Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 173: what you’re looking at

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

THE TUSK OF reputation, sevzor, as I said before. One ‘must keep cool under all conditions when -one would live by the hunt. My hand was trembling toward the handle of my bolo, and I felt the itch to strike this Barlow— one clean stroke behind his fat red neck. But I did not. And perhaps it was the buen Dios that forbade. His is the ven- geance, as I also said before. And truly are the priests who say that right. Of a truth they are. We crept on. We were in the country of the dbaubui now, senor, and I expected any instant to hear the sharp break of the paymaster’s rifle. Yet I did not yet expect to see El -Carnicero. He ruled the bottom lands of the Rio Boton, and his was the pick of the feeding grounds and the wallows. And there were two hours more before us before we would come to them. Yet I thought: Let this Barlow shoot a little pig now, if he so desires. We can use but a little of it, yet the rest we can give to the Negrit’s in their tiny village a kilo ahead on the trail. And thus the pay- master may turn the enmity of Chief _ Augustin into friendship, and perhaps we might get information that would lead more quickly to El Carnicero. It would be well for the paymaster to do this. The Negritos have strange customs, and still stranger thoughts. And besides they are the wildest of the wild, and not far from being more true creatures of the bosque than they are ‘men. And when one is in the bosque, it is well to be friendly with all in the bosque —even with what one desires to hunt, senor. Thus was I thinking, when of a sudden- ness more great even than before, did that paymaster freeze into a statue again. He turned his head about, his rifle up and ready to drop level to shoot. “There! Again!” I, too, swung about, my weapon ready. And even as I turned, this Barlow’s Bue. dropped level, and his shot rang out. T could not see what he was aiming at, but as the gun went off I heard a sharp crack as of two bones hitting quickly to- gether, and saw something white go flashing off into the meadow. Then followed a great -* Nosense! THE BUTCHER. 955 — squeal of rage and pain, and immediately a crashing in the brush and bamboo of the bosque. “ Missed, by thunder!” snarled the pay- master, as I looked in surprise. “But it was pig,” I cried. ‘“ And of a truth I heard it squeal. And that some- thing that went flashing off into the grass. T will look for it.” | Though it was not very light in the valley now, the thing was not hard to find. A bit of white on the green mat of the turf. I bent to pick it up, then started back with a cry of astonishment. “Senor Barlow! Look! Look! I could not say more for the moment. I stood like that and stared, and pointed to the white object on the grass. ““ By Heaven,” cried the paymaster. ‘“ I did hit him after all. He’ll feel the pain of it for a month, curse him. Here, give it to me.” : . ~ But I could make no move. There were ‘too many thoughts tangling up my brains just then. I could only stand there and point and stare. “* Senor—senor—it—amust have been fol- lowing us on the trail. You heard—twice. before—you heard—” I stopped. I was so bewildered; and, I must confess it, sezor, I was almost fright ened at what I saw. The paymaster glared at me in that insolent way again. “What the hell’s the matter with you. Give me that—” “Senor,” I cried. ‘“ You do not under- stand. The pig you shot at must have been following us — following us, senor. And this tusk that you shot off, this great sharp tusk—it can belong to but one baubui in all the Boton. Ah, senor, we must have a care now how we hunt. You have broken off one of the tusks of El Carnicero.” | For a moment he glared. Then a strange look came into his eyes. The butt of his rifle thudded to the earth, and he stooped and examined the broken tusk without foun it. | “Twice I heard- him—twice—” he be- gan. Then broke off with a grunted curse. Nonsense! These damn blacks are too cursed superstitious. Puh!” Comicboo Ss se