Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 190: what you’re looking at

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

& A472 the curaca. “Does my brother believe so?” “Why, I was raised a Christian, though I never worked very hard at it—tell him yes,” replied Grimshaw. “It is well,” remarked the savage, nod- ding his head. ‘‘ My brother will not regret then to leave this world, which is not always pleasant.” “T suppose that is pure philosophy,” commented Grimshaw in an undertone; “‘ though I cannot subscribe to it as whole- heartedly as perhaps I should.” Quite a number of other questions the curaca asked; and Zalmon’s answers, and above all, the white man’s demeanor, which was as unmoved as his own, confirmed the certainty of the chieftain that he had cap- tured a prize. “TI know that my white brother is brave,” said the curaca softly when he had done with his questions; “ still I would try him a little, a very little—before to- morrow.” He got up and stood to one side. ‘‘ Come hither, Maqui!” he called. “It is now your turn to talk with the white man.” The squatting old man by the wall straightened up and approached Zalmon. As he came, his red eyes glistened through his hair and an inexpressibly hideous leer overspread his meager features. A leath- ery tongue crept out and moistened his thin lips. For the space of a minute he stood me- tionless, looking into Grimshaw’s eyes. Suddenly he fell into a crouching posture, and began making sinuous, graceful passes with his skinny paws through the air before Zalmon’s face. Arnold leaped up, -choking a cry of horror. Was it illusion, or was the old man ’s mottled girdle slowly unwinding of its own volition and thrusting into the air? “ Cuidado—beware!” exclaimed Tomas, himself shrinking; snakes, senor, and deadly!” Both girdle and necklace of the terrible old man had awakened to writhing, hissing life. Unfolding their glittering coils from his neck and waist, they swayed_their lithe bodies forward, their flat, horrid heads, a ARGOSY-ALLSTORY - WEEKLY. “they are jerardca with jeweled eyes and darting tongues, fol- lowing the flexuous motions of those slowly: twining arms, ever nearer and nearer the victim’s face. Grimshaw sat like a stone man. The smile on his face was that of a carven idol, fixed and awful.~ On his bald head small beads of perspiration started through the skin and clung like raindrops. Nearer swayed the tortile horrors. ee “‘ Are those—things—poisonous?” asked Arnold, his voice strained and unnatural. = Do not doubt it, sevor,’”’ the Aymara replied. “The old diabolo charms them, and they obey him.” 6 G O d \ is In a frenzy of unreasoning rage Jim bounded across the intervening space, and, with all the weight and power of his body behind it, drove his fist into the snake- charmer’s ghastly face. Such was the force of that blow, sped by anger and loathing, that it lifted the savage clean off his feet and spun him, a grotesque bundle of flying arms and legs and writhing serpents, through the doorway of the malocce. He - struck on the earth in the compound, and at once set up as fearsome and agonized a howling as ever came from a human throat. Arnold shuddered. Craning his neck, he saw the unfortunate wretch running wildly in circles and tearing in agony at his face and breast. “Good! Now his own snakes are biting him, sevor. He will die very soon,” said Tomas, and fell to laughing desperately at the stroke. To their surprise, the curaca echoed the laughter. He ran to the doorway to watch the tortured gyrations of his loathsome coadjutor and to order warriors to come | and kill the serpents. Before the atrocious yells of the dying snake-charmer had ceased to ring through the compound, the chieftain addressed himself with animation to Jim. ““He says that he will make you his son, senor,” translated Tomas, ‘and give you as many wives as you can find food for. He says his tribe has need for such blood as yours. I advise the sefior to seem to fall in with the plan—and I shall tell vf ehaial i frc eo) ie O STATE UN