Adventure Magazine Cover — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

128 XX @1I SET my teeth and remained tie quiet, working my rifle loose as fuer | watched. From the distance I acute? t see for sure whether they were in pain or not, but none gave a cry or even cursed. A guttural oath of satisfaction that “‘the lords of the forest” would be well entertained by so goodly a number of infi- dels nigh broke my resolve to keep my tongue still. And from all sides came guttural murmurs of approval, faintly echoed in the lighter tones and squeals from the women on the roofs. Then suddenly there rose the thin wail of the Gandhi reed pipe. Against the white of his robes I could see the black head of the cobra appear, glide from the throat- slit of the sz/ham and coil around and up until as before the snake’s head was sway- ing above the emerald on the turban. At that everybody became silent, only the tight breathing registering the excitement of nervous expectancy. A guttural grunt near me brought my eyes out to the lake and I nudged Billy’s arm. On the glittering surface of the sunlit water appeared a ripple and two moving specks, leaving in their wakes molten silver streaks. A quivering “u-h-h!” ran through the crowd, and every man craned forward, staring fixedly at the advancing serpents. Other dots of silver wreaths appeared be- hind. The wailing pipe continued rising and falling in that creepy way it had. In the water of the tank, the pythons glinted in thesun. The leader seemed to hurl or shoot itself beyond the stone lip on to the earth; but the second reared, and, failing to get a grip with its flexible ribs, slid back into the water and disappeared. Another glided over seemingly without effort. One after another they came, obeying the strange call, passing close beneath the crosses bearing the victims, until there were some thirteen or fourteen serpents arranged around the white-shrouded figure on the gold-and-ivory throne, their chromatic bodies swaying to the crying of the pipe, the hideous cobra on the head of Gandhi seeming to beat time like some ghastly con- ductor. What was going tohappen next I did not know, since the Gandhi had merely given me a kind of exhibition show, I guessed, by Adventure way of something for me to think about. I could see Pexton and O’Donnell twisting their heads sidewise to peer down in an effort to see what was going on beneath them. Fieldmorre either was unconscious of them or resigned, but I could see the strain of his shoulder muscles as he tried to take the weight off his wounded leg. Then just as I was wondering how long this performance was going on and what was to happen, I started as I heard from a little to the right among a group of robed figures the preliminary squeak of another pipe. As the thin wail trickled out hundreds of heads turned in that direction, and I sighed with a feeling of relief, thinking that this was Sabah starting in to redeem his promise. At first I couldn’t make out what he was after. The sound rose in volume, and in some way I couldn’t define the rhythm or tune was slightly different from that of the Gandhi, who had flashed an angry glance in the direction of the interloper, but was still playing. Then, accompanied by a half- supressed “uh” of astonishment from the crowd, I saw two pythons sway away from the charmer on the throne and begin to glide toward the rival. One after another the others followed the lead. The Gandhi’s pipe rose in volume and speed; but even the black cobra coiled down his shoulders and across the floor to the new music, which seemed irresistible, and climbed up on Sabah’s head. As the first two serpents approached Sabah those about him scattered in violent haste until there was a space as big as that around the throne about him. Within ten minutes every serpent had deserted the Gandhi and was swaying ecstatically around the squatted form of Sabah! Suddenly the Gandhi ceased playing, and, leaping to his feet, shouted angrily to his gorgeous body-guard to seize the sacrile- gious stranger. Some of them started for- ward, some raised their guns, but more hung back. I saw Sabah’s clever move. None of them dared attack while the holy snakes were about him. The Gandhi lost his cold dignity and shouted and cursed futilely, re- calling the time I had stopped him beating up the woman slave. Among the green-turbaned priests at the back an excited discussion was going on, but the great audience scemed too astonished or (C@ DOOK S (C@