Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 7, 1928 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

HIS SERVICE TO FOLLY. “We'll toss a coin,” said Gefondo. ‘“ Heads, we take the right turn.” He flipped a coin spinning into the air and looked up to watch its flight, then down as it fell on his palm. Then his eyes met the gaze of Basil and Jack Butts. They had all seen a black face peer- ing through the leafy tree branches, a face like a hideous mask, for between its dark lips was a black hole where a tongue had been torn out by the roots! “God’s mercy! What purgatory is this?” muttered Butts. But Gefondo had darted down the right hand path and the others followed him, and only halted when Gefondo barred their way. “Go softly,” he warned. “I smell the smoke of wood fire that betokens we are nearing a plantation.” Between the trees they could see a hillside laid out in sugar cane and trim rows of wide-spreading pineapple leaves. And,.nestling in a green dim- ple of sloping valley, was a broad, scat- tered building whose ornate decora- tions Basil at once recognized as French architecture. _ For so large a place it looked sadly deserted. He could fancy it had once had hundreds of field workers, and women’s dresses brightening the lawns, but there was none left. Smoke curled from one chimney of the house, but green shutters at its windows were shattered, and hung by one hinge or gaped wide. Near the fence a man paced up and down, a musket over his shoulder, a red loin-cloth about his hips, another scarlet rag around his head. From a further fence overgrown with rose- vines, came a second guard. Imitating Gefondo, Basil flipped a coin, saying: ‘“‘ Heads we visit this house; tails we go to town.” A second time the head on the coin came up, but Gefondo swore and vowed the boy should not imperil them all by his foolishness. Basil turned to face the hunchback, his blue eyes snapping with anger. “You've called me ‘master,’ Ge- fondo. I demand full meaning of that 5A 65 name.’ Gefondo spread his hands and bowed, but his face wore a sneer. “I know this land and you do not. We'll wait until night.” With good nature quickly returned, Basil dropped into a thick loop of vine, swinging back and forth, fanning in- sects from his face while Jack Butts slapped viciously and his countenance became smeared with his own blood where mosquitoes bit deep. It was this irritation at the stinging pests that came near to their undoing, for in the jungle silence the sound of Jack Butts’s protestations carried far- ther than they knew, and one guard at the plantation house halted at the end © of his beat to listen, then swung the gun to his shoulder and fired into the thicket which concealed thein. Instantly the plantation house spewed forth black soldiers who had been out of sight, and without waiting to take council the three wanderers fled in time to escape the scattered shots which showered leaves and twigs on their heads and shoulders. Basil wondered that they were not pursued. Then he remembered the gar- goyle faces in the trees. No doubt these black soldiers had seen the tongueless man and fired at him, never dreaming that there were others hiding. Following at Gefondo’s heels, Basil came to less tangled ground skirting the shore, and caught glimpses of the sea. On the far line where sky meets ocean they saw the sails of a ship, no larger at that distance than a white- winged butterfly. It brought to Tre- lawney a wave of homesickness, the first wild longing for that gray stretch of water off the cliffs of Trelawney. The momentary pang recalled to him the reason for his presence on this island. He thought of Violette, and plunged on, determined to reach the town where he might make inquiries for the Marquis de Tourraine. And presently lights were seen, pop- ping out like gems on the brow of a creole. There was prodigal waste of Gomichbooks (E@)