Adventure Magazine, Mid-September 1917 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

132 “Then him say, ‘Kalputa, find Old Lu. Him give Kalputa two charm-stone out bag. Maybe all time water big an’ boat turn down. Maybe shark behin’ boat when boat turn down. Shark him eat Kalputa. Boat no turn down when Kalputa have two charm-stone.’”’ She watched Old Lu cram another chew of betel-nut into his cheek, and heard him rattle the stones in the bag. “Old Lu savvy? Two stone!” Kalputa was certain that she would succeed in get- ting the charm-stones. ‘‘Capt’in Barker him give Old Lu flenty salt an’ tobac’o. Savvy? Twostone, flenty salt an’ tobac’o!” For a minute or more Old Lu did not re- ply. He remembered painfully that while trying one morning at the station to get two more handfuls of salt before he would enter into a certain deal Captain Barker had kicked him off the veranda. He was more than doubtful about the proposition now before him, and wanted to say ‘‘No savvee,” but the thought of salt and tobacco was too good to relinquish from his mind for even a minute, especially when Captain Barker’s wife assured him that they were his for two charm-stones. “Old Lu savvee,”’ he said at last, working two small white stones out of the bag. Then he scuttled across the floor. “Two stone, flenty salt an’ tobac’o With a piece of burned wood he drew a dark circle on the floor, and laid the stones in the center of it. He crawled to the op- posite side of the circle, whispering mys- teriously in Melanesian. ‘Then he erased the circle, picked up the stones he had charmed and turned to hand them to Kal- puta who had watched the weird perform- ance breathlessly. an & on dark, and he shot-such a look of hate at Kalputa that she drew into the corner and crouched very low. He dropped the stones back into the bag, then turned his head to listen. Some one was treading heavily through the tinkling gravel of the village street. The next moment Old Lu was down the ladder into the yard. When Kalputa crawled to the window beside the doorway and looked over the edge of it, she saw Captain Barker standing in the center of the white street with Old Lu the sorcerer. At the sight of Captain Barker she felt repulsion and fear, and }?? SUDDENLY his face grew very Adventure wanted to turn away—to drag herself back into the corner and hide in the deep shadow. But she continued to watch him. His shirt and wrinkled white ducks were covered with dust, and his leather-tanned face was perspiring. As he looked angrily first at the house and then at the forest behind the village, his eyes glittered like polished dark blue marbles. His arms were not folded across his wide chest as was his habit of standing when talk- ing to any one, but they hung at the sides of his huge body, their heavy fists doubled to strike Old Lu at any instant. He looked menacingly at the sorcerer, his lower lip dropping until it exposed teeth as white as a dog’s. Kalputa saw Old Lu gesticulating wildly. He waved his hands in a queer sort of a way and pointed momentarily to the farther end of the forest. His voice was loud enough for Kalputa to hear it. ‘“Kalputa no com’ ’ere in mornin’. Kalputa go ’way to forest.”” Old Lu moved to one side of the street. ‘Old Lu sav- vee place Kalputa hide in forest. Cap’n Barker, give Old Lu ten stick tobac’o an’ flenty salt. Then Old Lu show Cap’n Barker place Kalputa hide.” Kalputa listened for Captain Barker’s reply. It was a quick glance at the houses on either side of the street, she saw. The next instant, as though determined to search every house, Captain Barker walked into the yard and stopped at the foot of the ladder. Breathing heavily, Kalputa saw Captain Barker begin climbing the ladder. She now knew that she was doomed—that there was no way of escape. And, like an animal at bay, she was prepared to fight against going back to the trading station. Suddenly she heard a fearful crash. She looked hurriedly and saw Captain Barker’s heavy bulk spilling across the sand. The lower portion of the frail ladder had given away with him. Captain Barker did not attempt to climb the ladder again, but hurried into the street, swearing in the language of a salt-water captain. He surveyed the houses once more, and noted leaning against each one a ladder as flimsy as the one which had just broken with him. Kalputa heard Old Lu the sorcerer in- terrupt Captain Barker. ‘“‘Kalputa hide in forest,’ said Old Lu. CoOMmiclsoo CO