Adventure Magazine Cover — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

28 “Yes. Why didn’t you arrest both the blackguards and have done with it?” “Better the evil that we know,” he an- swered, with the familiar smile in his voice. “The important thing is to sidetrack the French agent, who could put fifty ruffians on our trail instead of one.” “Why not send a _ provost-marshal’s guard to the French agent, then?” “Can’t do that. France and Great Britain are allies. Besides, they might re- taliate by spifflicating our agent in Damas- cus. Wise folk who live in glass houses don’t throw stones. What I think has been accomplished is to reduce our probable risk down to Yussuf Dakmar* who’s a mean squib at.best; and I think we’ve drawn sus- picion clear away from Mabel Ticknor. All that remains is for me to go to that room where you see the light burning and discuss matters with the chief.” “If he’s awake he’s lonely!”’ said I; and I told Grim of our experience inside the building. “Yes,” he said. ‘Governments are all like that. They talk glibly of the ship of state; but a ship run in the same way would pile up or sink the first night out. You’d better go home and get an hour’s sleep; I'll call you at seven.’ ‘We'll take turns sleeping on the train,”’ ITanswered. ‘‘Come first and rescue Jeremy. I think the guard pinched him. Say, did you intend one of us to go and decoy the guard away that time ‘you raised your voice?” “Sure. Recognized your voices—yours aspecially—when you passed, and heard you ‘reathe as you crept back. You nearly spoilt the game by turning out the guard, but you saved it again handsomely.” “It’s a marvel those Sikhs didn’t shoot Jeremy in the dark,” I answered. “You bet it is,” said Grim. ‘TI guess he’s too useful to be allowed to die just now.” He hung his head, thinking, as we walked side by side. ‘“‘That was a close shave, too Well, as you say, let’s go rescue him.” close! CHAPTER Vil “Vou talk like a madman!” (Cane changed the plan a little at the last minute. Mabel Ticknor left Jerusalem by train, as agreed, but Narayan Singh was sent that way too, to keep an eye Adventure on her. He being a Sikh, could sit in the corridor without exciting comment, and being dressed for the part of a more or less prosperous trader, he could travel first class without having to answer questions or allay suspicion. Grim, Jeremy and I drove to Ludd ina hired auto, Grim and Jeremy both in Arab costume, and I trying to look like a tourist. Jeremy was supposed to be a travelled Arab intent on guiding me about Damascus for the usual consideration. The platform was crowded, and we se- cured a compartment in the train without calling much attention to ourselves. There were British officers of all ranks, Egyptians, - Jews, Greeks, refugee Armenians, Maltese, Kurds, a Turk or two, Circassians, men from as far off as Bokhara, T urkomans, Indians of all sorts, a sprinkling of Bedouins looking not quite so at home as in their native desert, and local Arabs by the score. About half of them were in a panic, encour- aged to it by their shrill women-folk, fight- ing in a swarm for tickets at one small win- dow, where an insolent Levantine demon- strated his capacity for self-determination by making as many people as possible miss the train. I caught sight of Mabel Ticknor in the front compartment of our car, and Grim pointed out Yussuf Dakmar leaning through a window of the car behind. His face was fat, unwholesome, with small, cold eyes, an immoral nose, and a small mouth with pout- ing lips. The tarboosh he wore tilted at an angle heightened the general effect of arro- gant self-esteem. He was an illustration of the ancient mystery—how is it that a man with such a face, and such insolence written -all over him, can become a leader of other men and persuade them to hatch the eggs of treachery that he lays like a cuckoo in their nests? He smirked at Grim suggestively as we went by, and Grim, of course, smirked back, with a sidewise inclination of the head in my direction, whereat Yussuf Dakmar with- drew himself, apparently satisfied. ‘“‘Now he’ll waste a lot of time investigat- ing you,” said Grim in an undertone. ‘‘We’d better keep awake in turns, or he’ll knife you.” ‘“‘The toe of my boot to him!” I retorted. “One clean kick might solve this interna- tional affair!’ “Steady!” Grim answered. “We need MICLOOOKS C@