And the The Welcome back everyone to 1001 classic short stories and tales.

And a short story from one of our favorite authors,

Jack London.

This one's called Dutch Courage.

Hope you enjoy it.

Just our luck.

Guss Lafey finished wiping his hands and sullenly through the towel upon the rocks.

His attitude is one of deep dejection. The light seemed gone out of the day and the glory from the golden sun. Even the keen mountain air was devoid of relish and the early morning no longer yielded its customary

sift. Just our luck! Gus repeated, this time avowedly for the edification of

another young fellow who was busily engaged in sousing his head in the water of the lake.

What are you grumbling about anyway?

Hazard Van Dorne lifted a soap-rimmed face questioningly.

His eyes were shut. What's our luck? Look there!

Gussed through a moody glance skyward. Some deafness got ahead of us.

We've been scooped, that's all. Hazard opened his eyes and caught

a fleeting glimpse of a white flag waving arrogantly on the edge of a wall of rock nearly

a mile above his head. Then his eyes closed with a snap and his face wrinkled spasmodically.

Gus threw him the towel and uncom miserately watched him wipe out the offending soap.

He felt too blue himself to take stock and trivialities.

Hazard groaned. Does it hurt? Much?

Gus queried coldly, without interest, as if it were no more than his duty to ask after the welfare

of his comrade.

...