Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

THE, VALLEY ing - in every See = the nausic that mad- dened the little party. — How he ever made the back trip, drunk with jungle fever, is more than he remem- bers. His last recellectien before the Por- tuguese on the Congo forced whisky down his throat was of Nerdvek and sae quar- reling murderously. What follows is my own version a what happened in that place. There was too much-“ sign ” about the camp for me to fail te reconstruct. the stery, and this is what I say happened to Nordvek and Each night the maddening music frayed their nerves; flayed them with terror by darkness. By day the intense heat made sleep almost impossible. The steaming jungle pressed in on them. ‘The stench of decaying vegetable matter sickened them. They occupied themselves for a week or two rearranging their cases and tabulating the specimens.. Then with the time and humidity hanging heavily ever them, they cast about for something te do. Aquilar sulked, blaming their difficulties en Nordvek for volunteering. He in turn took te carving,.at which he was very skill- ful. He soon had finished a set of checkers _and a board, beautifully carved of teak- wood. It was in the nature of a peace offering, for Aquilar had become very sullen and snapped at every word that Jan said, pressed every point to the cursing stage, and threatened to fight on the slight- est provocation. The calm Swede kept things from the breaking point, and one night after supper presented the checkers with a broad grin of friendliness... Aquilar was diverted by the game and _played at it avidly until it occurred to him that he was losing continually, and he re- membered the broad grin with which Jan had presented his gift. Inwardly raging, he blundered for a time and then lost an- ether game. With an effert he steadied himself and set about to win a game, but Jan soon cleared his men from the board. With Jan’s chuckle ef enjoyment Aquilar rese in a rage, crashed his fist down en the beard, splintering it, and threw the care- fully carved men out into the daricness. Just then ey. beth realized that the war OF SOUNDS. music was playing and that they were rising : with the angry sounds to murdereus heights. sprang at him in a burst of herrid drum- ming from the jungle, lips writhing and — teeth bared lke a beast. The leap carried Jan backward off his chair, but he rose with Aquilar held helpless in his tremendously muscled arms; held him squirming until the drumming war. music. _stopped and the haunting melody that fel- Towed took all the fight out of them. In the days that followed the rage, hate and rancor of the one, and the hurt sur- prise and childish vanity of the other, .welded and merged into a deadly feeling that sank deep into their minds. With fear Aquilar would await the night, fearful that the music would madden the vibrant Jan, trembling in anticipation ef the time when he would be tom with remorseless fingers that would eat into his threat at the command of the relentless: throbbing from the valley. The Scandinavian seemed a. great tuning ferk that trembled in answer to the song of the Valley of Sounds. He, Nordvek, seemed half fearful, too, of the inhuman feelings that threatened to drown him. He would stand fascinated in the open tent door, muttering and flexing his arms until he would rush to a bit of work to keep from. flinging himself headlong into the mysterious valley. Then the two would | sit watching and waiting for the first move that would kindle their smoldering hatred into flame. They knew it would not be jeng in coming, for a mental sore festers quickly in the jungle. One night as Jan sat nervously carving totemlike figures on a staff Aquilar spoke. He started by asking Jan what he consid- ered to be the most powerful. Was it luck or was it intelligence, knowledge, science? _ He was plainly angling for something that would start a killmeg quarrel. Nordvek did — not answer at once, but sat staring through the gloom. Then he muttered that intui- - tion, which was luck, was mightier than any _ knowledge, and cited instances to prove it, — bringing up old folklore and ghostly tales. As a last thrust he explained his victories _ in the checker game. Oo 599 comicbooks.com