Adventure Magazine, December 10, 1924 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

The Blond Spiders “Sure. That white handkerchief—there over on the rock where Sawyer threw it.” “Oh! The handkerchief! Why, you see, Tony,” said Bodiker with the air of one patiently explaining the obvious, “we saw them too from the ton. Of course we didn’t know you were so close, and I thought it would be the best thing to do. Find out who they were, you know, instead of trying to kill each other. ‘And besides, old man, for all we knew they might have got you at any moment. It’s always best to be peaceable.” “Bet your life it is!” retorted Tony, trying to fathom what motive was behind the aitempt. “If you’d only been so peaceable for another ten seconds you’d both have been candidates for tin harps.” “You mean they were going to shoot us— with—with the white flag?”’ “Exactly what I do mean.” flashed angrily. ‘What in d’you think they started firing for at first? Be- cause they wanted to kiss you or what? Well, it’s no use standing here like a group of stuffed senators. We'd best get busy and see what these fellows have got.” He turned on his heel and walked across to the dead Germans, followed by the others. ‘‘____!? ejaculated Plessons as in moving the officer the smoked glasses rolled off. “Strike me pink if he ain’t Ahrenburg! belonged to that column we chased across Uganda into the Jaikes. Wex allus wondered what had become of ’em. Cripes! Fancy them hanging arahnd here, still frightened to go home!”’ Beneath the frayed tunic patched with bafta—trade cloth—which characteristically the Teuton had persisted in wearing even in the equatorial heat, Tony found a broad belt of buckskin in which were wedged round, hard substances. The others bent expectantly over him as he pried and squeezed out what looked like a greasy stone about the size of a man’s thumbnail; a bigger one followed. “Bah!” growled Sawyer disappointedly. “Te was bughouse! What’s he want to carry a lot of darned stones for?” “‘Stones!”’ echoed Bodiker. “‘Why, they’re diamonds, aren’t they?” “They are,’ assented Tony, slipping the two back. “Hey!” yelled Sawyer, his eyes glittering as Tony began quietly to buckle the belt about his waist. ‘“‘What’re doing?” Tony’s eyes He © 21 “Are you blind?” inquired Tony, looking Sawyer in the eyes as he rose to his feet. “Shut up, Phil!’ commanded Bodiker as usual. ‘‘We’ll settle all that later.”’ ‘‘We’d better go and see whether they have a camp,” continued Tony, “before burying these poor ee They soon hit the trail and, following it, found that within the bamboo grove a path had been cut to a clearing wherein was a hut within a stockade. Squatting before a fire with their backs to the entrance were two natives who did not budge until the whites stood over them. : They too were deaf and dumb. - As the whites walked into the square hut something gleamed in a corner. Tony walked over. “By , here are our moonlight mon- sters with the giant feet!’ he exclaimed and rolled across the floor the headpiece of a diving suit. “Cripes!” ejaculated Plessons. ‘What in ’re they for?” “Climbing palm tress to collect coker- nuts!’ retorted Tony, grinning. “Got me!” said Plessons with a laugh. “But, straight, they’re for getting through them spiders so’s they can’t bite. Must have lugged ’em all the way from that there what’sitsname boat what was sunk in the Tana River. Ain’t no flies on them boches!”’ : VI =f THAT the finding of the fortune in diamonds on the dead German had FP | excited Sawyer, and Bodiker as well, almost to the flash point, Tony was well aware. Bodiker was evidently the more cunning: had played the part of the brains, leaving the action to Sawyer when the time came. Probably the pair would have worked in harness in civilization, but the wilds had affected the primitive nature of the latter; he was rapidly getting out of hand, and Bodiker knew it. Whatever the former motive for the murder plan had been, the present one was easily comprehensible. But Sawyer wanted to rush the work, while his partner, for reasons of cowardice or profit or a mixture of both, wished to delay the actual deed. Arguing that it was scarcely likely that the two dead men had themselves imported the diving suits from the wreck on the Tana River, which was on the other side of cCoMmichool ) C© 5}