Adventure Magazine Cover — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

THE WOLF MASTER 31 the halberdiers, with one of the boyare and a lantern. And they stationed themselves where they could watch both the house and the sheds. “How many are with thee, Toghrul?”’ “One, and the dog.” “Fool! The way was open to flee!’’ ‘“‘Nay, the house is in my charge. What do I know of these Urusses? Go thou and talk with them, for they beat at the door.” There was no escape by the rear now, and Kirdy saw that some men with firelocks and lighted matches were outside the only other window on the lower floor. The openings above were no more than slits, to let in light and air. The log houses of Moscow had been built to keep out thieves and the cold. Listening at the front door, he made out Tatikof’s deep voice. “Within there! I bear an order from the council. The lady Nada must go with me. Open!” “The forehead to you, great Lord! What seek you of Nada?” ‘“‘An order is to be obeyed. Open!” “She is not here.” A moment of silence, and then Tatikof laughed. ‘She was seen to go in, and only a Cos- sack has come out since. What man are youe”’ Kirdy did not answer at once. Nada had no Cossack among her servants; Tatikof’s spies might have penetrated his disguise— but surely the servitors had been in and out since he left. ““Nichevo—no matter!” he responded cheerfully. ‘TI have no quarrel with you, Tatikof, nor you with me, yet I swear to you one thing: If your men break into this house many will go to bed in their graves.” “And we will pull you out by the hair!”’ the boyarin roared. “Once you were whipped, but now you want a taste of the sword.” An ax thudded into the stout logs of the door, and Kirdy heard the Muscovite curs- ing steadily. He thought no more of ex- planations, because he believed that Tatikof had come to seize Nada, in the general loot- ing. The boyarin did not look like a man who would forgive a lash of the whip. It was true that Kirdy could have opened the door and allowed the house to be searched. But he knew that he could give no good account of himself and Tatikof would torture the tribesmen to find out where the girl had gone. “The Urusses are angry,” Toghrul ob- served at his elbow. ‘“‘Ay—blood is to be shed. Have ye bows? Arrows? Then go with thy com- rade to the upper openings. Send the first shaft at the bearded mirza with the steel hat. Ina little, come down and watch the window at the side.” The house was in utter darkness, and Kirdy placed himself in the dining-hall where he could listen to all that went on. Karai stalked from front to rear, his eyes glowing yellow. In a moment a_ bow snapped, then another. A man cried out. Muskets roared, but still the sharp snap of the bow strings was to be heard. “Down with the torches!” deep voice ordered. Kirdy knew that the lights were being quenched in the snow—knew too that the moon was over the house tops and Toghrul had eyes like a cat. The firelocks barked at the house, but the thick walls stopped the bullets, and the Muscovites must have found the arrows too much for them because the axes ceased work and silence fell. Pres- ently the two warriors emerged out of black- ness. “O Kazak,” Toghrul proclaimed mood- ily, “‘the bearded chieftain wears too much iron. We hurt him but did not slay. Three are down, and the other Urusses be very angry.” “They are at the back.” The axes began anew on the lighter door, and Kirdy posted the other servitor at the side window, while he sought out logs from the hearth to prop up the rear door. Toghrul experimented with his arrows at the near-by window, and discovered that he could do little damage, while the bul- lets from the pistols of the Muscovites drew blood from him. “The Urusses will not enter by the win- dows,” Kirdy said to him. ‘The door will not stand for long. It is better to run out than to be hunted from room to room. Go thou and count how many are at the front.” He went himself and lifted down two of the three bars at the street door, and ran back when he heard boards splintering on the stable side. It seemed to him that the greater part of the assailants were at this point where no arrows could reach them. From the window he could make out a mass Tatikof’s COmiclbooks.c©