyes. "Will you take a job, mister?" the boatman asked. "No," said Dan irritably. "I want to get away from here. I can pay for the trip." "SVe take men up the river for work, not for Iwat rides," answered the bqatnum. "All right," said Dan resignedly. "I'll work." He and Tiny stepped aboard, and Dan sat hunched up on one of the thwarts, keeping liis head low. He was only just in time. Gallon came along the wharf and looked into the boat. " Four of the men who signed refuse to come," he told the boatman. "I tell Scipio." the lioatman answered. "AI.SO tell him I'll be along to see him personally in a couple of weeks," Gallon added. " Adios!" "Adios!" the boatiuan responded, clambered aboard, and gave orders to push off. It did not take Dan and Tiny long to realise that this was to be no pleasure trip. They had noticed that the boatman wore a gim in his bolt, but no sooner was the boat clear of the shore than he iniwrapped an oilskin bundle and produced a repeating lifle and a whip. Ho sat in the stern, where he could see eveiyone aboard. Dan and Tiny picked up some paddles and started the boat moving. Other men—the native workers—also got busy. It was gruelling work. After some hours the sun io?c high in the heavens, and the heat was terrible. Tiny sweated from every pore. "This is the worst stietcli of grief I've ever gone through." he moaned. "I'll bet I've lost twenty pounds in weight already." "You can spare it,'" said 13an divly. After another hour's steady paddling, Tiny remarked : "You know, bo'is, it's mighty lonesome on this flip." " Loiiesome ?" exclaimed Dan. "With all these nu>n here?" "A dog can have fleas aiul still bo lone- some, can't he?" Tiny replied. "What I mean was. this darned river seems so Quiet, as though th(Me's nol>ody around for miles. I slujuld hate to live in these jiarls." He stopped speaking suddenly. Fiom the river bank <am(! the tlnobbiug of drums. Suddenly one of the natives lot out a cry of agony and pitched forwairl on Itis face. Fiom between his shoulder-blades ap|)oaied the tail feathers of a poisoned dart. The boa'man's rifle cracked two or three times, arifl the banks were ([uiot. But the stricken man tjioaned painfully. February nili, I!)40. BOY'S CINEMA "Put him over the side," snapped the boat^ man. "But he still alive," one of the natives protested. "What of it?" The boatman's voice was harsh. "He's going to die. There's no saving him. Put him over!" By way of emphasising his order, he pointed his rifle at the objector. Dan scowled and tensed, but he felt Tiny's warning hand on his arm. Several of the natives tipped the wounded man into the water, and the canoo drifted on. Presently there was a threshing behind them, and Dan saw several crocodiles slide off the bank and go after the doomed man. It was a veritable river of death. "This is a fine thing you've got me into," Tiny muttered. "Srilj, I'd stand a lot to get mv hands on the other half of that thousand bucks." Late in the afternoon the canoe aiirnoached a landing-stage. As it came close, Dan and Tiny could see into a clearing. A man was being tied to a tree. The canoe touched, and Dan and Tiny got a.shore. They heard the swish of the whip through the air, but there was nothing they coidd do. The overseers were standing aroimd with rifles, and one fal.se move meant instant death. Life in this part of the world, it was apparent, was not worth a moment's purchase. As Dan and Tiny reached the clearing the man was unbound. He was weak from pain, and had to be lield up by two others. The man who had flogged him was SoledaJ. Soledad said: "That will teach you not to loaf around next time you are told to do a job. You will spend the remainder of the day in the stocks." The man was dragged away, whimpering. Soledad flicked his whip at the newcomers and spoke to them. "You came just in time," he said. "You have never worked in a rubber camp before, but there are others who will show you what to do. If you work hard, everything will be all right. But if you fall behind you'll catch trouble—just like him. He was lazy—didn't make half enough rubber. Remember what happened to him, and see that it doesn't hapijen to you. Follow me!" 