Adventure Magazine Cover — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

The Mahogany Garden forever, and of the Yaquis’ brave fight for three hundred years. ‘The thing to do, how- ever, was not to fight the Mexican and his civilization, but to return all Mayas to the plane of civilization which they once en- joyed and to make the peninsula a Maya land once more. Guerrilla warfare would not do this; ravage and pillage would lead tono good ends. There was great wealth in the forest and in the uncleared lands that would grow henequen to raise the whole Maya people to eminence—if Yuca- tan were all Maya. “T came to your country believing that I had a right to take these trees, that right having come through Calderon y Ortegas, and the right is one which the Government would enforce with its troops against Don Felipe and against you. But have I sent for troops to come to fight you? On the other hand, do you not see that if you take my life the Government must take extreme measures, or My Own more powerful coun- try will do so? Must I explain to you that the men who sent me may not learn the rights and wrongs of things as I have learned them? “Listen to my plan. You are not averse to toil, if you are well paid. I will provide labor and pay for every Maya man who will have it. We will work together and from the profits a share shall go to the chiefs of the Mayas that will soon make a fund that will allow the Mayas to come again to their own. There is wealth enough for me to keep faith at the same time with Calderon y Orte- gas. In a few days my ships will arrive off the coast. Even now the first may be there, and they will have aboard the arms which you need to carry out your plans of driving back the haciendados who have encroached on your lands without rights. Those arms you may have, but if you kill me you can not get them. With all this in mind, I ask you: Will you delay your revolution till you are fitted for it—perhaps many years from this time? Will you confine your in- surrection to the punishment of haciendados who deserve it? Will you work with me in getting out the wealth of these trees with- out destroying your forest? Will you en- rich yourselves, and will you spare my life?”’ There was no question but that the gath- ering was greatly impressed. There was an uncertain silence and then Nufiez José signed to Haskell that he had better with- draw while they deliberated. Just before 759 the engineer reached the door, a middle- aged man whose face bore a strong resem- blance to that of Cromwell said: “We have heard the words of a white man, of a stranger, one who is not any part of us and has no interest in this land except to despoil it—will he tell us why we should trust him, what sympathy he has with this land?” Haskell turned in the doorway: “Fathers of the Itzchen-Maya, as soon as I may, I shall wed the Sefiorita Ortegas y Escalendon!”’ A look of surprise, one of pleasure, appar- ently, passed around the circle, and Has- kell stepped out. He had been pacing up and down before the door but a few minutes when he was summoned within. ‘““My son,” said Nufiez José, “return to- night to your camp by the sea. To-morrow messengers will start to our people in the west and we will await the fulfilment of your promises. Encarnacion and ten men will go outside and remain with you till you can give us such arms as you do not need." It seemed to Haskell that a sudden load had been lifted from his heart, and when he left the place and crossed to the chamber where he had left Emalia he repressed a boyish desire to run. She was sitting by the brazier, her wealth of hair about her shoulders, and she was just beginning to braid it. The vessels in which the meal had been cooked and served were cleaned and set in aneat row, and there was such a little air of domestication about the almost bare room that he marveled till he saw that it was the visible expression of the spirit that pervaded her. Brightly as she smiled at the sight of him, there was anxious inquiry in her eyes which his very manner answered as he caught her to him, and when he told her the outcome of the conference she merely pressed her face close to him and said: ‘Almost would I rather that you were to remain here and die than that you were to !?? leave me! craey IN KEEPING with the other new ca emotions that had come to him, Has- " kell was surprised to feel the great tug at his heart-strings when he said good-by to her. It was not to be for long— only till he could have a fit abode erected for them, and until a boat could be sent to Cozumel for a priest. COMMICOOOKS. CO