Adventure Magazine Cover — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

THE WOLF MASTER 43 the Urusses. It was written that I should find this emperor dead and another seated upon the throne. This other, being pleased with my conversation, commanded me to attend him upon his exile. I heard—I obeyed.” “Thou wert a man of Dmitri’s?”’ “Truly, his sakab, his companion. He revels well, but rides too much.” Kirdy tapped the sword blade that rested on his saddle peak. ‘“‘Al-Tabir, in times past I have hearkened to Persians. I heard many lies and little truth. But thou, O my captive, shalt tell me truly what has happened. Or thy head will cease from thinking and thy tongue from lying. Where is thy master?” “By the face of the Prophet, I know not. Yesterday he drank wine in the tent of the khan of the Nogais. He laid a command upon me to go with a warrior to another clan. Iwent.”’ “Wherefore?” “Tt is my thought that he sent one of his companions to different tribes, as hostages, perhaps.” “The Nogais called you leader.”’ “Allah! Not a word of their talk is known to me. It is my thought that the Tsar sent commands to them, and they looked upon us as ameers, greatly to be feared. ‘They fear the Tsar. So do I!” Kirdy smiled. “That I believe. Now think again, Al-Tabir—what orders were sent?” “Surely the command was to rise and arm against the Muscovites. The Tsar makes war against hisameers. The Nogais will cross the river. Iam content to be rid of them.” The lips of the Cossack hardened under the mustache and his eyes narrowed. He had not expected that Otrépiev would dare loose the tribes against the frontier posts. The man seemed able to breed chaos even in the steppe. _“Then the Nogais believe he is the Tsar? Why?” “Wallah! Why not? He showed them jewels from the chests—even the gold apple, and the scepter that bears a ruby as large as my thumb. Their khan had seen the jewels before. Besides, they were ready enough to make raids.” Kirdy nodded. All this was possible. The border would be fire- and fury-ridden, and the very ice of the Volga stained with blood. So, pursuit from Moscow would be checked. “But,” he said thoughtfully, “after a while the Tatars will know that he has no power, that only six men ride at his back— then they will plunder him.” Again Al-Tabir salaamed. “O youth, and scion of battles—in thee there is wisdom even sufficient unto thy courage! ‘This thing the Tsar has foreseen. Within a week he will ride from these pagans —may their graves be dug up!” “Whither?” “To the east.” “‘To what place?” Al-Tabir searched his memory, with an eye on the Cossack’s sword, and decided not to lie. The young warrior knew a deal too much to make lying either safe or prof- itable. ‘““‘To the place where the sun rises. It lies behind the Mountains of the Eagles, and it is the country of the Golden Horde.”’ OR the second time Otrépiev had 1D hidden his trail. Only, the first time he had slain a friend so that he might leave the body in his own bed; now he had slain hundreds, and the dead and dying along the river had concealed all trace of him. No longer could the Muscovites follow him. Months must pass before the Nogais would be driven across the river again, and the caravan paths opened. And now the way of pursuit was closed to Kirdy. Although the storm had ended, al- though the fresh snow on the steppe would reveal the tracks of a fleeing man—although Omelko had promised him horses, hay and meat, he could not ride forth. From the east, from unexpected places, the more distant clans of the Nogais would be coming in, as vultures flock to a feast. No craft or skill would serve to avoid them. On the white waste of the steppe a rider would be seen by the keen eyes of the no- mads even on the horizon; the Cossack’s trail would be picked up inevitably. More- over, it was extremely probable that the Nogais had left men to watch the two open- ings of the Wolf’s Throat into which Al- Tabir had disappeared so unexpectedly. Meanwhile Otrépiev might do any one of a number of things. At any day, with his fast horses and his sledge with narrow run- ners, he could start on his journey into the COnuiclboooks. CO