Adventure Magazine Cover — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

144 War or peace? he mused as he stopped to gaze out over the valley to where the stockade lay broiling in the heat. The confused noises of village life came dis- tantly from it—the wail of women mourn- ers, the occasional outburst of despair over some new death,-the deep and incessant funereal chanting from the Koran in the square, thatched mesingit, the mosque which rose alongside the raja’s balet out of a huddle of peaked bamboo gables. Other funereal chants came from white- robed pall bearers carrying out into the jungle coffins without bottoms, so that the victims could sleep on Mother Earth yet not be oppressed by earth above them. Cholera was pursuing its deadly way un- checked over there among the raja’s people. As Yates looked, it came to him that there was a better thing than either War or Peace, and its name was Mercy. ‘To stop that massacre of.a whole town—that way lay friendship undying, loyalty, gratitude. Just to sit tight and govern by foree simply imposed a sullen endurance upon these people, an endurance with longing eyes turned back on Siam, whose Government had been the mere requirement of an annual money tribute and had left them free. Samang had been a nuisance to the civilized world, of course; under Siam the place had been a nest of petty piracy and a refuge for all the malefactors escaping from the well-policed Malay Federated States—but somehow Yates found himself sympathizing with the raja, with his dis- like of white interference, of veto on cher- ished native customs, of work and progress —soon there would even be missionaries! He took his decision and called Ranleigh. “I’m going over there, Ranleigh, old chap,’”’ he announced. ‘You will probably get an ultimatum from the raja by noon. it will be hazily worded, but it will mean just one thing; for us to get out and leave them in peace. Pay no attention to it, but just sit tight. Never mind me; I’m going over there with Crabbe’s salt pump and try a few miracies. Spectacular thing, that pump! The mere sight of it would cure most Malays! And Crabbe is through with it over here.”’ Ranleigh nodded, puzzled. The whole idea seemed to him foolhardy and without precedent, but he was not a man of de- cision one way or the other. Adventure “Don’t pay any attention to any de- mands for ransom for me, nor to any rumors that they have done me in,” went on Yates. “Just sit tight; load your two cannon with grape shot, and keep the Sikhs on guard in case they rush you. “I’m moving the Navy over to this bank where it can command Residency Hill from the flank. You send Brett a crew of Sikhs. ‘““‘Well—I guess that will be about all. I’m taking Crabbe’s two medical Eurasians.” Ranleigh had been listening more and more uneasily. At last he was to be left all alone in charge, and he liked it not. “My dear fellow!’ he entreated the moment Yates had finished. ‘Have you any conception of the risks you run in going over there into that den of thieves? At least take a couple of Sikhs with you!” he begged. ‘““‘What’s the use?” grinned Yates. ‘The poor fellow’s lives are valuable to them at least. And any show of force is a con- fession of fear. Id rather go it alone, and Iintend to. You just hold the hill and get off our telegraph man into the jungle to tap the wire in case any trouble develops. I'll make out!”’ “You Americans!” sighed Ranleigh un- happily. There was a finality about all this that upset him. Everything was being hazarded upon the cast of the dice and they might come down wrong. It was like jumping over a narrow but dangerous forest waterfall. The bold man measured the distance, took the leap, and the thing was done. The timid one mea- sured the risks and decided he’d better not —thereby letting himself in for endless jungle going, most likely. BUT Yates had gone out of the room, leaving Ranleigh standing there uncertainly and thinking up further objections. He possessed himself of the doctor’s salts and apparatus. The pump was a fearsome and gleaming thing, having all the spectacular horrors of a surgical instrument array. No pawang could ask for better outward and visible signs of great magic! Yates picked it up and called away Crabbe’s two medica’ apothecaries, both Hindus and both very much frightened. ‘““‘We’re going over there, babus. No MICLOOOK C@ inn