'The newcomers moved forwaid. Tiny got close to Dan and whispered: "I'll make a bargain with you. I'll let you have that half-thousand back in exchange for a thin dime—in cash!" ■< I)an grinned. He did not feel like grimiing, but there was nothing else to do just then. There was no sense in making all this harSer for himself than it luul to be. Besides, he had a mission—two missions. One was to find Dr. Taylor for his employers. The other was to find Judith Adams. This part of the country was no placfe for a defence- less girl. The newcomers formed up in single file in front of a table, and the business of signing on began all over again. Evidently the people who ran this place were taking no chances. They wanted proper legal cont>acts of service, just so that they would be protected from the authorities if anyone started making trouble. Dan was half-way down the line. When he reached the table, Soledad said to him : "Your munber is Thirty-one. You sign here." }]o showed Dan a paper. Dan looked over it cpiickly, and hi.; face went grim. "Fifty pesos for tools!" ho exclaimed. " "^'es, we charge for supplies. The money comes out of youi- wages. Come on—sign!" "I'm hanged if I'll sitrn a docunuMit like thai!" Dan snapped. "It's little short of robbery." Soledad I'eached behind him and took a rifle fiom one of his men. He thru-t it at Dan's chost_. " You talk fiesh. my friend." He turned to the boatnian. "Who is this man?" "I i)icked him up in Guamao." came the reply. "He v,as running away fiom the police." "So!" Soledad looked at Dan evilly. "And von say ve rob you. Whore do you come from ?" "Sing Sing. (hirtv-two. San Qnentin. thirtv six. And nflor that T rowed stroke oar for Alcatriz," said Dan quickly. Every Tuesday " Speak plain English," snapped Soledad. " Those are colleges, boss," said Tiny quickly. He thought he saw trouble brewing, aiul was tioing his best to head it off. "They're the biggest in America. You know —places whore you play football." "Colleges, eh?" Soledad muttered, and dug the rifle hard at Dan's chost. "And you run away from the police! I think you sign pretty quick." Dan signed. He had never intended to (]o otherwise, but he had started the arfturnent in order to allay any suspicion they niif<ftit have about him. Tiny signed next, and the two moved on. Suddenly Dan stopped and point«<l. Ju>t ahead of them was a hou.se, and stauditig on a balcony was a girl. It was Judith Adams.. "So that's it!" Dan said. "She's a part of this set-up. Well, I'm a sap. and that's that." "We're both sajis," said Tiny feetitigly, and sighed. THE PENNY NAPOLEON BUT Dan and Tiny were wrong; tibout Judith, as they were soon aRerwards to find out. She had arrived earlier that same day, after travelling up the river all night. She was taken straight to the house on whose balcony Dan had seen her. There she was greeted by one of tire most extraordinary men she had ever seen. He was not more than five feet in height, with short black hair, a very round face, and dark laugh- ing eyes. He had on a silken shirt and an expensive sash, stuck into which was a pearl- handled revolver. He struttefl tip to her and bowed low. "Senorita," lie said solemnly, "you are wel- come to my house. By coming here, you do honoiu- to Porto Scipio, King of Coloni.'j Scipio." "Thank you," said Judith rather un- certainly. King of Colonia Scipio! She feit as thoirffli she wanted to laugh. This fumiv little man a self-appointed king! Yet he v,as serious enough about it. Aiul beneath his pleasant exterior there v.'as a hard- ness that made her feel imcomforiutile. By calling himself a king he gave him.self the powers of life and death, and she knew that he would exercise them without he.sit^itioti. "It has been inany years sii'.co a whfte lady visited my domain," he continued, leading her into the house. "And such a beautiftd lady, too." The room to which he took her was a library. Judith had to admit to herself that it was beautifully fuinished. But the most start- ling thing about it was that on one wall was hmig a huge picture of Napoleon, while on top of a cabinet stood a large plaster bust of the same famous man. He pulled a bell cord, and Ju.dith noticed that he had a habit of standing and |«>smg like Napoleon would. Evidently he had ideas about himself. A .servant came, and Scipio said: "Tell !^^aria to come to the library." .Tuditli looke<l at hitn curiously. " IMaiia ?" she said. "Is she your v.ifc?" "Mv wife?" He laughotl. He .secined to laugh at nearly everything. "No. Maria is my (laugh.ter. She is very beautiful, ifoo." The door opened and a girl came in. She was a deep olive in colour, like Scipio him- S(^lf. and her hair, too, was very d.u Ic. "Angola mia," he said to her. atid put his arm round her, "we have a gue-.(. Vnw v. ill treat hei- veiy kindly. Miss—er- " Adams," said Judith. "Miss Adams, meet the pim-o.-s my daughter Maria." He jiatted the girl's shoulder. "My dear, you will give oin- guest everything she needs. I will leave her in your hands." And with another ceremoisious bcrw he w.ilked out of the room. Judith turned to Maria eagerly. She felt she had a friend in the girl. "I do hope I'm not going to be in (he way," she said. Maria looked at her ctuiously. "You ;uc mv father's friend?" she asked. "Well, no," Judith answered. "I've o:ily just this miimte met him." "Then he did not bring you here?" I !