Adventure Magazine Cover — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

86 outposts caught sight of an outpost of Karea’s army, and with a yell went into ac- tion. The noise of the combat brought dozens from both sides, mutual recognition ensued, and a battle ‘commenced in the heart of the grove. ~The white man was forgotten. Lu’s men were unaware that they were opposed to the whole of Karea’s army, while Karea himself thought he had run into the whole of Lu’s array. With much difficulty he drew off his men. Lu’s men withdrew also and camped restlessly some half a mile from their foes. Messengers were sent to Lu, and at the first flush of the real dawn he was on the march with the rest of his army. In the meantime a few of the hotter-headed bucks prowled between the two camps eager for heads and glory. A little judicious scouting on the part of Maru had given the trader an idea how things stood. He was displeased that the fighting was to take place so near him. It would mean sleepless nights for him until the blood-lust had died down, which would not be for some time. He knew also that if he elected to go in with one king or the other with his dynamite-sticks and rifles, he could end the whole conflict in a few hours. But he dared not. If he aided Lu, Karea would remember and so would Karea’s people. There would be half the trade gone. The same state of things would ensue if he went in and aided Karea. Lu would remember and so would Lu’s people. It was a case of being between the devil and the deep sea. The trader called Maru to him. “Tt is time our plan was tried,” he said. ‘“‘We must leave the house unguarded un- fortunately, but we can rig up trip-lines to some mines. That ought to scare any prowlers away. Yes, I think it can be man- aged. Get what you want and we'll start.’ Half an hour later they set out. The trader carried two rifles, and two bandoliers were slung across his shoulders. His pock- ets were crammed with dynamite-sticks, each ready for firing with a fuse split and cut short, and with the live end of a match inserted. A mere touch of a glowing cigar- butt would set them off. Maru carried several yards of fine cord and asack. Weap- ons, other than his usual Malay kris, he had none. It took the two till noon to negotiate a cautious way to the ravine, beyond which lay the country of the Little People. Several ‘throw the poisoned-spear. Adventure times they had to crouch low in the under- brush to let a hastily traveling party of Karea’s or Lu’s men go by chattering ex- citedly. Once they had to lie in cover and watch a fight when two of these parties met. But eventually they reached the ravine without either side knowing they had left the house and store unguarded. Far below they could see the smoke of fires rising above the jungle like pale blue serpents, curling and winding until lost in the rarer air of the heights. The fires showed that the armies had not yet closed. The trader knew that it would not be long before the young bucks would fly into action, the chiefs unable to restrain them and follow up any settled plan. There would develop in the end, as there always did in savage wars, nothing but a general mélée in which the side that kept at it longest would win. Maru became a little uneasy as the trader crossed the fragile bridge ahead of him. It was quite possible that sharp eyes were watching them venture on the tabued ground, that strong fingers were tensed to One could not help remembering the three great kings who had, in the past, led armies across the bridge and never returned. The calm indifference of the matte man gave the brown man courage. While the trader held that caution was at all times necessary, his Anglo-Saxon blood gave him that inimitable air of contempt for danger, and that self-confident swagger that has carried the white man round the world and far into the strongholds of the most savage peoples. Maru felt vastly braver as he watched his master, and something of the swagger set- tled on his own shoulders. 5 | FROM the bridge a well-beaten -—{ path ran into the jungle that lay on =! the very lip of the ravine waiting to engulf them, murmuring, reeking and hot. What lay behind the green wall and beyond the narrow pathway no man knew. The trader hesitated for a moment, looked back the way he had come, looked ahead again, and then followed his look. He walked very softly, his finger on the trigger and every sense alert. For some two hun- dred yards the path led in a gentle slope downward, the undergrowth and _ trees hemming it in closely. Then it commenced COMICOoOokKSs Cc (C@