Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday "McCarthy got his gun out first," remarked Rudy with great coolness. "I know where Barker's gone," cried Schultz, "and I'm following him. He ain't getting away with it so easy. Ho and get my boat ready, Rudy, and yon, too, Bill, and look slippy 1" "Say, Mr. Schultz," said a man, coming np with a grin on his face, "d'you know who's on that boat?" H© ponited to the General Grant, which was now spanking along at a great pace before a favouring breeze, eeveral miles out already. "Lady you know is on board," the man went on. "Miss Daisy. I saw lier clip down to the deck." •Til—I'll kill Barker!" howled Schultz, mad with rage. Daisy was on board the General (Irant, sure enough, but it was some time before her presence was dis- covered. The boat was many miles from Icepaa when Square Deal happened to open the door of a cabin lie thought to be empty. "Great Jupiter!" he cried as he >aw the girl within. "What are you doing here? Tli, Pink, come down, quick!" The captain came down and glared angrily at Daisy. "A stowaway, eh?" he said. "What's the meain'n.? of this?" "I had to get away fr mi Schultz somehow," replied Daisy. "1 c<»!i pay my fare, and I'll go ashore at the first port." "It ain't that sort of a boat," .said Pink. " We don't take passengers, and wc shan't make any port this journey." "Oh," cried Daisy, in dismay, "I I bought " "You'll have to do your share of the work, now you're here," interrupted Pink, "and share cur risks—and our profits, too, if we make any," he added. Dai.-iy was forthwith installed as cook, and except for a few days when the ship was blown off her course by heavy titorms, she worked very hard. Pink hardly spoke to her, and until the pear island was at length reached she was very lonely. Only Square Deal had now and then a few words to say, and even he was too bji.sy most of the time to give her much attention. " T hat's' til e island," sang out Viiik OIK! morning as land was sighted. "We'll go on shor • and piospeft a bit. Nick said tin- natives were Canni- sbals, so we must k e c J) our eyes sliiiined." The General Grant wa-< anchored in a little bay. Pink, McCarthy and three or four men got into a small boat, and Daisy in- sistctl on coming, too, in .-pite ol warnings of danger. With their guns Tea<ly. they landed on the beach, to find everything ^eeiningly pcac ef quiet. [ "Stand by a minute," said Pink. ■"I'll throw a Ijoinb into that clump of , Irccs." He burled a l)omh, and then another and another. They exploded among the BOY'S CINEMA trees with a roar, and a cloud of eartli and .stones arose, mingled with smoke. The noise died away, and silence fell again. "Okay!" said McCarthy. " Xo one there." "Look!" screamed Daisy. "There to the right ! I saw one of them !" The men looked in vain. Another bomb was thrown in the direction the girl had pointed out, but nothing mere was seen. "You must have imagined it, Daisv." said Pink at length. "I didn't. I saw a hideous face, ill painted with stripes of colour—one of the cannibals !" cried the girl trem- blingly. A search disclosed no signs of the natives, and the men returned on beard convinced that Dai.sy was wrong, and that the pearling might start at once, without any fear of interruption from the savages. A New God. PINK sat in the stern of the General Grant that afternoon almost ready to begin the search fcr pearls. He had put on his iliving dress, except for the helmet, when Daisy came up and sat beside him. "I want to know. Pink, please,'' she said timidly, "is it dangerous?" "Diving.' You wouldn't care, any- way!" retorted Pink harshly. "I do care. I care if anybody's hurt." cried Daisy. "Do you care fcr me any more?" asked the young sailor, in a changed tone. " Of course not ! ' "I love \ou, all the same, and alwavs shall." "Yes, in the moonlight !" laughed the girl. "No. all the time, day and night, more than anyone else. You've been working for me all this time till your 23 hands are all rough and spoilt. I'm sorry. Can't we befriends?" "No,'' said Daisy, not very decidedly, turning away. Pink might have said more, but McCarthy came up to put the helmet on, and soon the diver clambered over the side and went down. The water was not very deep, fcr the ship was not far from the shore, and Pink soon found an oyster-bed. He began to detach the shells and send them up in a basket.' After a while a noise overhead canio faintly to his ears, and the supjily of air that was being pumped to him sud- denly ceased, but after a second went on again spasmodically. "Something's wrong," muttered Pink, as the air supply failed again. "I'll have to wade out and see." Something was wrong indeed. Tbo diver had not been below more than ten minutes when a great fit et of canoes came round the point of the bay and made swiftly for the ship. Instantly everything was in confusion. 'The men rushed hastily for their guns, and Abe,' who was turning the wheel operating the air supply, left his task and rushed with them. Dai.sy took one hasty glane«' at the canoes, then seized the ulieel and resumed the pumping. The savages came on quickly, ilcspito a rapid fire from the deck of the ship. In two minutes their canoes were along- side, and a best of grotesquely attired natives poured on board. The crew, battled desperately, and many of Iho cannibals went down, but one by ono the white .men wore killed by the s))oais' of the enemy. All througli the noise and confusion of| the fight Daisy kept on pumping 'aiir to Pink, till .Square De«il, who had defended her with desperate valour, fell to the deck beneath the attack of half .i' dozen natives. Two more seized the girl and carried her screaming to a canr.e. The General Giant was by this liui© They gazed towards the end of the clearing at some strange object whicfc had suddenly appeared. Scptonilicr .Mil. 1931.