Adventure Magazine Cover — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

Forward south of Moscow, where the sun was warm on the dense foliage of the trees. In the black soil the wheat stood high and rippled under the breath of the wind like a great pool of water. Dust hung behind us like a giant’s plume, and the mouwjiks we met stood aside and doffed their wool caps, bow- ing as low as their sashes, astonished at the pace of our horses. Eh, it was good to be under a clear sky again! Before long we knew that the rider ahead of us had sighted us, although we had not set eye on him. At a zamora we were told that all the horses were out. Never before this had such a thing happened! Not a nag in the stables! Edwards was for waiting until fresh beasts could be rounded up, but John Paul said we would press forward on the best animals to the next station. We did so, but here also the keepers of the station bowed and prayed forgiveness because all the horses were out. I said nothing, riding instead in a circle about the hut and stables, while the two officers made use of the delay in eating din- ner. Aye, there were few tracks leading away from the zamora along the highway, but a round dozen traces went from the stable yard into the fields, and they were fresh tracks. Calling my Tatars, I sent them off to fol- low the tracks for a few versts and bring back what they found. Then I spurred my tired nag into the group of Moskyas who were watching with covert interest. I pulled out a pistol and cocked it, then primed the pan. “What are you doing, Uncle?” asked the one who had said there were no horses. ‘“‘And why did you send the Tatars away?” “God keep you, brother,’ I made an- swer, “or the devil will get you. I sent the Tatars for a priest.” ‘“‘Why a priest?” He made shift to laugh and invite me down for a nuggin of mead. “Eh, what would a Cossack do with a priest?” “Several things. Nay, I would have the last rites administered to you by the batko, the little father, so when your soul stands in the company of the holy angels you will not smell rank of a bribe.” This I said, knowirig that his palm had been crossed with silver by the rider who raced us to Kherson, and that was why the horses were missing. 17 “But, worthy sotnik—noble, handsome Captain—there is no priest in the village.” There were half a dozen of the Moskyas, with knives and clubs, but when they looked at the pistol they all began to praise me and say that they were my slaves. ‘“‘Then tell me where you have hidden the horses, if there is no priest.” They exchanged glances uneasily, and I added a word, for I did not know if the Tatars were on the right trail and time - pressed. “You will have a gift—” I looked at the first speaker—“‘worth many times the ruble the officer gave you, if the horses are brought | back.” 7 His eyes began to glisten with greed and he made great show of bravado and after a moment another spoke up, saying that the horses had been put out to pasture only half a verst away. I waited, keeping them under the muzzle of the pistol, until the Tatars galloped back with a score of horses, many of them good and not all, judging by the looks of them, from the post station. Then the Moskyas jumped to harness a team to the tarantass and I picked out five ponies with Arab blood just as my officers came out. When I was changing my saddle the chief keeper came up and asked for his gift. “Your life,’ I said. “TI give it you.” Before we were out of hearing that keeper shouted after us that the ensign who had come before us had said we were chiefs of the pirates from the Dnieper, and that we would steal all the horses. I told this to Edwards and he looked thoughtful. ‘‘Why are you so eager to reach Kherson in haste, Uncle Ivak?” he asked after a while. “T had an order to take John Paul there, alive.” 3 “‘True, but you press on like a horse that scents water.” So, seeing there was a new doubt in his mind, I sat back in the saddle and told him the truth. For ages the Cossacks had fought the Turks and all the Moslems who came over the black water. Only a generation ago had the Russians built a fleet strong enough to meet the armada of the Turks and to navigate these new men-of-war they had to engage foreign officers. Many great ships with masts as tall as pines were in this fleet, NOOK (C© inn