Adventure Magazine Cover — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

56 Can’t you see that if you lose you'll be a martyr, and Islam will rise to avenge you?” “Inshallah,” said Feisul, nodding. “But that if you let pride go by the board, and seem to run away, there’ll be a breath- ing spell? Asia would wonder for a few months, and do nothing, until it began to dawn on them that you had acted wisely and had a better plan in view.” “T am not proud, except of my nation,” Feisul answered. ‘I would not let pride interfere with policy. But it is too late to talk of this.” “Which is better?’ Grim demanded. ‘“‘A martyr, the very mention of whose name means war, or a living power for peace under a temporary cloud?” “T am afraid I am a poor host. Forgive me,” Feisul answered. ‘‘Dinner has been waiting all this while, and you have a lady with you. This is disgraceful.” He rose and led the way into another room, closing the discussion. We ate an ordinary meal in an ordinary dining-room, Feisul presiding and talking trivialities with Mabel and Hadad. There was an occasional boisterous interlude by Jeremy, but even he with his tales of unknown Arabia couldn’t lift the load of depression. Grim and [I sat silent through the meal. I experienced the sensation that you get when an expedition proves a failure and you’ve got to go home again with nothing done—all dreary emptiness; but Grim was hatching something, as you could tell by the far-away expression and the glowering light in his eyes. He looked about ready for murder. Narayan Singh’s face all through the meal was a picture—delight and pride at dining with a king, amazement at his karma that had brought a sepoy of the line to hear such confidences first hand, chagrin over Grim’s apparent failure and desire to be incon- spicuous controlled his expression in turn. Once or twice he tried to make conversation with me, but I was in no mood for it, being a grouchy old bear on occasion without decent manners. Feisul excused himself the minute the meal was over, saying he had a conference to attend, and we all went back into the sitting-room, where Grim took the chair he had occupied before and marshalled us into a row on the seat in front of him. He was back again in form—electric—and selfcon- trolled. Adventure “Have you folk got the hang of this?’ he asked. ‘Do you realize what it means ii Feisul goes out and gets scuppered?”’ We thought we did, even if we didn’t. I don’t suppose any one except the few who, like Grim, have made a life-study of the problem of Islam in all its bearings could quite have grasped it. Mabel had a view- point that served Grim’s purpose as well as any at the moment. “That man’s too good, and much too good-looking to be wasted!” she said em- phatically. ‘‘D’you suppose that if Colonel Lawrence were really here—”’ “Half a minute,” said Grim, “and I'll come to that. How about you, Hadad? How far would you go to save Feisul from this Waterloo?” “T would go a long way,” he answered cautiously. ‘‘What do you intend?2”’ “To appear near the firing-line, for one thing, with somebody who looks like Colonel Lawrence, and somebody else who looks enough like Feisul in one of Feisul’s cars, and give the French a run for it in one direc- tion while Feisul escapes in the other.” “Wallahi! But what if Feisul won’t go?” “He'll get helped! Did you ever hear what they did to Napoleon at Waterloo? Seized his bridle and galloped away with him.”’ “You mean I’m to act Lawrence again?” asked Mabel, looking deathly white. Grim nodded. : “Who’s cast for Feisul?’’ Jeremy in- quired. “You are! You’re the only trained stage- actor in the bunch. You’re his height— not unlike his figure——”’ “T resemble him as much as a kangaroo looks like an ostrich!’ laughed Jeremy. “You're talking wild, Jim. What have you had to drink?” | “How about you, Ramsden? Will you see this:through?”’ Jeremy shook his head at me. I believe he thought for the moment that Grim had gone mad. He hadn’t the experience of Grim that I had, and consequently not the same confidence in Grim’s ability to dream, catch the essence of the dream, pin it down and make a fact of it. “T’ll go the limit,” said I. “Well, Dll be !’ laughed Jeremy. “fAll right; same here. I stake a gold mine and Rammy raises me. Fetch your crown _ and sceptre and I’ll play king to Jim’s ace COnniclboooks C@