Adventure Magazine Cover — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

ae os As - - Then T saw. hie isaeing it oad eae myself” running up the companion stairs and——” “One moment, Mr. Lamberteau,’’ in- terrupted Vi. ‘What happened before that?” / : “Eh?” bewilderedly. “You said you left Colompo and let loose the—Datto Tuan, and then?” » George Lamberteau placed his hands to his head again. “You know I’m not right yet,” he re- marked at large. ‘‘Something—” he waved one hand in a circle—‘‘something goes round. Those people— Oh, my God!” “You let loose Datto Tuan after you left Colombo,” repeated Vi remorselessly. “And then?” He gazed at her like a schoolboy con- fronted by the head, to whom he is forced to confess a peccadillo. “T couldn’t help it,” he said. I never thought for a moment that he could know where they were. ... You see, we were all at breakfast, and then Datto rushed in and threw one and I leaped. I remember holding my nose and rushing across the table and—and He paused, staring at them as if asking for asistance. “The footprint on the table-cloth,” com- mented Vi to Carnell, “and the overset egg. Well, and what then, Mr. Lamberteau?” ~ “Then he threw it again and—and I ran up the stairs, and - “Found us here; is that it?” “Why, yes! But where do you come— Oh, I remember you told me, didn’t you? Or did I dream it?” “What is he talking about?” queried, Carnell. “T’ve got an idea,” replied Vi, stripping lint. ‘“Tell me if I hurt too much. Let me talk to him. Mr. Lamberteau, don’t you recollect meeting that young man down below?” “What young man?” “The man-who shot Mr. Carnell?” “Why, no! He’s with you, isn’t he?” “Yes, yes,” assured Vi, and whispered to Carnell: ‘“He’s had a sort of shell-shock, you know; I’ve seen ’em. Now he’s getting his mem- ory. Wait. Mr. Lamberteau,” she began again, “what was the thing that Datto threw?” “T couldn’t diet it!” wailed the man ex- “*T couldn’t.. Giediy. were! I 2 “Of course you’re not to hamne, Mr. Lamberteau,’ said Vi _ reassuringly. *That’s all right; we know that. But tell me now what was it that Datto threw?” ‘Why, the ether bombs.” ; “The what!” exclaimed Carnell. “Bombs! Lumme!” ejaculated the ‘men. “Be quiet!’ commanded Vi. ‘Mr. Lam- berteau, what were the bombs for?” Again his hands flew out protestingly. “T couldn’t help it! I didn’t know he could know where they were. Oh, God, why didn’t I destroy them! Oh, my God, > “my God!” “That s all right, Mr. Lamberteau. We know it wasn’t your fault.” ‘You do know that? You do?” he de- manded anxiously. “You'll swear to that?” “Yes, yes. But you must tell us what they were for.” “Why, certainly.” There was a note af ieliek a in his voice. “You see, always in getting specimens the bones or at least the hide is destroyed or damaged in shooting them and if you poison them you never know where you can find them again. I got an idea when they began using bombs at the beginning of the war and I experimented. “You see,” he added with an incongruous touch of pride, ‘I’m a’professor of physics too; and I perfected this bbmb—compound of ether and cyanogen, you know. Well, at first it didn’t work. Often they would not explode. “They had to be a contact bomb because the ground is ‘so soft—it’s swampy where the orang-outan lives—and then I hit on the idea of blowing an egg and inserting the compound.” “Bute what about Datto?” “ “Oh, I took Datto as a baby and trained him with ordinary eggs. I used to punish him if he broke one. He could stalk right up. to the apes and then throw the egg. They were instantly asphyxiated. “On board he stole eggs from the steward and bombarded the passengers, who thought he was a great joke. Then one day when I had been examining the few egg-bombs I had | was called away and carelessly left them on the cabin-seat and Datto stole them. I could not find them nor make him give them up. Oh, God!” “y couldn't! It wets my y faultt e : _I didn’t know that he knew where they" === “ ~ ~ fd o as