Adventure Magazine Cover — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

Prisoners picked a thin-skinned fool to pave Rome’s way to conquest. Conops came out of the house with Cesar’s scarlet cloak and draped it on Tros’ shoulders, Helma assisting to arrange it, half-suessing its significance although she did not know that Tros had looted it along with the Roman’s bireme. The young Britons who had appointed themselves Cornelia’s body-guard began to Whisper to her. One of them grew bold and raised his voice— “Tros, your insolence insults us all!” Tros sneered; his mood was cynical. OGrwic came out of the house to stand be- hind him. Orwic being in authority just then the crowd grew still, until Cornelia spoke in Latin: “Cesar’s cloak, Tros! You foreshadow Cesar! He will take that for an omen when I tell him Tros sat cloaked in im- perial scarlet on the porch of Caswallon’s “They talk Latin!” some one shouted. “Tros is Cesar’s man!” There were more than a hundred people by that time on the green before Caswallon’s house, not counting the stable-hands and other serfs, who were hardly to be reckoned with, not daring to offend their betters; some were men who had come too late to fight the Northmen, jealous of the victors’ spoils and very anxious to assert them- selves. A tumult began, a few of them denouncing Tros as an intriguer, some shouting that Ceesaz’s message should be heard. A noisy, small group, nearest to the gate and safety, denounced Caswallon. Orwic swore under his breath, using the names of a dozen Celtish gods. Tros whispered to Conops: “Bid my Northmen gather themselves behind the house and enter it from the rear. Take charge of them. Add yourselves to Orwic’s men. Be swift.” Then he turned to Orwic. “Now or never!” he said, with a careless shrug of his shoulders. “Is Caswallon king in Lunden? Gently, boy, gently! Not yet. Leave this to me. I will show you who tules this end of Britain!’’ He stood up, letting his face light with laughter, gathering Czesar’s scarlet cloak around him. He addressed Cornelia, but in a voice that all the crowd could hear, and he spoke slowly, in Gaulish, as if answering her speech, and taking care that all should un- of War 45 derstand him, in spite of his foreign accent: “Aye, woman! This was Cesar’s cloak. You, who were Cesar’s light o’ love until he sent you to cozen me, were not so very clever when you recognized it! I am teld you brought me a letter from Cesar. Iam told Caswallon burned it. I am told you are warning the Britons not to listen to Cas- wallon until they first hear me. Well: They shall hear me now. I am Caswal- |?? lon’s guest! HE COULD hear a tramping through the house behind him as the Northmen came with Conops to reenforce Orwic’s men. There was a noise of weapons being lifted from the racks. “Cesar sent you tome. Are you ready, Orwic?” he whispered. ‘‘March out and surround her when I give the word! ‘There- fore you are mine. I will see that none perverts you from right conduct in the realm of him who is. host to both of us! Come!” he commanded, beckoning. Cornelia appealed to her escort, too late. Orwic took the cue and rushed from the porch with forty men-at-arms behind him, twelve of them Northmen very anxious to repay bruises done at horse-play. It was risky work; the Northmen, fierce enemies a day ago, were likelier than not to cause in- dignant bloodshed; safety lay in doing the work so swiftly that there would be no time for a crowd without a leader to decide whether it really was indignant or was haif- amused. Conops and the Northmen surrounded Cornelia; Orwic and his Britons who thrust themselves between the Northmen and her British escort, joining spears before them like a fence-rail, forcing the astonished escort backward on their heels. And while Orwic accomplished that, Tros~ shouted, throwing up his right arm, shaking Cesar’s scarlet cloak to distract attention to himself; ‘Ho, there! Caswallon’s friends! There is a rat named Skell who brought this Cesar’s woman to cheat away your freedom! Where is Skell?”’ Caswallon’s friends were fewer than his enemies in that crowd, but the impulse of Shxprize was in their favor. By the time Cornelia had been hustled into the great hall in the midst of a group of grinning North- men, who handled her none too gently, the loyalists had started a diversion, shout and Gomicbooks.com