Pa�t.

·
'I iss in�
 Pa�t.·
'I iss in�
 Pa�t.·
'I iss in�
REVOLT of
AMASCUS wasthe city Moham­

D med had refused

it was
to enter, saying
too much like pa radis e
for any living man to visit, Dut the
two lashed to the whipping post in the
court yard of the French Foreign Le­
g!On barracks thought otherwise, The

Tlw French Foreign Legion in

Damascus was brewing revolt. And
it didn't help Art Keane's loyalty
z,t'f;en the captnin h!ld him
t�'!;ipped. And when he finally
tn<ced the woman for tt'hose
lwaor he had joined the Legion,
Keane was rendy for nnything
 the DAMNED
blistering hell glare of the noon day sun enumerated, then ac�ded, "Lay on hard­
blazed down em bare backs, flaliJed
their er. c0rpural! Q11atre .. . cillq . . . . "
11 p in Jiercc re!lection from the dusty One of the prisoners groaned: the
flagstone;;. other ga5'perl; "\Ve know you can count
·•Jr'luu·!·-!'' TlH, la�h stroke�. alnHht to (\Hnty. you dirty son of a-!"
simultanel'l1S, hlcndecl. The cap!ain understood English, an(:
"U n.''' counted Captain A nnand Le­ 11:� illlS\HT was. "R�,i-e it to twrn:y-J]Ye.
blanc, smiling thinly and otroking his c''rpor:.J."
pointed tiiOustache.
"JV!wcl.'!" The whip drove hum':' .\\l.\SCl'S ,,.il� mutterin� t.m<.lt>
again, ploughing a red furrm,·, curling D the Jl'<lll ll<Lnd uf France. D1sC1plme
nbout lean bodies, biting blood ,,·here had to b,· Jnaintained ; but twenty laf-hes
the end s dug in.
"Deux .. . trnis . . .'' The car'ain

As the Captain drew hi•

pisrol, Keane snat,hed up
a tabouret-
6 Spicy-Adventure Stories

for failing to salute an officer was un u ­ archway. A sentry was posted to keep
sual, even in the Leg ion. That was the the indignant natives from rescuing the
opinion of the two men who, released bodies. France called them criminals ;
from arrest the fol lowing day, dragged but th e turbaned men who mutt ered in
themselves fr om barracks. the market place called them Moslem
"I'm sorry, " said Art Keane, "that saints.
my cracking off got you those extra An Arab approached, eyed their col­
five." lar insignia, and said to Keane, "You
"Verdammte schwein!" growled Otto are of Captain Leblanc's company? He
Schwatiz. "That gives me some thi ng to sent me to find one of his men. He is
re member. Once we get into action. a ill and needs assistance."
shot in the wrong direction will not b<? It was Saoud, the cap tain 's native
noticed." servant. His words did not have the
The A.merican's smile was bleak. He forc e of an order, but refusal would
shook his head and said, "\V e won 't m e an the lash again, and being spread
live that long. Leblanc will see to that. eagled in the blaz in g courtya rd.
I can't figure wh at made him chang e . "I wi ll go too," said Schwartz, hi�
He was okay until we came to Damas­ voice hoarse with suppre ssed eagerness.
cus-then he began riding me. And you He ignored Keane's nudge and warnin g
t oo, ever since you tried to put a word glan ce.
in my favor." But as they followed Saoud, the
"l\Imm . . . that is right." The Ger­ ,\merican whispered, "You damn fool.
man's eyes narrowed. ''Me, I wish to if you kill him here, it's suicide."
live." Keane's face, thin but no longer
"I have some native cl othing hidden scholarly, tightened. Schwartz, his only
in a vacant house I rented," answ ered friend in this hell hole, was loyal to a
Keane. fi nish , but that hot temper and thick
·'Ach, you rent hou ses?" head would get them both into trouble.
Though a Legionnaire's pay scarcely Saoud led them to a r esort resernd
bough t tobacco, Keane still had several for officers. No enlisted man had ever
thousa n d in his own right. Once a pro­ had a peep at the interior.
f ess or of Semitics in an American uni­ Leblanc must be crack i ng. Adminis­
versity, his knowledge of Arabic would trative duties kept officers away from
see them through a venture which usu­ drink and bawdy houses until after mess
ally meant mutilation by venge fu l na­ call.
tin·s, or else a firing squad in case o f
recapture .
A owy
Desertion was dangerous DOZEN girls l o u nged in the s had-
work. salon. Some were European.
''That way, we'll have a hideout. But others were native: tawny skinned
this town is ready to explode. Better Syrians with long black eyes, red haired
wait till the natiYes raise the roof. Then Circassians, sleek Levantines. They were
we'll have a chance. " languorously stretched out on rugs and
"\Vhat makes you think there iss ;:tn cushions, their b rea s ts and supple bodies
uprising?" wondered Schwartz. and luxurious hips bare of all hut thiu
"That." Keane gestu re d toward three scarYes of transparent chiffon.
robed men hanging f rom an anci�nt They regarcled Keane and his coni-
 Revolt of the Damned 7

