Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 4, 1925 — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

836 and hatred made his countenance singu- larly ferocious. He was like a cobra, ready to strike. Worn with his fight, he could not speak. But he lifted his weapon and shook it before Lansdell’s eyes. Marcia recoiled, and Lansdale went a step or two with her. “ Where is Mabong?”’ he demanded. ‘I talk only to the rajah.” “ Ato!” It was acry of grief. And the men on the bank jostled and gestured. ‘“‘ Dead?” demanded Lansdell, shocked and unbelieving. ‘Look at me well!” cried the man who stood before him and the girl. ‘ And re- member back to a dav of the last wet- season!” Lansdell had not been able to make out the man’s features clearly, especially as the torches were behind this Dyak who had come down to them. Now he stared. “ Dukut!” he pronounced. This man was not one of tHe first almost naked dozen. He was fully dressed, and even elaborately. A black satin jacket was wom over another of white cotton, the richer one being made, evidently, out of the cast-off dress of some white woman, for its sleeveless folds, held together at the front with large gold buttons of native make, were embellished with embroidery. Below the two jackets hung down a black sarong. ‘“ Ya-a-a!” snarled the man. triumphant- ly. ‘And now the new rajah.” Lansdell spoke to Marcia. ‘ This is rather bad luck,” he said. “ But. of course, we'll come out all right. This chap and I have had a run-in—last vear, it was. He made mischief down at my kampong. and I had him soaped, and forcibly bathed, and his head snaved.” ‘* He hates you,” she answered. Now Lansdell replied to the Dvak. “I remember,” he said quietly. ‘I also re- member that I gave ease and life to the father of Dukut when the aged suffered a snake-bite.”’ A second snarl, and a baring of black teeth: then, significantly, and with a sneer, “His highness likewise shall have ease, and for a long time.” It was a covert death threat. Lansdell glanced down at the girl cling- ing to his arm. She had left her hat under ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. the ogee roof of the prav. Her hair was rumpled, her light dress stained with dirt and bedraggled about the bottom. Her face was pitifully pale. ‘“ Don’t be so frightened,” he begged of her. ‘One man isn’t going to decide for the village. They'll all cool off by morning. Then they’ll listen to reason.” Looking up past Dukut, he spoke to the group on the bank: “ Are there not wound- ed who should be medicined?”’ “Ya! ya!”’ was the answer. ‘““Come!” cried an old man. ‘“ For the red life runs from many even now.” Lansdell lifted a hand. ‘“ But if the stabbed are made well again,” he bargained, ‘“‘ life must be spared.” The black eves of Dukut glittered. “‘ As- suredly,” he replied, with a laugh. ‘Tt is a pledge,” Lansdell asserted, ‘‘ and as such, is sacred. If it should fail of keep- ing, surelv there shall come to pass many things that are evil.” “These have already come to nass.”’ Dukut retorted, and gave a nod of the head. The white man realized that nothing could be gained by staying to argue with his enemy. ‘‘A box must be come by.” he explained in the Dyak tongue. ‘“‘ It is the box holding all that which tempers af- fliction.” He ordered a torch-bearer to join him: then, keeping Marcia at his side, went along the shore to where, piled neatlv in one spot, were the contents of Number Six prau. Other torches followed the first. Only now did the Dyaks see that the canoes were gone, leaving what was of far less value— the conical basket holding the fighting cocks, that keg on which the girl had sat, and some heaps of supplies. Cries of an- ger went up, mingled with exclamations of astonishment and inquiry. ‘What hand loosed them?” was the de- mand that each native made of his fellows. As the stream was the onlv road by which the Malays could have escaped. surely ne Malay had cut the boats free: on the other hand, the great, beautifully contrived canoes were such a prize to the men of Moeara Koli that certainly no Dyak had been guiltv of sending them adrift. Conn lDOOlK