Adventure Magazine Cover — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

o ae ae ate "The ‘Pease : for us. And when I asked about this he said he had sent men to get the boats, and that they would not fail. I found that he spoke truth; for when we did reach the river there were the boats with a dozen more wild men in them—and with blood-stains on the wood which showed - what had become of the Peccary boatmen. _ Though we filled those boats dangerously full, we went down the stream swiftly. Neither on the water nor on the Peruvian shore did we meet any man, nor even on our way through the hills to the lair of the beast- ly men-pigs. It seemed that they never suspected Brazilian Indians would come against them or could find their place. Still, we went quietly and carefully, lest we either fall into a trap or allow our enemies to learn we were coming. When - at last we did come upon one of the guards _ they always kept out we were traveling so silently that he did not hear us at all. I saw him first, for I was the guide; and I recognized him as one of those who had thrown filthy insults at me when I was a prisoner there. Hot with the memory of those things, I lifted my rifle. But the chief, at my heels, caught my arm and shook -his head; and I read his thought—that the explosion of the cartridge would be heard. So I lowered the gun, and he whispered something to those behind. A bowman crept up to us. His cord twanged. A war-arrow whirred. A gasp- ing groan broke from the outlaw, and he fell on his face. ‘We moved forward again. Soon after that I halted, and told the chief we now were near the village. As I have told you, I had described this place to him before we started, and he knew there ‘were three trails to it—one from the east, - where we were now; one from the north, by which the robbers’ loot was taken out to some market; and one from the southwest, which they often used in starting on a raid toward the high mountains. Each of these trails was always guarded. I knew the chief planned to attack from all three trails at once as well as from the thick jungle around the clearing where the barracios stood; so that now it was neces- sary to creep around the town, kill the out- posts on the other two trails, and arrange the warriors so that all could sweep into the place at the same time. It was late in the day, but there would be time to attack before darkness dropped on us; and the chief quickly divided his forces — into three parties. One, which he would lead himself, was to go to the northern trail; another, under the younger sub-chief—for the old sub-chief, unfit for fighting, had stayed at home—would take the south- western path; and the third division would remain with me. TWO orders were given—that no man should attack until the chief himself began the fight; and that if the Yellow One was there he must not be killed, but taken alive. had long thirsted to repay that yellow devil for what he had done to me and my mates. But then I saw the hard gleam in the chief’s eyes, and knew that what I might do to that Peccary would be merciful com- pared to what the Indian intended. So I determined that neither I nor any other man should kill him quickly if I could help it. The chief and the sub-chief went their ways, and we crept forward on our own path. Before long we heard sounds of life that told us we were almost dt the edge of the clearing; and after I spied ahead and found the end of the trail clear I sent my men into the bush. Most of them were bowmen and blow-gun men, and I gave them no orders, knowing they well under- stood what they were to do—stretch out | along the edge of the jungle and be ready for action. Those who were clubmen and spearmen stayed with me—six of them, each power- ful enough to crush the life out of two ordi- nary men. The spearmen stripped the grass sheaths from the points of their weapons, and I saw that each of the terrible barbs was dark with poison. To them I gave one command: that they walk last, with the spear-heads turned backward. And then we slipped up to the clearing and waited. The Peccary lair was on a hillside, and our path ran along that hill, so that we now were lurking at a point about opposite the center of the town, with houses above us and below us. We could see into the middle of the place, where stood the barracdao of the Peccary chief; and we saw that the men of the bandit gang were —— at that house. Then, in 1 the darkness of the doorway L For an instant I > was angered by that last command, for I’