Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

Lines of Cleavage . camp, knowing nothing of the happenings of this night.” When they had reached the tent Jim, contrary to his custom, did not go straight- way to his blankets by the camp-fire, but followed his baas into the tent. “What is it, Jim?”’ the Majorasked sharply. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts; to plan the campaign that would reinstate him in the eyes of the law. Jim fumbled in the cavernous depths of the pocket of one of the Major’s discarded great coats which he wore. From it he produced what appeared to be a bundle of filthy rags and held it out toward the Major. “Mangwato bade me give thee this if thou succeeded in saving his son from the evil ones.” The Major looked at the bundle with mock horror. ‘Does the chief wish me to become a thing unclean, that he sends me such a present?” “When one is thirsty it is not well to consider the outside of the pot, baas.” “Then break the pot, Jim, and let us see its contents.”’ Jim slowly unwound the greasy rags, dis- closing what at first appeared to be a solid piece of glass, shaped roughly like a paper- weight. The Major took it amusedly in his hands and was surprized at the weight of it. “Nearly three pounds, if Tm any judge. I wonder——”’ He held it up to the light of the oil lamp and examined it closely, turning it over and over. “T must be dreaming,” he muttered. Then he almost dropped the stone in his excitement. ‘But it is; it is! There’s no doubt about it! And there’s nothing like it under the sun. Jim, old top, there’s the price of a kingdom right here in my hand, and it’s mine, honestly mine. “All the stories told about Mangwato’s bushel of diamonds are true; this is one of them. Tomorrow I'll make an application for a diamond- mining permit and when that’s granted Ill register the discovery of the biggest diamond the world has ever known. Don’t you see what this means?”’ _ “YT see nothing but a dirty piece of glass, baas,”’ Jim replied stolidly. The Major laughed, a happy, care-free laugh. In his excitement he was a boy once more. 107 ‘Hush, baas!”’ Jim warned. “Some one is coming here, on horseback.” The Major sobered instantly and they both listened. “The horse is dame, Jim,” the Major commented. “May I come in?” The Major started at the sound of the voice, recognizing it as belonging to the girl he had seen with Kafir Smith earlier in the day. He went to the flap of the tent and held it open so that she could enter. She looked about her, half-blinded by the glare of the lamp, then sitting down in the camp-chair which the Major pushed toward ‘her, buried her face in her hands and began to cry softly. ~ The Major looked on helplessly. “Do you think you are wise coming here at this time of night? I have a bad reputa- tion, you know.” She looked up quickly. “T know you must think dreadful things, but I had to take a desperate chance that you could help me. There’s no one else I can appeal to, and you did offer your help this morning, didn’t you? Besides, I am armed.” She held a toy revolver in her hand. ‘‘And I’m not.” The Majer unbuckled his revolver and pushed it toward her. “Yes, I will help you if I can,” he con- tinued gravely. ‘‘But don’t you think you’d better allow me to escert you home?” “No. You must listen to me first. I often go for moonlight rides, and tonight my horse went lame. That will be an ex- planation for my late return.” The Major nodded. ‘Suppose you begin at the beginning. It’s about Kafir Smith, I suppose.”’ “Yes. I first met Kafir Smith when I was a barmaid in Johannesburg. - Yes,” she said vehemently in answer to the Major’s look of incredulity, “I was that. When my father died, leaving me penniless, there seemed nothing else I could do. Father had, at one time, owned a large saloon, and “T see,” commented the Major. “Three years ago I met and married Roger Griffin while I was on a holiday at Durban and never told him I’d served be- hind a bar.” “That was a mistake,” _ “Yes, I know that now. But Reger’s Gomichbooks (C@