Adventure Magazine Cover — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

106 Drake, however, refused to give an immediate decision. To safeguard himself for that night he obtained the services of Koloi, an Indian whose life he had once saved. Having stationed Koloi at the door of his room, he went to sleep. The whole party was awakened the following morning by Garth, who, in a frenzy of excitement, told them the Indian had disappeared—and that the jewels were missing. KOLOI left a clean trail behind him, enabling them to track him to Bridge Cafion. They set out in pursuit, but were compelled that night to stop off at the mountainous retreat of Jonas and Adam Kinney. Adam Kinney got Wheeler and Brendon alone and told them he had spoken with the Indian, who, according to his account, had been ordered by Dalton to take the jewels away and hide them in the “‘Gold Cave,” an almost inaccessible spot down the cafion. Kinney explained to them the perilous nature of the Indian’s task. In order to reach the cave it was necessary for Koloi to traverse blank spaces in the path above the seemingly bottomless chasm, whose upright walls offered not even a handhold. The Indian, however, by means of a hand-over- hand method, with the use of two peeled poles, reached the cave. The next morning Wheeler and Adam Kinney, with the assistance of bamboo poles which Kinney had long been practising with, successfully imitated the Indian’s achievement, and got within hailing distance of Koloi, who had sought refuge in the Gold Cave. Kinney then left Dan to go and meet Brendon. Soon afterward Drake, who with Garth had approached the cafion from a different direction, reached Dan. Garth suddenly. threatened to shoot Drake if he did not call out the Indian and make him give up the jewels. Drake bargained however, and finally Garth agreed to give him a quitclaim deed to all his mining properties in return for one of the jewels. At Drake’s order Koloi emerged from his hiding- piace with only one“Twin.” Immediately the Indian came within reach Garth snatched at the jewel, and then, double-crossing Drake, stated he would take the life of the Indian if Drake did not order him to bring out the other jewel. Drake refused, and before he could prevent him, Garth had fired at both the Indian’s wrists, and shot them clean through, so that Koloi, with one last faithful look at Drake, dropped like a plummet, down through that terrible space into the boiling waters below. Garth then offered Dan ten thousand dollars to ‘ make the trip to the cave and bring back the re- maining jewel. Dan accepted, and reached the cave, only to discover that the roll, which should have contained the precious gem, was empty. Replacing it with a stone, he came out, but refused to give up the roll, which Garth imagined contained CHAPTER XII U YAN had been pacing his rooms for some time—a very long time it seemed to him—waiting for the re- turn of Wheeler. Now and again as he passed between the lacquered plaques, Adventure the other Twin. Working himself into a fit of demoniacal rage Garth fired at Dan, and having ap- parently shot away the poles: which supported him, became convinced that he was killed. Through one of his poles jamming in a crevice of the rocky wall, Dan had a miraculous escape, however, and thanks to his almost superhuman strength, reached safety after a tremendous effort. Meeting Brendon, he recounted the whole dramatic story to him, and then proceeded to hurry back to the city to give Lu Yan news of all that had taken place. Lu Yan, deciding that Dan had fitted himself for his confidence, related the history of the Twins. They were two diamonds that blazed with an extraor- dinary green fire, and were stolen from a temple in inland Asia by a false priest. “It is always told that whoever has jp his posses- sion even one of the Twins, unless hiStyes be blue or green, he shall come to misfortune or death right soon,” stated Lu Yan. ‘But if the lucky man have eyes of green by nature, and come by the stone without guilt, his is a charmed life so long as he carries the stone; and good fortune shall be his thereafter.” Lu Yan went on to tell Dan that he was acting as agent for Prince Iotu, the rightful heir to the throne of the country from which the Twins were stolen. There was, however, a pretender to the throne. The little kingdom, being rich in re- sources, a certain European power was anxious to obtain valuable concessions there. They could obtain these from the pretender, if only they were able to place him on the throne. Their one chance to do this was to restore the stolen jewels to the temple, as the priests had prophesied that with the return of the Twins would come a wise and powerful ruler to lead them back to all their ancient wealth and power. Garth was attempting to obtain the jewels to sell to this European power. Lu Yan thengintimated that the mysterious secret society, with which he also was connected, would know how to act against Garth, and in- formed Dan that he must consider himself under the society’s orders. Dan returned to the hotel, disguised as a China- man; gaining access by means of a secret corridor leading to Garth’s private office in the Cascade Club. There he met Brenner, who had taken his place as manager; and soon they were joined by Lu Yan and Senator Sands. Together they discussed the activities of the two main crooks in Garth’s employ, Scotty the Crimp, who ran a bar, and Ardmore, who posed as a respectable member of society. Dan suggested a plan whereby a break might be caused between the crooks and Garth; the plan being that some of Ardmore’s cash should be marked, and that he should find it missing; eventually identifying it in Garth’s possession. The plan was agreed upon, and Dan proceeded to carry it out. vases and other things of beauty that made of his rooms a museum of delight to know- ing ones, he paused before the pedestaled shrine of the serene Buddha as if tempted to offer up a praver. For Lu Yan, philosopher and advocate of freedom from desire, was worrying. Twice CONMUIG 1@) DOOKS © iin