Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 14, 1928 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

HIS: SERVICE TO FOLLY. was ajar, pushed it inside the room and fled. “Well done, young master,” breathed Gefondo in Basil’s ear; “‘ now best go dance and play the fool. The life line is in the emperor’s bedroom. No doubt he'll dangle you at its end down the trap by which men’s souls escape at his command.” And with a mighty heave of his arms he sent Basil spinning toward the au- dience hall, his brain whirling with his body. For in a flash he saw the plan of Gefondo. He could not use the rope he had contrived from a window or the parapet, but the death slide led from Christophe’s chamber to the hill- side. When he glanced back, Gefondo was not in sight. The drums, which were only tom-toms of the African forest, beat out a wilder measure, a blood- lashing tempo. Music rose in barbaric storm. ‘The mad dancer whirled until her red and gold draperies were flames flying down the hall. Unable to resist the maddening pul- sations of the tom-toms, the black lords caught women by their waists and twixled them in strange steps of a jun- ele dance brought from the dark for- ests of the Gold Coast by slave ship a generation before. The hall was a maze of rushing savages, leaving only the royal puppets on their throne, and Violette and her father in their chairs. Basil, whose role was to dance, was threading that maze to be near the girl. He saw how terrified she was, and how she stared at the throne from which Christophe staggered and swayed, then made his way toward her as Violette rose and moved behind her own chair. Seeing the peril when she should re- fuse to dance with the wine-befuddled emperor, Basil slipped behind the tap- estries which hung from the ceiling, and moved along the wall until he came to where Violette pressed the fabric flat. His knife slit an aperture, and at the sou she turned. Basil had caught A 225 her hand, drawn her through and pulled her with him behind the hang- ings toward the door. There he looked through an open- ing between panels and saw the Mad Dancer circling Christophe, whirling her scarf about his head, and he fought it with both hands and yelled his dis- pleasure, at which Little Fire laughed gayly. There was no choice now for Basil. He drew the half-fainting Violette down the hall, reached the door, and clutching her arm, ran with her. The door of Christophe’s suite was ajar. He shut it after them, and shot the great door-bolt home. Then Basil found that tapestry which hid the Death Slide. ‘To stay to-night, my dear, my very dear, would be death and more than death. You trust me, Violette?” “I do! I must!” she cried. ‘* Oh, Basil, I am so afraid. To-day the em- press came and told me that if the em- peror so much as smiled at me to- night, she would poison all I ate and drank. God knows how much I fear his smile or frown. I’d rather death, even poison, than his smile.” ‘ Violette, we must escape, and there is but one way. It leads, I think, to the jungles. It may lead to heaven.” He had drawn her near the open door- way of the slide and caught her in his arms. In another moment they sat on the ledge and he was testing the knot of cloth which Gefondo had looped to a wall bolt. Then, without giving her time to dread the perilous drop, he wrapped an arm and leg about the rope and, with Violette clinging to his neck, lowered himself yard by yard. The slide, an aperture about four feet square, contained their slender bodies, and gave him an opportunity to brace his knees and elbows against its sides, but it seemed endless and, light as she was, Violette’s weight dragged on his strength. He knew the slide was but the least GEomichooks (E()