Adventure Magazine Cover — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

46 Grim nodded again. “That is a very strong recommendation, Jimgrim!”’ Grim introduced us, giving Jeremy’s name as Jmil Ras. “Hah! I have heard of you,” staring at him. dered all over Arabia? I am probably the only Arab who knew what you really were. Do you recall that time at Wady Hafiz when a local priest denounced you and a Sheik in a yellow kuffiy: toldj]the crowd that he knew you for a prophet? Iam the same Sheik. I liked your pluck. I often “* wondered what became of you.’ “Put it here!’ said Jeremy, and they shook hands. For twenty minutes after that Hadad and Jeremy swapped reminiscences in quick staccato time. It was like two Gatling guns playing a duet, and the score was about equally intelligible to any one unfamiliar with Arabia’s hinterland—which is to say to all except about one person in ten million. It was most of it Greek to me, but Grim listened like an operator to the ticking of the Morse code. It was Hadad who cut it short; Jeremy would have talked all the way to Damascus. “And so, Jimgrim, do the kites fore- gather? Or are we a folorn hope? Do we go to bury Feisul or to crown him king?” “How much do you know?” Grim an- swered. “Hah! More than you, my friend! I come from Europe—London—Paris—Rome. I stopped off in Deraa to listen a while, where the tide of rumor flows back and forth across the border. The English are in favor of Feisul, and would help him if they could. The French are against him and would rather have him a dead saint than a living nuisance. The most dis- turbing rumor I have heard was here in Deraa, to the effect that Feisul sent a letter to Jerusalem calling on all#Moslems to rise and massacre the Jews. That does not sound like Feisul, but the French agent in Deraa assured me that he will have the original letter in his hands within a day or two.” Grim smiled over at Mabel. “You might show him the letter!” he suggested. | So Mabel dug down into the mysteries beneath her shirtwaist and produced the document wrapped in a medical bandage said Hadad, “The Australian who wan-. Adventure of oiled silk. Hadad unwrapped it, read it carefully, and handed it to Grim. “Are vou deceived by that?” he asked. “Does Feisul speak like that, or write like that? Since when has he turned coward that he should sign his name with a number?” _ “What do you make of it?” asked Grim. “Hah! It is as plain as the ink on the paper. It is intended for use against Feisul, first by making the British suspicious of him, second by providing the French with an excuse to attack him, third by con- victing him of treachery, for which he can be jailed or executed after he is caught. grim?” “T’m going to show it to Feisul.”’ “Good. I, too, am on my way to see Feisul. Perhaps the two of us together can convince him what is best.” “If we two first agree,” Grim answered with a dry smile. “Do we agree that two and two make foure This is just as simple, Jimgrim. Feisul can not contend with the French. The financiers have spread their net for Syria, Feisul has no artillery worth speaking of—no gas—no masks against gas and the French have plenty of everything except money. Syria has been undermined by propaganda and corruption. Let Feisul go to British territory and thence to Europe, where his friends may have a chance to work for him. The British will give him Mesopotamia, and after that it will be up -to us Arabs to prove we are anation. That is my argument. Are we agreed?” “Tf that’s your plan, Hadad, I’m with you!” Grim answered. “Then I also am with you! Let us shake hands.”’ “Shwai shwai! (Go slow!)” said Grim. “Better join up with me in Damascus. There are six men in the car ahead who'll try to murder us all presently. They’ve got a letter that they think is that one. The minute they find out we’ve fooled them there’ll be ructions.”’ “Tam good at ructions!’’ Hadad answered. “My friend Narayan Singh is forward watching them,” said Grim. ‘‘What they’ll probably try when they make the discovery will be to have the lot of us arrested at some wayside station. stall them.” “T am good at forestalling!” said Hadad. “Then don’t you forestall me!” laughed I propose to fore- COMiCooo Cc SS . What do you propose to do with it, Jim- (©