Adventure Magazine Cover — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

THE WOLF MASTER angels from Heaven, and a wolf following them. It was so!” No one had challenged them. the tale grew and passed from lip to lip. It was whispered at first and then said openly that Dmitri who had been Tsar had escaped the weapons of the nobles. Warriors who had gone into the Kremyl remembered that a man had been seen to jump from the lower windows of the Terem into the courtyard. A groom of the im- perial stables repeated that three Turkish horses had been saddled by order of the Tsar and held in readiness. No one knew what had become of the horses—though the groom was put to the torture. Then there came a rumor from Kolumna, the nearest town in the east, that Dmitri had been seen there the night of his downfall. The elder princes of the council debated, and gave out that this must be a lie. The body that had lain in the public square dur- ing these three days of bloodshed was sol- emnly burned, and the ashes fired from the mouth of acannon. Tatikof was sent with a hundred riders to Kolumna, and there peasants pointed out the keeper of the kor- ichma, the road tavern, as the one who had spoken with the false Dmitri. “Bring him to me,” the great boyarin said, and added sternly, ‘The traitor is dead, so you could not have seen him.” The tavern-keeper came, fear-ridden, and told his tale. In that evening four travel- ers had drawn up at his dram-shop. They were escorting a sledge. They had loosed the girths of their horses but had not unsad- dled. This was at milking time. During the night they played at chess, and did not get drunk or go to sleep. Along in the cold hours—so said the innkeeper—other horses had galloped up. These were dobra koniaka—fine horses. From one, his great Mightiness the Tsar had dismounted, and called for veal and white wine. He had been served, while the first four riders were harnessing the ponies to the sledge; evidently they had been waiting for the coming of his Serene Mightiness. They all talked together and then the Tsar called for parchment and a goose quill and ink. The others—fine young gentlemen—had remonstrated with him. They seemed to be 3 (PV ve ate ge Mother Moscow 33 impatient to get on. But the Tsar laughed and wrote some words on the parchment, folded it and directed that it be kept until called for— “By whom?” demanded Tatikof. “By the serene, great elder princes or by Michael Tatikof, so it please ye.” The agent of the boyare started and frowned, and frowned still more when the master of the korichma hastened to produce the letter as evidence of his honesty. ““A hundred devils!” cried Tatikof, who was able to read it. “Has any one seen this?” “Aye, your nobility! A batko, a priest it were. He read it to the travelers who came after the illustrious prince.” “May dogs tear you! Why was it read to others?” ‘Because, when I told them the tale they said I lied. I showed them the letter, and still they said I lied, because none could read. So they summoned the priest from the church and he came and read it aloud, and then they knew I was telling the truth. There was no harm?” “Harm!” Tatikof’s red face grew darker. “‘Who were these people that had the letter read?” The worthy taverner scratched his head, and began to bow, because fear was growing upon him. “Eh, they were fine folk. They were two young princes from over the border, only God knows where. One had long eyes like a girl, and a gold girdle—” ‘And a dog?” “Oh, aye, a borzoi it were, like a wolf.” “Dolt! It was a girl, dressed as a Cos- sack, and a Cathayan.” The purple scar on the forehead of the boyarin flamed as he thought of Nada and Kirdy. “What way did they go?” “May it please your nobility, they bought meat and wine and forage for the horses and departed along the snow road, yesterday morning, eastward.” “Have any others seen this paper?” “Not a soul! Only listen, I swear—” The master of the tavern fell on his knees, and his mouth opened in dull horror. He had seen Tatikof draw and prime a pistol. The boyarin stepped forward and lowered the muzzle quickly, and the weapon roared in the man’s ear. DOOLK (C©