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Speaker 1: The White Jade Seal by H. Bedford Jones. One Garvin,

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mouthing his chiroot in the smoking room, idly fingered the

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white jade seal that depended from his watch chain. This

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seal was an odd thing. Garvin himself was odd. Most

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singular of all, however, was the fact that the man

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sitting on Garvin's left should have laid down his book

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at this precise instant, thus catching sight of the jade seal.

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If you are at all intimately acquainted with the line

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of mail boats running from India to Rangoon, you have

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heard some queer tales. None of them surpasses the story

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of the White Jade Seal when it comes to Queerness. However,

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Garvin was tall, dark bearded, and silent, his eyes darkling

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with hidden fires. The man on his left was small, spectacled,

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rather chubby, yet with a mouth that expressed unreasonable determination,

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a regular trapmouth. In fact, Garvin's looks spoke of the

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far hills in jungle, those of the other men of

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cities and clubs. The latter was down on the passenger list,

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as John Manning, commercial traveler. Beastly hot night, said Manning

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the instant after he had laid down his book. Garvin

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gave him a swift glance, found him cherubic and smiling,

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and nodded gravely. Very rank. Manning nodded and gave his order,

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for Garvin had previously beckoned a boy. Presently, the drinks came,

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the glasses were touched and sipped. Manning mopped his brow,

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which had suddenly become finally beated with perspiration. Devilish country,

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he said, impulsively, glad, I don't have to stay in it.

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You look as though you don't mind, though Garvin smiled slightly,

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I don't. It's good country for men up in the hills,

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the hills. Manning turned toward him with voluble interest. Did

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you hear about that horrible affair up country Rangoon? Papers

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were full of it this last week. I don't call

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that a good country. I call it beastly. I read

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a little something about the details, but not very much.

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These two chaps who murdered each other, I mean, or

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one of them murdered the other. Which was it? Garvin

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mouthed his cigar, then took it out and carefully inspected it.

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One gained the distinct impression that he was trying not

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to look startled. You have it wrong, he said, slowly

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and steadily. You misunderstood the reports. That is, if you

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refer to the case of Smithson and Ormsby. That's the one,

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affirmed Manning eagerly. Those two mining chaps, you know, who

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had been up in the Shen country looking for gold

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or tin or something. They'd been gone a long while,

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given up for dead by everyone until this story came out.

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Oh yes, rubies, that was it. They were after rubies.

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I swear I had an idea that one of them

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had murdered the other. Perhaps I read the story amiss.

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Some chap brought down the yarn, found the bodies or something.

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Who was he? I was the chap, said Garvin. Manning

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strained around, staring at him blankly. You, Garvin nodded. Yes,

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you see, I happened to run across Ormsby's boy in

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the hills dying. He had been captured by the hill

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tribes and escaped. He told me the whole thing. If

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you'd be interested in learning what really happened, Oh, yes, yes,

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exclaimed Manning. His eyes fell for an instant on the

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white jade seal. Yes, do tell me. Let's have the

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boy fill the glasses again. Eh. Garvin nodded, and the

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boy came when he had filled the orders, and gone again.

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Garvin composedly told his story. It's not much of a yarn,

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though the newspapers played it up. He said. When the

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boy was out of earshot, the two chaps got in

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trouble with the hillman and had to run for it. Finally,

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the beggars surrounded them on a hill. They held out

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for a week until their last cartridges were used up,

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and then were rushed. After I heard about it, I

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went there, found the place and buried their bones. So

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that's the whole thing, Not as you had it, oh,

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said Manning, disappointedly. So that's the way of it, exactly,

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said Garvin, and puffed at his cigar. His fingers toyed

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with the white jade's seal, and Manning leaned forward and

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looked at it. Frankly enough, that's a curious thing, May

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I see it? Garvin started slightly, then laughed and held

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up the seal. It was a trifle over an inch long,

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a long cube of white jade with a gold ring

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sunk in one end. On the other end was a

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cut Chinese inscription in tiny characters it's Melee, isn't it,

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asked Manning innocently. Garvin laughed at that. Oh, no, Chinese.

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I picked it up in the Singapore bazaar two years ago.

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It's a seal, you know. The idiographs mean good luck

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or something of the sort. Odd thing, said Manning. Then

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picked up the book and rose, well, I'll say good night,

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and thanks very much for the story. Queer, how I

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got it so jumbled? Night, said Garvin. Manning left the

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smoking room. He made his way to the upper deck,

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and there stood for a moment at the rail. Then,

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deliberately he flung his book overboard and watched the splash

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in the phosphorescent rush of water alongside. It was a

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gesture as though he had finished with something forever. Drawing

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a deep breath, he turned aft and went to the

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purser's cabin, at which he knocked. The purser was splitting

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a bottle of beer with the first officer, and Manning

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crowded into the little cabin and sank on the bunk.

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Greetings and long life, old son, exclaimed the purser. Cheerfully

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mac reach him down another bottle, and then go turn

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in like a good little boy, said Manning. Solemnly. The

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first officer collared a bottle of beer and went to

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the door. I wouldn't drink with two bad eggs like you, anyhow,

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he declared, and then grinned as he departed. John Manning

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seemed to be rather well known aboard here. Now, old son,

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spit it out, said the purser, wiping his mustache. Here,

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I say, what's it all about? Buck up? Buck up?

