Adventure Magazine Cover — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

12 turned and watched the Colombian display the withered spot on his neck. To observe it, the cream-colored women moved past Balthasar in a line, like sightseers at a side- show. One of them touched the place with the tip of her finger. During the procession, Sefior Nunes gave a new and enlarged version of his adventure with the vampire. After a five minute description of how he skirted death, Lassi- ter heard him say that his last thoughts, just before he lost consciousness were that a dark-eyed, adorable Indian madonna was stooping over him, lifting him, pressing him to her bosom with kisses like piquante st The girls blushed and gasped— “Piquantel”’ “Si, Ssevoritas, piquantel’’ -cried Nunes with hand to heart. “And my miserable camarado waked me from a dream like that! Mio Dios! How I wish I could have died in such a dream! When I gained strength I was furious! He tried to appease me. I would not hear him. We divided the gold—for the Rio Vampiro is lined with gold—and parted—” Balthasar cast liquid eyes at the pzquante venders— “Can you blame me?” “Tt was a very impious wish, sefor,’’ trembled the one who had touched the scar. Sefior Nunes smote a hand on his brow. ‘“‘A man’s brain is a furnace, sevorita, when he looks into such black almond eyes; the holy saints do not hold his words against his soul.”’ He gave a great sigh as if he were about to melt into the piquantie girl’s arms, then shrugged and said: “Now I must go back and dicker over the mules with those Americanos. No doubt they are caballeros (gentlemen) in their cold fashion, but they think of noth- ing but mules.” : All the girls lifted their eyes to the for- eigners and smiled faintly before they returned to their task of collecting droppings for their pots. Balthasar’s philandering vaguely annoyed Lassiter, yet the agent was a trifle amused at Balthasar’s Latin notion that kisses in Heaven tingled with piquante. When he thought it over, he, was forced to admit that it was more interesting than the idea diffused through American theology that kisses in Heaven were chilly and infre- Adventure quent—if, indeed, they were permitted at all. The Colombian returned from the f7- quante girls with a beaming face. For some reason Lassiter began a little bruskly: “T will give you a hundred and fifty sucres a month, Sefior Nunes, and no more.”’ Balthasar seemed a little surprized at such brevity, which is not in accord with Spanish-American traditions. He paused a moment, then asked— , “What do you want packed, sefor?” “Bibles.” Balthasar stared. “‘Bibles—pack Bibles out in that devil’s country?” Birdsong caught the drift of these Spanish words. “Brother Nunes,” he interposed, “‘where is a better place for spreaden the blessed Word than in a land of sin and wickedness?” Balthasar looked at the man from Ar- kansas. “Oh—you want the Bibles packed!”’ as if he did not find that so incomprehensible. “Ves, I hope I am one of His chosen vessels, Brother Nunes.”’ “And what do you want packed?” in- quired the muleteer of Lassiter. “T am his helper,” said the Stendill agent. “You are what?” “This gentleman’s assistant,” repeated Lassiter with a certain pointedness. Nunes looked from one to the other, plainly incredulous, and also speculating. Presently he began again. “Tt is a noble work— May I ask,*Sefior Lassiter, how long you have been in the business of selling Bibles?”’ “We don’t sell them se ‘“‘We’re spreaden the Word and sowen the seed,”’ interpolated Birdsong earnestly. The Colombian nodded. “Certainly—spreading the Word—muy bien - Here he took each of his prospective employers by the edges of their ponchos, and with a confidential nodding of the head led them farther away from the crowd. The smell of mules again wafted to Lassiter. When at a safe distance, the muleteer glanced around and began in’ a half tone: ‘““Senores, men do not risk their lives in the Rio Vampiro without a cause. You come from America to go to the Rio Vam- piro—to distribute Bibles—that is your cause, is it not?” DOOLK (C©