"Where Angels Fear to Tread" and Other Stories of the Sea   By: Morgan Robertson (1861-1915)

AND OTHER TALES OF THE SEA

by

MORGAN ROBERTSON

Published by The Century Co. New York M DCCC XC IX

Copyright, 1899, by The Century Co.

Copyright, 1898, by Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Copyright, 1898, 1899, by The Curtis Publishing Co. Copyright, 1899, by Peter Fénelon Collier. Copyright, 1899, by Street & Smith. Copyright, 1897, 1898, by The S. S. McClure Co. Copyright, 1898, by Harper & Brothers.

TO ITS GODFATHER JOHN S. PHILLIPS THIS BOOK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED

"'Where Angels Fear to Tread'" was first published in the "Atlantic Monthly"; "Salvage" in the "Century Magazine"; "The Brain of the Battle Ship," "The Wigwag Message," "Between the Millstones," and "The Battle of the Monsters," in the "Saturday Evening Post"; "The Trade Wind" in "Collier's Weekly"; "From the Royal Yard Down" in "Ainslee's Magazine"; "Needs Must when the Devil Drives" and "When Greek Meets Greek" in McClure's Syndicate; and "Primordial" in "Harper's Monthly Magazine."

To the publishers of these periodicals I am indebted for the privilege of republishing the stories in book form.

MORGAN ROBERTSON.

CONTENTS

PAGE

"WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD" 1

THE BRAIN OF THE BATTLE SHIP 57

THE WIGWAG MESSAGE 88

THE TRADE WIND 111

SALVAGE 137

BETWEEN THE MILLSTONES 170

THE BATTLE OF THE MONSTERS 193

FROM THE ROYAL YARD DOWN 213

NEEDS MUST WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES 233

WHEN GREEK MEETS GREEK 259

PRIMORDIAL 272

"WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD"

"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of each; and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.

PART I

The first man to climb the Almena's side ladder from the tug was the shipping master, and after him came the crew he had shipped. They clustered at the rail, looking around and aloft with muttered profane comments, one to the other, while the shipping master approached a gray eyed giant who stood with a shorter but broader man at the poop deck steps.

"Mr. Jackson the mate here, I s'pose?" inquired the shipping master. A nod answered him. "I've brought you a good crew," he continued; "we'll just tally 'em off, and then you can sign my receipt. The captain'll be down with the pilot this afternoon."

"I'm the mate yes," said the giant; "but what dry goods store did you raid for that crowd? Did the captain pick 'em out?"

"A delegation o' parsons," muttered the short, broad man, contemptuously.

"No, they're not parsons," said the shipping master, as he turned to the man, the slightest trace of a smile on his seamy face. "You're Mr. Becker, the second mate, I take it; you'll find 'em all right, sir. They're sailors, and good ones, too. No, Mr. Jackson, the skipper didn't pick 'em just asked me for sixteen good men, and there you are. Muster up to the capstan here, boys," he called, "and be counted."

As they grouped themselves amidships with their clothes bags, the shipping master beckoned the chief mate over to the rail.

"You see, Mr. Jackson," he said, with a backward glance at the men, "I've only played the regular dodge on 'em. They've all got the sailor's bug in their heads and want to go coasting; so I told 'em this was a coaster."

"So she is," answered the officer; "round the Horn to Callao is coasting. What more do they want?"