pani on with amazement, until the Arab what Schwa rtz was saying to the Syrian

cut in, " Cap t ain Leblanc sent for them." girl 11·ho had singled him out, and

There was a c r oss fire of glances, a warned, "I\ eep your hands at home,
murmur ing in half a dozen languages. you iool !"
A shapely, golden haired girl emerg ed ";,Iind yunr nwn bu.'>intss, my
from her corner and beckoned, saying , friend, . . chuckled Sch\'. artz. "Which is
"Ah... to hel p him horne. Come, I "·ill the captain's girl?"
show you. " "He !cit n.e. j u st a few minutes be­
Schwartz licked his lips, glanced hung­ fore you got here,'' a JH'\\·comer cut in.
rily at the tempting array of rippling ":\nd I'm gbd."
flesh and silk and muttered, •· So this is
Keane arl I' ancuJ to catch Schwartz by
for officers. Too good for us. Only
the arm, hut L!unde Frieda checked him
those louse-bound hags do\\·n the street."
and !-aid, ''Don't h u r ry away. They
One of the girls understood. laughed
won't be back un til after dinner-not
softly, twined a cares,iug ann about
for an hou r or two-"
him, and whispered, "\\'hv shouldn't we
'·I don ' t like this at all," he prote!>ted;
be nice to a soldier if ,,.e "·ant w � ..
but Frieda smii ed, snuggled closer, and
"Cut it out!'' groll'lcd Ktane; but his
p romised , ''You 11·ill. ... "
bl ood raced as ht caught a ,,.JJitt of the
She was white and shapely, and the
fragrance his guide exhale.!, and felt
sway of her hi ps added to the lure oi
the caress of her fingers on hi3 forearm,
the �ontact of her hip agaimt his.
her firm, fint breastc.. The way her per­
She was white, and not a grea�y
suasive arms twined about Keane re­
JJJinded him of A rdis , who had not even
camp fullower. She was delicately
shaped; her breasts were smail and written duri ng his exile. He laughed

shapely, and her eyes were friendly. uitterly, and relished t he resemblance­

But wi th Keane's desire came an old and and the scarlet lips she pres sed to his

bitter memory of a seductive v;oman to mouth.

whom he owed his present In\\' po!>i­ Sch\vartz turned to a cubicle across
tion-Ardis Gray, whose hu�hand. the hall, and Keane's inflamed blood
arriving at an inopportune moment, had kept h i m from following.
given Keane the c h oice of enlisting in "That Arab servant," whispered Frie­
the legion, or else seeing th e woman he da, sinking back among the luxurious
loved made a public mockery. cushions of a couch, "hates his master
He had made his choice without gi' ing
as thoroughly as you do. He's gone, and
A rdis a chance to say that ,-he "·ou lrl
so-"
leave her wealthy home to go 11·ith a
I<eane kissed the wine from her lips .
pro fesso r whose pos1t10n 11·ould be
and found bitter pleasure in that cli ng ­
blotted out by notoriety.
ing flesh that reminded him of Ardis...
"He's in there," whispered the girl

