Adventure Magazine Cover — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

Forward and they did not think of me at the time. They had even snatched the clothing off their dead comrades, and were staring en- viously at the Englishman’s fine coat and buff boots. Edwards seemed to be breathing, and his eyes moved. I heard them say that since one of the travelers had escaped it would be best to refrain from killing the Englishman. If the American should cause pursuit to be made, Edwards could be held as a hostage. In the end they waited for the return of the skiff and I waited for strength to come back into my limbs. Meanwhile the raft drifted idly, nearing the shore. The moon came out and the half-light forced me to keep my head down, relying on my ears to tell me what was happening below. From the talk of the robbers several things became clear. They had a leader, who had gone off in the skiff. And they had attacked the raft with the purpose of wiping us out. The fight we had made angered them, and I heard debate of how much more money they should ask of the leader when he came back; a strange thing, which made me suspect that he was unknown to them, and had hired their services. “‘We could have done better at one of the Cossack slobodas,’’ one remarked. ‘““Nay, we’ll lighten the purse of the officer before we let him go. The Cossacks have patrols out, along the river, take me if they haven’t. They bite, now, those dogs.”’ [ I wondered what officer they meant, and I would have given a dozen horses to hear the name of the man who was paying them for this night’s work. By their talk, they were fugitive Moskya serfs, deserters from _ the army, Cherkessians and one or two Greeks. Edwards’ fix was a bad one, but I could do nothing to help, and he had bade me follow the admiral, if possible. ‘‘Where is that coat of that ox of a sotntk?”? demanded one suddenly, and my ears pricked up, I assure you. Another said that I must have crawled into the water, like the Tatar, and they began to argue again until some one found my saber and they cursed me for the evil I had worked among them. ‘Search the raft for the dog,” a voice suggested. i heard boots cluttering over the logs and my skin began to itch as if a thousand ants 23 were crawling over it. Then the sound of oars came over the water, followed by a low pitched hail. The skiff had come near again, and the men on the raft were ordered to head in to shore and land everything from the raft. After that they were to hack loose the fast- enings and set the logs adrift, loose in the current. As the raft was worked in closer to the shore and the skiff, talk between the men of the band made it clear that John Paul had not been caught. He had reached the highway and headed south, with several in pursuit of him, one of the four being the leader of the band. Se a shallow cove, the moon was low. Most of the men busied themselves in carrying Edwards ashore and he cursed them heartily when they jerked him, so I knew that he could not be very badly hurt. One or two of them had poked about a bit for me, but had not thought to look on the top of the hut. The nearest searcher went to untie the re- maining horse—one had been slain by a bullet—and I heard him say: “His Excellency will be well content with this affair of ours if we bag the American. Tf our officer fails to run him down, bless us, we'll be flayed alive.” The threat sounded somewhat familiar to me, but just then I was sliding down the incline of the log roof. My boots struck squarely on the back of the man who was BY THE time the raft grounded, in -edging the horse past the lean-to and he shot into the water so swiftly that I failed to grasp his saber. The horse reared, but being uncertain of the footing did not run. ‘“‘What are you about, Pietr?”’ voices de- manded from the shore. “It was the dog of a sotntk,”’ I responded, growling, and waiting for the flood of pain caused by the shock to ebb out of my skull, while I gripped the rein of the horse. “Have you his coat—had he any money? Hola, Pietr! What . 7 The one called Pietr began to bellow from the water into which he had fallen and I climbed to the back of the horse, then reined it around the hut. It Jumped to the shore quickly enough, and by the time the rob- bers, who were scattered all around, had gripped their weapons we were trotting away through the trees. They ran after DOOK C@ inn