Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

XN SAAS SO makes 500d by FS t.Mas Author of “OP? Makaw,” “Citizen Vurumt,” etc. MONG the twisted golden nets, out of the naked sun-glare, a big form lay out motionless along the warm surface of the water. A yard away, only, in the dazzling full rays the temperature stood at one hundred and forty-eight degrees. Here, where she floated in the shadow, it was but seventy-eight degrees. Such is the ex- treme of light and shade in the tropics of South America. By her manner one would have guessed that she had a reputation, but not for good- ness; that, in fact, she scarcely dared show her nose. This, however, was precisely the only part that she did show. After which lucid. statement it may be at once said that there were many sunken tree-roots, branches, logs, etc., in that lukewarm river, and men said that every third one was an alligator. She was an alligator therefore, a full-grown lady of that ilk, about five feet of armor-plating, keeled tail, steel-trap snout, stumpy legs, green scum and concentrated wickedness. But more, she was in love—an unexpected enough disease: to afflict so cold-blooded an accident on four legs, in very truth. But this was no great matter, it seemed, be- cause to date she was only in love with love. And moreover, as jf to make quite certain that she should remain thus, Fate had seen to it that in alligator society there should be about twenty damsels to every swain, and—well, there you are, don’t you know. Goomasaka—to call/ her by her little pet name—was, however, far too much in love to be put off with any “well, there you are, don’t youknow.”’ She was going to find a mate, she was, and Heaven help any mis- guided living thing that got in her way in the process. The only immediate bar to hustling the apparently hopeless proposition along was the day. In alligatordom as elsewhere daylight is\not considered pro- pitious to the working of love-charms. Wherefore, Goomasaka studied the blind- ing dazzle of the sluggish waters, the green toppling cliff of the forest edge on the far bank, towering up and up for two hundred feet in one great piled confusion of mighty tree-stems, »giant lianas, creepers, curtain- moss, aerial roots, ephiphytes, lilies, ,or- chids, begonias, parasites, fruits, nuts, branches, blossoms; with parrots turquoise, blue and red; parrakee*s green and yellow; macaws blue and red, and blue and yellow and blue; humming-birds every color under the, sun, and of it, and the insects every color under the .sun, and of it, and of the rainbow too. And Goomasaka winked one horny green-scummed eyelid and waited for the dark. After all, ifevery dog may claim his day, why not every alligator her night? Then the tail—and the tale—began to move. Two flail-like strokes of that mailed caudal appendage drove the alligator with- out any more warning than one small , ripple across that oily stream and under 154 COmicloooks (C@