Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 23: 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 — turn a lot of knifers loose on the town and nothin’ gained but their own admission that they can’t doa thing! They’ll talk that old rooster over as soon as they get outside. « Here it is dark already anda pogrom slated - for tonight! Seems to me you’re— Say what do you figure you’ve~done, any- But Grim is not given to explaining things much; he told me more than once he has a notion that discussing half-formed plans “lets off the pressure and drowns the spark.” ~ “He looked at Cohen critically, but with that ~ gleam of tolerant amusement that always: takes the sting out of a remark: “We've still got Aaron Cohen to fall back on,” he answered quietly. “TI’ll bet with you, Aaron—my silver watch against your gold one that there won’t be a throat cut in Hebron as long as you,play the game!”’ “Me? What game? Call this a game? - Here, take the watch! I’ll have no use for it this time tomorrow!” “T’'ll trade with you. There, take mine. Now I'll bet with you the other way about. _ My gold watch against your. silver one that you daren’t play my game and pull this fat out of the fire!”’ “May as well play your game as any man’s!” laughed Cohen. ‘Are you thinkin’ of issuing rain checks in case the knifing’s put off till tomorrow?” “T’ve offered to bet you you daren’t.” “Daren’t what?” “Play my game.” “Blind? All right, it’s a bet! You show me the thing I daren’t do!” “Tl try!” Grim answered. “But I’d _ take ten cents for my option: on your uf watch!” De Crespigny and Jones came in together just then, laughing about some incident in , the city and the servant began laying the table for dinner with a brave effort to seem cheerful too, as if he hoped we might live to eat it. He was a wizened old city Arab, deeply pitted with smallpox marks, who had seen his share of trouble in Hebron and retained little except poverty and a huge capacity to doubt. “The city’s quiet,” announced de Cres- pigny, as we started on the soup. ‘Either they’re’ waiting for the men on the camels to bring back a report, or they’ve made up their minds to cut loose at:midnight. There’s no knowing which. I acted Dutch uncle to the head-men in the mejliss hall.” I’ve Beets yet.” 21 aw “How old was the youngest of them?” I asked him. “Lord knows. Why? What differetics does his age make? [I told them they are responsible for good order in the. city and that I’ll hold their noses to it. The Jews made the most fuss; they’re naturally scared. They demanded a curfew rule— everybody to be within doors after eight o’clock.” “Did you agree to that?” Grim asked— a shade sharply it seemed to me. He left off eating soup and waited for the answer. ~ “Didn't dare. Couldn’t enforce it with ten policemen. So I pretended to give the idea a minute’s consideration and then told "em the head-men might make any ruling they liked and that at the first sign of dis- order the head-men will be the ones who'll catch it! On top of that I told ’em I’ve de- cided not to send for troops as long as s they behave themselves; thought that might ex- plain away the fact’ that we can’t get — troops!” . bs es Aly Mh 3 s Pe. AA “ ’ 7 ; Les * : - i a, « ‘ Le 4 Sf ye el Fee ’ a Ave we eG Ww § * “v2 .. ~* ev AES ae et | “Good boy!” said Grim. ae “I feel like Pontius Pilate!” laughed de = Crespigny. es “He was better off; he had about a hun- © “s t dred men,” said Jones. “All the same; you’ve done what he did. I was all through the city. You’ve jolly well got P. Pilate = Esquire looking like a silver-plater cantering « behind the sels at the end of a ee : oa “What T mean is, I think you’ve kept ~ =. SS top. You ‘were so jolly cool they think eS you've got a red ace up your sleeve.” “T’m hoping Grim has,” said de Cres- y. “Sure—I’ve got Cohen,’’ answered Grim. Cohen laid his spoon down and looked about him. “Red ace? Me? Up anybody! s sleeve? Say, quit your kiddin’!”’ “All right. You're to do the kidding from ; now on.’ : “Kid myself, I suppose? Kid myself my stummik don’t feel creepy each time there’s a new noise in the street!”’ “Ves, kid yourself, You're going to be an Arab after dinner.” “Well, give me a long knife then! Maybe I'll wave it an’ preach a holy war an’ lead all the Arabs in rings around the country until they get sore feet an’ die o’ home- sickness? That’s a better idea than any** (©) IOOKS