Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

Om but laid his hand on the dog’s head and rubbed her ear. ‘“‘Peace be with you. Peace perfect you in all her ways,”’ the lama boomed. “And to you, my father, peace,’ he answered. ‘‘Was it well done? Was any- thing lacking for your comfort? Have my servants failed in anything? Were there enough elephants?” “Tt is all good,” said the lama. ‘“‘And the mission succeeded?” “The first part.” The lama’s hand went into his bosom and produced the piece of jade. Prabhu Singh approached to the edge of the mat, received the jade into his hands, and stepped back to examine it, holding it to the light from a window. He did not ap- pear to have any superstitious reverence for it, but handled it as if it were a work of art, rare and valuable. “T am glad,” he said simply after about two minutes, handing it back to the lama, who returned it to his bosom. Up to that point Prabhu Singh had taken no ap- parent notice of the chela, who sat motion- less; but Ommony could see through the slit in the panel that the chela’s eyes were missing nothing. “San-fun-ho!”” said the lama suddenly; and the chela stood up on the mat. : Was the stage-name his real one? The mystery increased. Prabhu Singh’s attitude underwent an instant change. He became embarrassed. He bowed three times with much more reverence than he had shown the lama, and when the chela smiled the linea] descendant of a hundred kings was as nervous as a small boy being introduced to a bishop. Samding said something to him that Ommony could not catch, and _ the murmured answer seemed to be no more than a conventional formula of politeness. The chela was as perfectly at ease as if he had been receiving the homage of princes all his life. Prabhu Singh bowed again three times and retreated backward, stumbling against Diana and recovering his balance awk- wardly. He appeared almost physically frightened; yet he was famous on polo fields from end to end of India, and was notorious for speaking his mind bluntly to viceroys, at real risk of personal liberty. His back to the door at last, he made his escape with better grace, recovering pres- 105 ence of mind and remembering to salute the lama. a THE moment the door shut the lama Ba; turned on Samding and rebuked him » in such swift excited language that Guin could hardly make head or tail of it. The language was Tibetan, and he was too far away to catch more than occasional sentences; but it seemed that the lama was angry because Samding had not put the visitor at ease. 3 The talk was like a Chinaman’s, rising and falling as the sound of water hurrying over a gravel bottom. “That is only vanity—self-approval Ss Worshippers are mockers a. turned your head I would rather see you pelted with stones better for you and for them . break the shell of the egg before the chicken hatches schlappkapp! (whatever that meant) dirt under your feet will some day cover your grave .. .. all these years and yet you know so little ‘ if you are going to fail you had better not begin . . . presumption. . .” It was a wonder of a discourse. Samding listened standing for a while, then sat down cross-legged—off the mat—facing the lama, head bowed humbly, not once moving until Diana came and ‘sniffed his neck to find out what the matter was. That stopped the lama’s flow of speech. He glanced up at the gallery and called to Ommony in a normal tone of voice, as if he had entirely forgotten the whole inci- dent of Prabhu Singh’s visit and the re- buke and all connected with it. Make the dog do le “Now again, my son. the acting again.”’ Samding resumed his position on the mat at the lama’s right hand; he, too, seemed to dismiss the lecture as if it had never taken place; and Ommony, directing from the gallery, made Diana go through all her tricks. They were not extra- ordinary for an intelligent dog, except that she never had to be told twice and that most of them were done in response to signals. The lama merely nodded; none of the tricks seemed to impress him half as much as the first, the easiest of all. He in- sisted on her opening her mouth again and again and at last he and Samding chuckled together over it as if it were the greatest joke that ever happened. Comicbook (© 5}