Adventure Magazine Cover — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

18 He always made it, but always kept aw ay on Sundays. “There was a party at my house last night, and every one agreed what an ac- quisition you and your husband are to Sialpore. You’re so refreshing—quite dif- ferent to what we’re all used to.” “We're enjoying the novelty too—at least, Dick doesn’t have much time for: en- joyment, but “I suppose he has had vast experience of mining?” “Oh, he knows his profession, and works hard. He’ll find gold where there is any,” said Tess. “You never told me ere he came to choose Sialpore as prospecting-ground.” Tess recognized the prevarication in- stantly. Almost the first thing Dick had done after they arrived was to make a full statement of all the circumstances in the commissioner’s office. However, she was not her husband. There was no harm in repetition. “The maharaja’s secretary wrote to a mining college in the States for the name of some one qualified to explore the old work- ings in these hills. They gave my husband’s name among others, and he got in corre- spondence. Finally, being free at the time, we came out here for the trip, and the maharaja offered terms on the spot that we accepted. That is all.” Samson laughed. “T’m afraid not all. A contract with the British Government would be kept. I won’t say a written agreement with Gun- ura is worthless, but “Oh, he has to pay week by week in ad- vance to cover expenses.”’ “Very wise. But how about if you find gold?” “We get a percentage.” Every word of that, as Tess knew, the commissioner could have ascertained in a minute from his office files. So she was quite as much on guard as he—dquite as alert to discover hidden drifts. “T’m afraid there'll be complications,” he went on with an air of friendly frank- ness. “Perhaps I’d better wait until I can see your husband?” “Tf you like, of course. speak the same language. But he and I What you. tell me will reach him—anything you say, just. as you say it.” “T’d better be careful then,” he answered, Adventure smiling. “Wise wives don’t always tell their ~ husbands everything.” “T’ve no secrets from mine.” “Unusual!” he smiled. “I might say obsolete. But you Americans with your. reputation for divorce and originality are very old-fashioned in some things, aren’t “What did ‘you want me to tell my hus- band?” countered Tess. “Tt wonder if he. understands how com- plicated conditions are here. For instance, does your contract stipulate where the gold is to be found?”’ “On the maharaja’s territory,” Tess with an air of surprize. ‘Anywhere within those limits?” “So I understand.” “Is the kind of gold mentioned?” “How many kinds are there?” He gained thirty seconds for reflection by lighting a cigar, and decided to change his ground. “I know nothing of geology, I’m afraid. I wonder if your husband knows about the so-called ‘islands’? There are patches of British territory, administered directly by us, within the maharaja’s boundaries; and little islands of native territory adminis- tered by the maharaja’s government within the British sphere.” “Something like our Indian reservations, I suppose?” “Not exactly, but the analogy will do. If your husband were to find gold—of any kind—on one of our islands within the maharaja’s territory, his contract with the maharaja, in spite of its legality otherwise, would be useless.” “Are the boundaries of the islands clearly marked?” “Not very. They’re known, of course, and recorded. There’s an old fort on one of them, garrisoned by a handful of British troops—a constant source of heart-burn, I believe, to Gungadhura. He can see the top of the flagstaff from his palace roof; a predecessor of mine had the pole lengthened, I’m told. “On the other hand, there’s a very pretty little palace over on our side of the river with about a half square mile surrounding it that pertains to the native State. Your husband could dig there, of course. There’s no knowing that it might not pay—if he’s looking for more kinds of gold here than one.” | | replied comicboo (F@)