Adventure Magazine Cover — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

144 the big lieutenant of Rudolfo, was with me and we both said a pater noster. Then Gian, being a braver man than I and somewhat the better for wine, crept closer and cast his knife at one of the two. Whereupon they disappeared.” This incident Michael] did not permit to disturb his slumbers. He, as well as Clavi- jo, had noticed that the Armenians—the chief of Cabasica, the castle without doors —had left riders to spy upon them. The turbans of the watchers had served, doubt- less, to make Clavijo exaggerate the size of their heads. He was well aware that the Spaniard was caught between two fires. Beheading was the penalty that the Maritime Council would inflict on Clavijo if his deceit were discovered and Venetian officials should lay hand on him. So, Michael reasoned, Clavijo, possibly through Rudolfo’s agency, had arranged for the mock attack by the pirates on the Nauplia, hoping to be taken prisoner and robbed by friendly hands. But the galliot, owing to Michael’s warn- ing and the skill of the Venetian captain, had been able to offer unexpected resis- tance. Clavijo, if he had thought to have himself and his companions captured by a convenient foe, had been disappointed. Mocenigo, a well-known Venetian and hence dangerous to Clavijo, had been per- suaded, not with great difficulty, to fall be- hind at Constantinople. And the life of been attempted during the sham attack on the galliot. This puzzled the Breton more than a little, because he did not think that Clavijo was the type to turn so quickly to assassination. Thinking over the situation drowsily, Mi- chael remembered that Bembo had just said something about a man who cast a knife. What knife? Rudolfo had thrown the silver-chased weapon into the sea! Rudolfo—a knife... . Hereupon Michael slumbered fitfully, dreaming that Clavijo had taken the form of a dragon with a man’s head and that flames and smoke were spouting from his nostrils. He imagined that he was bound and helpless and the monster that was Cla- vijo came nearer until the flames touched his face... . At this point Michael jerked into wakeful- ness and perceived that Bembo had heaped fresh brush on the fire which had blazed up eo Adventure near by. Soranzi, his cloak wrapped closely about him, sat hunched by the flames, shiv- ering and grunting in his sleep, looking for all the world like an old and dingy vulture with an overlarge belly and bald head. Rudolfo and Gian were standing, fully clad, in a corner of the hall and both were looking at him. Sleep had refreshed Michael’s brain. It struck him that Gian had been the man who cast the knife at him. For the remainder of the night Michael kept awake. VIitl THE SITTING-DOWN BEAST ESSER RUY DE GONZALES CLAVIJO was a man of many cares. His expedition made slow and weary prog- ress among the mountain-passes, guides could not be hired, food was scanty, hard- ships many. Yet they advanced to the south all too quickly for him. For he could not turn back. Soranzi and Rudolfo and Michael Bearn would not hear of it. Nor could he confess that he did not know where he was going. Once he tried losing his way. But Mi- chael promptly rode ahead through the rain and found a fresh trail of many horses going in their direction. This new route took them out of the rocky hillocks down into more fertile fields. “A fairer country,” announced Michael, . as the rain cleared, ‘‘with vineyards and date groves. On, to the Grand Cham!” Looking back, Clavijo beheld a majestic summit, snow-crowned, with bare slopes rising to the height of the Alps. “The Holy Mount Ararat,’ he said bravely, and crossed himself. ‘Forward, signori—if you have heart.to face the dan- gers that beset that other mountain of skulls.” Their followers were not overeager. Some of the few servants were sick. Rudolfo’s men-at-arms, accustomed to the machine- like wars of Italy, where an army marched but a league a day and where every hillside had its village and food and women, and the peasants had to bear the burden of both armies—Rudolfo’s men muttered and sulked, except the lieutenant Gian. Some whispered that the party was fol- lowed, that the spirits of the castle kept at their heels. Others pointed to distant bands Eomichbooks: (S@) ; ’ 4 MY As * 4, <s { : PATA a — \ wai he ere Aye J e ~ = |