Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 190: what you’re looking at

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

172 lay of the land about Misongwe, don’t your” Miles nodded. “Vell! You know that thick patch of bush to the right after you come through the corn patch?” Again Miles nodded. “T ought to. Ive held service on the rising ground there a lot of times—used the bush as a sort of vestry, put my cassock and surplice on you know.” Isaacs smiled. “Vell! You goin’ to hold another sort of service there tonight. Listen: Gonzales and D’Andra have pitched their tent not far from the bush. All right, then. You'll take your men and hide yourself in that bush. -You’ll have to plan your trek so as you'll get there after sun set and before the moon rises. And you'll vait there until things begin to happen.” “But if we get so close why can’t we at- tack at once?” “Because!’’ Isaacs exclaimed wearily. “Oh, ——, missioner, don’t be so foony. They’ll have sentries posted, maybe, and they’ve got guns an’ Maxims, an’ your cross’ll only stop a bullet if it gets in the vay of one. An’ even if you vun in the end, first a lot of men vould die. No! Youw’ll vait until I make things happen an’ then, when they’re all busy lookin’ at me, then you can attack—if there’s any need to,” he added as an afterthought. Miles frowned doubtfully. “You'll promise to obey orders, mis- sioner,’ Isaacs said fiercely, ‘or Pll make you stay behind.” “Of course I’ll obey, Isaacs,” Miles said hastily. ‘But how long will we have to wait? Supposing your plan fails, what then?” “Vou’ll vait until just before sun rise an’ if I ain’t come by that time, you an’ the cross can do things your own vay. But you von’t have to vait that long. Now go away and let me sleep. Call me at noon.” With that Isaacs curled up into a ball and in a few moments was snoring loudly. But Miles was far from sleep, and he paced nervously up and down until, startled by an indignant grunt, he looked down into the sleep filled, reproachful eyes of one of the natives. He made a gesture of apology then and sat down on a near-by boulder. The native sighed contentedly, closed his eyes and slept again. Adventure Time passed. _ Miles’ eyes roved continually from one sleeping form to another; he held grimly on to his gold cross as if seeking to gain con- fidence and courage from it. Something moved in the undergrowth back of him. He picked up his rifle and turned quickly just in time to see a bush-pig vanish into the deep bush shadows. He laughed softly at the memories the pig had conjured up, then he occupied himself with examining the mechanism of his rifle. He sighed, placed his rifle carefully on the ground beside him, and fingered the cross again. “ Miles’ head wagged, he slid off the rock on to the ground, he edged around a little to get into the shade of the rock, his eyes closed. | Miles slept; one hand closed firmly on the stock of his rifle, the other on the cross which hung from his neck. His face ex- pressed the great contentment which goes with a complete confidence in a plan to be followed. <p. HE AWAKENED some hours ES We later and smiled into the face Mo ee of Isaacs who was standing over him. Za The natives were standing eagerly about, looking at him with impatience. “Ts it time that we started?” he stam- mered. ‘I have been asleep. I didn’t mean to.” “Sure you slept,’”’ Isaacs chuckled. ‘An’ you must have the conscience of a two-year- old, missioner. You avakened so easy- like. Yes. It’s time that ve vent—to eat.” “Fiat?” Miles echoed incredulously. “Sure! These men still have bellies, missioner, an’ some of ’em may not eat again after tonight. Come!” _ He led the way back to the store where his boys had prepared vast quantities of mealie- meal and boiled chicken for the natives. “Ve vill eat, too,”’ Isaacs said, and led the missionary into the skoff hut, ignoring his frowns at the gourds of beer with which the natives were washing down their food. An hour later the two white men left the hut and found that the natives, too, had finished their skoff, and were passing the time in rough horse-play and the telling gf jokes which were as primitive as their dress. One group was singing a mission hymn-tune and Miles beamed approval COMIGDIOOKSEEO