Adventure Magazine Cover — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

116 Ukkama, the first king of Aramea and Kil- Garthe daughter of the Pharaoh!” He had paused with one hand raised, probably in some mystic sign; and his eyes, beneath the hood, seemed kind of luminous. “Go on,” said Fieldmorre placidly. ‘‘What then?” ‘“‘What then, my lord?” For a moment Sabah stared blankly as if trying to pry himself out of the trance he’d got himself into. “T covered myself with shame; for I hed to him, the man who called himself the Gandhi, and deceived him. I promised to do all that he commanded. I returned to Ma-el-Einen to await your lordship.”’ “Evidently,” assented Fieldmorre coldly. “But why did you trouble to wait for me?” “There was much to do. Many plans and much thinking to be done. I deter- mined that no harm should befall you, my lord.” “That was very thoughtful of you, Sabah,” said Fieldmorre sarcastically; “‘but will you kindly explain how you neglected to protect my white friends who have fallen? And also ourselves for that matter, left prisoners in the hands of this blighted—er—-cousin of yours?” “My lord does not understand. Before harm could have come to him I, Thabit ibn Kuna, the surprizing son of the great king Abgar Ukkama te “Ves, ves,” snapped Fieldmorre. that’s no excuse for treachery.”’ “Treachery!” There was a new tone in his voice, a snarl- ing one. I kicked Fieldmorre. ‘That is not possible for one of the family of Thabit ibn Kuna.” 7 “Well, Sabah?” “T was about to inform you, my lord, that within a few days the person of shameful birth shall be no more, and I, Thabit ibn Kuna, shall be the Sultan Abgar Ukkama, King of Sheba and Ophir, and of all the gold and ivory, men and women, that I may build again this mighty temple to the great god, El!” In the hot silence came the wailing cry of the muezzin— “But “la ila hwa Moh-ammed er ras-ul al-lahi-i-i——-”’ “Glory!” I thought. ‘“Here’s another of ’em. ” But I had got an idea. “T quite believe that, Sabah,”’ said Field- Adventure morre presently in a soothing tone. “But what do you propose to do for us?” ‘Your lordship, who has been my friend and companion, shall not want for any- thing,” replied Sabah in what you might call an inspired voice. ‘* *Scuse me butting in, Fieldmorre,”’ said I; “but I reckon you and I ought to talk this over with Billy before—you get me?” “T think vou’re right, Tromp,” he agreed. “Do you hear, Sabah? I’ll have to talk the matter over with my friends. Do you understand that?” ‘Your lordship is in the hands of Allah!” retorted Sabah; and, rising, he remarked, still in the spooky voice, ‘If my lord will excuse me, I will pray.” ‘Lord!’ I commented as he faced the east in the first attitude of prayer. ‘‘He’s off. But I'll keep a gun on him all the same!” AVITI ““HE’S as mad as the Gandhi,” said I to Fieldmorre after we had with- drawn a distance to allow Sabah to pray in peace. “Possibly,” said he; “but he believes it.” “Sure he does,” I agreed, ‘‘because he wants to. But I don’t trust him.”’ “Oh, yes, I do. Otherwise he wouldn’t have come here and allowed you to capture him.” “Bull!” said I. ‘He wants to use us, and that’s all there is to it.”’ “But I’ve known him longer than you have, Tromp. And z “Sure you have; and what did he do with you? No. He calls it the great god El, and the Gandhi, the great god some- thing else; but all it amounts to is just gold. What’s the good of falking, Fieldmorre? We came after gold. Gold turns all men’s heads. Let’s see to it it doesn’t turn ours. The complaint’s older than—than the guy says his family is. “My idea is this. He wants to use us. Let him—as long as it suits us. That’s about our only way out that I can see. Work him to get our men free. Then maybe we can talk a bit; but as it is—well, I guess we're just mud.” Fieldmorre didn’t seem to like the blunt way I put it. “Glory,” I thought, ‘he’s just kidding him along and he wants to fall for the snob a =, GOMIIGooOoO S C@