Adventure Magazine Cover — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

Forbidden Treasure magnificent, but the erratic quality thereof made him decidedly unwilling to put his head into the lion’s jaws again. “Thank you, Miss Lee,” he said in a tone of polite finality, ‘Madame Haldr understands that I am coming back to my luncheon. Be- sides that, as my vaccination seems to be taking properly, Dr. Berwind tells me I shall be safe in starting on my trip very shortly, and I have much to do in the way of preparation. So thank you, and good-by, Miss Lee.” She cast an uncertain look toward the table. “But your bell? You are forgetting your bell, Mr. Stuart.” Mark shrugged his shoulders. ‘What should I do with a lump of metal like that on such a trip as mine? It is not a thing to pack conveniently in a suit-case! With your permission, I will leave the thing with you.” He gathered the sheets of paper to- gether as he spoke. ‘“‘You will allow me? , These pencil- -rubbings, you see, are quite as interesting to me as the bell itself, and much easier to carry about—especially if I may be allowed to take the translation also.”’ “But certainly,” answered the girl in obvious perplexity. ‘“‘My father made the translation for you, Mr. Stuart. But the bell—I am afraid it is much too valuable. My father would never accept it!” Stuart could not resist his opportunity. “Then it becomes plain that you, Miss Lee, must be the one to accept it—a sou- venir, not of me, believe me, but of Ice- land.” He put aside her objections with a slight gesture. “And now,” he said, ‘ me, I will go.” Berwind followed him sadly out on deck, and on the trip shoreward urged him to remain with them. But Stuart was not to be caught again. ‘“Good-by,” he said, holding on to Berwind’s hand in a short, close grip. “You have been most kind. I appreciate it. ‘“‘Here is my card,” said Berwind ith _ eager friendliness; “‘look me up when you come to New York if you can spare the time for a struggling and obscure practi- tioner.” He laughed suddenly: ‘‘In spite of all the stuff I have been saying, I wish I were going with you, upon my soul I do!” “So do I!”’ said Stuart heartily. “I sup- pose it would be quite impossible?” The other nodded and sighed, with a ‘if you will allow 845 backward glance toward the yacht. The curiously desolate look in his eyes seemed to Stuart the final and fitting epilogue to the chapter of these three unhappy people with whom he had been forced into so brief and curious an intimacy and whom he was now quitting forever. “Tf the treasure had come true,” said Berwind below his breath, “‘—but it didn’t! Dreams don’t, you know. Well, so long, old chap! Good-by, and the best of vol- canoes and geysers to you!”’ Stuart smiled at him. ‘And the best of microbes to you!”’ CHAPTER XIII A MUTINOUS CREW | Oe Stuart’s high heart, there were in the next two weeks moments when he asked himself whether, after all, his ar- dent probing of Nature’s secrets had not this time led him on too far. The open boat to which he had entrusted himself seemed no more than a chip on the face of the waters. Her build was primitive and awkward, her sails clumsily cut and bent. With a fair wind they could squeeze per- haps forty miles from her in the twenty- four hours; when the breeze headed, they lay to or nosed fora harbor. The thoughts of the possible gale which might at any moment descend upon them made even Stuart’s stout spirit confess its own fool- hardiness. 3 The journey to the Vatna peninsula be- came an affair not of days but of weeks— weeks which the monotony of the stores and the difficult communication with his men served to fill, in spite of the environing magic of the sea, with a growing and in- finite weariness. More than once, as Mark served his trick at the clumsy tiller or lay coiled in his sleeping-bag in the evil-smell- ing cuddy, he found his thoughts wander- ing back to the yacht which now lay so many miles away from him on the green arctic water. As the voyage proceeded, however, the necessities of his present case left him con- tinually less and less time for these back- ward flights of meditation. His men were becoming unmistakably surly. His geolog- ical investigations, on the occasion of their making harbor, plainly inspired them with distrust. With the ever-ready excuse of COmiclbook (©