A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, April 1950 — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

104 A. MERRITT’S FANTASY ~ will drill you right through the head.” “But [ve got to go,” he cried. “The Arawaks are up there. I have a feeling I’m right on their trail. Don’t worry about the Haitians.””’ He turned to his wife. “They won’t harm me. I am a scientist ; they call me the Great White Doctor; they know I mean them no harm. I’m not worried about the guerillas. I’m seeking the vanishing Arawaks, and I’m going out to look for them. Tomorrow!” * I’ve heard of these scientific bugs who get a bee in their bonnet and you can’t stop them for hell‘or high water. Peabody was that kind. All brains and no common _ sense. Oddly enough, then, the pop-off came from Jenny Lou. “Wilfred Peabody!’—she glared at him across the lamp—“Wilfred Peabody! You say you’re not worried about the guerillas. Well, how about worrying about me!” “You?” I wish you could’ve seen the startled way he looked at her. She stamped her foot. “Yes, me! Aren’t I your wife? Me—Jenny Louise! Well, Cacos and zombies and murderers are about to kill us, and all. you think about is your miserable mummies and research. Boohoo,” she wailed, suddenly raging. “You never think about me. Just note- books and Arawaks and—and bugs and animals! You've: never remembered our anniversary. What did you buy me for Christmas? A rain-cape, a white rubber rain-cape to wear when it rained. Now maybe I’ll be caught by zombies and you talk about Arawaks.” She gave him a tearful, furious glare. ““Boohoo—” 3 Another thing I didn’t want in Marine headquarters that evening was a domestic scene. Still, I couldn’t avoid that one; Jenny Lou in a raging freshet of tears; McCoy standing back, embarrassed ; Pea- body posed helpless, his eyes gogeling un- happily, fumbling fingers through his muss of yellow hair as if he’d been hit over the head. “Why, Jenny Lou—Jenny Lou!” [ll always remetnber the voice he said it in. Sort of gentle and plaintive. Baffled. As. if suddenly out of a world of archeology and anthropology he’d been jolted into a plane he couldn’t understand. oe Jenny, everything Ive done I’ve done for you. Hours of study. Hours of hard work. Why, I’ve spent half a lifetime preparing to trace the Arawaks. I thought when I found them we could settle down afterwards—live in New York. I meant to surprise you. I’ve saved pes thousand dollars, Jenny Lou.” He didn’t remember McCoy and me in the room. He wrinkled his forehead and took off his glasses and peered at his wife, squinting anxiously, “I saved it for you, Jenny, yes. And I’m sure you don’t need to worry about the zombies or anything. The Marines will look after us all—perfectly safe here, I’m sure. I’ve never had any trouble with the blacks in the jungle; and if anything by chance ever did happen to me you'll be well provided for. There’s my: ten thou- sand dollars insurance—’”’ You know, I felt sort of sorry for the little man right then. He seemed so well- meaning and plaintive. I was glad Jenny Lou ended the scene at that moment by putting her face in her hands and rushing out. Peabody picked up his mummy and followed her, looking queerly ‘shrunken himself. McCoy, gentlemanly pretending he hadn’t heard anything, lit a cigarette for nonchalance and sauntered after. I went out to change the guard, and Morne Noir settled dowr to wait for a night attack, CHAPTER 4 Memento Mori DON’T think any of us slept much | that night. I know I didn’t. The drums kept up their sinister telegraph, tumpy-bum-bum, tumpy-bum-bum, carry- ing secret message to the Cacos I knew were hiding out there in the dark. After sundown Haiti is bad enough at best, and that night it was worse. The | moon-striped blackness surrounded us like Hallowe’en. The mountainside whispered and the jungle rustled. Every Haitian in Morne Noir went to bed with his head — under a pillow, and I began to see zombies creeping around in. the darkness myself. The Germans think they know some- thing about a war of nerves, but they could have taken lessons from Charlemagne. He ees t ies that rugs, but he'd: made us co mich oe) <