Adventure Magazine Cover — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

teal Tupahn the Thunderstorm of the Indians. They didn’t look mean, though they were awfully savage for a few seconds. When they took everything out of - the canoe and pointed for me to go into the woods I went right along. I had to, any- way. | “Pve told you how the leader tried to talk to me, aind why I kept still after reach- ing here. The Indians hadn’t been talking long when some excitement started at the door. I couldn’t see what it was, for the Indians were all around me. of them grabbed me and ran me over there to the rear of the place, where they made me lie down among some big clay jars and things. © ; “T heard loud talk, and one voice roaring so that I thought it must be you, Tom—Mr. Mack—though the words sounded like Indian language. I started to jump up and call, but one of the Indians put a hand over my mouth and the others forced me down; and then I remembered you were dead and thought Lourenco and Pedro couldn’t possi- bly have come without a boat. After a while the talking stopped and men went out, but I was kept there among the jars for a, long time after that. “Then at last the Indians took me back, and there was a great deal of slow talk that dragged on and on. Finally they put a hor- rid-looking hollow head over my shoulders and led me out. We all went out back to another house, much smaller, and then all went away except the one who seemed to be friendly.. He took the hollow head off me and began trying to talk again. *‘T began trying to talk back, by making signs—trying to tell him if he would take me to the Amazon he would be well rewarded. some kind of a cry sounded outside, and he looked out. I looked too, but couldn’t see any one. When he came back’I started making signs again. But then he began to threaten me. 1 don’t know what he said, but his face and voice were so ugly & “He said you must do as he willed, or you would die,” I told her. “We were outside listening.” “Vou were! Oh, if I had only known! Then it was you who made such a loud rustling noise at the door?” “Just so, senhovita.”’ “T didn’t know. I was afraid this old man had decided to kill me and sent his men to get me. Somehow when I’m scared I seldom scream, like some girls: I usually Then several 39 keep very still. So I kept still then, watch-- ing the door. The stout Indian—you say he was a medicine man?—he grabbed a big jar and rolled it aside, then seized me and threw me into a hole in the ground. I strug- gled, but down I went. .Then everything turned black. “T heard some sounds overhead, but couldn’t tell what they were. After a while I must have gone to sleep down there in the blackness; or perhaps I fainted; I was dead tired. But finally I felt as if I were suffocat- ing, and I began trying to get out. “By straining as hard as I could I man- aged to lift the big jar away enough to get some air. And after a long time, moving that heavy thing inch by inch and resting often, I worked it over far enough to pull myself out. Then—I guess I really did faint then. I hadn’t eaten anything for more than twenty-four hours. For that matter, I haven’t eaten yet.”’ “What!” exclaimed sihor Tom. “Good Lord! We'll get you something She raised a hand, smiling faintly. “Just a moment. Let me finish. When I came to myself it was so black that I had to feel my way around to find the door. While I was groping about I felt that horri- ble hollow head, and I put it on again, think- ing that if I met any Indian outside he would believe I was some demon of the night and would run from me. Then I went out and started for the woods, but I heard a jaguar somewhere ahead and thought I’d better go the other way. So I did, and found a path, and came out in the big opening around this house. “Tt was all dark and quiet, and I went by and tried to find the way I had come from the creek, so that I could get back to. the canoe. I dreaded to go back there where that dead man was, but it seemed the only thing to do. But I couldn’t find any path. Then suddenly something hissed near me— a snake of some kind. And by that time I was so nervous that I turned and ran toward the house, and I must have cried out, though I don’t remember it. “Men came out with lights, and when they saw me they —began to yell and shout —and—they Her voice died away. She went limp and dropped sidewise in the hammock. We sprang to her side, lifted her, and —— again with water and rum to revive er. VOLO KS (E(0)