Adventure Magazine Cover — page 193: what you’re looking at

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

A Night in Without in the least knowing what he pro- posed to do, he ran forward, shouting, con- scious of the crack of pistols fired at close quarters and flashes of light from the shadows. Alvarez raced toward the hedge of aloes, his cloak billowing out like wings, giving him the appearance of some monstrous bird. His wife stood motionless, her tall, lithe figure dark against the moonlight. She put her hands to her face and swayed on her feet and uttered a little cry. Mr. Westcott reached her as she fell and caught her. “Get down!” he heard Captain Selby shout. ‘Get down, both of you!” He lowered her gently to the ground and held her in his arms and crouched over her, his body a shield against the bullets. He looked over his shoulder and saw Captain Selby out in the open, standing upright, shooting at the brush west of the garden where a man was kneeling shooting back at him. Another man, Mr. Wescott saw, supported himself on hands and knees and was crawling away, groaning. Yet another man must have been shooting, too, as a bullet hit the ground near them and sent the dust spurting up into his face. A little later he felt a heavy blow on the shoulder and knew that he was hit. The woman was bleeding. ‘There was a flow of warm blood on his hand. She said in a faint voice—- “raul” It was difficult to catch what she said. “Paul’s all right,” said Mr. Westcott. Again he looked over his shoulder. He saw a man running away—two men—three. The noise of the shooting ceased suddenly. The silence bewildered him. He felt in a manner lost. It took him some seconds of muddled thought for him to realize that he was still alive and no longer in danger and that there was no need for him to hold the woman in his arms and protect her from the bullets. ‘“‘They’ve gone!” hesaid. ‘Mrs. Alvarez, they’ve gone!” Captain Selby came slowly toward them and dropped on to his knees by his side. “Tony!” he said. Mr. Westcott was cramped. The wound in his shoulder hurt. “Take her,” he said. “Do you mind?” He rose to his feet, dizzily. “Tony,” said Captain Selby. ‘“‘Where’s Paul?” she said in her faint San Asensio 187 whisper. ‘“‘Why isn’t he here with me?” ‘“Paul’s quite safe, Tony.” She tried to sit up. “Lie quite still, Tony! You’re hurt!” She seemed to recollect. “Why, it’s Jack! Listen, Jack, you promised! You gave your word that you’d save Paul, and you must!”’ Her voice broke into a sob. ‘You promised me. Where is he? What have you done with him?” His left arm supported her. Her head with its mass of fair hair rested on his shoulder. His right hand took hold of her left. “Paul!” she whispered. ‘‘Paul, dear!” She sighed and her body relaxed. Fora long time he did not move. Then very gently he laid her down. “Poor old girl!” he said gruffy. “Hada tough time of it, didn’t you? Not much help, was I?”’ He stood up and stretched himself. si , 1’m tired!”’ ‘What does it all mean?” said Mr. West- cott. “Nothing, except she’s dead!” Captain Selby stood looking down on the dead woman’s face. Presently he turned. ‘‘Let’s see where her husband got to?” He led the way toward the hedge of aloes and through a gap into a piece of waste land where they found him lying dead, bullet holes through his heart and forehead. . The brown leather case had disappeared. “They got the papers, then!” said Mr. Westcott. “Of course!” said Captain Selby. ““That’s what they were after.” Between them they carried the dead man back into the garden and laid him down by the side of his wife. ‘““The swine ran and left her!’’ said Mr. Westcott bitterly. “He said he’d fight but he didn’t! And his wife’s dead!” “‘She’d have been alive now but for me, probably,” said Captain Selby. “Perhaps they saw me following you! Perhaps there was another man on guard, up at the house on the hill! Perhaps—”’ He paused and seemed to be thinking. All at once he burst out fiercely: “But, I ask you, how else could she have gotaway? Howelse? I don’t believe—no— I don’t believe there’d have been a chance!” Again he paused and looked at Mr. West- cott and said almost humbly: COMmMiCcoook C@