Adventure Magazine, April 10, 1924 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

46 Adventure when a siege is toward, and I pray thee——” But the knight waited not to hear how Bunsley had managed to gather his tidings. Putting his horse to a gallop, followed by his escort and the minstrel and archer, he made for the eastern gate. Riding with loose rein, he glanced about him and saw that in the bazaar the merchants were hurrying to gather the goods from their stalis and that men ran about shout- ing aimlessly. As when the Shah passed through, crowds of slaves and women lined the housetops to stare at the fires on the skyline. Torches were lighted by the Otrar gate, and here a body of Kankalis stood beyond spear-throw of three men. At first sight of the three Robert thought that Abullah and Will had jested. ‘They were mounted on shaggy ponies not much larger than donkeys. They were clad in coarse wool and leather, loosened over their bare chests for coolness in the windless evening. Only one, the most powerful of the three, wore mail of sorts— a haburgeon of iron plates knotted together with leather thongs. The face of this rider was dark as bur- nished bronze and clean-cut as iron. His bare right arm was heavy with corded sinews, and the sword at his thigh was broad as an English battle-ax. He spoke in explosive gutturals, barcly moving his lips, and one of the Moslems interpreted. “The Mongol says he is Chatagai, a com- mander of a hundred. He says Genghis Khan offers the people of the city their lives,” The envoy glanced once at thé crusader and his horse and spoke again. “You are to bring the people from the walls to the plain,” explained the Kankali, “with food and forage for a hundred thou- sand men and double that number of horses. He has gifts—a bow and an arrow. Look upon them; such bows are strong, such ar- rows shoot far.” Robert took the weapons in his hand and found the bow to be massive indeed, as heavy as a spear and as long as the English bows. The arrow was of cloth-yard length, its solid silver head pierced with holes. “He says you can not cope with such weapons. If the gates are opened to Genghis Khan he will slay no man; if the gates are shut no man will live.” Curiously Robert studied the Mongol, the first of that race he had seen. The warrior was strongly built, and horse and man remained as tranquil as if the rider had never known any other seat than the saddle. Chatagai stared for a long time at a dried and wrinkled head stuck upon a spear by the gate, seeming to take especial interest in this one grim remnant among the many skulls about the gate. “Can you bend this bow?” Robert asked the archer. “That can I,” assented Will, who had been circling around the weapon like a dog that had sighted a side of venison. He dismounted, examined the double stringing of twisted gut, and, exerting his strength in knee and arm, strung it swiftly. “The bow is an honest longbow, but the arrow hath a lewd hammer head. Nathe- less if yonder churl can loose it, loose it { wi & Planting his feet he gripped the feathered tip between fore and middle finger upon the string and drew it to his ear. The arrow flashed up into the night with a shrill, tuneful whistling that dwindled and passed beyond hearing. Chatagai grunted in ap- proval. “Now that is a pretty conceit!” observed the archer in surprize. “The holes i’ the silver made a fair flute—sa ha! Master Robert, grant me the bow for mine own, an it please thee.” The knight nodded, wishing that he could find a weapon to fit his own hand as easily, and turned to the Mongol. “Tell him we can handle his weapons. Bid him say to his king that I hold Bokhara for Muhammad Shah, and the gates are closed to him.” Chatagai pointed at the head on the spear and spoke vehemently. ‘ “Vah khawand,”’ explained the Kankali, “this barbarian reminds you that the man whose head stands there was an envoy sent by Genghis Khan to Otrar. He dares to utter the warning that the person of an envoy was sacred before the time of Mu- hammiad the Slave; he says God alone knows what will be the issue of this. we cut him down?” “He goes free!” growled Robert. The Mongol glanced briefly at the tall crusader and at Abdullah. Then, lifting his hand to his forehead and lips, he jerked the pony about in its tracks and swept through the gate with his men after him. COmiclboookSs.G© Ai-a, shall~ S|