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This won't do. Manning was leaning back in the bunk,

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looking whitish and rather ill. He smiled faintly, and then

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his trap mouth set in two lines again, and he

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sat up. After gulping down some beer, he accepted a

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cigarette and lighted it. You know that Chap Garvin, tall

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bearded tan brought in that story from the Hills that

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was in all the Rangoon papers last week, Aye, said

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the purser cautiously. Well, you have a nasty job to

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do for me, will you? For you, as the owner

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in chief of this Bally steamship line, demanded the purser,

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Or for you yourself, damn the steamship line, said Manning,

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for me myself, with the same old streamers that you're

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wearing on your manly chest. Old son, I'll do murder

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for you, said the purser. Not for you as owner,

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mind to hell with the owner's off duty. But you

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and me and that brother of yours. Say, say now,

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I'd cut off my right hand to have him here

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with us over the beer. Do you mind that night

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when the three of us was in a Gallipoli trench

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and we had a bottle of beer. Shut up and

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listen to me, said Manning. You're drunk this minute two.

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Garvin had enjoyed a rubber of bridge and was about

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ready to turn in for the night when the purser

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came into the nearly emptied smoking room and flopped down

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into a chair side Garvin. The purser was drunk, obviously,

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so the row of campaign ribbons on his breast was

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always askew when he was drunk. He called for a drink,

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blinked at Garvin, and then began to laugh, Old son,

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funniest thing happened tonight, he said, funniest thing you ever heard.

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Suppose I shouldn't talk about it, but who cares. You're

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all right, Sparks told me about it. Poor kid. He'll

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have half the cowcutt of police out to meet us.

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Excited he is. You and me are pals. What here's

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how and many to come? Garvin nodded, and the glasses tinkled.

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The purser thirstily emptied his glass at a gulp. What, oh, yes,

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funniest thing ever here It is now feller on board

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here who murdered some chap up country, understand, shot him

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in the backer somewhere, robbed him, then grew a beard

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and came down to rangoon and came aboard with the loot.

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Funniest thing ever here's how. Garvin gulped a little, lifted

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his glass mechanically. The purser cursed his own empty glass

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noisily summoned the boy and presently began to talk again.

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This fella name is ormsby understand, had a thing he

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took off the man he murdered. Don't understand myself, something particular.

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It was jade or something. And today or tonight sometime

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he got talking with somebody and this other chap saw

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this thing and popped onto the game. Right, Oh, police chap,

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this chap was understand, damn complicated thing to talk about.

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Oh yes, I remember now. Murdered man's name was Smithson.

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And now the wireless is signalant for the Calcutta Police.

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Funny thing wireless when you stop to think about it. Now,

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I remember one time back where was it? Oh? Yes,

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back in the old BP line, you know it, out

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of the Australian ports. Garvin raised to his feet, walked

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away suddenly, and was gone. The purser stared vacantly after him,

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then rose and also left the smoking room, but with

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a surprisingly steady step. When he had returned to his

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own cabin, the purser found Manning still there, quietly smoking.

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Did it, old son? Though, for the life of me,

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I can't see just what your game is letting onto

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that rodder that you're a police chap. A knock sounded

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at the door, and Spark stepped in. The young wireless officer,

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who was new to the line, gave Manning one curious glance,

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and then shoved back his cap and looked at the purser.

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See here, I just got a message in from rang

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Doon for a chap named Smithson. No one by that

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name aboard, the old hooker, thought. Purser waved his hand

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genially toward Manning. Right here, y'are mister Smithson, God save

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the mark he owns most of this ruddy steamship line,

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old son, and I've no respect for him at all,

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devil a bit, but you'd better have plenty down under

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his placid exterior. He has brains somewhere. Shut up, said Manning,

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looking at Sparks. Where's the message here, sir, said Sparks.

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Aught into belief, he handed over the message and left

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the cabin. Manning spread out the slip on his knee,

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and at his invitation, the purser crowded over to read

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the words. Smithson s s. Hulagu, little known of Garvin

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here said, came overland from Yu Dan explorer Rangoon Times.

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I sent the Times a request to look him up

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this evening, but sent a personal call to the editor

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and only signed my first name, said Manning. An explanation, well,

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loosen up, said the purser. What's your game now? If

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what you think is so, why not call the police?

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Why give him warning? What's the jade thing? Manning smiled slightly.

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You are a venerable, bald headed and senile. Do you

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remember the Typing rebellion in China? Heard of it? Why?

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My grandfather was in it, A friend and adviser of

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the Typing Emperor When my grandfather came home, the Taiping

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Emperor gave him a jade seal, a small private imperial

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seal for personal letters. Nothing like it could possibly exist

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and duplicate. My brother Bob carried it as a lucky

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token also in case he got up into China and

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needed any help. Last letter I had from him before

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digging off with Ormsby, he mentioned it. So this chap

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Garvin light about it. Nobody knows much what Ormsby looked like,

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but this thing gave his game away. The purser whistled

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at this bully, and you're wrangling him at the strength

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of it. But look here, what do you expect to

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get out of it? Suppose you and me go down

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there and arrest the blighter for the murder of your brother. What,

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cool down and open another bottle of beer, said Manning,

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and shut off that electric fan. Being a purser and

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at one time a naval brigade officer, it's natural you

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should have no brains. We'll try to instruct you. The

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purser shut off the buzzing electric fan, and so sudden

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silence fell, broken only by the monotonous twang of the engines.

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In this silence. The two men brank their beer, Manning

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complacent and alert, the purser sadly, puzzled and wondering. Suddenly,

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something jarred into the night. A muffled vibration lifted through

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the ship. With an exclamation, the purser sprang to his feet.

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That's a shot somewhere below exactly, said Manning coolly. Also,

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that's the end of the story, the end of the

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Jade Seal.