Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 4, 1925 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

THE GOLD-DUST RAJAH. “But one disappointment,” he soothed, “isn’t the end of things, though I thought so when I left home. The old sting is all but gone for me, exactly as it ‘Il go for you. All I’m worried about now is your safety. I shan’t breathe easy until you’re out of this, and back on the Sabra. I’m sorry I couldn’t get you away when you first went to sleep, but it wasn’t possible without a fight, and I didn’t dare run any chances of being killed or wounded, because that would have left you unprotected. For you and I can’t count on Wray any more.” ‘Suppose I hadn’t found you up this river!” she returned. ‘‘If the man who knew Dyaks had been some one else! Not a good man, but a rascal, just as they said!” ‘‘ Things don’t seem to ‘ just happen ’ in this world sometimes,” he said solemnly. “ But I feel that I’ve got you into this trouble!” * ] think it ‘Il turn out all right.” His tone was reassuring. ‘‘ They won’t find anything, of course. That’ll put ’em all in a bad temper. We must be careful not to crow over them, or say we told them so. The chap who'll suffer the most will be \Wray, because he’s even staked vour friend- ship—and lost it.” * And you, Philip? Because [ don’t wart to be safe if you're not.” ‘For vour sake, Wray knows [’l] never make him or Barker trouble. They’ll spare me so I can see you safe aboard the Sabra.” ‘‘ Leave Borneo and come home with me,” she said pleadingly. ‘‘ You will, won’t you? Because I’d never rest easy after this. I mean, Barker’s bound to be afraid of what vou can tell and some dav he might hire somebody to—to—”’ ‘Put a poisoned spear into my back,” Lansdell supplied. ‘‘ Yes, I know that. Also, I’m not so sure that you don’t need looking after until you set foot on Amer- ican soil. And as I’ve had enough of the jungle for a while, I think Ill return on the steamer that carries you.” * IT hoped you’d say that!” For a few moments they stood without speaking. Then: ‘ You don’t feel any ill effect from your sleep, do you?” “On the contrary. What was it you gave me, Philip? I meant to ask.” oA 833 “ Tt’s a pellet I got from a Chinese doc- tor at Banjarmasin. I’ve never analyzed it, but I fancy it’s an opium concoction of some sort. In fact, he said it was, but un- doubtedly it has another ingredient, or is treated in some way that we haven’t dis- covered. But it’s been a handy medicine for my purpose. A patient sleeps and re- laxes, and always wakes in better shape. It takes the place of a hypodermic.” They seated themselves on the hard ground, Goboh beside them, but a trifle to the rear. ‘‘ Somehow,” Lansdell went on, ““T can’t seem to realize what’s going for- ward there. It’s serious, and it’s burglary, but it’s all so matter of fact that the out- rageous aspect of it isn’t emphasized for some reason. I suppose because we haven't had any fighting. It’s opposition that brings out a man’s reactions.” ‘You've forgotten how things happen back home,” she argued, smiling at him in the dark. ‘‘ But I haven’t, and I have the queerest feeling that any moment the police’ll be turning up.” ‘Beyond the reach of the powers that he,” he answered, “‘ the jungle is a law unto itself.” That crowd of brown bodies among the templelike rows of black posts now sud- denly varied their movements as the Malays who had been digging handed over their picks and shovels and took the flaring lights in exchange. Then a brief gabbling was silenced again, and the clumsy work, and the hollow-sounding thud, thud, thud, thud Went on. ‘* Have you seen my China boy?” Marcia asked. “When the trouble began,” he answered, ‘about my taking you down stream, our faithful Celestial made himself scarce.” ‘“Good! They won’t dare to hurt us, but they wouldn’t want a Chinaman to get away who knows about their looting. And I’d feel awful if they killed him.” ‘“They’d do it,” Lansdell agreed. ‘“‘ Come to think of it, I’ll bet that Chink went un- der the platform—unless he’s a part of this business, and an opium smoker is likely to do anything!” ‘* Philip,” she said solemnly, ‘“ I dread the time when those Malays find they’ve broken Conn lDOOlK