Avon Murder Mystery Monthly No. 41 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

92 THE METAL MONSTER watch over her brother; perhaps through some hidden opening in this room of hers. | Yuruk let drop the curtains, sidled back to the first. room, we after him. The two there had not moved. We drew the saddlebags close, propped ourselves against them. The black eunuch squatted a dozen feet away, facing us, chin upon his knees, taking us in with unblinking eyes blank of any emotion. Then he began to move slowly his tremendously long arms in easy, soothing motion, the hands running along the floor upon their talons in arcs and circles. It was curious how those hands seemed to be en- dowed with a volition of their own, independent of the arms upon which they swung. | . | And now I could see only the hands, shutting so smoothly, so rhythmically back and forth—weaving so sleepily, so sleepily back and forth—black hands that dripped sleep—hypnotic. Hypnotic! I sprang from the lethargy closing upon-me. In one quick side glance I saw Drake’s head nodding—nodding in time to the movement of the black hands. I jumped to my feet, shaking with an intensity of rage unfamiliar to me; thrust my pistol into the wrinkled face, - “Damn you!” J cried. “Stop that. Stop it and turn your back.” The corded muscles of the arms contracted, the claws of the slither- ing paws drew in as though he were about to clutch me; the ebon pools of eyes were covered with a frozen film of hate. He could not have known what was this tube with which I menaced him, but its threat he certainly sensed and was afraid to meet. He squat- tered about, wrapped his arms around his knees crouched with back to- ward us. ) | ““What’s the matter?” asked Drake drowsily. .. 1 ia tried to hypnotize us,” I answered shortly. “And pretty nearly id. “So that’s what it was.” He was now. wide awake. “I watched those hands of his and got sleepier and sleepier—I guess we'd better tie Mr. Yuruk up.” He jumped to his feet. “No,” I said, restraining him. “No.. He’s safe enough as long as we're on the alert. I don’t want to use any force on him yet. Wait until we know we can get something worth while by doing it.” “All right,” he nodded, grimly. “But when the time comes ]’m tell- ing you straight, Doc, I’m going the limit. There’s something about that human spider that makes me itch to squash him—slowly.” “I'll have no compunction—when it’s worth while,” I answered as. grimly. We sank down again against the saddlebags; Drake brought out GOGO .S (GO)