Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

THE RADIO MAN, - drawn howl, the call of a woofus. Nearer came the sound. We were in a field at the time, and | could see that the ant-man was looking around for a likely tree, in which to take refuge; but the bordering woods were all scrub, with not a single sizable tree in sight, so my captor laid me down and advanced toward the oncoming woofus, evidently de- termined to bluff it out and to attack before being attacked. Then the purple terror bounded into the open. One ant-man is no match for a woofus. I admired the bravery of my captor, but he was slowly driven back, con- testing every parastad of the way. When the two were nearly upon me, I realized that my languor was gone. I undid my bonds. I stood erect. I.hunted for and found a heavy stick. My captor was entirely engrossed in his conflict. Now was my chance to crush him with my club, and then escape while the woofus devoured his remains. Fate was indeed kind to me once more. So 1] crept stealthily forward, and then brought my club down with a crash on the head of— The woofus. For my sense of fair play, my sporting sense if you will, had abruptly changed my mind, and I had rescued the under-dog, instead of killing him. Now ‘I was again his captive, undoubtedly des- tined this time to have eggs laid in me by Queen Formis. The ant-man stood for a moment as- tounded, and then wheeled around. [ still held my club. There was now no reason why I should not kill him too, if I could. But he did not charge. Instead he said: ‘‘ Let us not fight. You have saved my life, and so I owe you yours. ‘A life for a life,’ No one shall ever say that 356-1-400 is ungrateful. Go in peace. Look, a mist approaches. My excuse shail be that I lost you in the fog. If you too are grateful, you will tell the same story.” Then the fog, a frequent phenomenon of Poros, closed upon me, and I saw my cap- tor no more. I lay down, covered myself with tartan leaves to keep off the wet, and waited for the fog to lift. And the next thing I knew, it was morn- ing. 71883 In spite of my long fast—since supper two days ago—I felt refreshed by my sleep, and at once set out through the woods in as nearly a straight line as I could, in the hope of striking a road. The straight line was easy, as the eastern sky was still faintly pink; and likewise it was easy to head north along the road, when I finally reached one. But when at last I came to a city, it turned out to be Ktuth rather than Kuana. Before seeking food or anything else, ex- cept a much-needed drink of water, I found a pinqui and asked him if he had heard any recent news from Kuana, relative to the disappearance of the princess. ‘“ News from Kuana? Disappearance?”’ he repeated in surprise, “sure, and the princess has been here safe and sound for two days, and left only a few paraparths ago by the Kuana road!” So I had just missed her! If I had entered the city a bit later, I should have passed her on the road! My tickets were not sufficient to hire a kerkool; and besides, now that I knew Lilla was safe, I was in no hurry to face Bthuh, whom I had left waiting at the joining-stand, as it were. So, after break- fasting, I set out on foot for Kuana, thirty Stads away, carrying with me some lunch. Around noon, when I had just consumed my lunch on a stone by the side of the road, a kerkool passed me, headed for Kuana. I hailed its single occupant, and was given a lift the rest of the way. He turned out to be the chief pinquis of Kthuh, bound for a conference with the mango of Kuana; and I welcomed the chance to get inside the Kuana jail, face to face with my old friend Poblath, for this opportunity would enable me to give him my long- deferred explanation of my relations—or, rather lack of relations—with his Bthuh. It was three days since I had shaved, and I must have presented an uncanny sight. In fact, the chief had intimated as much, as I got aboard his kerkool. So, when Poblath saw me, his jaw dropped, and he seemed convulsed with fear. ‘““Go away, dead man,” he begged. “I confess it all. I did hire the ant-man to assassinate you. But, now that you have GComicdooks (S@)