Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 106: what you’re looking at

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

Q2 and—here shod feet went. Four people, the girl and three Indians—see how they toe-out along the path!” Xicotl was again upon the trail, now as easily followed as a trodden path. He led them direct from'the spot where the men had found Mercedes, to the camp on the hill where the three stood as- tounded. “Shod feet and maize tortillas—Xicotl, who are these people?” Xicotl shook his head in utter bewil- derment. Fray Marco took the word. “T am the only living man who has seen,” he said impressively. “These are the people I have seen. These are the dwellers in stone houses. They are the clothed people of the north. I know now what has happened. The maiden after her escape got this far north and she has fallen in with some of the very people that I saw last year.” “What people are they then, father?” “How shall I name them? We call their greatest city Cibola; it lies off, far off to the northwest. There are seven citiés, as we know. They are heathen and worship. snakes—yes, and idols too, but they are rich beyond all dreams, Their houses are of silver and their spears ss “Do you know where their city lies?” “No. What need? Xicotl.will lead us to it, but what then?” “How can I tell? I only know we must get on as soon as we can and that the good horse needs rest.” They camped that night on the ridge and were away with the dawn, and for day after day followed the broad trail along the valley. The signs of civiliza- tion stirred Andres to the bottom of his being. What a time Coronado would have if he ever took this road, for in every little pueblo that crowned a rocky summit the Spaniard saw proof of the legend of Cibola. Cibola and its golden cities! Cibola and its ancient civiliza- tion! Cibola and its gold and, if the saints proved kind, the girl above all, for after all, she was the real reason for this wild venture of theirs. Where Mercedes had traveled ten days, Andres traveled eight, but they never quite caught up those two days, and they were weeks behind in actual time spent on the trail. The camp-sites were plain Adventure enough: ashes of fires, feathers from quail that they had eaten, skins from killed game, all told them unerringly where the party had passed, till finally one day, shortly after dawn, they came out upon the ridge that overlooked a great flat plain. Down they plunged, intent only on fol- lowing the tracks that turned again to the northeast. The sun rushed up and flooded the vast sandy plain with its scorching rays like liquid heat. Again and again they paused to rest, for the incessant travel was taking toll of them. “Look! Hast thou seen that before?” Fray Marco pointed to the far horizon. It seemed to lift and lift till between the sky. and the ring of the red earth a blue line showed. It lifted and vibrated like a harp-string in the heat and swung in the hot wind, and suddenly out of the east they saw a line of rippling surf come to them across the hot sand. Andres, accustomed only to the grassy pampas of the far south, stood astounded. Xicotl smiled. “Fata Morgana,’ said Fray Marco complacently, as if he had arranged it personally. “It 1s the> sea,” “How can this be? chanted land?” “Peopled with devils it may be. nought but heat. See! It draws closer. Watch the horse! If. it were water would he not smell it and give some sign?” “True!” Andres stood wonderstruck, watching the advance of that wonderful mirage. Great lines of heavy surf seemed to move rapidly toward them, enveloping the stunted bushes as they came till, when almost within hand’s reach, it melted away in the sun in a shimmering line of glittering white sand. — “Look again! There comes another. By !” Andres shouted a very solemn oath. “What do you make of that? Is that, too, heat and Fata Morgana?” His quivering finger pointed directly into the eye of the sun, and Xicetl, whese eyes followed the pointing finger, turned, pale-faced and trembling, to the aston- ished priest. For once, Fray Marco’s self-possession deserted him as he too gazed, for there, hanging high in air, said Andres dully. Are we in an en- GEomichboo CS - ain It is — (F@)