Adventure Magazine Cover — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

148 | and he slept. Yet in his slumber came dreams—begotten, as Freud might declare, of the eager impulses so firmly checked and denied. He saw a strange withered figure, . its face as the face of some ancient mummy, white locks ragged about the sunken eyes, and across the breast, in letters of fire, the Mongol name of Esrun. The figure reached one skinny hand and gripped him by the shoulder—— “All out!” came the voice of Day. “Up, Severn! Breakfast and daybreak!’ CHAPTER VI THE ABODE OF ESRUN AS HE rode away from the temple beside Sir Fandi Singh, in the early light of dawn, Severn fully understood that. their errand was to be a scouting expedition as much as a blow at Esrun. The unknown Esrun must be destroyed, yes; but there remained the question of his fabulous wealth—which, according to Kilgore, sup- ported the priests. The members of the expedition had suf- fered a sea change; more correctly, a desert change. Severn recognized this, admitted it in himself, but dared not speak the thought. Twenty-four hours previously he, like the others, had béen buoyed up by the idea of destroying a tremendously e thing. They had looked forward to it as a labor of Hercules which would employ every atom of energy and strength. Instead, the Ten had been wiped out al- most in a moment. Their jeweled trap- - pings remained as symbols of loot—these, and Severn’s discovery of the inscrip- tion. What a power lay in the name of Pres- - ter John! Imaginations were inflamed. Thoughts arose of some huge store of gems and gold, ancient treasures over which squatted the loathsome spider Esrun. If -Severn and Fandi Singh discovered Esrun and the treasure—— “Tt was the gold of Fafnir that doumed Sigurd,” said Severn moodily. _ “Khe” The Rajput glanced at aes curiously, not catching his train of thought. “Well, one can always use gold! Hf we are lucky, we shall find some fine drome- daries today. When we were here before, the priests kept fine stock in the valley by the lake—none of your shaggy Bactrians, Adventure but blooded racers, clipped and limbed like race-horses.”’ They drew up on a sand-crest and glanced back, waving to those who stood in the temple gateway. The camels of the cap- turned caravan had just arrived and were crowded into the courtyard; the five-barred flag of China had been mounted above the gate; the scene was one of activity and bustle. Then the horses went on. The two men rode in silence under the craggy cliffs, to- ward the right-hand fork of the great Y which formed the-valleys. Armed and pro- visioned, they had only Esrun to fear—for in the place to which they went no man but the priests had ever ventured. Before them the sands lessened. Ere an hour had passed they were riding in a nar- row defile enclosed by high rock walls; a winding, forbidding gorge which appeared to lead on interminably. Two hours later they were still following its windings, and according to Fandi Singh they would not “sight their objective until nearly noon. “There are no buildings at the lake, no ruins?” asked Severn. | “None,” returned the Rajput. ‘It-is no place where men would willingly live. Near by are the hell-pits into which the ac- cursed priests throw the women ten times a year. We will come upon a sulfur spring before long.” _ Severn eyed the gorge without great Ne strange combination of natural won- ders!’ he observed. ‘‘And a stranger com- bination of human wonders. Think of those Russians, absorbed into some Mongol. tribe, settling here! And according to the inscription it might have been the same tribe of Krits, or Christians, which Ung- khan ruled. Perhaps this Esrun is the last of some forgotten race of lamas—well, no use wasting words in speculation.” Sir Fandi Singh shrugged his wide shoul- ders in assent to this last. “There are strange things in these hills,” he said thoughtfully. ‘Stranger than we have seen, stranger than we shall see. That is, Severn, if one can trust legend.” Severn laughed shortly. “It seems that legend has led us aright so ar “Aye, true enough. And yet I have heard tales.” The Rajput plucked at his beard. ‘It is said that the Darkan tribe Gomichbooks (E)