Adventure Magazine Cover — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

if f himself snatching the great simitar out of Car- ter’s hands and sweeping it about his head. It whistled and sang as he plied it, and for a breath men fell back before its awful menace. But numbers were potent; the gang caught the full significance of the boats’ predicament and surged forward resistlessly. Two of the Black Pearl’s men were down. “Fight ’em, boys; fight ’em!’’ panted Red, fighting like one possessed himself. Inevitably the rush came on. ‘The boats were coming too late this time. Then out upon the discord of battle shrilled another, keener voice—a voice like that of a minor devilene—and between the fighting bands leaped a figure of appalling gesture, sobbing hysterically, shrieking of sudden death, whirling a murderous Dyak blade about his bowed head. Straight for Sadrash he went. The blade sang and chopped, and Sadrash’s shorn head flew from his shoulders into the face of his nearest adherent, his blood bespatter- ing a score of others who shrank back from the shower. | And the skipper. seized the Heaven-sent chance, willing to wait for explanations. His men rallied once more, and the boats grated on the shore as the last of the at- tackers vanished into the forest. Then the strange apparition crept up to the skipper and fawned at his feet. There was a bundle tied about his neck, and this he nervously untied. “Hey, Carter, look here,” cried Saunders triumphantly. “It’s Parchelly! I told you he was all right.” “Huh! Wait till he chucks that ruddy big knife away,” retorted Tod Carter, still unconvinced. Parchelly got his bundle free, handed it to Saunders, and flashed a strangely indulgent smile at the grim old mate as he told the skipper what had happened. 48 - Adventure “T see you put dis pearls in yo’ pocket, sar, and I was go to foller you ’shore. Den I watch you an’ you put dem in iron box ag’in. So I watch fo’ you. I know dis bad peoples here; oh, yis, very mooch, sar. “Den come Sadrash’s men, an’ I know dey come fo’ rob dis ship. I oppen box wid piecee wire like de bad white man show Sadrash when he want to open iron box from steamer he burn, an’ swim ’shore an’ hide in de jungle. “T see Misser Carter t’row de men into de river, an’ I wait fo’ git on board ag’in. But oder mans see me, an’ many mile I r-run, very fas’, before I can git back here,ag’in. Den I hear de fight, an’ I kill one o’ Sa- drash’s guard wid a beeg stone, and steal him sword. Dat’s all, sar. I very glad see you ag’in, sar.” Saunders laughed softly, patting Par- chelly’s curly head. He glanced toward Carter; but that dour and disgruntled worthy was already stepping into a boat, growling back over his shoulder: “Might as well pull out o’ here. Callita failure, cap’n, for once, and darn lucky we are that you didn’t lose what you brought here with you too.” “Not quite a failure either, Tod,” the skipper chuckled. ‘It’s something to have found that I was not mistaken when I took Parchelly aboard and rated him a man. And what the lad’s just hinted about a steamer being burned here and looted, gives me an idea that the authorities in Lifou town might welcome the news and be in- clined to stump up a bit toward our expenses for wiping out old Sadrash.” — ‘Now yer hollering!’ quoth Carter cheer- fully. ‘Another honest man won’t annoy us, and he won’t be no novelty either, in the Black Pearl; but while praisin’ honesty, cap’n, don’t ever forget it takes freight to stiffen the schooner. Let’s go.” CCOPMIC OOOLKSHEC)