Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

410 ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE, ketchum. All right; can do. What I know how can? My marshter is’ verree great man.” With that the loyal youth ducked out and hastened to be at his master’s orders for the preparation and planning of the great coup. Mr. Smith reposed in a cane chair with his feet on the extended arms. His orders were: “Boy, you hurry up an’ bring me a whisky peg!” That was Smith’s last word for the rest of that day. His thoughts, if he had any, were hidden behind the mask of the idio- syncrasies attendant upon shell-shock. The vaudeville manager’s high hopes sank with long leaps as each successive inquiry showed that Smith still sat in his chair with his eyes- closed. “Guess he’s a four-flusher,”’” he muttered in angry disgust. ‘‘ Looks like it’s up to me to round up some other attraction.” I. Yet, when the quick tropical night had fallen like a moist blanket over the land, two figures strode swiftly down the Goobari Road. From time to time they shrank aside into the dark teak jungle which fringed the highway, as parties of men, obviously Jate worshipers, advertised their coming from far ahead by the gleam of lanterns which served the double purpose of dis- closing scorpions in the path and frightening away the devils in the tree-tops. About a quarter of a mile from the temple of Mahadeo, the more massive of the two figures struck boldly into the jungle. The smaller followed; but it was plain that there was reluctance in his steps. He kept casting uneasy glances over his shoulder and upward as they passed under low-hanging boughs. He crossed himself devoutly and fingered a greasy scapular, which he always wore under his thin coat next to his skin. He set great store by this scapular; for tightly sewn into its folds was a five-sided cylinder ‘of pure iron which had been guar- anteed by a yogi of great merit to drive away each of the five different kinds of bhooths which haunted the forest land. Presently the smaller of the two maraud- ers spoke. “ Marshter, how you grab this nautchni from inside?” ‘How should I know?” his master grunted. ‘“‘ When we gets there somethin’s bound to turn up.” ‘ He plunged on through the darkness till the jungle began to thin a little, and pres- ently a high wall loomed before them. He grunted again and surveyed it for a long time in silence. It looked almost as though he slept standing. The boy broke in on his contemplation. “eMarshter, to-day — afternoon — what time you craftfully plotting I coming this temple for worship, the arranging whereof is thusly: Outside is wall. Middle side is outside court, inside court, holy place, and god’s house. Surroundings is garden, priest’s house; mango tope, tank, women’s house, and what not.” ‘Well, I knows it,” was his master’s amazing’ comment. “ But Poonoosawmi, you're a jewel, says I. Therefore, sit you on the wall-top an’ wait whilst I goes on a exploration.” He. took the boy by the waist-band and hoisted him to his shoulder without an effort. Then with one hand under the soles of his feet he heaved him up like a weight- lifter, the boy clawing wildly at the wall the while, till presently he lay like a limp sack across its summit. But he quickly straddled the top and reached down a help- ing hand. Smith, however, drew back a few paces, made a quick rush and a superb leap, and his finger-tips just hooked over the coping, It was all he needed. In a second he was sitting alongside of his servant and survey- ing the great enclosed square which was to be the scene of his coming depredation. In the dim glow of the tropic starlight the various buildings were’ easy to distin- guish through the lacy fretwork of the mango and orange trees. Far out to the front, near the road, lights flared smokily; and every now and then a gong banged and a conch-shell blared as some fanatical skadu assailed the demons which lurked ever with malicious intent about the holy places. . Back by the rear wall everything was dim — and ‘silent. “That thing females’ quarter,’ Poonoo- comicbooks-com