The Black Mask — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

gan-dhuntsa Pass—stood the white- washed Lamaserie, swathed in smoke and flames. ~ “Alexis arrived from Kurruk a short while ago with a detachment of soldiers,” he heard Yastlika telling him. “The Consul at Kurruk sent them. The barishnya told us whither you had gone and we followed—and broke in the Lamaserie. Nearly all the Lamas fled. Some were shot. We found the barishnya’s brother in a large room and you on a balcony. Then we set torches to the accursed monastery.” “And what of Amber?” queried Tremaine. “Bad wound in the throat,” re- turned the Cossack, “The Holy Vir- gin alone knows what could have made such a nasty tear! But I think he will recover. See”—he indicated a form that Tremaine had hitherto not observed, lying several feet away —“there he is.” Tremaine got up, still weak and unsteady, and moved to the out- stretched Amber . ‘ “We'd better remove him to the Consulate,” he suggested, “Miss Am- ber will be waiting.” Yashka spoke to one of his com- More Deadly than the Viper rades and the two Russians strapped the body of Lance Amber upon the back of a Tartar pony. “Vperyed! Advance!” cried the — leader of the Cossacks, and the troops — moved down upon the plain. Tremaine and Yashka followed on — foot, the former leading the Tartar — pony. That walk across the valley — seemed a dream to the American—a dream that ended as yy reached the Consulate. -4 . In the courtyard she was © waiting, white with the stain of the — dying moon, the trembling stars re- — flected in her night-blue eyes, arms outstretched to greet him. “T wanted to go with them,” he ~ heard her saying, “But Yashka made — me remain behind. It is always so— — the woman behind. Tell me—” Then she saw the form strapped to | the saddle of the Tartar pony— darted to it . : : “ In a moment she turned back to — Tremaine. In her eyes he glimpsed | a light such as he had rarely seen . even in the risen evening star. “Travis Tremaine,” she said in ~ that low, sweet voice, “God sent you—to me—all the way from Fredericksburg!”