Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 4, 1925 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

818 such talk, his life wouldn’t be worth a Borneo penny. No, it’s the usual brand of gossip. One Dyak is supposed to have a corner on green diamonds; another has all the bezour stones in existence. In these parts there’s the same kind of wild talk there is among idle people back home.” They had their coffee on the veranda. The moon was down by then, and the short twilight was past. Through the mosquito bar which Tomon had lowered they could see the flashing lights, tiny and fast dis- appearing, of myriads of fireflies, and the steady lamps of glow-worms. Above, in a sky of black velvet, galaxies of stars burned, almost startlingly large, but lending no light, seemingly, below the level of the sur- rounding jungle. Now there was a chill in the air, and Marcia donned a shawl. But soon care- fully tended bonfires were blazing, and lighting a weird scene. Once more the vil- lage was gathered in one place—in gala dress, Lansdell explained. Damar torches sprinkled the dark that lay beyond the circle of the fires. To locate many of the Dyaks was the small, steady spark that told of a lighted cigarette. Sometimes the glare of the fires reflected for a moment on the surface of the river, when the smoke could be seen floating away to filter itself through the high tops of the trees. A drum began to beat an ominous note out of the blackness under a hut. Next, to the mingled notes of flute and fiddle, lines of dancers moved forward into the firelight, where lances were tossed and swords flashed, and dark faces came and went. “Tt looks horribly real,’ Marcia declared. “Tm glad it isn’t.” “ There isn’t a man down there,” Lans- dell answered, ‘who wouldn’t fight to the death to protect you—if he understood that I wanted him to because you were in dan- ger. Do you notice their rattan helmets? And the caps are monkey skin.” “To-day,” she said, ‘I noticed many of the women with lines of bluish spots on their arms. I suppose those are chiefs’ daughters.” He laughed heartily. ‘ Don’t mind me, will you?” he begged. “I couldn’t help it. You see, that’s the native vaccination.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. As she joined in his laughter, Wray and Barker went aside, to the far end of the veranda. There, leaned on the bamboo railing, they talked for a moment, Barker gesturing unpatiently, and as if he were in- sisting upon something. Lansdell took the opportunity to have a few words in confidence with Marcia. Tak- ing care not to move too quickly, or to show that any unusual topic was being dis- cussed, he leaned toward her, at the same time making a pretext of pointing down to where the war dance went beating on, with the monotonous sound of the drums, and the circling of brown bodies. ‘“Aio! Aio! Aio!” Lansdell had to speak in her ear. “ Mar- cia! There’s something about this whole business that isn’t right. I mean the trip —and Barker.” She nodded vigorously. And quick to use his own pretense of being interested in the scene below them, rose and stood be- side him, also pointing. ‘‘ You mean his drinking?—more than he—that is, so much that it shows! It’s diseraceful!” ‘““T mean the reason he’s here. I don’t like it. I wondered why there were so many Malavs along—double as many as you need.” She Icoked at him, troubled and ques- tioning. ‘Uncle wanted me to employ Barker. And Barker said we ought to have at least sixty men.” ‘““Marcia!”—he turned his back toward the men down the veranda, not wishing them to see the expression of his face, or the words his lips were framing. ‘‘ Why did Barker tell you that Mabong is away up river? And he didn’t want vou to mention the rajah to me. Marcia, I don’t like it. T tell you! I believe this rascal is using you and vour uncle as a cover.” “ For what?” She straightened, looking beyond him, where fhe two men had suddenly parted. Wray was coming back to his chair. Lans- dell turned a smiling face over his shoulder to look at the two, and saw that Barker was watching the girl, his dark, pitted coun- tenance fairly quivering with emotion. “For a scheme to go after that gold- dust,” answered Lansdell. ae” JOO S CO