Adventure Magazine Cover — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

The Witch Ayub’s brown face became grim and Demid spurred up to the speaker. ‘‘When did that happen?” he asked. ‘Last Candlemas, ataman.”’ “And you stand here, like midwives at a borning!”’ The eyes of the young warrior flashed around the circle of lifted faces, and he raised his clenched hand over his head. Seven months of achievement in spite of nerve-trying obstacles—his whole journey into Islam had been wasted. The nearest Cossacks hung their heads, and avoided his gaze. “The forehead to you, ataman,”’ spoke up the colonel who had greeted Demid. ‘‘We are not cowards that you should use words like a whip, and we lacked powder, cannon and horseflesh. If the Turks had come up at us we would have pounded them, but we had no leader to go against them.” ‘*Rurik dead!” Demid turned to Ayub, who for once was speechless. Then he spoke to Michael, evenly: ‘This treasure, then, is ours. Your share is a large one, and I will put it aside——” ‘“‘Not so,”’ answered tHe cavalier promptly. “Tt was a rare voyage—and my share of Sidi Ahmad’s loot goes with yours.” ‘And you, Michael?” “T shall venture with you henceforth.” “Eh, the wild goose has chosen its flock.”” Demid’s white teeth flashed in a smile. ‘‘Good.” Once more he surveyed the watching brotherhood, who were ill at ease. ‘‘Now, noble sirs—” he leaned over to jerk a bag from the cart and toss it to the priest—*“‘here is a new church for the batko, aye and new images of gold and silver.” Pulling out the other sacks he slashed them open with his sword, releasing upon the ground a flood of shining gold, amber and ivory—and a torrent of the finest jewels. “It is not fitting for one Cossack to have more than his brothers. So set your hands in this trash and drink it up, or lay it out in garments or horses, just as you will. Guzzle and gorge and then go back to hug your wives and tend your cattle.” Taking up his reins he turned away, his face dark with disappointment. For a while the elders of the council were angry, then they scratched their heads, and of Aleppo 69 began to pull at their mustaches moodily. A buzz of talk drifted in from the groups of the warriors, and yet no man put hand to the wealth that lay on the earth. “‘He spoke well. That’s a fact.” “Aye, he hasa horned soulin him. There is no milk in his blood. Did you hear him call the officers old women?” ‘Well, his sword will back up his words, right enough. No getting around that “‘He flew down on Aleppo——” ‘But we are not old women. Let us buy powder and bullets and carriage guns and pound the Turk.”’ The murmur grew to a shout and the colonels asked what the will of the assem- bly was. “Our will is that Demid should be Roshevoi—chief of all the Cossacks!” ‘“‘Aye,’”’ roared Ayub, who had lingered to hear what was to follow, ‘that was well said. He was Rurik’s chum.” The head men put their heads together, and admitted that Demid had shown wis- dom; he had outwitted the Turks, and only the was Cleverer than the Turks. ‘““Demid!” howled the throng of warriors. “Give him the baton, you cx-tails, or we will pound you!” The colonels held up their hands and gave their assent and a voice somewhere took yup a song: “Glorious fame will arise, Among the Cossacks, Among the heroes, Till the end of time.” AND that Winter when the bandura (@ players sat by the fireside in the cot- tages on the steppe, they had a new song. Bending their aged limbs toward the blaze and nodding their lean heads, they told how Demid the Falcon, rallied the strength of the Cossacks along the border and went against the Sultan. They sang, these baudura players, who were blind minstrels, of the deeds they had not seen, of a slender Frank who was made colonel of a regiment, and of the storm that was brewed by the giant Ayub who rode his horse within sight of the imperial city. They told how the Sulzan tore his beard, and the streets of Islam ran red until all the world knew how the Cossacks had come to a reckoning with ths Turks for the death of Rurik. COmiclbook (©