Adventure Magazine Cover — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

88 brand from the fire and flung it out of the rude door. This was.a signal to the shouter that he might come down. In a short while a young boy entered the rude door with something slung over his right shoulder and some wood under his left arm. He let the wood fall with a loud clat- ter to the ground, but laid the bundle off his right shoulder with a little more care. The reason was very apparent; for he had four or five wild pigeons, several hares and a young suckling boar. Kos pointed to the suckling boar; the boy passed it over with a confident smile. Kos turned it over two or three times, and then from somewhere on his person he brought out his knife and proceeded to skin the young suckling boar. The boy watched him for a second or two and then put some of the fresh wood that he had brought on the fire. He built it up until a good draft would be made and blew on it until the fresh wood brought a flame which lit up the cave. Kos had a Half-smile on his lips, and the anticipatory saliva was dribbling out of the corners of his mouth unknown to him. The © boy’s face was seen for the first time. The striking thing about him was his large eyes. The ‘‘whites”’ were white, and the cornea was a beautiful light-black tea color. They were magnetic eyes and doubly so when he smiled, which was constantly. When the fire was briskly blazing the boy picked up one of the dead pigeons, put a sharp finger-nail at the point where the ribs form a “V,” pulled downward sharply and took out the entrails, saving the kid- neys, liver and heart. He repeated the same thing over with a second bird, raked out two deep holes on two sides of the fire and put one bird in one and the other in the second— feathers and all—covered them with the hot ashes, built up the fire and sat back toasting his shins waiting till the pigeons were done. Having skinned and taken out the en- trails of the young boar, Kos cut it in two and put the soft, tender hams on the fire to roast, saving the ribs and head to be roasted later. The hams sizzled and hissed as the oozy fat fell into the fire. Now and then a gob of it would catch fire and light up the cave with a bright, white light. With many a sputter and a hiss the gob of fat would be burned to a black cinder, leaving only the very appetizing smell of young, sweet, ten- der wild pig. Adventure Kos showed a wonderful self-control as he turned the meat over this way and that way so that the back and every portion would be well done. After a while it was done to his satisfaction, and he proceeded then and there to satisfy the inner man. The boy raked away the hot embers from the top of the two birds; and when he took them out the feathers were all gone, having been burned away when they were buried under and in the hot coals. The boy bit into the flesh of the first bird, and the meat came away as if it had not been part of the bird at all. Kos had already begun to roast the last portions of the young boar for future use. When it was done he put it aside, wiped his mouth with his forearm, grunted and pointed to some calabashes for the boy to bring to him. The boy brought one and then the second one, for they were too large and too heavy to carry together even for a short distance. Kos opened the first one. The stopper, made out of a corncob, came off with a bing. Kos’ eyes twinkled as he lifted the calabash to his lips, for he was going to drink some of his own home brew. He takes a long, ’ long pull, his throat muscles working regu- larly until he stops and puts down the cala- bash. : He takes a deep breath and expels it slowly, patting his stomach all the while. He rises to his feet with the agility of an umfan, goes over to where his sleeping-mat is leaning against the wall, takes it up and unrolls it, puts it on the floor and lays him- self down and in a moment is in a trance. About a half-hour later Kos came to and sat up slowly and looked at the boy, who was gazing into the fire, his chin resting on his knees. “U cinga ntoni?” (What are you think- ing about?) questioned Kos. . ‘‘N ge nkos,” (Of the king) replied the boy. . Kos gave him a hard look; then— “Ngo.ba?”’ (Why?) ; “Ndi bone inkomo zake.” the royal cattle.) Kos thought this over. Suddenly there came a long shout from outside. It seemed more like a wail. “Wena, Kos! Wena, Kos.” You, Kos!) | But Kos paid no heed as he leaned for- (I saw some of (You, Kos! ward pointing his finger at the boy. “U cinga nge nkosi? Ndi ya hezma. Nkosi CORMICLOOOKS com