Adventure Magazine Cover — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

24 maneuver he half turned to find that he was the only individual within the enclosure who was erect upon his feet. “Good Lordy,” thought he with a thrill of relief, “they must take the doctor’s compass for some kind of an oracle which they think has pointed me out as a god or something. “I wonder if the doc is some where around. Almost feel as if I could sense him. Perhaps, after all, he’s fixed this business to get me free.” He gazed around, half expecting to see his deliverer walking out of the shadows. Looking down at the prostrate forms about him and buoyed by expectant hope, Dorsay almost laughed at the ridiculous figure that he felt he cut. But save for the persistent bleating of the kid, which had lost its dam, above the low grunting of the natives, nothing happened. Suddenly Tanka, his quaint earring gleaming in the light, leaped up, screeching. Instantly the drums began to beat wildly and everybody scrambled up. Dart- ing forward, the three doctors snatched up three blazing brands from the nearest fire. Tanka, moving swiftly to Dorsay’s side, shouted wildly: “Zakkim! Hakkim!”’ And pointed to the three magicians, who stood as if expecting him to do something. “Hakkim!” repeated Dorsay exultingly. Mangu led the way toward the entrance of the palisade. Tanka again excitedly shouted after them: “Hakkim! Hakkim!” mixed up with other words which Dorsay did not understand. “Wants me to follow,” interpreted Dor- say to himself and, excited by hope, obeyed. The whole gang, whooping and screech- ing, followed as far as the stockade of the village. Then across the bare, rocky ground beneath the rising half-moon, went the strange procession. The three witch-doctors pranced in the van, screeching and capering, their torches lighting the fair man’s face as he followed, searching the darkness eagerly for signs of some white man’s camp. ‘The grave Tanka brought up the rear. Behind them Dorsay could hear the wild chant of the village people and feel the throb of the drums upon his ear-drums. “Where the mischief can the camp be here?” he demanded of himself, remarking that the ground was growing steeper every yard. Then he noticed that the lower stars were suddenly shut off, and made out Adventure the dense gloom of an escarpment in front. The next moment the torches gleamed upon the light blue of gneiss rock. The three doctors were screaming their chant and dancing with as much gusto as ever. Dorsay hesitated. Tanka, his eyes gleam- ing with ferocity or excitement, Dorsay did not know which, loomed beside him, whis- pering ferociously: “Hakkim!l Hakkiml’’ and pointing ahead. ie Me in the word. z “T suppose it’s all right,” he muttered, and walked on to find himself before a fairly large natural door of a cave in the blank wall of rock, into which without hesitation the three doctors pranced. Above them, by the light of the brands, Dorsay saw that the cave was enormous, the yellow light gleaming fantastically on great sta- lactites and stalagmites. As he entered, the thrum of the village drums and the chanting was cut off. He followed a dozen yards or more, mazed by the profusion of bizarre effects. The three doctors had cavorted on ahead, seemingly too lost in frenzy to recall his presence at all. Leaping high in the air at every step, their screeching voices hit the roof and came back in a dozen different echoes until the place seemed alive with ghostly screams, and -their black bodies and feathers in the flickering lights were like gnomes dodging among the pinnacles of rock. It occurred to him that the doctor surely could not live inacave. Again he halted. “Say!” exclaimed Dorsay, prompted by a suspicion that all was not right, as his hand clutched at his revolver. “I’m not going any farther.” He wheeled. But Tanka was not behind him. Simultaneously the three doctors ceased screeching and the torches were ex- tinguished. For a few seconds he stood, merely conscious of red lights flitting across the retina of his eyes. The silence and darkness seemed like a flashing blow. “My God, I’m trapped!” he exclaimed aloud, as the truth struck him. He listened intently. Hearing a stone rattle, he ffted in the direction. The flash and the reverberations blinded and stunned him. He rushed forward angrily. A blow nearly felled him. He put out a hand and touched jagged rock, and, placing his fingers ONCE more Dorsay found comfort ECORNICLOOOKS (E©)