Avon Murder Mystery Monthly No. 41 — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

A, MERRITT 79 that side hung far below the knee. - It walked with a curious, crablike motion. Upon its face were stamped countless wrinkles and its blackness seemed less that of pigmentation than the weathering of unbelievable years, the very stain of ancientness. And about neither face nor figure was there anything to show whether it was man or woman. | From the twisted shoulders a short and sleeveless red tunic fell. In- credibly old the créature was—and by its corded muscles, its sinewy tendons, as incredibly powerful. It raised within me a half sick revul- sion, loathing. But the eyes were not ancient, no. Irisless, lashless, black and brilliant, they blazed out of the face’s carven web of wrinkles, in- tent upon Norhala and filled with a flame of worship. It threw itself at her feet, prostrate, the inordinately long arms out- stretched. _ 7 : | _ “Mistress!” it whined in a high and curiously unpleasant falsetto. “Great lady! Goddess!” | | ~ She stretched out a sandaled foot, touched one of the black taloned. hands, and at the contact I saw a shiver of ecstasy run through the lank body. “Yuruk—” she began, and paused, regarding us. | “The goddess speaks! Yuruk hears! The goddess speaks!” It was a chant of adoration, — | a | “Yuruk. Rise. Look upon the strangers.” ; The creature—and now I knew what it was—writhed, twisted, and hideously apelike crouched upon its haunches, hands knuckling the floor. By the amazement in the unwinking eyes it was plain that not till now had the eunuch taken cognizance of us. The ‘amazement fled, was replaced with a black fire of malignancy, of hatred—jealousy. | “Augh!” he snarled; leaped to his feet; thrust an arm toward Ruth. She gave a little cry, cowered against Drake. | ) “None of that!” He struck down the clutching arm. “Yuruk!” There was a hint of anger in the bell-toned voice. “Yuruk, these belong to me. No hatm must come to them. Yuruk—beware!” “The goddess commands. Yuruk obeys.” If fear quavered in the words, beneath was more than a trace of a sullenness, too, sinister enough. ) | oo ee | “That’s a nice little playmate for her new playthings, muttered Drake. “If that bird gets the least bit gay—l shoot him pronto.” He gave Ruth a reassuring hug. “Cheer up, Ruth. Don’t mind that thing. He's nething-we can handle.” | caine waved a white hand; Yuruk sidled over to one of the cur- tained ovals and through it, reappearing almost instantly with a huge GOGO (GO)