Adventure Magazine Cover — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

Forbidden Treasure we pass to the inscription on the transverse of this hollow cross—you observe it?” Stuart nodded. ‘And the diagram be- neath it, what is that?”’ ee Mr. Lee shook his head. “It is a rough kind of hieroglyphic,” he said. ‘‘ You may have noticed these others. This winged shape was a familiar symbol of the Vikings. The others seem to be drawings of the chalices—you can even see the handle of this cup on the left.” — “You're right again, sir!’”’ said Stuart heartily. “But now the inscription—what does the inscription say?” Mr. Lee screwed his gold eye-glass upon it in obvious enjoyment. ‘The directions are all to be taken in the land of Olaf, below —yes, that is the name that German woman gave to the range, and it is a literal transla- tion: ‘below the High-gone-Hills.’ Listen! “Where the river of Snorr flows into the river of Halpa.’ Wait a moment—‘flowing between the Mountain of the Bull and the Mountain of Sigurda, from the oak tree at the base of the hill of Sigurda, one hundred paces upward.’ The classic pace was five feet, so I suppose,” interjected Mr. Lee, glancing up, ‘‘we may be safe in assuming the distance here to be five hundred feet to the rock—to the ‘Red Rock of Half.’ That, I should say, clearly means one- half way up the mountain-side. And then there is a word here that is a bit difficult to render in English. It is literally ‘beak.’ It is probable that the rock in question juts out like a beak from the flat surface of the cliff. I will translate freely: ‘In the cave behind the jutting promontory of the Red Rock of Half, we bury thy gold to thee, O most Holy One’—Could directions, I ask you, be more specific?”’ “You are a wonder, sir,’ said Stuart simply. “I haven’t words to express my admiration for your cleverness. I might have had the bell a hundred years without getting from it what you have found in less than a week. But one thing I want to say. Of course, if all this should come to anything, of course it must be share and share alike among us all.” Mr. Lee, though obviously pleased with the young man’s generosity, waived the question. ‘‘Nonsense, nonsense! The bell is yours, the treasure is yours. However, I do not say that we will altogether refuse a chalice or two. When shall we start?” Stuart turned with a laugh. ‘This is 843 rather a joke, sir. You see, only this morn- ing I engaged a boat and men of my own for a cruise around that very Vatna pen- insula,”’ ‘“‘Countermand them,” said Mr. Lee ab- ruptly. ‘‘Countermand them and come with us. We will engage to make you more comfortable, hey, Berwind?”’ Stuart smiled at him. “Naturally, I can not hesitate, especially as the Icelandic seamanship seems doubtful. I accept your kindness, sir, with pleasure.” ‘““And we’ll give up our cruise to the Northwestern peninsula,’ cried Mr. Lee, rubbing his nose delightedly. “Upon my soul, this business makes me feel a boy again. Treasure, inscriptions, that no eyes but ours have read since the day they were cut here for us! And specific directions for finding the spot, names given and all! Nora, darling, isn’t it a glorious experi- ence?” CHAPTER XII THE WRECKING OF PLANS UT before she could answer, Stuart. had dropped back in his chair with an unfeigned groan, and they all turned amaz- edly to face him. “What on earth is the matter?” cried Berwind blankly. ‘Stuart, what is the matter?” . Stuart burst into a hoot of dismal laugh- ter. ‘‘Do you happen to remember, any of you, the present condition of that Vatna country?” Berwind’s jaw dropped. Mr. Lee’s face became fireless. Nora stared. ‘‘Upon my soul!”? said Mr. Lee slowly. The change in their demeanors had come as suddenly as if some one had thrown cold water upon their flaming hopes. There was quite a long, an eloquent silence. “The joke is on us,” said Mark grimly. “The place has been the abomination of desolation these hundreds of years. Within living memory no man has so much as crossed it. We might as well seek Sigurda herself, as try to identify her mountain. And as for our rivers, for hundreds of miles the glaciers came down to the sea. We will find the stream that watered Eden, my friends, before we discover where the River of Snorr flows into the River of Halpa.” . Mr. Lee, his face fixed in lines of bitter COmiclbook ©