Adventure Magazine Cover — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

120 that he was straight—until he began the sulky business ’way back. Then I did think it was queer. Let’s drop the subject any- way. Here, have some more Chiéteau de Juif, old dear!” As a matter of fact we were ai! pretty well fagged out and by his eyes I reckoned Fieldmorre’s busted wound was giving him As before, we divided the day into watches. The other two, covering their faces with their robes, rolled up in: the shade, leaving me on deck as I had done the least. I did some intensive thinking trying out the position from every angle I could imag- ine, and the more I pondered the less confi- dence I had in Sabah. I’m always willing to try everything once, but after the first time I never trust a man once he’s let me down, on the principle that if he’ll do it once he’ll surely do it three times if he gets the chance. I had decided before my watch was up that I at any rate would go along to see the show and what they were up to. As I awoke the first thing I noticed was the pulse of drums and the wail of some reed instruments. I sat up and pulled my silham off my face. It was late. The dying sun was blooding the tops of the trees. Bully was still curled up beside me. I stood up, but I couldn’t see Fieldmorre. I called, but there was no response. I awoke Biliy. We shouted and hunted around, but Fieldmorre had disappeared. Then, as lf was standing on the top of a stele, and Billy was saying that we’d better scout around deeper in the forest, we started as his voice bellowed seemingly close to us: “Langster! Tromp! [’m——”’ The shout ended in a gurgle. XIX fy¥j@) WE BOTH made a dash in different vee directions, but discovered no sign =“ of any human being. “The shout came from here,” as we met again. “Tt didn’t, you darned idiot,” snapped Billy. ‘It was to my right. Somewhere over there.” We were both convinced that the call had come from contrary points. In the mean time the light was failing rapidly. “Well, I guess it’s no use disputing,”’ said I. ‘What’re we going to do about it? Queer he didn’t get a chance to shoot.” “Fe’s been kidnaped,” declared Billy. I insisted Adventure “For if he’d been shot, wounded or killed we should have heard it, and he’d be around somewhere. Anyway that’s my hunch. We'll make a thorough search of these ruins. Appears to me as if some one stalked up under cover.’ “It’s too late,” said I as the brief twilight went out. “I’ve got an idea. If, as you say, he’s been kidnaped they can’t have got far with him. Let’s cast around a bit in a circie.” ‘“‘What’s the good of that? You'll never find his trail if you crossed it in the dark?” “That’s true,” I had to admit. ‘You stop here and I’ll make a throw anyway,” I added obstinately, although I had no stomach for crawling about in this snake park in the dark. I went off, carrying my convoy of mos- quitoes with me, made my way to the thinning of the timber and by a detour to the left, and came back without finding anything beyond the fact that the cordon of guards was still squatting around us. To my relief Billy was awaiting me, but without news. Crouching beside our bit of ruined wall, we settled down for the night, sometimes discussing in a whisper Fieldmorre’s fate, but mostly watching and listening intently in opposite directions. Somewhere about midnight Billy suddenly fired and leaped over the wall, shouting— “Keep me covered!” Wondering what he had seen, I did so, and heard him breaking about in the bushes. Presently he returned, swearing. “Must have missed him,” he told me, “for I sure saw the white robes of a man beyond that tree there.”’ Throughout the remainder of the night, except for the hum of mosquitoes and the distant drums, there was no disturbance. Dawn came at last, and while waiting for the sun we hastily ate and drank. Then we made for the spot where Billy had sworn he had seen some one. -He was right, for a trail of broken branches and trampled grass was plain. Not ten yards along Billy gave a whoop. “Got him! Look, there’s his blood!” “Or is it Fieldmorre’s?” I queried. The trail led directly into the dense thicket which we had taken for dense jungle when cursorily passing it before. Thirty yards within, we came upon another ruined wall and found ourselves in what had evi- dently been the courtyard of a great temple GOMIIGooOoO <S) C@