Adventure Magazine Cover — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

Tupahn the Thunderstorm are gone. Yet they see. They see here a man with beardless face. If this be no man but a woman, why wears the woman the clothing of a man?” For a moment we looked hard at him. As ever, his face was honest as the day. Suddenly our minds found light. : “Por Deus! That is it!’ Pedro cried. “Fle sees dimly, as he says. The senhorita wears your clothing, Senhor Tom. She speaks no Tupi, could not understand what was said to her, made no answer. That rascally priest must have told the chief she was a man, an enemy, partner of the one who was killed. And the Bat, half blind and seeing what seemed to be a man, believed it all. Let us see if Iam right.” Stepping close to the chief, he went on: “Tell us, heramuhm—grandfather—did your pajé say this was a man?” He smiled as he spoke; and that hand- some, boyish partner of mine could almost smile a bird into his hands if he tried. After a tight squint into his face the old man also smiled a little. “Tt is so, herayi—my son—. me he spoke false?” “T do. He is crooked as a snake, and his tongue is split at both ends. If you believe me not, the proof is plain.. Ask your own people to look on this one and say whether the face and hair are those of man or woman.” “So shall it be,” the Bat agreed. He spoke to those nearest. But. none of them needed to look. Their eyes were better than his, and they had known what he was just learning. A droning chorus of voices answered— “Kunyim buku.” (Young woman). While the voices still sounded I stepped forward, dropped on one knee, and made a swift test of that still body. ‘She lives, comrade!” I called. not hurt.” Before Senhor Tom could answer, the voice of old Andirah rose in shrill rage. “You dumb beasts! Why did you not say before that this was a woman?” His people stood dumb indeed, looking at him and at one another. Finally a man said sullenly— “The pajé But he did not E aah. At that instant a murmur ran through the crowd—the same words he had spoken, but in a different tone. 3 Do you tell “She is a” re we Si tes tan os we . © »v ee 33, “The pajél”’ Turning, I saw coming toward us the priest himself. He was streaked, with mud, scratched by thorns, limping from some hurt received in his struggle homeward through the black bush. But he was uglier than ever. His under teeth showed now in a long line of yellow fangs, and through his wet hair his eyes gleamed like those of a mad animal. He was coming from the door in a lurching scramble, and evidently had heard only the last words spoken—his own title. So he ese himself still the power behind the chief. At sight of us he snarled. And he lost no time in denouncing us. ‘“‘Andirah,” he growled, ‘‘these men come to kill you! They have tried to torture and murder me, pazé of your people, but by my power I vanished from them. Now slay them quickly, before they strike at you! Warriors, spear them!”’ In that moment it was easy to see that the men of the tribe had long been used to obey- ing the commands of the priest. Several spearmen near us promptly lowered their weapons. But then their hands halted, and no man moved toward us. Instead, all glanced at their chief. “Tt is well for you, Tucunas, that you hesitate,” Pedro said’ grimly, holding our one sifle leveled at the nearest man’s body. “We do not die meekly. And it is well for you that you look for orders to the chief. This false priest of yours already has de- ceived your ruler as well as us; has made a fool of the Bat and brought down on him the wrath of the Thunderstorm. Andirah will no longer allow such a traitor to speak for<him.-. <~ The speech, like a double-edged knife, cut two ways. It made every Tucuna realize that it was indeed unsafe to obey their pajé without thinkifg; and it mad- dened their chief against the medicine-man. "oe thin old voice broke out in a screech of ury. “Down with those spears!”” The weapons sank to the ground. ‘You snake! You split-mouthed vulture! You filth! No -more are you pazé of the Bat! You shall be the dog of the women! You shall be spat on by the children! You shall work in the crops, a slave, a beast! You shall His shrill tones cracked. Then they were drowned by the roar of Senhor Tom’s voice, comicboo BP es Oe eee ne Ply, Ae €om <S