Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

THE WINGS OF THE SNOW. tain, whose fierce, stern face was now lit with a humorous aspect as he watched the artists, the two turned to go. Suddenly Nan-a-ta spoke, and they halted, listening respectfully. “Three moons hence, as speaks the Lance of Dawn,” he said. “ And at the Rock of Counci, as befits the daughter of a chieftain, that all the tribesmen, there assembled, may see and know her choice. It is said!” , ‘““It is said,” replied Ku-ro, and: _ “Tt is said,” echoed Tu-sen, and bowing — once more, the young men left the cave, climbing down the rough ladder to the ground some fifteen feet below, and taking their way along the trail which followed the windings of the broad and placid river that watered the Valley of the Ta-an. Then-ai watched them till they had van- ished from sight in the dusk, then turned to her father. “Ts it well done?” she asked, and the chieftain answered gravely and tenderly: “Tt is well done, daughter of mine! Naught can be more honorable than to carve well the form of the Star-Marked One, nor is there greater honor than in carving well the tooth of Do-m’rai! Three moons hence shall see the Lance of Dawn in her husband’s cave!” _ The. girl blushed rosy red, and turned — quickly to take from a shelf of rock the bundle of skins which served her as a bed, while the chieftain chuckled to himself. Presently he, too, spread skins of wolf and bear and leopard on the rocky floor, and - lay down to sleep, and all was silent with- in the cave but for the crackle of the fire on the hearth. Meanwhile Ku-ro and Tu-sen hastened along the path toward their caves, for the dusk was gathering in; even now the shad- ows lay black and heavy beneath the trees, and the leather-winged Devils of the Air swooped and fluttered about their heads. Soon the hunting beasts and the Devils of the Night would-be abroad, and peril would dog their footsteps, so it behooved them to hasten Rivals though the young men were, ap- parent amity lay between them, a friend- ship which, so far as Ku-ro’s feelings were 639 concerned, was real enough, but was not sincere with Tu-sen—it was merely a sur- face friendship with him, put on lest his enmity incline the Lance of Dawn to his rival. Now, the cave of Tu-sen reached, he spoke in farewell, pleasantly enough, but as Ku-ro passed on toward his own home, Tu-sen, watching his rival’s back, glowered angrily, his handsome face twisted and writhen with hatred and jealousy. He-half raised his lance as if to hurl it at the other’s back, then lowered his hand reluctantly, shaking his head and whispering: “Nay, not thus! It would be known!” and turned to enter his cave. But as he turned his eye caught a glimpse of a dark form following stealthily along the trail be- hind Ku-ro, and he recognized the shape of Snorr-m’rai-no, the lion, the terrible Fear That Walks the Night, questing on the scent of the Carver of Ivory. Tu-sen shud- dered, then smiled evilly to himself. “Good hunting, Snorr-m’rai-no!” he said, and stepped into his cave. Presently through the forest came the snarling roar of a charging lion, a faint thrashing in the underbrush, and silence fell, even the faint night-sounds of the woods being hushed in terror at that awful roar. Tu-sen smiled faintly and said to himself: -““ Perchance I need not carve the Star- Marked One after all!’ and rolling himself in skins, he lay down to sleep. But sleep came not easily; his imagination pictured again and again that deadly rush and spring, the crushing to earth of Ku-ro, the carrying off of the torn and mangled body, and again and again he asked himself if it would not have been fairer, more manly, to warn the victim; Ku-ro would have done as much for him! © But at last he put such thoughts from him in thinking of the Lance of Dawn, and toward morning he slept. After leaving Tu-sen, Ku-ro had passed rapidly along the trail, hastening to reach the security of his cave. He had no least suspicion that he was being hunted, for Snorr-m’rai-no moves silent as a drifting shadow, so Ku-ro, despite his alert senses, caught no faintest pad of a footfall, no faintest whisper of leaves brushed aside. CGOMIIGoOO S CO