Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

> py 'Y Se Ae Tae » pict sat een he” ee oy ROR eat 8 ONL al a jer iy “59 fi Pree’ " : yy - . e ry we a had Pi ‘f > m2) Swed Bante fe: Vi, bleed like we do? nM ; a\faeee Vil gd oy You Payee tell % ie e a me: 100 _ Adventure “And Ari-zuna_ said, ‘What is this meat ?””’ _ “She knew of course that the gods eat the meat of none but earth-runners, She spoke to try your faith,” said one of the priests. “She was ill when I told her it was the meat of the earth-runner,” said Maota obstinately. ‘Does a god bleed?” she asked presently. There was a short silence. “T ask you agai; Does a goddess I tell you I saw it today. This Ari-zuna of ours came in warm from the blessing of the fields and when she raised her arm she scratched her hand and—it bled. I wiped away the drops upon a cloth and brought it to the priests of my people—thus.” Mercedes felt rather than saw that a cloth was being passed from hand to hand in the silence. Presently a priest spoke. “This must be spoken of in the full council,” he said heavily. “It-is not. Ait talk for a woman to hear.” Sex O Ikoni, a woman has told you ob st.” | 3 “No matter. I will summon the full council of the priests to meet while this, our Ari-zuna, is inthe fields this night. If it is found that she has not the right —well, there will be an accounting. You are right, my daughter, a goddess does not bleed, nor does the meat of an earth- runner make her ill.. If she is not Ari- zuma, who then is she who came in a tornado? The full council will decide. Let Ari-zuna go tonight to the blessing of the fields. Later we will see.” Maota nodded, and Mercedes heard her feet shuffling across the courtyard, If she had previously entertained any doubts about making her escape, what she had just overheard stilled them all. She must remember and tell Andres every word of what she had heard, so that there should be no doubt in his mind either. There was just one chance for them all, and that chance they were to take that night. In this excited, nervous, overwrought condition, the hours seemed endless to Mercedes, till at last, as the sun was slowly sinking behind the saw- toothed range of hills, the four girls gave her again the sacred meal and salt. And, in company with the priests, with a her ears. great crowd behind them, they stood watching her as she walked slowly down the rocky path eae to the cultivated ground. She felt that they were watching her. She was sure that Andres was already waiting for her in that sheltering line of small trees, but she also knew that she’ dared not near that shelter till dark should be almost upon them. They must make it impossible for the Indians to trail them. She paused at the first corner and scat- tered a handful of the meal and the crowd, watching her from the mesa, saw her drop upon her knees, and, with out- stretched arms, appeal as they thought to the gods of the Moqui. Mercedes prayed, but to a very differ-. ent-od.. < —*. She rose and moved slowly down the field, a very Ceres, her golden hair rip- pling to her waist.. Her turquoise eyes blazed with excitement, the golden grain dripping fronr between her fingers as she went. Closer and closer she drew to the belt of trees, and at last the sun was. fairly down behind. the hills and night base suddenly upon them as a blanket alls. ) “Softly now, sefor!” . Her quick eyes had caught a shadow moving. none shadows. “I have come.’ HE next moment her hands were firmly gripped in his, and Andres’ voice, vibrant with excitement, rang in She heard it as one hears far- distant surf, far away but clearly. “Por Dios! How I have worried! I have suffered the torments of the damned, sevorita—Mercedes.” The last two words were so widely separated that she could take which she chose. ? “Come! We have not a moment to lose. They will not miss -you for an hour and then it will be too dark to trail until morning. We will have a fair start.” “It may be not.” And, as they swiftly crossed that eight miles, she told him the talk that she had overheard by the window. To her sur- prize he laughed. “Time to worry over that one they fel Ss = oe ae =) a a ee ee * — 383 - a = a -) ee ans i ~~