Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

The Pathless Trail “Well, gentlemen, have you decided to take good advice and let your Raposa alone?”’ he asked affably. : ‘Who ever follows good advice?” Knowl- ton countered. Schwandorf chuckled. ‘“Wiemand. Nobody. So you will go.” He shook his head solemnly. ‘TI have said all I can without offense. But if you persist I can only help you to start. If possible I should like to go with you up the river to the place where you will take to the bush; but I must go to Iquitos, in Peru, on the monthly launch which is due in a day or two so all my business is in the other direction. If now I can aid in the matter of a crew “That is what we were about to ask of you.” » “So. Then let us be about it. I have been thinking, since you showed your deter- mination last night, and have made inquiries about men. There are now in Nazareth, the little Peruvian town across the river, several men from whom you can pick an excellent crew. Men of the rivér and_the bush, not worthless loafers like these townsmen here. Men who are not afraid of or high water, as the saying is. Not remarkable for either beauty or brains, but good men for your work—by far the best you can obtain. I would suggest a large canoe and six or eight of those men as crew.” The others smoked thoughtfully. Then McKay said— “We should prefer Brazilians.” “Not if you knew the people hereabouts as well as I. It of course makes no personal difference to me what sort of crew you get, but I tell you that these men are best. What does it matter which side of the river they come from? Men are men.” “True,” McKay conceded. “Can’t be too fussy here,’ Knowlton added. “Let’s see the men.” ~- All rose. But then Schwandorf suggested: “No need of your going to Nazareth. Better stay here, unless you want to go through a great deal of ceremonious foolish- ness over there. It’s Peruvian ground, and the barefooted ignoramuses of officials may Insist on showing their importance by demanding. your papers and all that. I can go across, get the men, and be back here 9 before you’d be half through the prelimi- naries. Saves time.” “All right, if it’s notetoo much trouble.” ‘““A good deal less trouble than if you 83 went, to be frank. I’m known and I can go straight about the business. So sit down and wait. Thomaz! My hat!” ah OUT he tramped to the piazza, - where he paused a moment to run a swift eye over the disheveled sae of Tim, who had fallen sound asleep in a chair. Then, without a further word or glance, he descended the ladder and swung away down the street. The Ameri- cans, watching him from the doorway, observed that children in his path hastened to get out of it, and that he spoke to nobody. “Prussian,” rasped McKay. ‘““‘M-hm. Done time in the Kaiser’s army, too, even if he has been here since before the war. But he’s treating us pretty white.” The captain made no answer. Their eyes followed the big figure until they saw it go sliding away toward Peru in a canoe pro- pelled by two languid townsmen. Then McKay dropped a hand on Tim’s shoulder. The red-lashed eyes flew open instantly. Briefly, quietly, Knowlton told of what had passed when he napped, then asked what information he had gleaned from Joao. ‘He says,” answered Tim, “this guy is a queer duck. Been around here quite awhile, but Joey don’t know what’s his game. He goes off on trips up-river, stays quite a while, comes back unexpected, and nobody knows where he’s been or why. He don’t use Brazilian boatmen—gits his men on the other side. And the Peru boys themselves dunno where he goes, or anyways they say they don’t. “Two of ’em come over here awhile back and got drunk, and Joey tried to pump ’em, but all the dope he got was that this here Fritz goes away up-stream to a li’l camp, and from there he goes off into the bush alone, and the Peru guys jest hang around the camp till he gits back. ‘Sounds kind o’ fishy to me and Joey says it does to him too, but he couldn’t work nothin’ more out o’ the drunks because about that time Sworn-off himself comes buttin’ in and asks these guys what they think they’re doin’ on this side the river and they beat it back to Peru: toot sweet. He’s got their goat all right, and I wouldn’t wonder if he’s got Joey’s too. Anyways, Joey tells me he’s off this geezer and advises me to lay off him too, though he can’t name a thing against him.” Co DOOLK C©