Argosy All-Story Weekly, 4 February 1922 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

THE BANDIT OF BATAKALAND. “You want me to bring one or both of them to Santa Maria under a pledge of im- munity?” “Damn it, I want to get hold of the man!” cried Eltzmann. “For his own good, and the company’s good, so that we can talk the ’ole situation over face to face and come to terms. You don’t think I want to jug the pore beggar again, do you? I ain’t got nothing against him. You're always misunderstanding me. And I never talked confidential like this to any em- ployed man before, so ’elp me, and I’m damned if I know why I do it to you.”’ “ Without beating about the bush, I sup- pose you want me to entrap Sir Philip and his daughter,” said Dean. “ Get ’em ere!” roared Eltzmann. “I don’t care how you bring them. I’m in the company to clean up the mess Wimborne’s made. That’s all.” “No,” said Dean. “I don’t suppose I'll see them, and I shall not try, while I am _ serving the company. No’s the answer.” Eltzmann glared at him. Then he threw up his hands with his characteristic gesture. “ All right,” he said. “1’ll hold you to that contract, Jarvis. Go your own way. I was sorry for you, and I warned you. Now it’s off my conscience. Good-by!” “Any time,” said Dean, “ that you wish the contract abrogated, you'll find me ready. Any time within the next six months—seeing that you made it in the be- lief that I'd be willing to try to betray your opponent.” Eltzmann burst into choking laughter. “Oh, Lord, boy, you’re like the young grass that withereth,” he said, apparently under the impression that he was quoting the Bible. But, as he closed the door, Dean saw Eltzmann sitting at his desk, and the look of guilt upon-his face puzzled him. CHAPTER X. THE FULANI FIELDS. E was still wondering the next morn- ing when he started on the road to- ward the Fulani Goldfields. He had bought a horse out of the hundred pounds 357 bonus, a fairly serviceable Colonial, hard- mouthed, but well set up, arfd looking like a stayer, and had decided to travel before the heat of the day became oppressive. The road was full of prospectors, jour- neying back toward Santa Maria. Some came in ox-wagons, some walked beside’ pack donkeys; some simply trudged along, their packs and spades over their shoulders. There was dejection on their faces as they looked up to exchange curt greetings. Not long after noon Dean came in sight of the Fulani River. Beside it was a city of the dead. He had learned that the Fulani Fields, outside the company’s concession, were valueless, the deposits consisting, apparent- ly, of a pocket reef of quartz, and that a new stampede had drawn the rush further up the country, but he had had no idea of the mushroom town that had sprung up and had then been abandoned, until he came upon it. | An entire square mile of mining claims had been pegged out and abandoned. The terrain was littered with old packing-cases, tin cans, and other débris. Huts, half con- structed, were still standing everywhere. On either side of the road was a long line of buildings, erected out of every conceiv- able material. Some were of wood, some of wagonloads of damaged bricks, hauled in from the discard heap of the Santa Ma- ria brickfields, some of wattle and daub, built in the bee-hive shape of the natives. Outside the abandoned structures the eternal “ saloon,” “ restaurant,” and “ ice- cold drinks” still flaunted themselves, and foreign names indicated the store where the ° eternal Hebraic proprietor of the eternal old clothes shop had lavished his eternal blandishments upon the eternally wary ~ child of Ham. There were shanties of brick and corru- gated iron labeled “ dance hall,”’ and there were isolated, disreputable cabins with dirty Jace curtains still strung across cracked window panes. But they, too, were empty. Here and there, amid this confusion, however, a figure could be seen working, A few of the gold-diggers were still loath to abandon the dying El Dorado for that ~ = ~—— 7 — a i. ~— ~ —— ~~ ~ — — comicbooks.com | > —s ™ 2 a es | > ee