Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

34 Adventure Without hesitation, Hampton tore at the letter, forced it open, and found it to contain a number of bank drafts, each payable in New York or San Francisco and endorsed over to James Day. One glance at the names was enough. “Some of his loot from the Beverly com- pany,” said Hampton grimly. ‘“‘No doubt these men are the ones now in Panama. This money must go back to them—it’ll mean everything. What a crafty Dias is! El Hambre, is he in Panama now? Can we have him arrested?”’ The Indian only laughed at that—the laugh was sufficient answer. He shook his head and began to roll himself another smoke. Hampton understood clearly enough. Dias was quite immune from any local law, and his victims could not reach him. He had made a rich haul, had undoubtedly gone away in his schooner to his secret hold, and by the time he returned to Panama the city would be flooded with crowds of fresh victims. It was a safe and sure game. Suddenly, when he had lighted his cigaret, EF] Hambre came to Hampton and touched his arm. “You are looking for your brother, Don Ricardo, yes? You want to find this man Dias?” _ “T came from the north in the same ship with him, and didn’t know it until too late,” said Hampton bleakly. “Yes. Now I mean to find him, and my brother too.” ‘“‘Buenol’’ The Indian made an impera- tive gesture. “Then come with me. [ am alone, and it is nct safe; the men of Dias would kill me if they knew that I was an enemy. We shall hunt that man together, we three. But come quickly, for cthers are on the trail. We cannot talk here.” He leaned over the body of the yellow man, lifted it without apparent effort, and sent it after the boxes, hidden by the ciose- crowding jungle. Hampton and Job War- lock got their packs, and the cadaverous Indian beckoned them to the rivulet, which had a good sand bottom. Stepping up the stream, he shoved aside the tangle of vines and creepers, and the others fol- lowed him closely for a hundred feet, crouching close to the water and avoiding the heavy mass of foliage overhead. Then, unexpectedly, they emerged into another clearing, and a trail appeared going into the jungle. Job Warlock laughed: “TInjun does it, matey! Now we’re goin’ to get somewhere, soon’s we can swap yarns with this chap. Looks like he’s out to stick a knife in Dias, eh? Durned good thing we didn’t put a bullet into him for knifing that chink! The world’s a fine place, so hurray!”’ Hampton made no response, devoting bimself to keeping up with E] Hambre, who advanced rapidly along the narrow trail that penetrated the jungle. When they had gone half a mile the trail began to mount and the trees thinned out, until at length the three men emerged upon a hill- side, close to a trickling waterfall and a thatched hut. El Hambre gave a call, and from the hut emerged a wrinkled Indian woman. . ‘‘Mi madre,” he said to the white men in explanation. ‘‘Sefiores, my house is yours. Here we can talk in peace, for there is much to say.” The old woman produced food, which neither Hampton nor Warlock desired. After a long drink from the pool under the fall, they lighted their pipes and joined FE] Hambre in the shade; for Job Warlock, having given up trymg to masticate-the - local tobacco, was compelled to stick to his pipe. After having finished their brief repast, the Indian rolled a smoke and ad- dressed Hampton: “Don Ricardo, your brother was my very good friend; he was kind tome. Iam sorry that I could not help him, yet Iam one man and Dias has many men. Three years ago Dias took my wife, because one of his men desired her; since then I have killed his men, and he does not know how they have disappeared. More, I could not do. I am alone, poor, unable to do much. Twice I have tried to kill him—the last time, only a few days ago in Panama. [I failed.” “Where is my brother now?”’? demanded Hampton. : ‘Across the sea.” “What?” ‘St, semor—across the Vermilion Sea, the Gulf of California—there is a place south of Loreto, in Baja California, where Dias has settled. He takes his slaves there.” “Oh!” said Hampton. ‘Then you know the place?” ‘‘[ went there three years ago, sefior,”’ said the Indian simply, ‘‘but my wife was dead. I could not stay, lest they discover me and kill me, for I wanted to kill many COMmicboooks.G© inn