Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

7O Davies walked aside to ponder over the fresh evidence of some mysterious influence at work to defeat him. One thing seemed certain: he must get his men out of the forest as soon as possible; and that meant either the lake shore or the town. He rapidly cast up a balance, decided to try out the Indian’s knowledge and sincerity, and returned to the simmering band of seamen. “How far lies the shore o’ the lake?” he asked. The distance was but an hour’s march out, and the light above the dense foli- age of the forest trees might last that long. “Forward, lads!’ he ordered, swinging up his own pack andarms. “An hour brings ye to open water and a shore free ©’ trees anyhow. Sooner we sight the lake, sooner ye feast full and sleep in snug security.” Far back over the treetops rumbled a sound like thunder. Seamanly eyes glanced at the sky as the men trudged on into deepening dusk, but the skies were clear, the trees barely moved in the whisper of breeze. “Twas great guns,” Nell’s anxious query. She saw his face light up after one dark moment of doubt. “>Twas the signal agreed on. The rogues lingered full long, but they’ll anchor off the fort before dark.” But the guns, if the rumbling thunder were indeed artillery, seemed to keep the forest in a dull blanket of sound for over- long. Again the dark doubt settled in Davies’ eyes, for even echoes could not account for the repeated rumblings. He was on the point of calling a halt and des- patching a party back to the coast to in- vestigate. His resolve was changed in - startling fashion by an unearthly howl that rang out behind them, and the rear-guard plunged forward into the column, openly and un- ashamedly terrified, led by Swan, as staring of eye, as slack of mouth, as any. “The forest’s full o’ devils!” he bellowed, glaring over his shoulder in palpable fright. His men burst in among the others like scared sheep seeking shelter in company. “Devils?” sneered Davies, confronting Swan. “Since when ha’ two devils ceased to agree? Take thy men back, man, and A man at Swan’s side dropped in his replied Davies to Adventure tracks without a.cry. John Cook, openly jubilant at Swan’s terror, uttered a guffaw at the leap backward of his onetime crony now turned enemy. -The laugh was shut off in his throat when one of his own men stumbled to his knees and thence to his face, clutching for a moment at his breast before lying still in death. Not a sound had been heard. Death had simply come out of the forest gloom and taken two men as a man might pluck a puff of thistledown. “Here, boy!” Davies called to the Indian. “Lead me to the place whence came this death, or die yerself. ’Tis some o’ the Indian’s tricks.” The Indian and his woman chattered i in fright, but through all the fear ran a current of sincerity. “They deny that ’tis Indian work, Ed,’ Nell said. ‘“The man says ’tis some strange forest people, and he knows naught o’ these tiny darts that kill wi’out sound or wound.” The uneasy seamen were milling around in rising confusion, only John Cook appear- ing less troubled than the rest, and even his face wore a look of uncertainty. Davies glanced over his band and mentally counted them. He made out a woful shortage in numbers since starting for the lake, and hesitated before putting it down to the vague light of the darkening jungle. But one thing he was sure of: his men would face no more forest marches at night unless that lurking death were discovered and vanquished. The task appeared hope- less. The lake was near. He ordered the advance again, led the way, gave heed to his guide and none to his rear for very fear of increasing the terrors of his men, and at long last burst through and came upon the shore of the lake in the first darkness of night. “Light you fires and eat,” he ordered. Then when great camp-fires blazed and men huddled about them almost too un- easy to eat, he called Goliath and Nell aside. “Tally the men,” he said briefly. ‘You, Nell, take the landward half of the fires; you, Goliath, the shore side. By the horns o’ the bull o’ Bashan! I seem to note many an absent face!” “Ah know ’tis so,” grinned Goliath, and his huge frame shook with mirth. ‘“Suah Ah seen plenty ob Cook’s mans slip off an’ stay behin’ when we started, sar! Dey go back to de fort.” GO DOOK = A (C@