Adventure Magazine Cover — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

152 there armed yet helpless, and the lives of better men hanging upon the extinguish- ment of that rotten brain! Yet, because this was a woman, Severn could not ft his hand to pistol. In that mstant of silence and ariel endeavor Severn perceived what the words of Sir Fandi implied. This woman had come from the far south, from Kashmir in India— no doubt a leper who had fled from British jurisdiction. She had brought into the waste places the sacred saffron bulbs, the memory of her lost ways and blood and tradition. By what means’ she had found this place, there was no telling; but she had found it, and had baleen the name of Brahma, or Esrun, and—— From the creature pees a wild laugh, a laugh that sickened Severn, and then she spoke in broken English. “Aye, do it! Do it, sahibs—burra sahibs, do it!” “Peace, unclean thing,” growled Sir Fandi. At this, without warning, the ‘hideous being whipped a pistol from her half-re- moved cloths and fired pointblank. The Rajput staggered, threw out his hands, fell without a cry. Esrun fired again, this time at Severn, and the bullet almost touched his head. Something broke in him and before he knew what happened he found himself standing with a smoking pistol in his hand, the nameless creature sprawled dead upon the saffron flowers, horror and fury boiling in his brain. He flung aside his weapon and knelt above Sir Fandi Singh, who had been shot through the body. The Rajput was unconscious. A swift examination showed Severn that the bullet. had gone clean through, missing - any vital part, and that with care Sir Fandi would make recovery. With care! How was he to find care in this place— where, with night, would come the mists that produced sleep and death—where there was no shelter, no help, nothing? Severn darted up and went to their camp- ing-place, where he procured some material for bandages. Returning, he halted beside the boat, scanning the cliffs. Esrun were the tomb of Genghis Khan or not, it had been the home of a leper—and Severn dared not take the chance of in- fecting the Rajput’s wound. Sg ee es the bundle Esrun No, that was out of the question; whether the abode of | Adventure had brought ashore. The skin had burst open, for it was some ancient and rotted hide; a stream of gold-pieces poured forth upon the sand. Severn stooped, thrust a few of the broad gold disks into his pocket, then leaped up and ran to his companion, cursing his own folly. As he bandaged the wounded man, his thoughts raced ahead. ‘To stay in this place were madness; to attempt to’ reach the temple and get help were equal mad- ness, until Sir Fandi recovered his senses, at least. Another man might have left the Rajput, and spurred out to bring help— but something held back Severn. Some premonition, some acute sense of danger, held him here. Perhaps it was his own strong instinct of self-dependence. He decided upon a middle course. With- ~ ina few moments he had caught and saddled the horses and led the white stallion back to the Rajput. As he bent to raise the senseless body, a blade of the purplish grass drew across his left thumb, cutting into the skin. The sharp sting of the pain made him start; then he smiled at the occurrence. To pass ‘through what he had met, and then to flinch at the cut of a grass-blade! Presently Severn got his companion limply into the saddle, intent upon getting out of this hell-pit before night brought the deathly mist from the water. He bound the drooping figure in place, knowing that he dared not take Sir Fandi far in this wise, since the motion of the horse would hold open the wound and drain the body of blood; but it would serve. Getting into his own saddle, he took the bridle of the stallion and set forth. Already the sun had gone from sight in the sky above, although in the outer world it would not yet be sunset. Severn directed the horses at a fast walk for the entrance defile. HOURS later, it seemed,- Severn found himself in a makeshift camp we beside the hot spring in the defile. He had set out canteens of the water to cool. days. Farther than this he had not dared to come, for the jolting was too severe on the wounded Rajput, who had lost much blood. Severn himself felt a singular light- headedness, and he was bitterly conscious of that slight slit in his left thumb, which ,caused much annoyance as such small things. ‘will. Gomicbook They had food -enough to last for - (eo)