Adventure Magazine Cover — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

The Temple When the party approached the lake shore, Day eyed .that silent hooded figure without other thought than that it might be Esrun, perhaps. He had long since given up Kilgore and his companions for dead—ever since that frightful night when he and Kil- gore had discovered all their Sikhs dead, and when skin-clad figures had leaped on them out of the darkness. - Ah, that had been a night to remember! He had not seen Kilgore since that night. Near the bound and hooded figure, which did not move as they approached, the five dismounted and spread out. ~ They signed to Day and he painfully climbed out of the saddle, glaring about him. ‘The five, grin- ning, drew the cords taut and sat down. Day, for want of anything better to do, - followed suit. Although the Mongels examined the hooded figure curiously, they perhaps knew what it was, for- they paid it little heed after the first arrival.. Their leader evidently was uncertain as to Esrun’s abode, for he looked up into the sky and spoke. “We have obeyed your orders, sublime ancestor! Can you hear my voice?” To any one who had heard the rather skil- ful communication established by the first party, this present speech would have ap- peared laughable. The Mongol, obviously, was none too certain of himself or Esrun} for he bellowed his words at the sky as if trust- ing they would pierce to heaven by sheer weight. Yet they must have reached Esrun. After a moment the Mongol turned astonished eyes to his comrades. They nodded vigor- _ ously and one of them spoke. “Esrun says to proceed! Then do so!” “Good!”’ exclaimed the leader. “It is evident that I am not a khan for nothing, since I can make my words pierce to heaven. Esrun, do you hear? We have arrived. We have brought this unspeakable dog of a white barbarian, and we have not hurt him much. We are glad to be rid of him. [If you had not ordered us to spare him, we would have killed him long ago, for he has killed three of our men since we captured At this the features of Day were over- spread with a gloomy satisfaction. “Shall we sacrifice him here to you, Esrun?” shouted the Mongol, and waited hopefully. After a short interval his countenance ex- of the Ten 157 pressed a brutish resignation and he gave Day a glance anda shrug. He looked at his companions. “Ts this right? Does Esrun say to leave him here and depart?” The others nodded. “To leave him unharmed,” added one with emphasis. The leader sprang to his feet. “Then cut the cords and go!” he cried, setting the example by severing the cord which bound Day’s neck to his wrist. For an instant Day sat staring at them in dazed stupefaction, unable to credit their ‘actions. Four of the Mongols caught their horses, leaped into the saddle and went dashing away hastily.. The fifth delayed a. moment to catch the horse which had car- ried the American. . This moment of delay destroyed him. _ Day came to his feet as if set on steel springs. The long severed cords trailed after him. He made one leap, and from the remaining Mongols burst a cry of terror;a second leap, and Day was at the man’s saddle. Two minutes later Day stood at the edge of the lake, holding between his huge hands the shaken and broken Mongol. He seized the man’s knife, then cast it down—and with one hand hurled the wretched man headlong into the water. “You’re the one who held a hot iron to my back, eh?” he exclaimed. “Well, there’s a present for you—water for iron, cold for © heat! How do you like it, you devil?” The Mongol did not reappear to make answer. After an instant Day turned away, his eye following the two horses who were running after the four Mongols. Then he observed the hooded and bound figure sit- ting in the grass? For a little space Day studied that figure suspiciously, intently. Then he picked up the knife torn from the Mongol and ap- proached the silent figure. “By the Lord!” he cried suddenly. “White feet!” CHAPTER X “SO TO FRONT DEATH, AS MEN MIGHT JUDGE US PASTIT.” . —Jonson. as feet Day had cutthe bound wrists and nkles and was carefully slitting the skin hood of that silent figure, his hand trembling as he worked, a voice issued from KS) COMIC OOO (E@)