Adventure Magazine Cover — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

The Dragon’s Claw | us four hours—two apiece for sleep. I'll take the first watch.” “You’re on,” said Canfield and curled up in the crevice like a tired dog. At seven o’clock McNeill left the little fissure and descended unnoticed to the flat ground in front of the first arch. There was no sound of gong, no sign of life within the enclosure. The gates were shut, and he knew the frowsy sentinel slept inside. The holy priests of Hoang Lung were not ascet- ics. So far as they could obtain it, they lived upon the fat of the land and denied themselves nothing, and, by virtue of the claw, their tribute was universal and munificent. At fifteen minutes after seven McNeill took a whistle from his pocket and blew on it shrilly. A wicket in the upper leaf of one gate was drawn back, and the sleepy eyes of a watchman peered out, widened as they saw the solitary white devil, and suddenly disappeared. It was fifteen minutes more before the gates were opened and a group of yellow- robed and shaven priests appeared, escorted by a score of so-called soldiery, armed with a nondescript array of swords, wide-bladed spears, muskets and rifles of all vintages. In their midst - McNeill walked through to the inner courtyard. A short, fat priest advanced. He was ancient. His avoirdupois spoke eloquently of self-indulgence, and his face, projecting from the draped hood that puffed about his full neck, held no more expression than that of aturtle. The small eyes showed merely life, no more emotion than if they had been insets of jet. “Tao Chan?” asked McNeill. This had been the name of the writer of the letter to Remsden, the name of the head priest of Hoang Lung. Tao Chan acknowledged the dignity. “Vou have brought back the claw?” he demanded. “Is the hostage safe?” parried McNeill. “To talk in questions is to waste time,” replied the priest. “First answer me.” “T can make delivery of the claw.”’ “The girl is unharmed.”’ “Then show her to me.”’ ‘Show me the claw.” McNeill laughed, and a red light came into the jetty eyes of Tao Chan. “It is not wise to make a mock of the guardian of the claw,” he said. answered McNeill. 153 “Tt is not wise to take a white man GF a fool, O guardian that has no claw to guard,” “Show me the girl!” There had been no apparent sign, but the priests fell back and the guards edged in toward the Irishman. ‘Touch me and I destroy your temple,” he said confidently. It was Tao Chan’s turn to laugh, but a grin was the nearest he could come to it. “You speak boldly,” he sneered. McNeill was gaging his time, looking covertly at the hands of his wrist-watch. “The bargain was to exchange the girl for the claw,” he said. ‘You know I must be able to produce the claw or I would not. I must know that. have traveled so far. you can produce the girl.” Tao Chan’s immutable face gave no sign, and McNeill’s heart sank, then rose again. If they had injured her? To them the life of a white maiden, save as they could use it for torture, was nothing. He tried a lead on this line. ‘‘Also there are many thousands of white’ maidens, claw.”’ “There is but one maiden for thee, white man.” ‘‘And yet there are thousands, aye mil- lions, who hold thee responsible for the claw,” challenged McNeill. ‘If I return not with the girl in safety, all China will OQ Tao Chan, and but one know how. Tao Chan has been outwitted by the foreign devils, and I do not think what is left of thy life will be happy. Show me the girl.” Stil no visible sign, but the guards inched in. It seemed clear to McNeill that the whole thing had been planned before the gate was opened. They meant to get the claw and wreak their vengeance on McNeill and the girl, if she was not already sacrificed. He looked at his watch. It was five minutes of the hour. ‘“T have warned you,” he said. “Do you think I was fool enough to come here alone with the claw upon me? There are yet three days within which to deliverit. Itis not far from here but in a place where you can never find it. First I must know whether you can keep your side of the bargain. Show me the girl.” ‘‘T think you can be made to tell where the claw is,’”’ said Tao Chan softly. “T do not know where it is? ’ said McNeill. ‘So I can not tell you.” com (@) ae (Eo) nm