Adventure Magazine Cover — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

~The Grudge humbly, for he had: been listening and the conversation concerned him intimately. “E have prayed, but apa guno? Of what avail, if I must bear burdens like a coolie while my son is expected?”’ “Without doubt a son, Old Wise One!” said Yates. affectionately, smiling at the trusted servant. Sir Harrod frowned at this familiarity and the breach of etiquette in a. native servant presuming to speak at mess— Americans did such extraordinary things! But Yates was entirely in earnest, and he now appealed to the resident: “Pills should have spoken to me before doing this, sir. . It is strictly against Malay adat for the husband to do coolie labor during this time, lest the child be still-born. They believe it absolutely. It is a fact to them. ‘“‘There are a lot of other tabus, too—he may: not cut his hair, nor sit on top of the hut ladder, nor go into or come out of his house save by the front door—all for good and. sufficient reasons which any pawang can explain to you. Ya Israng should have a coolie to carry those cans for him, sir,”’ he insisted strongly. “Most extraordinary!’ mused the resi- dent, his eyes twinkling good naturedly nevertheless. ‘“‘But I fancy we’d jolly well better give him one, eh? Ranleigh, can you detail a coolie from the clerical force?”’ The administrative assented, but with no very good grace. It seemed absurd to him, this giving in to a ridiculous native tabu. But he did not venture to protest; Sir Harrod was already growing restive under the orders from home requiring him to do nothing warlike in the face of open rebellion brewing. The old lion needed humoring just now. “Browne, I presume you are ready to ‘allay any tendencies to excitement’ as our delightful Home Office has it, eh?’”’ pursued Sir Harrod blandly, having disposed of ~ Ya Israng. The big police officer growled out a sonorous, ‘‘Rather!’’ under his heavy black mustache—no toothbrush affair but’ one already grown and curled before that style came in. “The earthworks around Residency Hill are completed, sir,’ he reported, ‘‘and I have two cannon mounted, commanding the stockade. The Navy is lying doggo under the opposite bank of the river, where of Ya Israng 139 it can sweep the waterfront of Kwala Luwas with machine-gun. fire if need be.” “Not bad, that,” commented Sir Harrod dryly. “That motor launch that the Warspite lent us makes. a dashed respect- able Navy, y’ know, with the machine gun in her bows. Better change: her lascar crew, Browne. The gunner and coxswain are white, but—I’d prefer Sikhs. to lascars in a row. Malay boatmen have been known to rise and capture a launch before, the Greacheroud Drutest” 2 a Be the entire table. Awang Kria had come. in bearing a huge joint on a platter; now the roast was rolling across the polished teak floor,. the platter lay: in broken pieces smeared with gravy, and Awang Kria. was doubled up convulsively on the floor,, livid and retching. ‘Good God! That’s the onset of cholera, Sir Harrod!’ pronounced Crabbe after one glance. “Get a stretcher, quick!” he or dered one of the Sikhs. The men in the room looked on the dying native with mingled feelings of pity, fear and uneasiness for the residency itself. Awang was such a nice “boy”! His usually smooth, handsome and alert face, with its slant eyes and light skin betraying the Chinese blood in the Malay, was now wrinkled and distorted with agony, his teeth bared by: twitching lips, his arms and legs jerking convulsively in the throes of the disease. Cholera was already w the. residency in spite of Crabbe’s preeautions, that stricken native was warning them! There was deadly danger in his vomit, in the mere touching of him. Who was to pick him up? The ques- tioning eyes. of all the white men who sat looking at one another gravely: were asking that. ‘Their minds had with one accord revolted against making the Sikhs. do: it. Caste restrictions, the feeling that these were helpless soldiers: who had to obey orders, had settled that. Crabbe, who was: brave as.a lion in spite of his preposterous hirsute adornments, had already volunteered im the honor of his profession. After that first glance he had dashed for his room: and: was now returning with a disinfectant sprayer and medicine bottles. But it took two to handle Awang. 7A STARTLING double crash in- Co NOOK C©