Adventure, December 1914 — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

y , . t ‘ « , é t Sees | res ee p os j s ow (AR ps ih a Se : 23.0% ’ . toe =" te Ne 4 OM . aes oo gd ea ; co 3 a. ws p aS é J Bars “ o “ue ‘ a, d ‘Lk ; aa Ae THE NG of fhe WHALE ° _ $ » OR * *. My cy + ret PU Se bd ¥ Sid . g ’ AN ADVENTURE OF DICK ANTHONY OF ARRAN 6G, TALBOT MUNDY erm |ICK ANTHONY surveyed a : D. sun-baked plain, and knew his . 4 victory to be a Pyrrhic one; but, unselfconscious to the last de- gree, he happened to be chiefest of the men —in the true, tremendous meaning of that word—to whom danger was never more nor ever less than notice to put out their utmost. Russia had wronged him for her own ends; he had hit back hard at Russia, careless for his own wrongs, but mortified by Persia’s, and now twice-running he had taught Cossacks how defeat feels; but in that minute, as he watched the stricken enemy slink off toward the sky-line and knew there would be vengeance later on, he no more feared the future than he thought of flinching from his own half- drilled rabble. He was possessed with the same quiet piety that seems to have marked most great leaders. The only fear he ever seemed to know was that perhaps he might not do his duty; but he was no vain vision- ary; when he dreamed dreams and loosed imagination’s rein, his habit was to work and fight until the dreams came true. He 62 could recognize grim fact, and was too hard- headed to ignore it. He admitted to himself now that his two quick victories within a week meant little more than two spur-marks on Russia’s hide—very little more than two sure fight- ing-cues. Russia still held all the lines of communication with the outer world, and all the arteries of news; Russia had six million men to his three thousand. Russia had money—statesmen—influence—and all the hidden power of a huge political ma- chine. He had to stir himself if he was to save Persia from the Russian yoke! This last success was likely to bring men flocking to his standard; but the East is the East still, and the first reverse would set them desert- ing again in droves. Action, and only action—swift, unexpected and well-planned —could help him or Persia. But then he was a man of action, first and last. ‘“‘Back to the hills!’ he ordered, shutting his binoculars away and gathering his charger’s reins. Russian dead and wounded lay scattered over two square miles of plain, and the Co JOO C@