The Girl from Hong-Kong: A Story of Adventure Under Five Suns — page 333: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE GIRI FROM HONG-KONG. 327 guine among them hardly expects will prove ae be the case. The ball of combustible material burns furiously, as though it may have been soaked in some sort of oil be- fore being ignited. While they continue to gaze at it with wonderment, behold, there descends a handful of dried and green weeds, and then another and a third, until it seems as though a constant stream is in the air. * . The mystery deepens—why should their enemies desire to illuminate the canyon when utter darkness must be to their advantage? It is very kind—perhaps they suspect an intended flight and mean to prevent such a fanis to the campaign. Per- haps—but all further speculation is brought to an end by a sudden ejaculation from the general. “Hola! I understand!” he cries, showing his usual excitement. “What is it?” asks Terry quickly. “The stink-weed of the mesa, senor. They have dis- covered a nest of it somewhere near. Do you not already detect the terrible fumes? If that fire is kept up longer, we shall be driven out like prairie dogs, or else smother here. I tell you nothing can stand the terrible odor of the mesa curse.” Terry understands—he had already been sniffing the poisoned atmosphere suspiciously, and although he has never heard of the “mesa curse” before in his life, the vivid picture drawn by Lopez presents anything but an alluring aspect. Prompt to meet a desperate condition the young Eng- lishman realizes at once that something must be done to counteract the malign influence of the weed with the pungent odor that threatens them with disaster. Halfway measures will never serve in this case; and as the odor grows perceptibly stronger the passage of time is a factor that must not be overlooked. _Perhaps the general can offer suggestions—he has evi- dently had some former experience in this line, and may know just what should be attempted. So he turns to him as a forlorn hope. comicbooks.com