Adventure Magazine Cover — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

Prisoners of War f am in no mood to split thin hairs of courtesy!” “Truly, Tros, your courtesy is thin,” she answered. “Cesar is never discourteous, even to his enemies. I was told you are a prince’s son. Where you were born are manners thought unmanly?”’ “Answer this!” He rapped his sword- hilt on a table that he dragged up to the window-light. ‘What was written in Cesar’s letter that Caswallon took from you and burned?” She smiled and tossed her head. it to the lord Caswallon. ners. me!” “What was written in the letter?” “Since the letter was burned, what mat- ters what was written in it!” Her dark eyes dared him. Tros drew his sword, his great chin com- ing forward with a jerk. He let the sword- point fall until it touched her bare throat. “Answer me!”’ Her eyes turned slightly inward as she ““T gave He had man- He was too polite to take it from looked along the sword-blade toward the marvelously steady hilt, but she did not wince. The sword-point pricked the skin. She did not even flinch from it. “T will not tell! And you dare not kill me!” fTros let the sword-point fall until it touched her naked foot between the crossed thongs of her sandal. A dancing-woman’s toot was where her fear might lie closest to the surface! But she laughed. “Before these women, Tros! What would the Britons say to you? Czsar may torture women, and you might—though I think not, for I see a weakness—but the Britons don’t even whip their children. Would Caswal- lon forgive you if you should nail my foot to the floor in his house?”’ TROS owned to the weakness she divined in him. He could Ges, kill, in cold blood or in anger, but ~~ % the very thought of torture made him grit his teeth. The half of his hatred of Cesar was due to his contempt for Cesar’s practises; he liked the Britons because they did not practise cruelty. But he could be cruel in another way. Compunction that prevented torturing man or woman implied no inhibition against mental terrorism. He could hardly bear to see a fish gaffed if the hook would serve, and 47 could not kill a cur like Skell unless his own life were in danger, but he could be as ruth- less as the sea, as practical as fate in match- ing means to ends. His eyes changed, and the woman noticed it. He glanced at Helma. “Bring my man Conops!”’ he commanded, and he set his sword-point on the floor be- — tween his feet, to lean on it and wait. He did not have to wait long. As Helma drew the bolt the door swung inward. Conops lurched into the room, shielding his head with his arm, in fear of the blow he had earned by eavesdropping, too wise im his master’s ways to offer an excuse. When the blow did not fall he peeped over his arm, then dropped the arm, blinked his eye and grinned, knowing danger was over. ‘Tros’ punishments were prompt, or else not meted out at all. “News?” Tros asked him. “None, master. Only I heard say they are hunting Skell; and a chariot went for Caswallon.” ‘“Caswallon is coming, eh? wife?” Tros knew the answer, but he chose that Cornelia should learn the truth from Con- ops’ lips. “No, master—surely you know that! The last woman I = A frown convinced him he had said enough. Tros turned to Cornelia. ‘This man is no beauty, is he! He is not well bred. His manners are of the fore- peak quality. He disciplines a woman with a knife-hilt. He is single. He is old enough to marry. He would serve me better if he had a wife to keep him from longshore escapades. I will give you to Conops to be his wife—his wife, you under- stand me? Conops is a free man, he can own a wife.” He had her! She was out of the chair, indignant, terrified, appealing to the other women, ready to scream, in a panic, strug gling to control herself. Tros’ threat was something he could easily fulfil, since she was his by all the written and unwritten laws. If she should claim that she was Cesar’s slave, then Tros, as Cesar’s enemy, might do as he pleased with her by right of cap- ture, she having been sent to use her wiles on him, not on Caswallon. If she should declare herself a free- -woman, she might feol Have you a ecomicbooks.com