Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 173: what you’re looking at

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

Se. Jackal’ ‘ HE people all around here are keyed up to quite a pitch of ex- citement.”’ George Eastman had just come back from the quaint little general store of the tropical seaside town, bearing a can of petrol for a road-car in which he and his wife were touring the French island colony. “Tt’s all over the home-coming of a famous criminal and outlaw—a man named Victor Berard,’”’ continued East- man, as he prepared to feed the volatile fluid to the hungry machine. “ He has been doing a ten-year term in the penal colony of New Caledonia, and is such a desperate character that his return to the islands fills the natives with a dread which they seem to find almost delight- ful. “ Berard, it seems, is singularly savage and ferocious, and has the most amazing courage—a dead-shot with rifle and pistol, and a terrible artist with the knife. These people are absolutely ecstatic over the prospect of being slaughtered in their houses as soon as he returns to resume his depredations. I could hardly per- suade them to sell me the petrol, there was such a buzz of gossip in the store!”’ ‘“‘ We'd better put our car on the first ship that’s leaving and get away from here before the terror begins,” said Louise Eastman, with a nervous little laugh. ‘I don’t think I’d care for the tropical variety of Robin Hood.” ‘I fancy that Victor Berard is a sort of island tradition,” sniffed her husband with a shrug. ‘“‘ These emotional people cherish their ‘bad men,’ you know, and paint them and their escapades in vivid colors: Don’t worry about it; the return of Berard will add another note of ro- mance to the tales we shall hear.” ‘““The sublime extravagance of going half-way round the world by motor will come near enough to ruining us, George,”’ said his wife, “ without having a dis- tinguished bandit capture and hold us for ransom.” ~“T am already disappointed in ouf dis- tinguished bandit,” chuckled Eastman. “He would have had something more than ten years at hard labor if he had done anything splendidly devilish. I’m afraid that sober analysis will narrow his depredations down to sheep stealing, or something sordid like that. We may as well forget him and go about our business. ‘“‘T managed to extract a few bits of in- 515 MICLOO© SS C©