Adventure Magazine Cover — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

The Sea-Hawk aged olive trees reared their gray heads, from which the rays of the westering sun struck a glint as of silver. Larocque and a couple of sailors went over the bulwarks on the larboard quarter, dropped lightly to the horizontal shafts of the oars, which were rigidly poised, and walking out upon them gained the rocks and proceeded to make fast the Eee by ropes fore and aft. : _ Sakr-el-Bahr’s next task was to ee a watch, and he appointed Larocque, sending him to take his station on the summit of the head whence a wide range of view was to be commanded. ' Pacing the poop with Marzak the Basha grew reminiscent of former days when rov- ing the seas as a simple corsair he had used this cove both for purposes of ambush and concealment. There were, he said, few harbors in all the Mediterranean so ad- mirably suited to the corsairs’ purpose as this; it was a haven of refuge in case of peril, and an unrivaled lurking-place in which to lie in wait for the prey. He remembered once having lain there with the formidable Dragut-Reis, a fleet of six galleys, their presence entirely unsuspected by the Genoese admiral, Doria, who had passed majestically along with three caravels and seven galleys. Marzak, pacing beside his father, listened but half-heartedly to these reminiscences His mind was all upon Sakr-el-Bahr, and his suspicions of that palmetto bale were quickened by the manner in which for the last two hours he had seen the corsair hovering thoughtfully in its neighborhood. He broke in suddenly upon his father’s memories with an expression of what was in his mind. “The thanks to Allah,” he said, “that it is thou who command this expedition, else might this cove’s advantages have been neglected.” “Not so,” said Asad. | “Sakr-el-Bahr knows them as well as I do. He has used this vantage-point aforetime. It was him- self who suggested that this would be the _ very place in which to await this Spanish craft.’’s | “Yet had he sailed alone I doubt if the Spanish argosy had concerned him greatly. There are other matters on his mind, O my father. Observe him yonder, all lost in thought. How many hours of this voyage has he spent thus. He is as a man trapped and desperate. There is some fear rankling in him. Observe him, I say.” “Allah pardon thee,” said his father, shaking his old head and sighing over so much impetuosity of judgment. “Must thy imagination be for ever feeding on thy malice? Yet I blame not thee, but thy Sicilian mother, who has fostered this hostility in thee. Did she not hoodwink me into making this unnecessary voyage?” _“T see thou hast forgot last night and the Frankish slave-girl,” said his son. ; “Nay, then thou seest wrong. I have not forgot it. But neither have I forgot that since Allah hath exalted me to be Basha of Algiers, He looks to me'to deal in justice. Come, Marzak, set an end to all this. Per- haps tomorrow thou shalt see him in battle, and after such a sight as that never again. wit thou dare say evil of him. Come, make ‘thy peace with him, and let me see better relations betwixt you hereafter.” And raising his voice he called Sakr-el- Bahr, who immediately turned and came up the gangway. Marzak stood by in a sulky mood, with no notion of doing his father’s will by holding out an olive branch to the man who was like to cheat him of his birthright ere all was done. Yet it was he who greeted Sakr-el-Bahr when the corsair set foot upon the poop. “Does the thought of the coming fight perturb thee, dog of war?” he asked. ‘“‘Am I perturbed, pup of peace?”’ was the. crisp answer. “It seems so. abstractions ‘“‘Are signs of perturbation, dost suppose?! : “Of what else?” . Sakr-el-Bahr laughed. “Thou'lt tell me next that I am afraid. Yet I should counsel thee to wait until thou hast smelt blood and powder, and learned precisely what fear is.”’ The slight altercation drew the attention of Asad’s officers who were idling there. Biskaine and some three others lounged for- ward to stand behind the Basha, looking — on in some amusement, which was. shared by him. “Indeed, indeed,” said Asad, laying a hand upon Marzak’s shoulder, “‘his counsel is sqund enough. . Wait, boy, until thou hast gone beside him aboard the infidel, ere thou Thine aloofness , thine 4 -. ‘judge him easily perturbed.” Petulantly Marzak shook off that gnarled — old hand. | COMMICGDOOKE