Adventure Magazine Cover — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

Guns of the Gods (4a8 | TESS contrived not to seem aware “> that she was being pumped. <s “D’you mean there might be allu- vial gold down by the river?” she asked. “Now, now, Mrs. Blaine!” he laughed. “You Americans are not so ingenuous as you like to seem! Do you really expect us to believe that your husband’s purpose isn’t in fact to discover the Sialpore Treas- ure?” “T never heard of it.”’ “T expect he hasn’t told you.” “T’'ll bet with you, if you like,” she an- swered. ‘Our contract against your job that I know every single detail of his terms with Gungadhura!” - . “Well, well—of course I believe you, Mrs. Blaine. We're not overheard, are we?” Not forgetful of the Princess Yasmini hidden somewhere in the house behind her, but unsuspicious yet of that young woman’s gift for garnering facts, Tess stood up to look through the parlor window. She could see all of the room except the rear part of the window-seat, a little more than a foot of which was shut out of her view by the depth of the wall. A cat, for instance, could have lain there tucked among the cushions perfectly invisible. “None of the servants is in there,” she said, and sat down again, nodding in the direction of a gardener. " There's the near- est possible eavesdropper.”’ Samson had made up his mind. This was not an occasion to be actually indis- creet, but a good chance to pretend to be. He was a judge of those matters. “There have been eighteen rajas of Sial- pore in direct succession father to son,’ he said, swinging a beautiful buff-leather boot into view by crossing his knee, and looking at her narrowly with the air of a man who unfolds confidences. “The first man began accumulating treasure. Every single raja since has added to it. Each man has con- ‘ fided the secret to his successor and to none else—father to son, you understand. When Bubru Singh, the last man, died he had no son. The secret died with him.” “How does anybody know that there’s a secret then?’ demanded Tess. “Everybody knows it! The money was raised by taxes. Minister after minister in turn has had to hand over minted gold to the reigning raja——”’ “And look the other way, I suppose, while the raja hid the stuff!” suggested Tess. 19 Samson screwed up his face like a man who has taken medicine. “There are dozens of ways in a native State of getting rid of men who know too much.” “Even under British over-rule?” He nodded. : ““Poison—snakes—assassination—jail on trumped-up charges, and disease in jail— apparent accidents of all sorts. It doesn’t pay to know too much.” » “Then we’re suspected of hunting for this treasure? Is that the idea?” . “Not at all, since you’ve denied it. I be- lieve you implicitly. But I hope your hus- band doesn’t stumble on it.” é “Why po “Or, i he does, that he’ll see his way clear to notify me first.”’ “Would that be honest?” . He changed his mind. That was a point on which Samson prided himself. He was not hidebound to one plan as some men are, — but could keep two or three possibilities in mind and follow up whichever suited him. This was a case for indiscretion after all. “Seeing we’re alone, and that you’re a most exceptional woman, I think I'll let you into a diplomatic secret, Mrs. Blaine. Only you mustn’t repeat it. maharaja; Gungadhura, isn’t the saving kind; he’s a spender. He’d give his eyes to get hold of that treasure. And if he had it, we'd need an army to suppress him. “We made a mistake when Bubru Singh died; there were two nephews with about equal claims, and we picked the wrong one —a born intriguer. I’d cal] him a rascal if he weren’t a reigning prince. It’s too late now to unseat him—unless, of course, we should happen to catch him im flagrante delictu.”” “What does that mean? With the goods? With the treasure?” “No, no. In the act of doing something grossly ulira vires—illegal, that’s to say. “But you’ve put your finger on the point. If the Treasure should be found—as it might be—somewhere on that little plot of ground with a palace on it on our side of the river, our problem would be fairly easy. There’d be some way of—ah—making sure the fund would be properly administered. But if Gungadhura found it in the hills, and kept quiet about it as he doubtless would, he’d have every sedition-monger in India in his 9)(0)(6) Com The present — (F@) S| CS