Adventure Magazine Cover — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

The Land of Ophir acozy corner. Tonight we can go out and do a bit of scouting unless they turn up before.”’ We selected a corner of the ruined portico, and, pulling with our hands and using the butts of our guns, cleared a small space, enough not to harbor snakes and poisonous spiders too close to us. That didn’t take long. Then we decided we’d best scout around a little to see whether there were any signs of pursuers. Fieldmorre took the right, Billy the center and I the left, agreeing that at any sign of the enemy we should give the whistling wood-buck call. But before start- ing I pulled off my szlham and jelab, for a fellow can’t scout in a kind of nightgown. Fieldmorre followed suit and Billy had no need, having discarded the evil-smelling robes for just the trousers and shirt. I made my way back to the thinning of the trees. I could hear the throb of drums and the wail of some instruments. Pressing on to the edge, I got a clear view over the lake. Across the water the long white palace, set on top of this kind of hanging terraces, with minarets and trees behind and about, surely did look fine in the glare of the sun. I admit I had made a few détours, for my eyes got wonderfully keen on spoiting the difference between just leaves and just snake; and the brutes, being pampered, must have bred like coyotes; and toward noon they mostly go in for a siesta, which makes the danger of stepping on them worse. Then I thought of the obvious need of having water with us for the day, but hadn’t a single thing I could utilize for a pail, not even shoes. Nor were there any big leaves, such as the plantain, out of which I could have made a leaky bucket. The only thing to do, I reflected, was to go without until we started out at night foraging for food. On my return I found Billy squatting, with his back against a snake pillar, polish- ing with handfuls of grass and leaves at something. ‘What on earth’re you doing?” I ex- claimed. “Polishing the family plate, old dear. Jabbed my toe on it as I was scouting past that hole I fell into. Thought it was a piece of rock, which struck me as strange in this swamp, so I pawed around.” He handed me a thing that looked like L09 a clumsy soup-tureen, but very heavy. “It’s Mr. Snake’s milk-cup,” he explained. ‘“‘Has a lot more of those curious char- acters we saw,’ added Fieldmorre. ‘I think that this place in ancient times must have been the temple of the snake-worship. Look at those twisted snakes on the lip sides upon a kind of pillar like a totem-pole; sort of caduceus, you know.”’ “But is it gold?” said I. “Betcha,” assured Billy. ‘‘Reminds me of that Phenician outfit. I always did have the luck.” “You'll need all you ever had to get out of this,’ I retorted. ‘‘What’s the use of it here anyway?” “Do splendidly for a drinking-bowl,”’ said Fieldmorre. “Drink!” I echoed. ‘Out of that snake thing? Ugh, I’d rather eat caterpillars, and that’s going some, for I’d go plumb loco if I had twenty caterpillars put on my naked body.” | “You'll probably have to if we don’t get any grub tonight.” ‘““You seem mighty fresh!” I-retorted; for I know snakes and caterpillars—I think I’m more scared of caterpillars than snakes, which seems foolish, I'll allow—are my weaknesses; but I don’t like being kidded about it. “Sure,” said Billy. “I’ve got a gun again. But seriously, there’s no sense in the three of us scouting tonight. I'll go.” “You won’t, by the Lord!” said I. “I’d rather be in St. Quentin than stop here all night with these beasts on the prowl. I'll go, I’m telling you, and come home with the milk and maybe some grub.” : “But how about locating the other chaps?” interposed Fieldmorre. We fell to discussing what had better be done. Billy was for waiting a day or two at least to let the excitement of our escape die down. Fieldmorre contended that the chances were that Gandhi would come try- ing to chase us out of the sacred wood. I suggested that maybe he wouldn’t be able to persuade anvbody but a holy man to come within a foot of the wood, and that, knowing we had rifles and ammunition, they’d find excuses tor stopping outside. “Tf that’s right,” said Billy, ‘‘then they’ll just surround the place and try to starve us or drive us to a diet of boiled serpent.” ‘Ugh! Shut your head, Billy.” “T think the best thing,”’ said Fieldmorre, pe (C@ DOOLK S (C@