Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

ri i ’ 172 Fermented corn. Then the girls’ stomach- dances: an’ all that. Meanwhile the big feller sat up there in the shadow of the tree, sulky, silent. God knows whether he knew what was coming, I began to get bored,” Again that throaty chuckle with a harsh rasp to it. “God—see the same old thing all over again. Then, just as the. moon spilled over that big bough there and covered the big negro, there came a change. That must have been the mystic sign, I suppose. “Well, your pal, Yamala, prancing about suddenly ceased his croonin’ row and darted at the fellow, together with a crowd of other black devils. I heard the scream. I didn’t realize what. They had him stripped over there in the moonlight—an’ a knife—old Yamala.” The beard jerked as if he were biting his lips. “God—l’ve seen things. Of course, you’ré a doctor an’ used to carvin’—but, God, it would have made you sick.” Again he moved restlessly in his chair. ‘They cut him alivye—screeches—poor devil—then they—they put it up there.” He actually pointed to the exact spot. Up there in the fork of that bough. See? I vomited.” The hum of the insectile anthem con- tinued remorselessly to the beat of the invisible baton. A cricket sang a shrill solo and ceased. Far away was the effect of sorrow in a hyena. Only one cigar glowed like the fierce eye of a dragon. From the doctor came an inarticulate noise. Vil 1 WARREN-DUKELY stooped for a rey brand to relight his agar. He need PUffed thirstily. “Twelve moons ago. The Cycle eh? Still. Well, then I wanted to go. My head man was with me—poor devil! They were too busy to notice me. Then—I went off and down to the canoes. But there weren’t any canoes—at least not where we had landed. They must have hidden them somewhere else on the island. Of course, I didn’t know then that it was arrisland. Well, I was ina of arage. I came blunderin’ back here. Blood-drunk an’ crazy. Orgy, of course. “Just over there cookin’ parts of the body on great fires. Blood an’ hair and wo- men all over the place. Saturnalia. I might as well have expected a rational answer from a lunatic asylum. My boy was gone. i wis te ge shot = I couldn't ve got em all, of course, but most of ’em _ I didn’t know. I cleared off an’ walked about all night. —Then—of course, I had not a notion—what—what—well, you know now. “I came back in the dawn. The drums were going. Some still dancin’ like stuffed vultures. Others gorged, slept. They made me sick, I went off an’ sat under a tree—that one over there. I decided to clear out next day, as I couldn’t undertake to wipe out the tribe. Yet I recollect that I thought what a toppin’ account it would make in a book. Queer ideas one gets— when Fate’s playin’ round. Oh God! Y’know, Doc, I’ve wondered sometimes=" since—when I’ve been wooin’ the moon there, whether we aren't all merely charac- ters—an’ ——— rotten ones mostly, eh? In a book? What? But, Lord, I'd like to get my hands on my author who put me here— an’ you. Sorry.” He ceased abruptly, puffed twice and shot out— “Well, what are you goin’ to do about it, Doc?” “T really don’t know.” The little doc- tor’s voice had lost the irritable note; he appeared to have regained his consulting- room tone—suave, impersonal. “But what did you do then—in the morning?” “I do? an’ Tommy, what d’you think I could do? They pinched my rifle while I slept. Then they trotted me up to this place. Oh yes, I objected. Still, they were an ugly crowd, an’ lots of ’em. Of course, I didn’t know what was up at the time. Asa matter of fact they flung me in here and @hen skedaddled. I roamed around to find out that the darned place was an island. Among other things I found were about a couple of dozen heads of my men, on the trees down there, courteous re- minder, y’know. “They starved me for three days, an’ then I began to find goats left in the stockade here while I was away huntin’ round for some one to kill. After about ten days of that sort of thing, I dunno—they brought one of my men in a canoe an’ made him inter- pret forme. Of course, I got as mad as —*- when the feller told me about the husband business of the magic tree an’ all that. He said they had all been wiped—except him- self—and eaten. : 4 7 ~ €omicbooks.com OO —— —, ee Me