Adventure Magazine Cover — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

The Land of Ophir Well, if he didn’t go on and tell me he was a direct descendant of Khammurabi, first King of Babylon, and now Emperor of Ophir—Reborn ot the Snake. “Good night,” I muttered to myself. going pretty strong for a dago.” Then he blew up! He didn’t try to kill me right there, though he could have done it with his trained snakes; but he said he was going to half-crucifv-me “That's with my friends and feed us to the pythons. And, by ——, I knew he meant it. XVI ,» GUESS I feel more comfortable,” ; commented Billy, patting his rifle. ‘But where to now? You know the lie of the land, Phil.” “Darned if I do. Only from the palace to that snake house.” “Well, hurry up,” said Fieldmorre. ‘The sun’s coming fast.” I took a hurried look around in the faint light of the dawn turning rose, and pointed to the left. “Better get down these terraces to the lake level of the gardens, in the shelter of these trees, and work around to the forest over there.” We started off, making the most of the cover, and, hugging the wall of the lowest terrace, trotted along. We were about halt- way toward what was evidently a wall, cutting off the town from the sultan’s gardens, when we heard a distant yell. After that we broke into a lope, having to hold up our robes woman-fashion to get any speed on. There was some fifty yards of bare space from the corner of the gardens to the shelter of the trees, but fortunately it was in the darkest shadows of the eastern side. As we halted for a moment to recon- noiter within the wood, we saw shadowy forms on the top terrace against the white of the palace building, scurrying about. Of course we couldn’t have an idea where we were going. But the deeper the shelter the better. We started on again. I had not gone far before I pulled up, ejaculating, “Oh, my ! for in a patch between the trees, making for us, was a gigantic python, its chromatic curves glistening in the faint light. Automatically I jerked up my ritle. “Don’t shoot, you blithering idiot!’ ex- claimed Fieldmorre, knocking it down. “You'll give us clean away!” “But ! The snake!” I expostulated. 107 I was taken to comfortable quarters—free to move about because. I suppose, they figured we couldn’t escape anyway—and there I found Billy and Fieldmorre. I gave them the dope. That night we pulled off a little stunt with the sentrics and got away, with two Martinis and a Snider. That is, we got away from the palace, but we were still in Gandy’s town. I still couldn’t see how we were going to escape; but I swore by that Gandy and those pythons would never get me. “Get out of the light then, you poor fish!” snapped Billy irritably, and hustled me by the shoulders to the right. With my exag- gerated fear of snakes I couldn’t resist turning to see whether the reptile was fol- lowing; but sure enough the holy brute was continuing on its way as if it had a date at sunrise. As always in the tropics, the sun came up with a jump; but fortunately the trees grew denser at every step. Twenty yards farther on I nearly yelled as I nigh put my bare foot on one of those giant monitor lizards. The beast was about seven feet long and looked more like a crocodile. Not a dozen yards farther on I caught the gleam of another snake, a small one with white and green splashes. “My !’ I said to Billy. “I can’t stand this place for long or I’ll go plumb dippy! Id rather tace the music without.” “Aw, cut it,” retorted Billy. ‘“‘The darned brutes won’t attack unless you put your big feet on ’em or something.” With the exception of the cobra which the Gandhi wore as a necklace, I knew this to be more or less true; but it didn’t com- fort me any. Every moment we had ex- pected to meet a wall, as we had reckoned that we were enclosed in the sultan’s gardens. We stopped for several moments, listening intently. But no sound of pursuit could we hear. We hurried on again for some hundred yards or so. Then came an exclamation from Billy, who was leading. Right in the middle of the forest, tangled with creepers and undergrowth, rose a wall some fifteen feet high. “This is the garden wall then!” I ex- claimed. ‘“‘Guess we can mount by way _of those creepers mighty easy.” “Here’s a big gap,’ said Fieldmorre, slightly to my left. As we hurried after him he added with astonishment: COIN Clooolkks (C@