Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 189, No. 4 — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

THE SUN TEST. their devotion to the natural steam baths. He had always heard that primitive people were dirty, but the Mayans were a delight- ful exception to this rule. Now, however, he looked upon human squaloi in its lowest form. There was no outlet from this rocky chamber. The pitiful creatures, condemned to exist there, had only the sun for a cura- tive agent, and evidently in the heat of the day, that must be a terrific trial to them, for the shade of the shallow caves was trifling and there seemed no way for a breath of fresh air to get down into the natrow bowl. Overcome with the sight, Tench sat down on the edge of the bowl to recover his com- posure. There was a sluggish stirring among some of the sprawling forms in the bottom of the chamber. A movement from him caught the attention of one of them, and he passed some word to the others. They began looking up dully toward Tench. They were evidently too haggard and depressed to care who he was, or what his presence there might mean. After a few minutes the occupant of the largest of the caves crawled out in the sun. He was different from any of the others. He wore a pair of ragged pants, and the remnant of a blue flannel shirt. None of the others had any clothing. Also he was of larger size than the others, and had long black whiskers. The Mayan men were not very hirsute. They grew sparse, little tufts of wispy hair on their chins, and Tench had never seen one with a full-fledged beard. - The individual he now looked on, how- ever, had an unkempt black beard that fell to his chest, and matted, tousled, black hair. Moreover, there was something fa- miliar about him. Tench peered at him with avid curiosity. The prisoner, for such he surely must be, rose to his feet awkwardly, stretching himself, and came across the chamber to the foot of the wall, on top of which sat Tench. “ Howdy, pard,” he called, in good old American plains language. “ Well, I'll be jiggered!”” Tench gasped. It was the desperado who had stolen his 571 chuck and Fa Ro, months before, back on the desert. “Ye sure will be jiggered if they plunk ye in here. Better keep back off the edge of that rock. It’s slippery. Ye don’t want to fall in this dump, kid,’ the black-whisk- ered one cheerily admonished. ‘Then he pointed toward the rear of the ledge. “ Git that ladder and drop ’er down, will ye?” Tench looked back of him and saw a rope ladder made of plantain fiber, but he did not move toward it. He had no inten- tion of upsetting the penal system of the Mayans, or of starting a jail delivery on such quick notice. “Git a move on, kid,” urged the robber. “This is the day these Injuns come round fer a ‘look see.’ Hurry and beat ’em to it? Tench propped himself with his hands securely, and replied stolidly: “ I’ve seen you before.” “‘ Like’s not,” said the black-haired one. ‘ How’d you git here ’thout bein’ cotched?” Tench continued sternly: “ Aren’t you the thief who stole my donkey and pro- visions?” “Huh?” grunted the one below, as he peered more closely, his eyes growing larger in wonder. “ Ye ain’t the lunger I borried off’n, be ye?” ‘ Borrowed at the end of a six-gun,” Tench corrected. The desperado laughed. ‘“ Wa-al, part- ner, might as well let bygones be bygones. We’re a couple of whites out with black Injuns like this. ’Tain’t no time to stand on property rights. I borried and Ill pay ye back, so there! “Take it straight from Black Pete, I ain’t never broke my word yet with a pal in the same stir. You get me out of this here rattlesnake’s den, and I’ll show ye the way out of this Injun tribe, and line your pockets with good rich loot to boot.” Tench had no intention of combining with the thief who had so cruelly robbed him of his donkey and his provisions, leav- ing him to die desperately in the desert; yet Black Pete was a white man, and the only definite link he had with the civilization which seemed so infinitely distant. Besides, there might be information to be had. Gomichbooks (EF) ey “ .