Adventure Magazine Cover — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

arms about his waist, looking up at him. ae Ban - ‘d " Ss 3 m As that all his fault, ? yi i adverse judgment. _ OAsad?” . “All?” he questioned, looking down at her. ‘What more is there?’ Ost wi ai ME E . there is, to which thy angelic mercy blinds ____ thee. He did worse. Not merely was he ____ reckless of how he sinned against the law, he turned the law to his own base uses and 8 so defiled it.” ee “How?” he asked quickly, eagerly almost. “He employed it as a bulwark behind _ which to shelter himself and her. Knowing _ that thou, who art the Lion and Defender a3 3 of the Faith, wouldst bend obediently to = what is written in the Book, he married her _ to place her beyond thy reach. = : “The praise to Him who is All-wise and = _ lent me strength to do naught unworthy!” he cried in a great voice, glorifying himself. geal | might have slain him to dissolve the impious bond, yet I obeyed what is written.” 2° “Thy forbearance hath given joy to the 22 angels,” she answered him, “and yet a man __._._ was found so base as to trade upon it and __~_upon thy piety, O Asad!” ee He shook off her clasp, and strode away ___ from her a prey to agitation. _ She saw him halt, and fling up his arms, a as if apostrophizing Heaven, as if asking a question of the stars that twinkled in the _ wide-flung nimbus of the moon. Therf at last he paced slowly back to her. _ He was still undecided. There was truth in = oe what she had said; yet he knew and weighed - her hatred of Sakr-el-Bahr, knew how it E = : must urge her to put the worst construction _ upon any act of his, knew her jealousy for _ Marzak, and so he mistrusted her arguments and mistrusted himself. Also there was his own love of Sakr-el-Bahr that would insist —- ; iv. His mind was in turmoil. xs “Enough,” he said almost roughly. ___ pray that Allah may send me counsel in the night.” _And upon that he stalked past her, up the steps, and so into the house. She followed him. All night she lay at - shis feet to be ready at the first peep of “dawn to buttress a purpose that she feared was still weak, and whilst he.slept fitfully, she slept not at all, but lay wide-eyed and watchful. - She lided to her knees ad coiléd her @& Es art thou ever merciful, ever sparing | “T would there were no more. Yet more ‘others. upon a place in the balance of his judgment. - Ff AT THE first note of the Mueddin’s .| voice, he leapt from his couch obe- dient to its summons, and scarce had the last note of it died upon the winds of dawn than he was. afoot, beating his hands together to summon slaves and issuing his orders, from which she gathered that he was for the harbor there and then. ‘May Allah have inspired thee, O my lord!” che cried. ‘“‘What is thy resolve?” . “TI go to seek a sign,” he answered her, and upon that departed, leaving her in a frame of mind that was far from easy. She summoned Marzak, and bade him accompany his father, bitathed swift in- structions of what he should do and how do it. “Thy fate-has been placed in thine own hands,” she admonished him. “See that thou grip it firmly now.’ In the courtyard Marzak found his father in the act of mounting a white mule that had been brought him. He was attended by his wazeer Tsamanni, Biskaine, and some other of his captains. Marzak begged leave to go with him. It was carelessly granted, and they set out, Marzak walking by his father’s stirrup, a little in advance of the For a while there was silence be- tween father and son, then the latter spoke. 7 Be Sot oh eee + we eh a tle ena ine re fT Zi fi .) es Pn ee ee 6 Pk nhc wh tire cat , or eae ra Rhay ms i hy zs Sa ae e. a . t nd “ ~ * = ee = Sd = La ray . ah ~ $e sae wna ¢ Z se Se oped ae 3 3 ie > 106 ; Adventure . s “It is my prayer, O my father, that thou" art resolved to depose the faithless Sakr-el- Bahr from the command of this expedition.” Asad considered his son with a somber eye. ‘“Even now the galeasse should be setting out if the argosy is to be intercepted,” he said. “If Sakr-el-Bahr does not command, who shall, in Heaven’s name?” “Try me, O my father,” cried Marzak. Asad smiled with grim ‘wistfulness. “Art weary of life, O my son, that thou wouldst go to thy death and take the galeasse to destruction?” “Thou art less than just, O my father,” Marzak protested. “Yet more than kind, O my son,” replied Asad, and they went on in silence thereafter, until ‘they came to the mole. ~ The splendid galeasse was moored along" side, and all about her there was great bustle of preparation for departure. Porters moved up and down the gangway that con- nected her with the shore, carrying bales of provisions, barrels of water, kegs of gun- powder, and other necessaries for the voy- age, and even as Asad and his followers com € S JOO €O