Adventure Magazine Cover, December 10, 1922 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

\ no bearers. Only Mahommed Babar and the jungls.” The jungli needed no summons. Naked except for a leather belt, he lived, moved and had his being within earshot in hope of a command from Ommony, and, like the dog, -- followed unless forbidden. CHAPTER IV “Fear and the heart of a fool are onel’’ OUGHLY speaking Ommony’s forest is fan-shape, with his bungalow in a clearing near the handle of the fan. The jungle is hilly and in many places impene- trable, but fire-lanes have been cut through and through it, and the local villagers’ main source of revenue is laboring to keep those clear. ‘They are also the best feeding ground for the village goats, which is the reason why Ommony set forth to interview Shere Ali. None of the lanes went straight, because -of the conformation of the ground. They could seldom look back two hundred yards and see anything but solid jungle with heat shimmering up from it toward a brassy sky. Except the two white men, followed by Mahommed Babar and trailed by the — naked jungli, the only moving objects were kites circling above the trees, who followed the view of two rifles on general principles. The jungli displayed scant interest, his bronze head was like a gladiator’s, too famil- iar with fanged death to treat it seriously until face to face—unintelligent, perhaps, in some ways. On the other hand, Mahommed Babar’s manly northern features—rather hawk- eyed he was, rather hook-nosed, and the corners of his mouth, scarcely suggested under the dark beard, were rather cynical— appeared preoccupied. Not nervous. Not in the least nervous. Bent on something— perhaps arguing with himself. ‘We may have to execute Shere Ali,” said Ommony. “I hope not. He shall have fair trial. His dam came down from Khalsa ghaut and hunted the forest for nine years before she killed a woman at the water-hole, and [had to do my bit. That’s her skin on the wall in my sitting-room. J had this fellow in my arms when he was about the size of a family cat. Huh! He’d purr when you stroked him and claw and bite you the moment you stopped. Adventure : The jungli found him, and we fed him chickens and mice until he was old enough to take his own chance in the jungle.” “Pity to kill him,” King agreed. ‘‘What does he get away with?” “A full-grown buck or a doe about every other day. If it weren’t for him they’d graze in one place until the ground was sick of them. But what with him and the wolves they keep moving and the young stuff has a chance. However, he’s taking to goats, apparently, and that’s the first step on the road to murder.” ‘“‘What’s the reason?” King wondered. ‘Another tiger probably. Shere Ali may have a yellow streak. If another male tiger has elected to hunt this forest Shere Ali may be afraid to challenge him. No wild animal is dangerous to man until fear gets its work in. I hope he proves himself not guilty. Magnificent beast.. Too good for a viceroy. I was hoping to keep him for the Prince.” They might have been strolling in the Botanical Gardens for all the apparent precaution they took. But Ommony knew his men, as well as his forest. At the end of a hour’s steady tramping the jungls took the lead uninvited, armed with nothing but a small flat tom-tom and a stick. Ommony said something to him in a lan- guage that sounded hardly human, and he disappeared immediately like a shadow among the trees. Two minutes after that they emerged into a clearing of several acres with an almost dry stream winding through it. There were occasional bushes; but the open space sloped southward and from where King and Ommony stood they had a clear view of the whole of it with the light on their left hand. “He'll come that way,” said Ommony, . nodding toward the right front. As if in answer to him there came a short, sharp rattling noise three or four times repeated. It was almost like a wood- pecker’s note. “What the devil is that?” demanded King. “The jungli’s tom-tom. tortoiseshell and lizard-skin. anything with it—even pig.” Mahommed Babar announced his pres- ence with a cough and came closer. Om- mony looked at him and then up at the kites, and laughed. It’s made of He can drive (E(6) vOOK (E(0)