Adventure Magazine Cover — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

42 energy. “It ain’t true. Oh, haw, there ’e is agine!”’ The lunatic had come out of the cave silently and was watching them. Dorsay beckoned to him. He came trotting across with the cringing eyes of a cur fixed on the stranger, and, sidling beside Dorsay, cud- dled to him. This time Dorkin watched him with the awe of the ignorant for the insane. He straightened up, glanced at Dorsay, and bellowed, as if wild with rage: “VYew’re a bloomin’ pair of balmies, that’s wot yew are. I’m orf.” He strode toward the cave mouth. On the threshold he stopped to stare at the ivory, walked across and around it, evi- dently measuring the quantity. Then he turned and shouted: ‘Comin’ back for this lot, Iam, and don’t yer ferget it, yer pair of balmies! So long!” And, turning, he plunged resolutely into the fangs of the ghostly cave. ‘“T wonder what he’s angry with us for?”’ commented Dorsay aloud, and looked at his ‘pal, who began to snicker softly. The curve of sunlight shrank up the gorge, blazed upon the eastern rim and dis- appeared. In the cool the madman awoke and began his nightly game with the shad- ows and the people of his disordered mind. Dorsay, who had dozed too, resumed his usual promenade. Although he wondered what had happened to Dorkin the incident seemed very unreal. -If there was any definite emotion it was a hope that he wouldn’t come back, would escape, any- thing rather than insist upon dragging him back to terrible reality. He looked up at the disk of perforated sky. There was no moon now, and the stars were frostily brilliant. The giggles and yells of the madman had become nor- mal to him. When he was fairly warm he would crouch in the hut of ivory and doze for a while until the chill awoke him and then recommence the perpetual promenade. Sometimes the lunatic would fall in beside him and follow like a dog, until, tiring, he would scamper off upon his own mysterious errands. During one of these moments Dorkin re- appeared, Dorsay heard a groaning curse as ‘he stumbled out of the cave. He didn’t see his two fellow prisoners, and cried out— “Oh, my +—., they’ve gawn!”’ “No they haven’t,” answered Dorsay, Adventure and wanted to laugh; yet he dared not be- cause the madman giggled; but he heard Dorkin’s words— “Oh, thank Gawd!’ Dorkin came toward him eagerly. The lunatic turned a giggle into a shriek, and, darting past him, disappeared into the cave. Dorkin made a gulping noise and collided with Dorsay, who noticed that he was trembling as with an ague. He clutched him by the arm. “Ts it trufP’” he whispered hoarsely. “We carn’t git aht?” “T. told you so.” “VYus, but—but He seized Dorsay’s arm again. “TY fort I'd never git aht o’ that ruddy cave. Never gitaht. Oh, , it’s hawful.” “Ves; it’s worse than this, isn’t it?” “Oh, ,L—I Look ’ere, I ain’t been right wiv yew. I knowit. But yew won’t leave me, will yer? Swear yer won't? I carn’t stand it.” “T’m not likely to—unfortunately. Say, you'll have to pull yourself together, Dorkin else you'll “Wot’s the good? good?” He flung himself away and subsided into a corner growling— “Tf I git ’old of im, ——!” Wot’s the ——’s the DORSAY continued pacing, trying not to give way to the thoughts ’ which Dorkin’s entry excited in teeming clouds. Dorkin remained crouched against the rock, alternately swearing and groaning. ‘The lunatic, for some reason, kept quiet, gibbering occasionally just within the cave mouth. At last the stars paled. Dorsay noticed that Dorkin had not got his rifle. “Probably lost it in the cave. So much the better,” he thought, “for he’ll get ugly sooner or later.” When the madman came scampering past him to reach the ivory hut, Dorkin scowled. “Better have a sleep, Dorkin,” advised Dorsay on his way to the hut. ‘“‘We’re fed about eight.” Dorkin mumbled nantcHioeet ha Later. Dorsay was awakened by revolver-shots. He started up with his mind in a blaze of hope. He saw Dorkin standing in the middle of the pit bottom, jumping with rage and firing wildly above the gourd of food as it was being lowered. Gomichbooks (C@)