Adventure Magazine Cover — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

“Give him to me, Andirah! He is my enemy and yours. Tupahn the Thunder- storm will give him his punishment!”’ As he spoke he swung toward the place where he had heard the priest demand our lives. But the pajé had stepped a little aside. So, though Senhor Tom spoke to him, his unseeing eyes rested on a post. ““Come here to me, stealer of women!’’ he snapped. ‘With my bare hands alone I will break you!” With the words he unbuckled his gun- belt and held it out toward us. To keep it from falling, I grasped it. But I whispered: “Are you mad, comrade, to fight a man you can not see? He is heavier than you. Let me fight him!” ‘““He’s my meat!” was the hoarse answer. “Hands off!” The pazé, who had taken a backward step, now was watching him like a hawk. Sud- ~ denly he broke out in a jarring laugh. “Tupahn?” he jeered. “This man Tu- pahn? No! Andirah, these three make a fool of you indeed. ‘This is no Tupahn, killer of Black Hawk. He is only a loud- mouthed pretender. He can not even see! He is blind!”’ But before the Bat could waver and grow suspicious of us, Senhor Tom echoed the words. “T am blind. My eyes see not. The bullet of the man caught by the Tucunas killed my sight. But Iam Tupahn! And, blind or not, Tupahn can punish his foes. Unless you fear a blind man, you skulking pajé of a brave tribe, come and fight!” A hoarse mutter of admiration went around the big house. Old Andirah cackled. ‘“*Tupahn speaks well,’ he cried. “Better blind eyes and a straight tongue than _ atwisted mouth. Let Tupahn break his foe as he has promised! Men, put them to- gether!” This time the men of the tribe did not hesitate. Those behind the pajé gave him a sudden shove. Stumbling, snarling, he lurched forward at our comrade. “On guard, senhor!’’ I warned. INSTANTLY Senhor Tom struck out with both hands. One blow missed. The other caught the Indian solidly under the heart. The crack of fist on flesh was like a pistol-shot. The pajé gasped, staggered, then clutched with both hands for his foe’s throat. _— pec = eS te ss = ~ Adventure But the white man, having once felt his enemy, leaped and grappled. The clutching hands missed his throat, scraped past his neck, curved around behind him—then the Indian’s arms clamped tight and he strove to crush our comrade down. For a moment they strained there, the priest hissing through his teeth and slobber- ing like an animal, the blind man feeling for some arm-hold he_wanted. All at once he gave back and stepped aside in the same instant, heaved—and the fight became a whirling tangle out of which came gasps, grunts, groans, and a sudden yell of pain and fear. Down they thumped on the dirt. A gleam of yellow teeth, and from Senhor ‘Tom came a short grunt. The pazé, like the dog he looked to be, was biting. But then came the lightning sweep of a hard fist, and the priest’s head jolted as if hit by a club. Again the fist struck, and the red scroll of paint on the Indian’s cheeks was blotted out by a swift rush of deeper red. He sank his head into his chest to avoid more blows. Over they turned, and over, the pajé clawing and kicking and straining with sud- den sobs for breath, the white man fighting with less struggling but more damage to his enemy. They wrestled up to their feet and fell again; they got each other down, only to be forced under in turn. They struck their heads and arms and legs against roof- poles so hard that it seemed they must be knocked senseless or break their bones. Yet they fought on. Time and again Pedro and I had to grab them both and throw them, still locked together, away from the chief’s fire. They kicked over the bat-mask, crumpled it under their rolling bodies, knocked it to pieces with feet and knees and elbows. They fell on hammocks, tore them from the lashings, and tangled themselves until they could hardly move. But not once did they pause to free themselves. Somehow they fought out of their entanglements as ed had fought into them. The end came all at once. They had fallen again across a hammock. It was tied up too stoutly to give way under them. Striking it almost at a run, they were thrown headlong to the ground on the other side. A violent thump sounded, and a roof-pole quivered with the shock. Then both were still. For a little time no man touched them. CEOLMICLOOO (C <S) (E@) 3