Adventure Magazine Cover — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

144 He and Severn quickened their advance, followed by the risaldar. Day halted the others and deployed some of them—for all egress from the place was to be shut off. The mass of the temple was now clearly visible in the dim starlight; Severn per- ceived that it was a long, low building of stone, seemingly of massive strength. There was no indication of any watch being kept. Indeed, the central ‘gates stood open and unguarded. “Got ’em!” murmured Kilgore, and dis- mounted. “This is the hour when they meet to communicate with Fsrun. If we’re lucky we'll see things.” Handing their reins to the risaldar, Kil- gore and Severn advanced on foot. ‘They were in the gateway, and through. Pistol in hand, Kilgore led the way as if he had a perfect familiarity with the temple. Star- beams lighted their advance. Inside the gates, a courtyard, small and backed by the temple proper. Somewhere afar a Mongol woman’s voice rose in shrill, reedy song, followed by a banging of copper - pots. This prosaic note drew a smile from Severn; then he followed Kilgore into dark- ness. A stone passage walled them in. Kilgore had provided himself with a tiny pocket flashlight, probably for this very need. He flashed the pencil-beam ahead and Severn discerned only stone walls. An occasional door showed itself; then came a flight of descending steps. The Canadian halted. “‘We’ve passed the entrance to the main hall,” he breathed. “Nobody there now. Steps wind down, come out directly on coun- cil chamber. Not a sound, now!’ In darkness again, Severn followed down the stone steps. His nostrils caught the in- describable reek of temple candles, loose cot- ton wicks burning but unconsumed. The stairs went on interminably—twenty-five, thirty of them. Then a soft glow of light, and a curtain of some frayed material through which came the light. To Severn this unhindered access was in- credible.. Now came the explanation, as Kilgore halted him with a touch—a high, shrill voice, vibrant with excitement, that rose from behind the curtain and spoke a Mongol readily understood by Severn. “We have obeyed the orders of our lord Esrun. It is three weeks and more since the men of Darkan went forth, led by five novices, to the destruction of the impious Adventure white men and their followers. Let us ask oe lord if the novices have made report to Severn’s eyes widened. Kilgore was glancing at him interrogatively; evidently the Canadian knew little of this language. But Severn dared say nothing. He held up a hand for silence and leaned forward, tensed, awaiting what might come next. No further sound—blank silence from be- hind the curtain. Kilgore moved forward and Severn cautiously joined him. They stood at the curtain and looked through the frayed holes therein. And now, for a mo- ment, Severn could not believe the scene be- fore him. He even forgot that frightful news which had just come to his' ears. He gazed upon a company of ten men seated about a table, and on the table were four huge temple candles of soft, painted wax, smoking unheeded. The table was of ancient stone, but neither table nor candles held the stupefied gaze of Severn; it was the men themselves, the ten priests of Darkan, who sat in ‘ungainly temple chairs of cracked lacquer and hugely curving mastodons’ tusks, fossil ivory from the northern glaciers. Each of those barbaric chairs framed a picture of brutish splendor. Red lamas were these men; their robes and hats were of dusky red, highly embroidered and glit- tering with an abundance of rich jewels— not the usual Tibetan ornaments of coral — and turqouise, but blazing stones, cut and polished, set in antique fashion and throw- ing back the yellow candle-light in a flashing stream of fire. The men themselves were obese, bestial figures of lust and license un- checked. ‘They sat in silence, staring at the candles. Their hair and mustaches and straggly beards were heavily gilded; their finger-nails were long and encased in quills of gold after the old Chinese fashion. Now Severn saw the brutal faces crossed by a wave of startled emotion, as if into each man’s brain had come some perturb- ing thought—yet no word had been spoken. After an instant one of them spoke, uneasily, as if to affirm the message he had caught. “Our lord tells me that the men of Dar- kan have destroyed that caravan, and that our novices report there was no trace of white men. Is this correct, brethren?” The others assented. Their breathing was heavy, rapid, tense. Severn, who saw that Kilgore understood nothing of what was said, went sick at heart. 0\(0)(0) cS . : (€©@)