Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

Mary Pee ; 8 Adventure “And the Sikhs will Bars the dead Jews! __» Listen, my son. You British are not Turks. & 2 “a | = - or ’ “7, — a ~ > ~ : . . $0 many years. _ shoot a handful. Who in this place is afraid of British ven- geance, after living under the Turk’s heel The Sikhs will come and There will be a trial, at which every witness will tell lies. Those _ who have the fewest friends will be con- victed; some will he hanged and some im- -~ prisoned. For four thousand Jews slain will forty Moslems hang? Better go before the sacrifice begins!” “You go back into the city,” said de Crespigny, as calmly as if he were ordering the streets cleaned, ‘‘and tell your friends this: There’s only one authority in this place, and that’s me! Say they have me to deal __ with before they can start on the Jews!” fore they try the jail,” ‘You and these few and ten policemen!” The old Arab smiled and spread out his hands in a gesture of something like despair. “They will go first to the jail, pillage it and* set the prisoners free. Next they will come here, for there are rifles here and cartridges. In less time than the muezzin needs to cry his summons they will slay you and take _ the rifles. After the Jews! And after that, if it is written that the Sikhs shall come, then that is written, and who shall stay the hand of God?” “Go and tell them to come here first be- said de Crespigny calmly. “That is all I have to say. Go and tell them.” “Allah ysallmak!’* said the Arab sadly. “Allah yihfazak!”} de Crespigny replied, and the old man turned and went. “Doc.,” said de Crespigny, turning to- - -_ward the Scotsman, “there are two camels outside. Better take them. Put Miss Gordon on one and you and she make a break for Jerusalem. ‘This situation looks none too good.” ~ Doctor Cameron laughed drily, wrinkling up his eyes as he looked keenly at each of usin turn. He was a big man, with a power- - ful head and a firm, good-tempered mouth under a scraggly gray moustache. He looked like an old soldier, but had never _ actually worn any other uniform than the _ mask and apron of the operating-room. “Five-and-twenty years I’ve been here,” he replied. “Can you see me running away?” - “But the nurse—Miss Gordon?” *God save youl +~God keep youl “She’s a fine girl. She'll stand-by. Ask her if you’d rather. I'll not interfere.” “Better send her to this place, then.” “You young Hector! She’s safer in my hospital. They’ll do no murder there; we’re far too useful to them. I stood by them through the war as a Turks’ prisoner; they’ll remember that. There’s hardly a man in Hebron hasn’t been to me for help at one time or another. But what do you lads propose to do?” “Brazen it out,” said de Crespigny. “You'll need all your brass, I’m think- ing.” He looked hard at Jones. “That boy’s in no fit state to give the best that’s in him. I brought my bag with me. Let me see that lower jaw.” He took Jones’ head in capable, enormous hands and tilted it toward the light. ~~ “Open. Wider. Um-m-m! Sit on that stool. Reach me the bag, de Crespigny.” He unwrapped a lancet and a pair of ugly © forceps, then got behind Jones and gripped his head firmly between his knees» “By rights ye ought to have an anesthet- — ic for a job like this, but your mother had to endure a lot worse when ye came into the world. We'll see if you’re half as good a man as your mother. Now!” It was a bloody business and not con- venient to watch, but we all looked on like spectators at a play, pretending not to feel the skin creep up our spines. It was several minutes before the last piece of a broken tooth was tossed into the brass basin that a servant brought. “Now lie down., If I ever meet your mother [ll tell the lady that her labor was worth while. Ye’ll feel finely by and by. He might have an ounce or two of whisky.” He wrapped up his tools, turned down his shirt-sleeves, and started for the door. “Tf I can be of any further use, my boys, ye ll know where to find me. The best ad- vice I can give is, always let the Arab know you're not afraid of him, and make him suspect ye’ve something in reserve. And by the way—ye’d better all join me at the hospital, if things look too bad. I think the rascals will respect that place. There’ll be bad news from Jerusalem before night or my name isn’t Cameron.” De Crespigny glanced swiftly at Grim. Grim nodded. That was puzzling, for there had: been no signs of disturbance _ that I could see when we came away that morning. Gomichoo (E(0)