Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

114 than to make friends with people who would probably be better kept in a state of grovel- ing, superstitious awe; outcaste actors, who pretend to themselves that they despise a Brahman, actually fear one as they fear the devil if he takes and keeps the upper hand. The room was about thirty-five feet broad by ninety feet long, extremely high and beamed and cross-beamed with adze- trimmed timbers as heavy as the deck beams of a sailing ship. Apparently pro- vision had been made for prodigious weights on the floor above, and there was a faint suggestion of a smell of grain and gunny bags. Along one end, to the right of the door, was a platform, not more than four feet high nor eight feet deep, with a door in the wall at the end of it farthest from the court- yard; on the platform was a clean Tibetan prayer mat, not precisely in the center, neither midway between the ends nor mid- way between the front and rear. The walls were bare, of stone reenforced by heavy timbers, and the only furniture or ornaments consisted of heavy brass chande- liers suspended on brass chains from the ceiling, and brass sconces fastened to the timbers of the walls. The place was fairly clean except for wasps’ nests, and the grease on the floor and walls where the illuminating medium had dripped. There were no prayer wheels, images of gods or anything to suggest a religious atmosphere, which nevertheless prevailed, perhaps because of the austerity. There was a noticeable absence of the smell of incense. Ommony decided to try the platform; as a Bhat-Brahman he had perfect authority for being impudent, and as a man of ordi- nary good sense he was justified in taking Dawa Tsering with him, to keep that indi- vidual out of mischief; so he beckoned to the dog and Dawa Tsering, climbed to the platform by means of some pegs stuck there for the purpose, and checked an exclama- tion of surprize. The trunk full of clothes that he had or- dered from Benjamin stood unopened in the far dark corner of the platform, where al- most no light penetrated. It was strapped, locked, sealed with a leaden disk, and the key hung from the handle. He determined there and then to waste no further effort on conjecture. It was self-evident now that the lama knew who Adventure he was, and that Benjamin was the in- former. Probably on one of the occasions when Benjamin went shuffling along the passage by the staircase in front of his store he had sent a message to the lama; it was possible that, having told his guilty secret, Benjamin turned traitor hoping the lama would find a deadly road to silence. In any case it was ridiculous to waste effort on surmise; events must explain themselves, and luck must favor him or not, as the Powers who measure out the luck should see fit. He sat down crosslegged in deep shadow on top of the trunk, which creaked under his weight, signed to Dawa Tsering to be seated on the floor, watched Diana curl herself in patient boredom in the shadow beside him, leaned into the corner, listened to the chat- tering of the actors and to Maitraya’s pom- pous scolding, and presently fell asleep. Not having slept at all the previous night, he had excuse, and opportunity is meant for wise men’s seizing. CHAPTER XIII SAN-FUN-HO Lords of evolving night and dayl Ye Spirits of the spaceless dreams! O Souls of the reflected hills Embosomed in pellucid streams! Magicians of the morning haze Who weave anew the virgin veil That dews the blush of waking days With innocence! Ye Rishis*, hailt I charge that whoso’er may view This talisman, shall greet the dawn Degreed, arrayed and ranked anew As he may wish to have been born! Prevail desirel A day and night Prevail ambition! Till they see They can not set the world aright By being what they crave to bel Be time and space, and all save Karmafy stilledt Grant that each secret wish may be fulfilled! ——The Magic Incantation of San-Fun-Ho. Hew long Ommony slept he did not know, but probably for at least an hour. At first his doze was broken by the sound of the actors’ voices, but after a while they may have slept too for lack of better entertainment; the buzz of conversation ceased and he was left to the pursuit of unquiet dreams, in which the lama plotted and disputed with Vasantasena for posses- * The Guardians of the esoteric Law, whose ordinances are regarded as infallible and binding, and from whom the ahmans are supposed to be descended. { See footnote to page 117. 1DOOLK © inn