Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 232: what you’re looking at

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

AN AFRICAN SECRET. shaw noticed that she was of excep- tionally good appearance for an Afri- can. In the eyes of a black man she would undoubtedly have been a beauty. [ had begun to fear,”’ was all Brad- shaw said by way of greeting. ‘I hope I shall never have to take sich a dangerous trip again,” Pan re- sponded. “If it had not been for the excitement down there, which causes some confusion, I don’t think I could have come out of it alive.” “ And you’ve done better; brought a captive, I see.” “No, not a captive. I trust in your generosity, Mr. Bradshaw, to save her.” “From what, Pan?” “ Death. She was sentenced to die this afternoon.” What was her offense? ” “ That she was the daughter of the man whom we saw killed by the tree off yonder.” “ Great Scott! we get mixed more and more with that tree affair at every turn,” “ I do not understand you, Mr. Brad- shaw.” The American pointed to where Murdock lay sleeping. “ He wants me to take him to that hole in the ground,” said Bradshaw. “ He swears it is a diamond mine.” “ It may be so,” returned Pan, show- ing no interest in the matter, “ and if you care to go, it may be as well to march in that direction.” “ We'll talk it over, but my belief is that we should take the course that will bring us quickly to the coast. Mean- time you may be sure I will do what I can to protect the woman, but I’d like to know how you identify her as the daughter of that man who was a victim of the tree.” “ By this,” and Pan ‘handed Brad- - shaw a trinket, made apparently of bone. While Bradshaw was looking at it, Pan added: “ When it comes to decid- ing on the way to the coast you mustn’t overlook the fact that we are rather 223 more than half way across the conti- nent. It may prove easier to go on to the Indian ocean shore than return to the Atlantic. We are not many days’ journey from the Zambesi river. ‘The river we see in the plain below flows into the Zambesi, and if we wish to strike that great waterway, our most direct route would take us past the hole that now you call a mine.” “ That’s decidedly interesting!” ex- claimed Bradshaw, “for I’ve been more than half convinced that we should have to take in the mine for the purpose of humoring him,” with a jerk of his head toward Murdock. “ He’s a hard customer to handle, Pan.” “I like him no more than before,” said the black, “ but if you must take _ him, you must.” “That sums it up; but what is this trinket?” I took it from the body of the man who was killed by the tree. It is a fam- ily totem, and I took N because I recog- nized it as such, thinking it might possibly be useful to us. I don’t know that it will serve us, but it has served her.”’ . “ She has one like it, I suppose.” “ Yes; I saw it in her hand and no- ticed the similarity. It seems that the men at the mine were of this tribe——” “I have already learned that.” “And of their return? Well, it has made a great commotion down there. They seem to think that a terrible in- vasion is threatened, and they are pre- paring their defenses.” “ Aren't they going to make a move in.the direction of the mine? ” ‘“ Apparently not. Their language is very hard for me, but I got the idea that there is some strange notion among them that it is forbidden for any of the tribesmen to go to the sacred place. You see, they regard the mine as sacred just as that man did whom I shot.” Thereupon Bradshaw told Mur- dock’s story of the mine. Pan listened without comment until the end nd. COMIC LOOKS CO