Adventure Magazine Cover — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

against his. “Why readily,” he answered, “since’ no other way presents itself: No doubt ’twill cost some lives,” he added, “but then ——” And he shrugged to complete the sentence. “Ah, no, no! Not at that price!’ she protested. And how was he to know that all the price she was thinking of was his own life, which she conceived would be forfeited if ‘the assistance of the Silver Heron were invoked? Before he could return her any answer his attention was diverted. A sullen threat- ening note had crept into the babble of the crew, and suddenly one or two voices were _ raised to demand insistently that Asad should put to sea at once and remove his vessel from a neighborhood become so dan- gerous.» Now, the fault of this was .Mar- _zak’s. His was the voice that first had uttered that timid suggestion, and the in- fection of his panic had spread instantly through the corsair ranks. Asad, drawn to the full of his gaunt height, turned upon them the eyes that had quelled greater clamors, and raised the voice a4 _ which in its day had hurled a hundred men straight into the jaws of death without a protest. “Silence!” he commanded. “I am your lord and need no_counselors save Allah. When I consider the time come, I will give the word to row, but not before. Back to your quarters, then, and peace!”’ He disdained to argue with them, to show them what sound reasons there were for remaining in this secret cove and ‘against putting forth into the open. Enough for them that such should be his will, Not for them to question his wisdom and _ his decisions. But Asad-ed-Din had lain overlong in Algiers whilst his fleets under Sakr-el-Bahr and Biskaine had scoured the inland sea. The men were no longer accustomed to the goad of his voice, their confidence in his judgment was not built upon the sound _--—__— basis of past experience. Never yet had he led into battle the men of-this crew and brought them forth again in triumph and _-_._ enriched by spoil. So now they set their own judgment To them it seemed a reckless- ness—as, indeed, Marzak had suggested— to linger here, and his mere announcement of his purpose was far from sufficient to _ dispel their doubts. : 7 _ Adventure f The murmurs swelled; not to be over- borne by his fierce presence and scowling brow, and suddenly one of the renegades— secretly prompted by the wily Vigitello— raised a shout for the Japtam whom they knew and trusted: “Sakr-el-Bahr! Sakr-el-Bahr! Thou lt not leave us penned in this cove to perish like rats!” stata LIT WAS as a spark to a train of powder. “= took up the cry; hands were flang out toward Sakr-el-Babe where he stood above them and in full view of all leaning impassive and stern upon the poop-rail, whilst his agile mind weighed the oppor- tunity thus thrust upon him, and considered. what profit.was to be extracted from it. Asad fell back a pace in his profound mortification. His face was livid, his eyes glared furiously, his hand flew to the jeweled hilt of his simitar, yet forbore from drawing the blade. Instead, he let loose upon Mar- zak the venom_kindled in his soul by this evidence of how shrunken was his authority. “Thou fool!” he snarled. ‘Look on thy craven’s work. See what a devil thou hast. raised with thy woman’s counsels. Thou to command a galley! Thou to become a fighter upon the seas!) I would that Allah had stricken me dead ere I begat me such a son as thou!” Marzak recoiled before the fury of words that hé feared might be followed by yet worse. He dared make no answer, offer no excuse; in that moment he scarcely dared breathe. Meanwhile Rosamund in her eagerness had advanced until she stood at Sakr-el- Bahr’s elbow. “God is helping us!’ she said in a voice of fervent gratitude. ‘This is your oppor- tunity. The men will obey you.’ He looked at her, and smiled faintly upon her eagerness. “Aye, mistress, they will obey me,” he said. But in the few moments that were sped he had taken his resolve. Whilst un- doubtedly Asad was right,.and the wise course was to lie close in this sheltering cove where the odds of their going unperceived were very heavily in their favor, yet the men’s judgment was not altogether at fault. If they weré to put to sea, they might by steering an easterly .course pass similarly S EORNICLOO A score of voices instantly - (E@)