Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

The Black Quag *r wait till he got his bigness a little more? I advised him to “‘have ’em right out.” All this time, however, my eyes had searched the distance; my ears had strained for the outbreak of an alarm. But all was quiet about. Black Valley; no lights stirred; no clamor arose. Instead, the crescendo panting of Lily-White Hand’s stolen engine came to my ears. Its headlight glared at us, rapidly approaching. It was like Hand’s impudence, I thought, to leave that headlight undimmed. The engine roared up at speed, and slid to a. stop beside me. The two masked men tumbled down from it, and Hand after them, grinning hatefully. Jerry advanced; the four stood together, whispering. — Then Lily-White Hand spoke, neither softer nor louder than his usual tones. “Yes, it’s all there in the cab. About twenty-two thousand, I imagine; haven’t counted yet. Bring it down.” One of them did so. ‘“‘Come on,” he urged. “Climb into the flivver an’ let’s highball outa here.” Lily-White Hand took one step, then halted. “No, by ——!” he swore. back.” They stared at him, aghast. “Don’t be a fool,” begged Jerry; and, “Don’t be a fool,’’ cried another. “You sapped that watchman; if he croaks, it’s a swinging job f’r us all. Come on outa this!” But Hand turned back toward the en- gine. “You can all wait here, if you’re scared,” he flung over a shoulder. “Keep the money if you like; the money! I took it—I’m square now with ‘Stew’ MacKenzie and his dirty railroad, and I’ve got his dog Montgomery to take along with me and pay off at my leisure. Now I’m going back after the girl. She’s a pretty little trick, Mary Belle Hume—isn’t she, Dr. Kirke Montgomery?” I fought grimly against miy cords; but the others, protesting, laid forcible hands upon Lily-White. He struck them off. His eyes flamed palely; his face was convulsed, so that I remembered old tales of demoniacal pos- session. “I’ve bested this swamp,” he raved, and shook a gloved fist at the Black Quag. “T’ve paid off MacKenzie, and this doctor “T’m going 171 is mine to do with as I like. But that girl I will have too, in spite of God, ‘man or devil! Isaac Hand always pays his debts!’ He buffeted the others aside, leaped into the cab of the waiting engine and jerked its throttle so that the wheels spun, scream- ing, and it did not move ahead. And then, from far down in the earth beneath us, rose a sullen, awful voice. So deep it was that the ground rocked under me, and Jerry staggered; so loud that it drowned and blotted out the thundering of that racing engine. Awed, Jerry and his mates stared mutely at one another fora breath. Then with one accord they ran for my car, stopping only to snatch at the bundles of currency. Jerry cranked desperately, while the others piled in; and in one moment they were gone, swaying and lurching westward at a pace which made my poor flivver howl protest. But Lily-White Hand—if, indeed, in his rage he heard it—paid no heed to the Black Quag’s final warning. That mighty voice died away, and once more I could hear the stuttering roar of the engine’s exhaust. Like some living thing, it gath- ered its limbs together and leaped ahead in a cloud of steam, and plunged out upon the Quag. After that, events moved so swiftly that I can scarcely give them in sequence, though I watched calmly enough. Strange- ly, from the moment that the Black Quag gave tongue I was absolved of all my fears for Mary Belle, and all anger against Hand went from me. The Black Quag had spoken; the Black Quag had taken over the destinies of Lily-White Hand; and I was content to havé it so, and to leave him to the Quag. The locomotive had scarcely begun to move when my eyes were drawn from it. From between my very feet came a slug- gish, bubbling noise, and I looked down. A little hillock, like an ant-hill, had ap- peared upon the surface of the Quag; a mud volcano, from which black ooze was vomited. Beyond this a fissure appeared in the black earth—a- tiny, yard-long crack which spread and widened beneath my eyes, and raced out toward the engine which fled from me at forty miles an hour; aye, and passed it, joining with a hundred other radiating fissures which poured forth black mud silently. Hand’s engine had gone no more than COmicloo ZN Uf) ©