Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

THE JU-JU MAN. to the well-defined trail by which the Bolo- los had departed, and he followed it a little way because he knew that Celia had pre- ceded him there by only a few hours. He strolled around a turn of the path and im- mediately the thick foliage concealed the resting-place of the war party and cut off from his ears the voices of the Batatekes, who chattered worse than the little mon- keys. His glance was abruptly caught by an ob- ject that is not a common sight nowadays even in the heart of a Congo jungle, and he halted, fascinated. To one side of the trail, and facing it with an air of lofty dignity, was the skele- ton of a large elephant, complete in every detail but one from the small bones of its tail to the immense bone of its skull; only the tusks were missing, gone to enrich some lucky finder. Rushton hardly noticed such trivial details. His eyes were riveted on the head of the elephant, bleached to a dazzling whiteness by the rays of a thousand suns, and a phrase rang loud in his ears. “The eye of a white elephant!” he mut- tered. He left the trail and approached the skeleton with a hesitating step. He felt himself upon the threshold of the unknown, the unnatural. Surrounded by shimmering waves of heat, he felt his body turn sudden- ly cold as he drew near. = It was with a conscious effort that he thrust his fingers into one of the empty, staring sockets, and he experienced a sharp thrill of relief when they encountered noth- ing but bone. It was with more assurance that he pursued his investigations into the second cavity. Then a chill shook him from head to foot as he mechanically plucked forth a scrap of folded paper with his initials scrawled upon its face. CHAPTER XIII. “ cot iT!” T seemed to Celia that she had scarcely gone to sleep before she was aroused by the bustle of the awakening camp. She crawled out of her blankets with leaden 887 lambs and bruised body, the result of her torturesome journey in the rough litter, made a scanty toilet, and reluctantly came out of her tent to face the trials of another day. Burk and Smale were waiting for her and joined her with as many breakfast delicacies as their slim larder afforded. It was a sin- gular characteristic of both these men that they could be ruffianly to the last degree at one moment and’ full of thoughtful courtesy the next; either one of them would have placed a cushion behind a woman’s head as cheerfully as he would have slipped a knife into her white throat if occasion de- manded it. The Boer, as usual, was grim and taci- turn, but his tall companion saw fit to carry on a running conversation during the course of their simple meal. Celia answered him, when possible, in monosyllables, her thoughts far on the back trail with Rushton and the speeding Batateke warriors. “How much of the gold will you be wanting for your share, Miss Celia?” de- manded the Irishman. ‘I don’t want other people’s things,” she answered shortly. “Then I'll take your share and buy pretty gewgaws for my wife—so you see, you'll get it, anyway!” | ‘You'll be hanged long before I’m your wife,”’ she observed with an air of detach- ment, and Smale chuckled delightedly. ‘“‘'You’re in luck, Dan,” he commented. ‘“‘ Any sensible man prefers the hangman’s noose to the parson’s.” Celia regarded the misogynist with mild approval. ‘ Please talk to him more like that,” she urged. ‘Probably you have more influence with him than I.” “ Faith, and that’s not so,” laughed Burk. ‘“‘ He’s a good business man, is Piet, and a useful chap in a scrimmage, but I’d sooner take advice from a crab in matters of senti- ment.” ‘¢ Sentiment!” she flared. ‘‘ If kidnaping @ woman is your idea of sentiment I’m glad that you’re not really romantic!”’ She rose to the sound of Smale’s apprecia- tive chuckles, turned her back upon the two men, and walked away. Apparently no restriction was placed comicloool C©