Adventure Magazine Cover — page 169: what you’re looking at

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

A ~ The Temple of the Ten- The rude craft, with its single erect figure shrouded in faded yellow cloths, was an .eery thing. It stole toward them in silence, and that silence was éppressive, awesome. To neither of the two white men did it occur that this figure was Esrun. They both were keyed up to thoughts of torture, death, violence. Therefore, the appearance of ‘this shrouded figure peace- fully creeping to them was a decided shock; it shattered their initiative, left them hesi- tant and perplexed. , The boat. touched the shore, halted. The erect figure stretched forth a shrouded, beckoning arm, and uttered a single word in English. “Come?” The two men looked at each other. “Say the word,” growled Day, “and——” Kilgore shook his head, shrugged slightly and walked to the boat. Day followed him, eying the saffron figure with suspicion. They entered the boat, sitting on a wide forward thwart. Without a word the shrouded figure shoved off, moving with a mechanical precision which impressed Kil- gore as singular. He could not fathom the reason for this oddity, since he did not know that their guide was blind. Now Day touched his arm, and both.men stared at the place to which they were going. The opening among the crags on the right, into which the boat was slowly heading, gave access to a long and narrow cleft. At the head of this cleft appeared a sandy beach twenty feet wide and as many deep, ending in an ancient portal of stone, built against the solid cliff. This portal framed the black opening of a cavern. When the prow of the boat touched the sand an inarticulate word came from the guide. Kilgore turned, to perceive some- thing held out to him in a fold of the yellow cloth. It was a box of vestas. He took them mechanically—and was then handed his own cigaret-case. “Upon my’ word!” he murmured, then collected himself. He opened the case. “T say, Day, look here! After you.” “Come!” growled the American, his face lighting up. ‘This doesn’t look much like torture!”’ | Kilgore held a match with trembling a They lighted cigarets and stepped from the boat. The shrouded figure fol- -about. 159 Sun them, advanced to the black portal. and beckoned. “Come!” The crafty gift of cigarets had been well calculated. Neither man knew what to fear, what tod expect; their fears were les-. sened, their expectations were increased. They ‘advanced and stood in the dark door- way. Their guide turned and spoke again. “Catch my robe, sahibs, and follow closely.” At those words; hick for the first time clearly defined the voice of this figure, Kilgore gave a slight start. One would have said that it was a start of recognition; and ‘in truth that low, musical voice held a peculiar note, a singular throbbing vibrancy, which when once heard could never be forgotten. “A woman!” muttered Day, catching a fold of the yellow cloth in one hand. The unearthly pallor of Kilgore passed into a violent flush. _ “Impossible!” he murmured, and set his 3 hand against the shoulder of Day. Their guide laughed—a low, vibrantly throbbing. note of woman’s music which faded into the darkness of the cavern. The three went forward and vanished; only the glowing tips of the lighted cigarets stood out from the darkness, paling and red- déning again. For some distance they advanced with impenetrable darkness shutting in on all sides. The cavern turned and twisted, the floor remaining level and sandy. Presently their guide turned a corner and halted. A light appeared. “They stood in a narrow throat of rock that rose to a roof twelve feet above. This narrow throat widened out rapidly into a_ great chamber which, at the rear, was a good thirty feet in width. The walls were: of rock. Set against the long rear wall were two huge vessels with narrow lips, lighted wicks in the lips; lamps, these, which il- lumined this chamber. It was less at the rock chamber, however, than at the things it held, that the two men. stared in wonder. A number of great porcelanous jars, containing water, stood Near them, packets of food, which Kilgore recognized as taken from his own mess supplies. To the right hand, against the rear wall, were packs—the personal : belongings of Day. To the left, at the other end of the chamber, were those of Kilgore. 0)(0)(0) MIG S (E@) (E@)