Avon Fantasy Reader No. 11 — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

you—you—” He broke off and suddenly flung himself face down on the floor of the hut. He began screaming. “I can’t—I can’t do it—if I only knew it wouldn't be me!” And he lay shuddering and sobbing, his arms stretched out with his fingers scratching into the earthen floor of the hut. Mogglesby sat looking at this extremity of terror at first with disgust but presently with reflection. “Doctor,” he said at last, “you are a scoffer of religion, aren’t you? That rs, at rebinding yourself to other men. You never gave a thought to any- body but yourself in your whole life, did you?” The little man made no reply but ceased his sobbing and lay on his belly with his arms stretched out. “Well, Doctor,” decided the big man at last, “you are really not fit to die. Go to the idol house and say to Loaga that the M’Bembi need not feast tonight in order to choose a warrior to meet the wood-man. Tell the M’Bembi that I will meet the wood-man in the savanna at noon three days from now.” The doctor got to his feet and went out into the night and presently the tom-tom stopped beating. On the morning of the third day the doctor, as a high officer in th M’Bembi, made up a great Procession in honor of Mogglesby and marche with the champion to the field of combat. The little man with his assega ornamented with three rooster feathers led the very front of the colum until they were close to the savanna, then he gave the post of honor to Mog- glesby and Loaga and Luomo. The big Englishman could hardly believe in the validity of the very en- counter he was approaching. His expedition to the banyan held the unreal quality of a dream. He could not really believe that it had ever happened. He did not expect to find the wood-men in the savanna. Old Luomo, however, was perfectly confident. As she neared the open space she went ahead, stooping and peering to get a first glimpse of the anthropoids. Once she said to Mogglesby: “If the wood-men lose and have to go away to the other side of the moun- tains*perhaps they will take me with them. I should think Keckechex would want to see me now and then.” The black men were screwed up with doubt. as to whether the wood- men would be at the appointed place or not. There was nothing unreal about it to them; they simply placed no faith in the simtans. They kept whispering from behind, “Have they come, Luomo? Have they come?’’ because it was well known that the old woman could discern a gorilla long before any one else. And the black woman would shake her head, troubled— “IT don’t see them yet, but they will be there.” A few minutes later the black men marched out of the jungle into the savanna and stood wrinkling their eyes against its blinding brilliance. It was, as Mogglesby thought it would be, quite empty. 74 comicbooks.com