Adventure Magazine Cover — page 176: what you’re looking at

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

166 When awakened he knew that he must have slept the clock around. The two lamps still burned, softly illumining the cavern chamber. Kilgore yawned! and sat up. Somewhere on the other side‘of that dividing partition of iron Day must’ be asleep still. Kilgore put out his hand to seize the grating and rise—— An exclamation broke from him. He leaped to his feet, staring. The cen- tral grating had disappeared—lifted again to whence it came! The others were still in place. “Day!” cried Kilgore sharply. “Look here—wake up!” The American did not answer. “With the entire chamber to himself Kilgore strode forward. Half a minute later he realized - that he was alone in this place. Day had oo absolutely vanished. CHAPTER XIII “THIS PAPER CURRENCY IS CIRCULATED IN EVERY PART OF THE GRAND KHAN’S DOMINIONS.”’—M. Polo. | Seems the leper had told the exact . truth. A hundred horsemen of the Living Buddha, with fifty Manchus, were encamped under the orders of Severn, Sheng Wu and Fandi Singh. In addition they had Kilgore’s machine gun, which Sheng Wu had removed from the Temple of the Ten. It was the singular fate of this weapon to remain untried amid a thousand chances. The camp was, made nearly at the en- trance to the long and tortuous defile which gave access to the lake of singing fishes and the abode of Esrun. To proceed to the temple was out of the question. Sheng Wu considered it the abode of devils. Severn and Sir Fandi were convinced that it contained secret passages through which had come the gas-bearers who destroyed the Sikhs. In making camp near the entrance to the lake and valley, which they intended to explore thoroughly, the three companions effected a compromise. From here they could search all the hills andyalleys round- about for the scattered skin-houses of the Darkan tribe. As a first step, Sir Fandi and Sheng Wu had ridden on with the Manchus to search the temple anew and to bring back fresh water. Severn remained in charge of the camp. Adventure The savant had become a changed man. His own sorrows lay behind him; he had embarked upon those of his friends. The kindliness of his eyes had deepened. A new strength to endure had uprisen in his soul, and he was reconciled to living out his life: to its fullness; the peril of cynicism had been lifted from him. He was unpacking his things when there arose a sudden tumult of alarm. Sentries cried out. A rifle was discharged. Horses were mounted in haste. Severn rushed from his shelter-tent to ascertain the cause, and beheld‘a man mounted upon a drome- dary issuing from the mouth of the defile. Under his sharp orders the horsemen of the Hutuktu lost their confusion and be- came orderly. Three of them detached themselves and galloped away to summon Sir Fandi’s party. It grew evident that the single man on the dromedary was approach- ing the camp, and that he was alone. Examining this single rider through his: field-glasses, Severn uttered a cry of amazed » recognition. “Day!” he exclaimed. In this moment, however, he kept his head. This might be some ruse; he dared take no chances of a surprize attack. He - remained beside the machine gun and dis- patched a dozen of the horsemen to bring in the lone rider without harm. They dashed forth on the errand. Watching narrowly, Severn perceived that Day was not a free agent by any means. The dromedary was unsaddled, without bridle. Day was merely tied in between. the two humps which distin- guished the Bactrian breed, and he ap- peared to be unconscious. At the ap- proach of the horsemen the dromedary flung up his head, swerved in his course and tried to flee. A rifle barked and the —— fell. The horsemen closed in about m. The Mongols cut Day loose, mounted him behind a saddle and returned. It was close to sunset, but there remained an hour or more of daylight. Severn received the body of Day in his arms, and made a hasty examination. So far as he could tell, Day was unhurt save for a bump on the back of the head—a slight matter. His unconsciousness had not come from this hurt; his stertorous breathing, his deep stupor of slumber, had been caused by some drug. (E(0) OOK | oe a a 32 (EO)