Adventure Magazine Cover — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

130 “What the ——,” I muttered angrily to myself, “is he after now?” And I tried to comfort my anxiety with the thought that he was playing safe to fool the crowd and get ’em tame or something. When the brutes were about him in full blast of their hideous dance he again switched on the bagpipe gear and began to chant something—in Aramiac, I suppose— which I didn’t understand. My toes were twitching in nervous im- patience when a movement to one side caught my attention. From behind the group of nobles and priests at the back of the throne came running some men got up in the same colored robes as the man Billy had shot in the night whom we’d found dead in the old temple. They came down at a trot to the four crosses, and as the thought was half-way into my mind that they were going to release our pals the fore- most lifted a kind of staff and smashed O’Donnell across the shins, breaking his leg. The word ‘‘Ahab”’ flashed into my mind, and I yelled to Billy and the doc: “Tt’s all up! Get those swine first!” I dragged out my rifle and fired at Sabah. As Billy’s rifle and the doc’s Mauser spoke Sabah slumped across the throne, and two of the executioners dropped in their tracks. XXIT alu AS I jerked another cartridge into oN place, hoping that we should have ; time to rescue the four from Ahab’s death by torture, there broke out a sudden familiar rattle followed by shrieks. In a glance I saw that it came from the roof over the sultan’s palace. Against a background of flying women I got a glimpse of a red beard. “Veron!” I yelled. “Fight our way down and make for the palace!’’ But Billy and the doc had caught on as quickly as I. Fortunately our neighbors were either unarmed or too dumfounded to attack. Swinging our guns right and left, we had comparatively little trouble in smash- ing a path through the shouting, swearing crowd. But in the open space was a sight which made me, even in that moment, draw back; for Véron had turned his first volley right upon the mass of dancing snakes, and now they were fleeing for the water, those that Adventure were left, while the others squirmed and writhed in chromatic knots. Billy, who had no childish fears, dashed among them toward the four crucified. I followed, observing that the machine gun was deliberately playing over our heads, spraying in a deadly half-circle to keep them off us, taking no notice whatever of the frantic crowd tramping each other to get through the gates. In a nightmare of writhing pythons about us I made for Fieldmorre, and, not stopping to try to cut or untie his bonds, picked him and the cross up bodily. As I did so I caught a signal from Véron on the roof to make for the palace. Whether it was the doc or Billy who cut the other three loose or not I never knew; but as I staggered with my burden I was conscious of Billy, bearing O’Donnell with the smashed shin, and the other two passing me. We reached the gates and some one slammed it behind us. Then the Maxim stopped. My first action naturally was to see to my rescue, Fieldmorre, who, as the doc hacked at his bonds, smiled grimly and whispered— “Thanks awfully, Tromp.” He was in a pretty bad mess, but insisted upon borrowing a robe to cover himself. As the doc got busy making temporary splints for O’Donnell the red beard of Véron appeared in the large room, shouting excitedly in French. “Come on, you fellows!” exclaimed Field- morre, limping toward the stairway. ‘Vé- ron says we'll have to stand off an attack.” Grabbing my gun, which somehow I’d had the sense not to let go of, I followed him to the roof together with Billy, Hibbert and Pexton. All the women had naturally quit pronto. While Véron jabbered rapidly to Fieldmorre, I took a look around. In the temple of snakes there was nobody left at all except the scattered corpses of those shot. To my surprize the open market square was empty too, but from the row going on just around the corner I guessed that they were pulling themselves together for the final rush. In that pause it suddenly occurred to me that although Véron had rescued us it wouldn’t help any after all, except that we would be able to make ’em pay the more dearly. As far as I knew we had neither food nor GOMIIGooOo S C@