Adventure Magazine Cover, August 18, 1921 — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

White Men grass and threaded shells, their bodies slick and shiny with oil, squatted in solemn array; immobile, with a kind of ominous dignity. Orokgo and two or three under-chiefs came with ceremonial strides to the fore- ground and squatted on their haunches. Hoarse harsh murmurs ran through the group. Rodgers sat hunched on the top step leading to the doorway and glared down morosely. He could not check the feeling that here assembled were judges to pass on the Betty Bly. It looked like justice. His big hands were clenched into hard fists. At the first move from the savages, he would leap and make them kill him. There would be no throwing of him alive on hot coals. In the broken crude jargon that traders used, some fellow to whom Orokgo had spoken stood up and began to speak. Rodgers found himself listening atten- tively—not because he was interested, but there was nothing else to do. Brannigan listened too. His forehead was beaded with sweat. A big rough red hand clawed nervously at his red beard. His barrel-like body was rigidly tense. Brannigan did not want to die. He was chilled with desperation, terror. It was not cowardice, but fear of the mystery; and he hung to life as a man clings to a raft and suffers torment when he might slip into the cool deep water and be at peace. Brannigan was blindly determined that he would not die, that someway he would save his life. White men, lots of them, had lived with cannibals. He listened and heard that Weppy was brother to the high big marster Orokgo, who had a belly full of tears; that Weppy was strong and full of meat before the strangers came, then grew weak and now was dead. Strong magic had been used. And Brannigan stood up and lied as he had very rarely ever lied before, though he was handicapped by the miserable jargon and limited words. But Webb was his dear friend. His ship had been coming to Webb with much trade-goods and many presents for the village. And there had been spite-magic. It burned the ship, and now it had taken Webb’s life. Aye, aye, there were enemies abroad right there in the village. And there were enemies in other villages on whom Orokgo made war. 75 He, Brannigan was a great warrior. He and his friend Rodgers would show Orokgo ways to victory. An’ bimeby trade shippee stop along here, me-you cut ’m fella out. Plenty tembac. Plenty much kai-kat. Owl The value of having white men to help them board a ship for purpose of massacre was Clearly seen. A canoe with white men in it could approach a ship. White men trusted white men. Brannigan and Rodgers were big strong fellows; and the tribal wars were incessant. Orokgo was a wise old savage. But there had been spite-magic. Some- body must suffer. And who had had a better chance to work spite-magic than the cook? Besides, he had no male relatives to avenge him. Certainly it was the cook. Hadn’t he known that Weppy was dead when the white men did not know it them- selves? And they killed him, for the dead must have vengeance. III mee bel THE life of the white man who goes etn down to live with natives as a native @r.° is made up of dirty idleness. Witha gesture he discards twenty centuries of white culture and again becomes a walking belly. Brannigan took to it with a kind of drunken zest, for there may be enthusiasm in debasement no less than in martyrdom. He married three women, for there was much work to do in the cooking-shack and garden plots. He fished, hunted and fought. He slept on mats and began to be touched with rheumatism; and when his clothes wore out, as they did in a few weeks, he wore a plaited grass girdle and sunshade. And Orokgo called him brother. Rodgers grew more and more sullen. He lived alone. He would have no wives. Tall, broad, glowering, bearded, tanned black and naked, he made a formidable figure; and the only times that he broke from his sullenness was in a fight. Then he was terrible and bold, and many a man gota name for bravery by following at his heels. Village after village on the islands around about hastened into an alliance with Orokgo; and even the raiders that came out of the dreaded Rubiana lagoon were met on the water and put to flight, for the white man’s fighting spirit of Brannigan and cCOmiclboolks C©