Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

THE more than enough to take care of your na- tives. So you'll tell us?” “No, Isaacs! No, Smithers! I tell you I won’t tell you anything. Now go away and leave me alone. You can’t frighten me with your silly threats.”’ But, despite her brave words, her voice quavered. Smithers stepped forward with a curse and caught both her wrists in his big hands, pulling her up to her feet. “ You'll tell,” he muttered between set teeth, “ and tell now!”’ ‘“T won’t,” she retorted, and kicked at his shins. “ You cat!” he swore, and twisted her wrists so that she was obliged to stand on tiptoes to relieve the strain. “Look, Smithers!” Isaacs whispered hoarsely. ‘“ The door at the end of the room! Some one’s turning the knob!” With a snarl of rage Smithers swung her before him, then, holding her helpless with one iron-muscled arm, he drew his revolver and cried: “The little wretch has fooled us. Get out of here at once, Isaacs, and warn the blacks.” He began to back toward the door just as the one at the end of the room opened and Hardwick and Ginger sprang out. Smithers fired. “ Lumme!” yelped Ginger Dick, and his revolver drepped with a clatter to the floor, the blood streaming from a wound in his arm. . Before Smithers could fire again Hard- wick dragged Ginger Dick behind a large table which he had quickly overturned. Hardwick dared not fire—Ginger Dick could not—fearing to hit the girl, and Smithers’s retreat toward the door contin- ued unhindered save by the almost futile struggles of the girl. ‘“ Tl] come and get you birds when I’ve finished with this filly,” Smithers said. “Now, stay where you are. Move, and T’ll plug the girl and still have enough shots to finish you.” They did not move—for Katje’s sake they dared not. A wild shot sounded outside. “ Isaacs has started the blacks moving,” Smith- SENTIMENTAL BLOKE. 207 ers said slowly, almost whispering into the girl’s ear. ‘‘ They’re going to set fire to the kraal. Better tell before it’s too late.” She shook her head and, getting a mo- ment’s freedom, cried: ‘Don’t move, big Jim. My people—”’ Then Smithers’s huge hand closed over her mouth. And now from outside sounded a low murmuring like the beating of surf on a rocky shore. It increased in volume. The murmurs became wild shouts, cries of rage and pain. There sounded the sharp cracks which told of blows parried, dull thuds which told of knobkerries Janding on soft, yielding flesh. On Smithers’s face there was a look of perplexity—of baffled cunning—of fear. Katje, squirming, twisting, kicking and biting, impeded his progress; the door lead- ing to the open was still ten feet away. He was between the devil and the deep sea. He dared not loose her, knowing that to do so would expose him to the bullets of Hard- wick; and he knew that he was needed out- side at once. There was a scream of fear, and Isaacs, his face streaked with blood which flowed from a wound in his forehead, his eyes protruding fearfully, his clothing torn and dust stained, backed into the room. ‘We're done, Smithers,” he sobbed. “Her black devils are all over the place. We might have known. We might have known. Katie, my dear,” he pleaded, ‘“ you'll save an old man who’s always -been your friend. I tried to persuade Smithers not to—” “Shut up, you fool!” Smithers, beside himself with rage, struck the groveling man across the face with the barrel of his re- volver and Isaacs collapsed, screaming like a clumsily stuck pig. | With an oath Smithers flung Katje from him—she hurtled across the room, crashing into a table, falling limply to the ground near the unconscious Isaacs—and ran to the door, then cowered back, not daring to face the armed warriors who were lined up outside the house. Turning back into the room, his face lighted with malicious glee, for, casting all caution to the winds, Hardwick had left COMMICLOOOkKS [ (C@