Adventure Magazine Cover — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

“And you will not attempt to flee from us?” pressed Sir Gui. ‘‘Would you permit it, lord?” she asked, with lowered eyes. “No, by the splendor of swore Sir Gui. ‘John, do you take her bridle on that side, and I will ride on this.” “What would you do with her, Gui?” asked the Englishman in French. ‘What would you?” countered the lord of Nerak, without shifting his gaze from the dainty figure astride the Arab. “Only the knows,” muttered John the Englishman to himself. Behind them the spoils of the caravan were extended in a tenuous line across the desert, guarded in flank and rear by Ali Ma’akwaa’s alert bowmen. In the east, at their backs, the sun rose in a flaming ball of fire, blood-red, aye, red as the pools the hungry sand was drinking by the scattered corpses that ringed the Wells of Sanah. 1»? = IT WAS high noon when the cav- + | alcade straggled into the castle. —— “Ha, Antonio,” cried Sir Gui as the seneschal ran out upon the drawbridge to meet them, “‘we have had the luck of for- eign adventurers this day. Do you escort our fairest prize to the bower that was my lady mother’s in Gui’s Tower.” Sir Antonio goggled stupidly, caught a erim twinkle in the eye of John the English- man and made shift to murmur— “Tt shall be done, lord.” He would have assisted Horazahde to dismount, but Sir Gui was before him, and her lithe body slid gracefully from the sad- dle into her captor’s arms. He held her so for the bare fraction of a minute. Then, flush- ing, stepped back as she disengaged herself. “Rest well, lady,” he said. She turned her face away, and followed slowly after the seneschal. “Come, man,” adjured John the English- man, impatiently. “Have done with star- ing at her, and let us rid ourselves of mail and taste meat and wine. You are like to see enough of her or I miss my guess.” Sir Gui made him no answer, but later, when they all sat at noon-meat at the high table, the lord of Nerak turned upon Sir Antonio. ‘What think you of our prize?” he ques- tioned. “The goods or the lady?” returned the seneschal slyly. Adventure “Nay, the lady.” The seneschal waxed thoughtful. “She is very fair,” he opined; ‘“but——” He hesitated. “But what?” prompted Sir Gui. “What will you do with her?” spoke up Fray Gilberto from the end of the table. “Aye,” agreed Sir Antonio, “what will you do with her, lord?” And now Sir Gui hesitated. “T asked the same question of John,” he replied. ‘‘He answered . “Forget my answer,’ interrupted the Englishman. “There is but one thing to do with her, Gui.” “And that?” “Even dispatch a herald to Emesa and mulct her father as best you may.” “Aye, that is good advice,” agreed Sir Antonio; “and meanwhile, lord, you had best let me carry her to Jerusalem and place her in care of the ladies of the court.” Sir Gui took a deep draft of wine. “You are both wrong,” he decided with a glint of mischief in his eye. “Wrong?” repeated John the English- man. ‘How so? She is a maiden gently reared. Her family will pay heavily for her.” ‘So that she might marry a man she does not love,’ amended Sir Gui contemplatively. “How know you that?” demanded the seneschal. “Because she was pleased to acquaint me so. And ’tis my purpose, friends, to save her from such a fate.”’ The seneschal and Fray Gilberto stared at him in amazement, but John the English- man continued eating as though nothing had been said. “She is the spoil of my raid,” pursued Sir Gui, “spoil I won from the desert. She is mine. To say sooth, John might dispute my claim, for he first drew my attention to her, but if he does I will buy him off at any price.” ‘Would you wed the lady, lord?” inquired Fray Gilberto. “How could I, reverend father, when she is a pagan?” “She could be baptized.” ‘What boots it?” “Nay,” said John the Englishman, “she is a princess, though she is a paynim.”’ “At the least,”’ urged Fray Gilberto, “‘you should marry her, lord.” Sir Gui shook his head. GOMIIGooOo S C@