Adventure Magazine Cover — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

The Dragon’s Claw through the dusk of the cave to see what was happening. McNeill spared a minute or so to tell her. | ‘“‘They’ll locate us by morning,”’ he said. “But they won’t find us. I was sure I noted a current of air passing down this shaft that has filled up in some landslide during winter rains. It is not at all prob- able they know of its existence. Once we break through we can get the ponies up there and make a clean getaway while they are trying to rush the ledge or fooling about ° in the bottom of the ravine. We can hold them off from the cave-front indefinitely.” “As long as we have water,’ she corrected. “There’s moisture enough in that shaft to keep us going for a while,” answered McNeill. “But I’ll make shift to show them our Chinese friends we have with us and, as long as they think they have us trapped, they’ll go leisurely about it. In the meantime you and Mr. Remsden will be streaking for Peking.” “And you, what are you going to do?” “Mer I’m going to amuse myself giving a lesson in marksmanship to the Hoang Lung crowd until I’ve made them very shy of doing anything else but try and starve us out. You see they won’t figure we have a back door and not use it. Then, when I’ve got them cautious, I’ll come scooting hotfoot after you two. There’s the Piu- kiang River ten miles east-by-north, and there are little villages here and there. You must buy a boat or steal one and take to the stream. Steal one if you can, it’ll leave less trace.” “You keep on saying ‘you,’”’ she said. “You get a boat. We shall wait for you.” “No you won't,” McNeill answered. “I may have to strike quite another trail. Once out, we must scatter and join as best we can. You stick by your stepfather. Vl show up.” She was silent for a minute. objected— “There are only two horses that can travel.” “Three,” lied McNeill. pony is feeling fine again.”’ “Are you telling me the truth?” she asked. “Ask Mr. Remsden,” said McNeill. “Father!” she appealed. “Ves, my dear, Mr. McNeill knows what is best. There are three horses. We must 10 299 Then she “The yellow 145 rely upon his judgment. Those coolies are slacking up I think.” McNeill went after the Mongols, and the girl subsided. He did not dare to leave the workmen though he dreaded letting the body of Ling remain in plain sight in the ravine. Not that it much mattered, he thought, if they got through the tunnel all right. His own chance of getting away on the yellow pony was pretty slim, but his duty, as he saw it, was to see to the best chances of the girl and of the man who had indubitably employed him as guard as well as guide. The current of air was steadily stronger. Now and then he climbed up among the men, blinding them with his light, ignoring the murder in their faces, making them turn their backs while he inspected, whipping them with his will and the fear of death lest they strangle him in a sudden rush. It would not do to let them get too close to the ultimate opening. That he must clear himself, or they would give the alarm. And, after hours of incredible toil, the thing was done. It was close to dawn and the moon had gone, with the stars paling, when McNeill broke through to the open and found a fortunate masking of bushes and scrub trees all about the hole. Once again he herded the bound Mongols to their niche and then, with Remsden struggling with blistering hands to help him, the two white men enlarged the mouth of the shaft until it was wide enough to allow the egress of the dwarf ponies. All this time the girl stood on watch where the horizontal tunnel opened on the ledge, above the crushed body of Ling, while the mists began to wisp out of the ravine and the sunrise was imminent. Sara ~McNEILL got the two horses up the “etm incline and saddled them, while 7—==~ Remsden gathered such provisions as they would need. Then McNeill fetched the girl. He pointed out to them the lay of the land that sloped toward the little river that, in its turn, would bring them out on the water- highway to Peking. He gave them brief instructions as to their course, handing them the maps and two rifles with ammuni- tion. Remsden could use enough Chinese dialect to make his offers of money under- stood and, as long as they kept ahead of the fanatic priests and their influence, Mc- Neill had little doubt that they could buy Eomichbooks:.¢o