Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

The Seventeen Thieves of El-Kalil Grim took the dispatch from me and handed it to Cohen. I had to recall de- liberately that I liked Cohen. He read it in the manner of a dry-goods dealer opening the morning mail. What was worse, he read it aloud, destroying secrecy and ninety- nine per cent. of the Romance. What was the use of marking the thing’ “secret” in big black-letters if it was to be treated like a newspaper, and in the presence, too, of ___ the corporal who had risked his life to bring it? But the British are a strange race and Grim’s way with some of their conventions was even more surprizing. | ‘* *Jerusalem,’ ’” read Aaron Cohen, “‘ ‘is fairly well in hand.’ I suppose they mean by that the Moslems have quit knifin’ for twenty minutes to go an’ say their prayers! ‘Several Jews and Moslems have been killed and a considerable number of both sides wounded.’ You'll notice there’s nothin’ about British officers an’ Sikhs. They ain’t -a side; they’re on top! ‘All gates have been closed and a guard set on the ramparts.’ That’s to keep Jews from escapin’ while the Moslems do the dirty work! ‘There is no reliable news from Hebron and it is there- fore assumed that all is well there.’ Say, ain’t that, English for you! ‘The present moment is not favorable for sending de- tachments of troops, small or otherwise, to outlying places and it is therefore hoped that you will tide over the emergency with- out assistance.’ Hey! I’m going to re- member that! That’s a pippin! Next creditor that writes me for something on account, I’m going to answer ‘the present moment is not favorable for sending re- mittances, small or otherwise, to out 0’ ~ town dealers, an’.it is therefore hoped—’ Oh, that’s/a lallopolooser! ‘Word from you by bearer would be welcome, with any particulars that you think -important.’ Can’t read his signature—looks like a G and an X and three Ws and a twiggly mark. | Calls himself staff-major. I call him a genius! That man ’ud be worth any firm’s money!” He passed the letter back to Grim. “‘Goin’ to answer it? Let me answer it! I bet you I’ll bring the Sikhs here in motor- trucks in two hours! What this Administra- tion needs most is a course in business cor- _ respondence. Let me give him some parti-- culars that I thinkimportant! T’ll tell him!” Grim, signing himself as “acting in, tem- - ») porary absence of the governor,” wrote a few lines in a hurry and showed them to Cohen and me before he sealed them up. “Nothing unmanageable here yet, but when available a machine gun might be advisable for demonstration purposes. Expect to be able to carry on meanwhile without assistance, but advise that a company of Sikhs be sent as soon as pest: James Schuyler Grim.” “You might be an out-o’-town drummer askin’ the firm for samples!” was Cohen’s comment on that. ‘‘What that firm needs is orders— press and men to demonstrate!’ ”’ “‘That’s all,’ said Grim, handing the cor- poral the envelope and the man saluted and was gone. Two minutes later the bark of his exhaust began echoing off the stone walls and in a minute more our last link © with civilized force: had vanished out of hearing. sixteen men were waiting at the gate. Grim told him to admit them and we went into the long hall to await their coming, sitting on a bench at the end like three kings on a throne, Grim, Cohen and I, with Ali Baba died in the distance the Governorate standing like a lord high chancellor beside us. They filed in one by one, mysterious and curlous, peering this and that way in the > deepening twilight, strangely heavy-footed - in spite of a manner suggesting conspiracy, and not in4he least at ease until Ali Baba spoke to them. I noticed that Grim was watching the old man narrowly; if a signal had passed I think he would have known it. 19 ‘Send hardware quick by ex-' THEN, as the galloping explosions - servant came in with the news that — ~ . * P sa ha ~ They were led by a -giant—a bulky bearded stalwart about forty years old, in a sheepskin coat that only half-concealed the heft of his shoulders. He wore a long knife in a sheath’ at his:middle, but looked able to slay men, as Samson did, without it. The naked, hairy calf that showed for a moment through a slit imhis saffron-colored smock was herculean with lumpy muscle, and he bowed to us with rather the air of a strong man favoring weaker brethren. But his smile—a streak of milk-whijte in the midst _ of glossy dark hair—was winning enough, | for his brown eyes smiled too and were wide enough apart to look good-natured. None of the rest was as tall as the first man, or as good-looking, although they were \ Cin) i 4 eo im » = = eomic gots ease