Adventure Magazine Cover — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

II2 could escape from your whole tribe. You are women. Wescorn you. Do you know what has become of the seven warriors Mur- ray sent to pursue us on the Great Trail?” Silence prevailed. “Yes, there were seven of them,” gibed Ta-wan-ne-ars. ‘And there were three of us. And where are they? I will tell you, Cahnuaga dogs, Adirondack dogs, Shawen- dadie dogs, Huron dogs. Crawl closer on your bellies while I tell you. “Their scalps hang in the lodge of Ta- wan-ne-ars—seven scalps of the Keepers who could got fight against real men. The scalps of seven who called themselves war- riors and who were so. rash that they tried to fight three.” A howl of anger answered him. “Begin the torment,” yelled Bolling. Tom drew a wicked knife and'ran toward us, his yellow eyes aflame. But the squat Cahnuaga chief pushed him back. “They are to be held for the Moon Feast,” he proclaimed. “See, the Mistress comes. Stand back, brothers.” The sound of a monotonous wailing filled the air, joining itself with the evening breeze that sighed in the branches of the pines behind us. The crowd of savages drew away from us in sudden awe. “Ga-go-sa Ho-nun-as-tase-ta,’’ they mut- tered to each other. : “What do they say?” I asked Ta-wan-ne- ars. His eyes did not leave a long bark building on the edge of the amphitheater. “The Mistress of the False Faces is com- ing,” he replied curtly. ‘“‘And who is she?” “The priestess of their devilish brother-— hood.” Out from the long bark building wound a curious sepentine procession of men in fan- tastic head-masks, who danced along with a halting step. As they danced they sang in the weird: monotone we had first heard. And behind them all walked slowly ‘one without a mask, a young girl of upright, supple figure, her long black hair cascading about her bare shoulders. Her arms were folded across her breast. She wore only the short ga-ka-ah, or kilt, with moccasins on her feet. The breath whistled in Ta-wan-ne-ars’ nostrils as his chest heaved against its bonds, and I turned my head in amazement. The expression on his face was compounded Ge * Adventure of such demoniac ferocity as I had seen there once before—that, and incredulous affection. “What is it?” I cried. He did not heed me. He did not even hear me. His whole being was focussed upon the girl whose ruddy bronze skin gleamed through the masses of her hair, whose shapely limbs ignored the beat of the music which governed the motions of her attendants. The procession threaded its way at lei- surely pace through the throngs of Indians, the girl walking as unconcernedly as if she were alone, her head held high, her eyes staring unseeingly before her. ‘“Ga-go-sa Ho-nun-as-tase-ta,’? murmured the savages, bowing low. =q THE False Faces drew clear of the =f crowd, and danced solemnly around us. They paid us no attention, but when they had strung a complete circle around the stakes they ‘faced inward and stopped, each one where he stood. For the first time the priestess, or Mistress as they called her, showed appreciation of her sur- roundings. She walked into the ring of masks and took up her position in front of us and between our stakes. She had not looked at us. “Bow down, O my people,” she chanted in a soft voice that was hauntingly sweet. “The False Faces are come amongst you, for it is again the period of our rule, and I, their Mistress, am to give you the word. “Behold, the old moon is dying, and a new moon will be born again to us. The Pow- ers of Evil, the Powers of Good and the Pow- ers of Life are come together for the crea- tion. “Thrice fortunate are you that you recog- 1) nize the rule of So-a-ka-ga-gwa,(a) for it brings you well-being, now and _ hereafter in the Land of Souls. Moreover it brings you captives, and your feast will be graced by their sufferings.” She turned to face us, arms flung wide in a graceful gesture. I thought that Ta-wan- ne-ars would burst the thongs that bound him. His powerful chest expanded until they stretched. ‘““Ga-ha-no!”’ he sobbed. She faltered, and her hands locked vs gether involuntarily between her breasts. A light of apprehension dawned in her eyes, ~ (a) The Moon—“‘the Light of the Night.”’ CORnnicloool< (E@)