Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 2 — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

THE CARAVAN back, a knife in its palm. Fire surged through the girl’s body and gripped her brain. She clasped the revolver she held in both hands, pointed it at the Alaman’s broad face, and pulled the trigger. The report bellowed in the confined space. Seldom have women, even the bravest been able to resist closing their eyes when they discharged a weapon. With lids tight shut, Edith continued to press the trigger savagely. She was fighting for the man she loved. To save Donovan she would have gripped Abbas with bare hands. So, since the first ages of man have women fought when peril faced their husbands and children. And so were native women fight- ing that night in the kurgan. Edith, her eyes still tight closed, con- tinued to pull the trigger of her revolver, even after it clicked fruitlessly and all the cartridges had sped from its chambers— even the one that the girl, mindful of the Mohammedan legend, had thought was marked for her. The tower had grown quieter. Presently she was conscious of a cheery voice: — “‘ Cease firing, Edith.” She opened her eyes. The bodies still stirred on the stone floor of the tower room, the lantern flickered on the logs below. Sounds of conflict swept in from without. But the stair and the pile of wood were empty of foes, and Donovan was not to be seen. ‘Where are you?” she exclaimed anx- lously. | — “ Present.” Donovan emerged from under the stairs directly beneath her feet and stepped swiftly to her side. He was laughing. “I took to the first dugout handy when you began to strafe the place. Brave girl!” 3 His eyes were tender as he bent over her. She shivered, staring down at the lantern, unable to realize the truth that he was still well and whole at her side. Then she clung to him, burying her head in his shoulder. “ Did—did I kill Abbas?” He caught a choked voice from ‘somewhere under his chin. | ‘“Abbas? No, you missed him, with something to spare. Aravang was alive 9 Arcosy OF THE DEAD 273 and kicking in the mélée below. He pulled the Alaman down, I think. By rights that native of yours ought to be dead a dozen times before now. But he isn’t—thanks to some Providence, that looks after his kind. Edith, do you realize you saved my life?” He was talking quickly, anxiously, his eyes fixed on the vista of the room below, with its array of broken men that he shielded carefully from her sight. “TP Howe”. “Well,” he laughed again, not altogether ‘steadily, “your first shot knocked the brains out of that Tartar on top of me. The others ran from your barrage after Aravang tackled their chief. So did I—run. You creased the back of my jaw just a little with a bullet, besides singeing my neck. I fancy your last shot got Aravang in the leg. I heard him swear.” ‘““Oh, dear. I meant to shoot Abbas.” She looked up, her lips trembling with a smile. For the first time she saw Dono- van’s tired face, spotted with blood—from his slain antagonist—and with a dark line running down. from his own injured chin. 6¢ Oh! ) Edith fainted in his arms. Aravang’s mighty strength had held the stairs at the head of the pile of wood until Donovan’s rifle came to his aid; but by then the kul was grappling with an agile Kurd who slashed at him with a knife and tore at his face with fanglike teeth. The two had rolled to the floor under Dono- van’s feet and out into the opening through which the men of Abbas were pressing war- ily against the swinging rifle butt over their heads. Fortunately for Aravang, his foes were half mad with panic born of the peril that had ascended the walls of the stronghold. For not alone had the fighting men of Yah- ka-Arik come to the assault under cover of Mahmoud’s diversion in front of the tower. Women, boys, and old men, the Sayaks had come, summoned by Iskander during the hours of quiet after Donovan’s warn- ing, armed with whatever they could lay hand on, and ready to die in the defense of their homes and the temple. And at their head the adj: had ridden. DOOLK CO (C@