Adventure Magazine Cover — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

40 Upon these guys were laid the woof of the net or hammock, circling round and round in ever increasing whorls. A certain geometrical precision about the hammock impressed Lassiter that great care had gone ‘into its construction. “Ts that the web of the sun, prima?” asked the man curiously. “Si, primo.” (Yes, cousin.) “Now what do we do?” ‘When the sun dips behind the cliff, primo, toss the lamb into the hammock. “Won't it fall out?” “No, it will stick.” Then Lassiter observed the glister of bird-lime on the central cords of the netting, similar to Gogoma’s humming-bird trap. Such elaborate paraphernalia interested Lassiter. Then he turned to the girl and with a certain feeling of intimacy, began to delve into the intricacies of her curious faith. “How will your brothers and sisters get the lamb, prima?” “The boat of the sun will swim under the lake and take my offering,” explained the girl simply. Lassiter continued his attentive attitude and the girl continued. “VOU see, during the day, the sun climbs over the heavens on a great “am? cord, such as you see in the web. By night it slides down behind Motobatl and sails under this lake and comes out in the teocalla. Now if my brothers and sisters in the sun are hungry, our sacrifice will vanish as the sun passes under the lake; but if they are not hungry, it will remain and the priests will eat it because it is holy meat.” ' The New Yorker repressed a smile at this nalye method of replenishing the sacer- dotal table. ‘When you toss the lamb in, primo,” went on the girl gravely, “kneel at once by me with your back to the hammock and your face to the sun and pray.” “Yes, seworita.” “That is very important,” she assured, large-eyed. “If you should see the god come out in the net, you would die.” “Yes, prima.” Tilita looked at the dipping sun. “Now, primo : And she knelt on the stones. The American picked up the lamb with Adventure a queer sensation, at this, the first religious rite he had ever performed in his life. The pet vicufa lay in his arms and began nuzzling at his poncho after the fashion of lambs. The little animal’s trust sent a faint repugnance along his nerves at sacrificing it to Gogoma’s table. He glanced around. The watery smell of the lake at evening, the deep orange note of the sunset over cliffs. and peaks and temple, the kneeling girl, brought a sort of wistful melting into Lassiter’s breast. There was no other human creature in sight except the small dark figure of Nunes far up the sand. They were alone. As the sun disappeared, Lassiter turned and tossed the lamb into the center of the net. The lime gripped it in a twisted attitude and held it immovable. It rested quietly, with- out a struggle. The man turned and knelt at Tilita’s side. He could faintly hear the girl whispering her vesper prayer. Her face wore the ec- static expression that he had seen on the faces of Catholic girls in the Venezuelan cathedrals. At that moment he heard a ripple in the water behind him. Surprize and curiosity pulled him about when Tilita’s hands caught his face, covered his eyes and held his head against her shoulder. Her palms were small and firm and smelled of milk. She held him in a flattering captivity for ten or fifteen seconds. Then came another rippling behind them. She loosed him with a shuddering breath. Her face was chalky against her black hair. “Oh, my dear cousin,’ she shivered, ‘how you frightened me! If you had moved, Pachacamac would have snatched you from me!” Lassiter stared at the bloodless face. He arose a little nervously and helped her up. Then he looked into the web of the sun. It was empty. The lamb was gone. When he raised his eyes, he saw darkness covered the mighty face of the ¢eocalla, but out of its rayed windows poured a brilliancy as if the sinking sun had risen again inside the cliff. A veritable fountain of light beat outward from the interior. The round win- dows glared down on the man and the woman in the falling darkness. Ina few minutes the light winked out as swiftly as it had sprung into being. MICLOOOK (C©