Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

THE THRALDOM OF SINGAN an extraordinary man. Vain as a pea- cock, cruel as a eat, clever as a monkey. I don’t mind telling you that I was frightened of him. There’s no way of getting at the brute. He's always so cocksure of himself.” “He won’t be—after tonight,” said Headley. “By gad, look!” he exclaimed. “There’s Pai!” Sure enough, there was the glimmer of a light some way below them on the hill- side, evidently on the outskirts of a strip of jungle that lay between the pine- apple plantation and the river. Cart- wright still leading, they followed a cul- tivated furrow between two straight lines of the low growing, slender leaved plants. Though they were now in the open, it was as much as Eade could do to make out the stumpy figure of Headley, who walked in front of him. The light from Pai’s lantern was more or less sta- tionary, though it swung backward and forward, until suddenly it vanished, to appear again a moment after. At once Headley cut off in a beeline toward the spot. “Come on!” he cried. “Follow me. I can find the place in the dark.” were in the jungle, Headley still in front. As Eade couldn’t see an inch in front of him, he was given the end ‘of the rope; and holding.this, he followed his two companions something after the manner of a blind man led by his dog. They had not gone far before the light of the lantern again came into view, con- siderably nearer than when they had seen it before. Indeed, so close were they now to the man whom they were tracking that John Eade was convinced that they must be heard, since time and again one or the other stumbled, and dry twigs were con- tinually breaking under foot. For this reason they slowed down and proceeded with greater caution. They found it safer to go forward with long, slow strides—a gait more resembling the stealthy advance of some nocturnal beast of prey than the walk of a human being. A FEW MINUTES afterward they 177 To Eade the path seemed endless, a narrow tunnel through a_ labyrinth. Sometimes their feet squelched in sticky mud; while at other times they walked on moss as soft and deep as eiderdown. Half an hour of it, and John Eade was wet with perspiration which dripped from the back of the hand that clenched the grip of his pistol. The other hand was sore from holding the rope; and his eyes ached and smarted from staring into the darkness. At last the light in front of them stopped. Cartwright in a whisper told his cousin to be careful. Still in single file, they moved forward on tiptoe, feeling the ground like cats. The sound of voices came to their ears. They heard Madame Scala’s voice dis- tinctly, and the very words she used. There could be no doubt that she was playing her part to perfection. “T go no farther!’ she cried. “I dare not!’ And then she groaned. “Oh, take me back!” she said. ‘“This is more than I dare do.” Little, fat Headley was life and soul in the business. Before Charles could stop him, he had gone down upon all fours and had crawled off into the jungle under- growth. “Wait a bit,’ Cartwright whispered. “Headley means to cut him off. And he'll do it, too.” He allowed his manager the best part of a minute; and then, by giving a jerk to the rope, he intimated that he wanted Eade to follow. Eugene Pai was talking, protesting vehemently and even using threats, when Cartwright caught him by the throat. A hand was clapped upon the man’s mouth before he could cry out, and at that very moment Headley took him from behind. They tied a scarf tightly around Eugene Pai’s mouth; and then, with his hands bound behind his back, they lashed him to the trunk of a tree. “That’s a makeshift gag,” Headley whispered in the man’s ear, “but it'll serve its purpose. You can’t escape; and comnlicloooks.com