Avon Fantasy Reader No. 14 — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

piece of country that looks as if it might blow up at any moment, when some of the old volcanoes start their fires again. “YT had been there two weeks when that Russian fellow Iyin walked into my camp. ‘It is old Téte-de-Fromagel’ he cried. ‘Old Téte-de-Fromage who will not be convinced!’ “He told me that he was camped some fifteen miles away, and that he was quite happy and contented. ‘I heard that a Dutchman was trapping here, and [ thought it might be you,’ he said. ‘I’m pleased because I wanted to tell you something. You remember our talks about atmosphere? Well, I have found proof of what I said to you on the ship.’ ““What have you found?’ I asked. “He grinned at me. ‘I have found a place where the air is six hundred years old,’ he said. ‘Six hundred years old, and pure.’ ““Pure?’ I asked. “*That is what I said, Dutchman,’ he answered. ‘Dry and pure. It has been bottled up for centuries. Six centuries or more. There has been no opening except one small door that is not used once in a century. The things living there, toads and lichen, die immediately when brought in contact with mod- ern air. ‘*You mean that they are killed by the light?’ I said. ““No, by the air,’ said Ilyin. ‘I have moved them in the night. It is the atc that kills them.’ “T sat silent, waiting for him to tell me more, and he did. “There is some- thing else about this place,’ he said. ‘Something extraordinary: the Past is there.’ “ “Tow? J snapped. In the atmosphere,’ he said quietly. “The air of the place is impregnated with old memories. It has clung to them. They have been held in a sort of atmospheric solution because there has been no fresh air to disturb them. At times—at times you can feel and see enough to reconstruct what happened there.’ “Ya, 1 said, ‘t know al! about those spots. They are not good. They are vicious. If you go trying to reconstruct events that have happened here six hundred years ago, you will get yourself into the crazy house, and the Dutch will ship you back to Russia.’ ‘Imagination,’ said that fellow, ‘is one of the greatest pifts of God. The straight back-heads of the Dutch and the Germans make it impossible tor them to carry the gift. If you feel inclined to come over and visit me, | will show you all the proof that you want.’ “Of course | was curious to know what that fellow had found. My skin prickled with curiosity. He had given me directions; and three days after his visit, | went along the jungle path that led to his camp. That part of Java has many old temples. Quite close are the ruins of Brambaran, which was a Brah- man temple dedicated to Vishnu and Siva. I found that Hlyin’s camp was alongside a small temple so completely covered with crawling vines that you safle pass it, thinking it was a green hill. “Ilyin grinned when he saw me. ‘I knew you would coine,’ he said; ‘I have 43 ae comiclsooks.com