Adventure Magazine Cover — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

32 wish to fight with your Honor?” I asked. ‘‘Nay, it is some jest.” This I said to dig out the truth behind Nassau’s words, for the man was a skilled har. Yet the natures of men appear un- masked in a moment of danger, and the prince was no longer the same officer who sat in Strelsky’s room not long ago. His nerves were quivering after the ride through the fleet of the enemy. ‘“‘The admiral swears that I have plotted against his honor; he accuses me of hiring men to waylay him. As God is holy, sotnik 2 Nassau stopped, all of a sudden remem- bering who I was, and what he had wanted me to do. Strelsky must have confessed the whole affair to John Paul, to shield himself a little; but Nassau believed of course that I had told John Paul of the plot. ‘“‘This mad American,”’ he went on while John Paul rolled up his right sleeve, ‘‘ac- cuses me of holding Lieutenant Edwards prisoner. What do I know about that? He demands that the Englishman be given back tohim. Aid me, Cossack, and a purse of a thousand rubles is yours—nay, ask what you will!” When he heard me laugh he knew that I would not aid him. Once he glanced at the shore, as if thinking of flight; but the Turks were all around. The soft gleam of the shining salt crust looked like the teeth of a great mouth, open toswallowa man. E£kh, the skin crawled up and down my back! 4 A LITTLE breeze made the boat rock in the scum of seaweed, as if the hands of the dead were reaching up at us. John Paul kept his balance easily, his feet wide apart, the rapier poised in his hand. As I live, not a lance length separated the two, although Nassau had drawn back far into the prow. All at once the prince cursed fiercely and whipped out his blade, thrusting up from the hip like a flash. He gave no word and no salute, and such was a coward’s stroke. Yet John Paul had good eyes and parried. The glow of the stars and the shimmering of the salt made the rapiers visible as they clashed and twisted and ground together, while Nassau panted. Ekh! That was sword play! Steel in the dark; blade feeling blade; eye peering intO eye; arm straining against arm! The Adventure blood boiled in my veins and I was young again. For Nassau was no mean swords- man; nay, a fine hand with the weapon had he, quick and wary and merciless. Neither could draw back. ‘Twice the hilts clashed together, as if the rapiers had been sabers. Once John Paul staggered and the skiff swayed. Nassau laughed grimly in tri- umph, until John Paul caught himself and warded a thrust at the throat, forcing the prince’s blade up—up, as if it had been an eagle’s feather. Eye glared into eye, while the blades were locked, and, suddenly, the American took a step forward. A great cry came out of Nassau’s strained throat and he tumbled out of the skiff into the floating seaweed. I stood up in readi- ness to leap after him or not—judging him badly wounded—as John Paul should com- mand. He gave no command, but after a moment reached down and caught at some- thing beneath the tangle of seaweed. It was the arm of the prince that he hauled into the skiff and after it the body. He let Nassau lie in the bottom of the boat and presently the injured man began to choke, writhing as if a hundred fiends were in him. He belched out salt water and soon—though it was hard to believe— I heard him whimpering and snuffling like a girl. I have said that John Paul could be a man of stone. He made no move to staunch Nassau’s wound, but sat down in the stern and took the tiller, motioning for me to row back. He steered through the ships of the Turks and found the lights of the Vladimir again. Still he paid no heed to Nassau who lay between my legs, often bumped, of necessity, by the oar ends, and shivering, as I could feel. Flares were lighted as we pulled up to the ladder. John Paul having donned his coat again, walked up to the deck and was greet- ed by many officers who stared at him curiously. But they stared more at Nas- sau who came up on my arm. His gray- and-gold coat was green with slime; his sword and hat were missing and his wig was somewhere back on the beach for the Turks to wonder at. He was able to stand, and I saw no blood flowing at any place. Nay, it was long be- fore I understood the truth. Nassau was not hurt. Not in the flesh, not by steel. But his spirit had suffered; something with- in him had given way that night. He Go DOOLK (C©