Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 135: what you’re looking at

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

The Road The print of a human foot was outlined in the sodden gravel. He bent to examine it—discovered another beyond it—lost the traces. for a yard or two on hard rock— picked them up again in the silt of a pool at the junction of the caverns—and followed them finally into the right-hand opening. HE looked at his companion with inquiring amusement. ‘‘ You have seen?” he asked. “Are these, in your valorous opinion, the tracks of afreets and djinns?”’ | Jovan’s eyes were alert and keen. His imperturbability was his again. ‘No, Ex- cellency. These are the tracks of boot- wearing men. Who, in these parts, wear such? Not my countrymen. Italian labor- ers sometimes. Zaptiehs always!”’ ‘“‘Zaptiehs?”? Agnew’s voice held a note of excitement. ‘‘Esuli’s men?” he ques- tioned. The Albanian shrugged his shoulders. ‘Who else? If they are Zaptiehs. We must not poise certainty on the impression of a boot.”” He stared up the passage medi- tatively. ‘‘Have we, by chance, missed other footprints lower down?’”’ he suggested. “‘Have they penetrated to the canyon?” Agnew shook his head. ‘‘No; across all those beds of silt we could not have avoided remarking them. Observe them! They have come—and they have returned. They point both ways.” Jovan nodded. “It is as you say,” he assented. ‘“‘We continue to burn candles,” he added dryly. Agnew smiled, nodded, and led on. And this new path rose in a yet steeper ascent and upon it the marks of water were com- paratively few. Originally water-hewn, the chisel of the torrent had left it for so long a time that the beds of silt were dry. Upon the thick carpet of dust-dry rubble their footsteps made scarcely a sound. It was for this reason that a few moments later on they came to a sudden halt. For in the silence of their going a tiny thrill of movement from above reached their ears. A muffled and scarcely perceptible sound, but unmistakable. Agnew extinguished the taper. The two men stood motionless as statues, the faint thudding of movement above their ceiling of rock competing in their ears with the drumming of their own hearts. Jovan’s breath came in uneasy pants. “It is one of the Unknown Powers ae et A | IOSI of Evil at work, signor,” he said. ‘“ What do you propose?”’ “To introduce ourselves to him and plead for his assistance,” grinned Agnew. ‘Or at any rate to inspect his methods. For the moment let us proceed by touch alone.” He splayed out his hands into the dark- ness and passed on slowly and warily, fend- ing himself from harm. In this way he climbed another forty or fifty yards and the thudding sound became clearer. But it puzzled him. It was scarcely produced by blows, he considered. It was not sufficient- ly staccato—it was too diffused; regular in sequences of thirty or forty, it had curious Intermissions. Once, when it halted it was followed by a new noise—a sound as if a sack of heavy objects had been emptied on the bare earth. = KF WY, y> C= The Albanian’s hand, indeed, fell upon his limbs at frequent intervals, but whether to seek guidance or assured com- panionship Agnew did not inquire. But there was no mistake about the grip with which it seized him finally, bringing him to a halt. ‘“Ves?” he breathed inquiringly. “Yes?” ““Above your Excellency’s head,’ said Jovan. “Look!” Agnew raised his eyes. An almost im- perceptible thinning of the darkness, scarcely to be called hght, showed, however, that light was hidden from them by some obsta- cle or corner which they were about to turn. With infinite precautions for silence Ag- new crawled on. The thudding noise sud- denly grew louder. His head came in contact with the roof. He stifled an exclamation and reached out his hand upward. It touched a slab of stone, felt along it, and reached the edge of a sill carved, as his fingers informed him, by tools other than the friction of a cascade. He hauled himself upward and met directly a beam of light. He was emerging through a floor into a rough-hewn passage. Through its entrance came the daylight, the increased sounds of thudding, punctuated by hoarse, intermittent cries. He turned at the sound of falling pebbles to see Jovan slowly drag himself up and stand erect beside him. The Albanian’s features bore a curious expression. “T said that it was one of the Powers of © MICLOOOKS C©