Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

Om There was no more danger, provided Ommony could play his own part; but if he should make one mistake the situation would be worse than ever. He beckoned one of the musicians, who was guarding the door at the rear of the stage, signed to him to bring his instrument, stepped out in front of the curtain and sat down beside the lama. Hostile silence broke into a sea of grins and chuckles when Diana, still in her grease-paint, followed and squatted on his left hand between him and the musician. The musician was deathly scared, but un- froze and tuned his instrument when the lama looked at him. Ommony surveyed the crowd with the best imitation of in- solence his strained nerves could muster, taking his time, absorbing the feel of the lama’s calmness. He needed it; he sensed that the old man’s courage was a dozen times as great as his. “‘And now, my son,”’ the lama whispered, ““we are face to face with opportunity.” That was a brave man’s view of danger! Ommony laughed, cleared his throat and thrust his lips out impudently— “People who don’t know enough to ask a blessing, may expect to get—what?”’ he demanded tartly. “‘Pranam,” said two or three voices, and the murmur caught on. It was not unani- mous, but it sufficed to put him in counte- nance. He blessed them with an air of doing it because he had to, not for any other reason. “Now,” he said in the nasal impromptu doggerel singsong of the minstrel, “I could sing for you a ballard of your own abomi- nable shortcomings, and it would serve you right; but it would not make your souls white, and it would take all night. It would give me much delight, but it would put you all to flight, and I’m compassionate. “Or I could sing you a few measures about the Brahmans of this place; who are a lousy lot, but if I sang of their disgrace, not a one would show his face again among you. You need the Brahmans to keep you from think- ing too much of yourselves! They’re bad, but you’re worse, you’re the sinners~ and they’re the curse. Take that thought home and think about it! “Ts there anybody here,” he asked, with his head to one side, “‘who would like me to sing about him personally? No? You’re not anxious? Don’t be backward. Don’t think 12” it’s too difficult. Stand up and tell me your name, and I'll tell you all about you and your father and your uncles and your son, and what mischief you ‘were up to this day fortnight. Nobody curious? Oh, very well. Then I'll sing you the Lay of Alha.”’ INDIA will listen to that song hours ‘ without end. It is a saga of Raj- put chivalry, and men who know no chivalry nor ever were in Rajputana love to hear it better than the chink of money or the bray of the all-conquering gramophone. Since the white man first imposed himself on India there have not been half a dozen who have learned that lay by heart from end to end, not three who could have sung it, none but Ommony who could have skipped long, tedious parts so artfully and have introduced in place of them extempore allusions to modern politics and local news. He outdid any Bhat they had ever heard, because he did not dare to count, as Bhats do, on the song’s traditional popularity and so to slur through it anyhow. He had to win the audience. But what obsessed him most was a desire to win the lama’s praise; the harder he tried, the more he admired the lama, sitting as calm as a Buddha be- side him. Regarded as music his effort was not marvelous. Asa feat of wit and memory it was next thing to a miracle. His voice, not more than fair to middling good and partially trained, survived to the end be- cause he pitched it through his nose, reliev- ing the strain on his throat; and his manner grew more and more confident as he realized that memory was not playing tricks and he could recall every line of the long epic. He sang them into a merry frame of mind; he sang them thrilled, compassionate, in- trigued, excited, sentimental, bellicose and proud in turn. He had them bumming the refrain with him. He had them swaying in time to the tune as they sat, their laughing, upturned faces glistening with sweat. He had them throwing money to him before the lay was half sung; and it was then that the lama whispered: “Enough, my son. skill in the conclusion.”’ Ommony stopped singing, and gagged at the crowd, with his tongue between his teeth, pretending that his voice had given out. “Did any Brahman in this city ever do Forget not to put Comicbook C© =