Adventure Magazine Cover — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

82 wits worked feverishly in seeking a way out. I must temporize. I returned his scrutiny without flinching, and replied: “T’m here to tell you, Captain Ganner. But these others I indicated the somber groups on both sides of the fireplace and fell to admiring the lace on my cuffs while waiting tor him to take the hint and dismiss them. _ For nearly a minute he said nothing; then laughingly replied: - “Rather cold to turn the brave fellows Besides, I have no out, don’t you think? secrets from my boys.” A murmur of approbation greeted this speech. | “Tt’s all one to me,” I assured him, shift- ing from the table to a chair that I might have the roomful of them before me. “If you can trust them, that’s enough. Captain Harrison has heard much of you “ ‘“‘And has tried hard enough +o get my pelt,”’ said Ganner with a soft laugh. ‘And has failed; and that’s the reason he seeks you now. It has been believed, until recently, that you have favored the rebels.”’ “Eye cut up several bands of redcoats,” he boasted. “Tf you hadn’t you wouldn’t be worth bothering with now,” I returned. Leaning forward and fixing my gaze on his whimsical face and speaking in my most impressive voice, I continued: “The point is this. His Majesty holds South Carolina in the hollow of his hand. Law and order will be restored. It’s for you to say how you will stand when the law comes back to the land. The rebels have long .smemories and never have loved you.” a. HE NODDED slowly and I could not decide whether the queer tilt of aed his lips was his habitual expression, or was making game of me. ““Go on,” he invited. “To put it briefly, Captain Harrison comes to offer you a captaincy in his Majesty’s service, provided. of course, that you devote all your energies to confounding the rebels.’’ “He told you to say that to me?” “No. I’m saying it to protect myself until he can arrive “and do-his business in person. Not to mince words I should not visit you unless my errand had a big chance of appealing to you.” Adventure “But you're not in the service,” he mused, his lids dropping. “Not in uniform,” I smilingly corrected. “Tt was I who brought his lordship’s offer of a commission to you to Captain Harrison, or whomever Major Wemyss detailed for the business. I was to accompany the military agent to you. I happened to arrive ahead of him. Here are my cre- dentials.”’ And I handed over my Cornwallis pass. Either my frank explanations or my pass or both made a deep impression on tim. He studied the paper thoughtfully, then restored it to me and asked— ‘‘How near is Captain Harrison?” “T can’t say. I rode ahead when’ he threw out scouts. In the darkness I wan- dered farther ahead than I had planned. He should be within a mile; very possibly within half a mile. If you could send a couple of men up the road to the’ north they’ll fall in with his scouts or the main body. The word is ‘Cornwallis.’ ”’ ‘How many does he bring with bim?” “Not more than fifty.” “Yd rather do business with Major Wemyss. He’s more after my own heart,” he mused, slipping from the table and pacing its length with his hands behind his back. Returning to me, he suddenly clapped _both hands on my shoulders and cried out: “By the gods! You're a brave man! Give me a few hundred such and I’d whip both king’s troops and the rebels. Draw up to the table and eat something. You must be hungry. Where’s that black man?” A slave popped into the hall from a door at the lower end, his face almost gray from terror, his eyes fairly bulging from his head. * “Food here, you black dog, and be quick!’ commanded Ganner. Then sitting on the table beside me, he admitted: “TJ Jike your proposition. Of course a captaincy isn’t anything to offer me. I’m already ‘Captain’ Ganner. I have no one to give me orders and I could just as well call myself ‘General’ Ganner. If I accept Harrison’s offer there must be some sub- stantial bonus as an appreciation of my services.”’ He paused to chuckle merrily. ‘A bonus will take the place in part of my pickings. I agree with you that the dance is about over. But here is food.” The negro placed a tray before me and I carved me a piece of ham and a portion of cCOmicloolks (©