Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

» wavering in the air like a little search- striving to pierce the gray mist of the CHAPTER XXII, THE THEFT OF THE LIGHT-RAY. HE touch of soft, cool hands on his 2% face brought Mercer back to sud- den consciousness. He opened his eyes; Anina was siting beside him, regard- ing him gravely. “Wake up, my friend Ollie. to wake up.” He sat up, rubbing his eyes. The same dim twilight obscured everything around. For an instant he was confused. “Why, I’ve been asleep.” He got to his feet. ““ Do you think it’s been long, Anina? Maybe the men have started off. Let’s go see,” Anina had already been to see; she had awakened some little time before and, leav- ing Mercer asleep, had flown up ahead over the treetops. The men were just then breaking camp, and she had returned to wake up Mercer. They ate their last remaining pieces of bread, drank from the little pool of water, and were soon ready to start on after their quarry. “ How long will it take them to reach the gorge, Anina?” “Not very long—four times farther reach Lone City.” By which Mercer inferred that within three or four hours, perhaps, they would be at the place where they hoped to turn the men back. They started off slowly up the trail, Mer- cer carrying the folded blanket, and Anina wearing the fur jacket. They soon came upon the smoldering fire that marked the other party’s night encampment. The men were, Mercer judged, perhaps a mile or so ahead of them. They continued on, walking slowly, for they did not want to overtake the slow- _ traveling men ahead. The look of the coun- _ try, what they. could see of it in the dark- oo was unchanged. The trail seemed Time now ding eit to the right, and after a THE FIRE PEOPLE. _ time they came sina the trail followed. It was a broa¢ perh gue me a | They: kept: Gk teem alon, zt bank for nearly another hour. — abruptly halted, pulling Mercer p hind a tree trunk. eS “ Another fire,” she whispered, ote ~ "Phey celta the glow of the f A by the river bank among the trees. — cautiously they approached and si , out the vague outlines of a ee to the bank. It seemed similar to the in which they had come down the : from the Great City, only eed ‘Other men,” a Lone City.” Mercer’s heart sank. A j Lone City—more of Tao’s men to jc he had set free! All his fine fF swept away. The men would a 1 ge the Lone -City now in the, bre: There was nothing he ~ do to them. And now Tao would | failure of his plans, = Re Mercer’s first idea was to gi i return to the shore of the s kept on going cautiously fc followed her. The fire, they could’see as th 1 was built a little back from a slight rise of sround betwen re: boat. There were some thirt oe ered around; they seemed to be cook “You stand here, one Anina pered. “I go hear what they say very quiet and wait. I cor ies Ps Mercer sat down with be ack tree and waited. Anina c immediately. He heard no flight, but a moment later he th saw her dropping down tl gh just outside the circle of lig From where he was sitting he the boat also; he thought he mi figure of a man oe al t, on situation, as Me ersto what Anina told hin nee seemed j any m pasur ab] ee aoa ts had anticipated, — a “comicbooks. com ‘ot pears sa