THE
at his side. The Arab servant
had DOOR opened very sfJftly.
turned d own a cross passage, and
Keane Keane's first warning was Frieda's
scarcely noticed his absence.
cry of dismay. That seemed genuine;
The room, though showing
signs of but as he broke from her arms he saw
recent occupancy, \Vas empt
y. Keane that nothing else that afternoon had
frowned, turned sharply as
he heard been. Captain Leblanc was standing at
8 Spicy-Adventure Stories

the threshold, riding crop in hand, smil­ tering, he might have succeeded. As it
ing venomously. wa s , the reports of Leblanc's pist ol
"Delusions of grandeur, eh ?" he brought a v igilant patrol at the double
mocked. time. The place was surrounded, and a
Leblanc was cold sober. He showed squad of soldiers blocked the side door.
not a trace of i ll ness alcoholic or other­
,

wise. Keane stared. He knew that had

been a trap. No one would believe that
he and Schwartz had entered the forbid­
den clive in response to a message from
the captain's servant; but that an officer
would go so far was incredible.
"Answer, pig!" snapped Leblanc. The
riding crop bit Keane across the face.
He was no longer a scholar or a gen­
tleman, but that was too much. Before
either blow or question could be repeat­
ed, Leblanc had an an swer : a hard fist
that drove him against the door jamb,
nose gushing blood oYer his tunic.
Though striking an officer \ras a cap­
ital off�nse, they could only shoot a man
once. Keane closed in, too shaken with
wrath and desperation to be accurate.
He connected, but did not drop Leblanc.
The captain drew his pistol. Keane
ducked as the tiny room rumbled with
re-echoed fire. He snatched a tabouret.
b ut a slug creased his arm.
Leblanc was now in the right. Keane
was resisti ng arrest. And then Schv,·artz,
growling his wrath, came ploughing into
the room.
"Get out!" roared Keane. "Quick-" Too late now for Keane to shoulder his
Leblanc whirled, firing. Schwartz unconscious comrade and make a des·
dropped, blood spurting from his head. perate clash for the hideout he had pre·
Keane hurled the tabouret, knocking the pared.
pistol from the captain's grasp. He They sa\\' the blood that drenched the
closed in, fists driving. Leblanc crum­ two legionnaires, the pistol in Keane';
pled, out cold. Schwartz, however, was hand. A soldier run amuck left them no

not dead; the slug had only stunned him. thought of parley. But as the riflr:'
Keane snatched the pistol, gestured jerked into line, Saoud b ounded frottl
toward the German, and shouted to the an al cove.
, ..
terrified gi rl s, "Pick him up-get him "They've wounded Ca pt ai n Leblanc·
out-" he shouted, bounding in to snatch
And if Damascus had not been mut- Keane's weapon. "He's upst;.tirs-"
 Revolt o/ the Damned 9

h ad Keane's wrist be fo re
he
Saoud
rica n profi_ted
could fire; but the Ame
led, flmgmg
by the distraction. He whir
the lowered
the Arab squarely athwart
bayonets. And as he boun ded for cover.
of red blad es pro­
he caught a glimpse
jecting from the servant's back.

She fired befor£ she saw who his

comp01nion was. The s!ug caught

Otto . . . .

. ----
----·=.:

HE M�VE_D 'O swiftly that the cor- : be into his hand. "Not the roof-but
poral s pistol fire went 1\'J\d ; and � >;tt \i·ay--and this too-"
before the confused �quad u,ulrl be or­
gan i zed Keane ,,·as on The last was a \\'allet; and as she
, the second floor.
The roofwas hi:> only c:hanc:;c of escape. 1 hl'u3t him through a narrow doonray,
He turned t owar d a stair\\'ay, growled >�i;' ad d ed , "Captain Leblanc's-rnoney
;n ;t-good luck-"
wrathfully, and la�her1 ouL as som
eone
seized his arm . .·)he made cover just as the squad
It \ras F:-ieda. n"'� surging up the stairs; and Keane ,

"I saw you ma ke a break-take this." ''l fe for a moment, advanced down t:1e
she gasped, thrusting a hoodP.d woolen narro\\· passageway. lt dipp ed beneath
10 Spicy-Adventure Stories

the street, and opened into a half ruined and crept through the odors of Damas ­

pl ac e adj oining the bawdy h o use . cus to the i n c on spi c u ous hovel he had
From its shelter he saw the troops rented in a nt ici patio n of d ese rt ion . B ut
c ar ryi n g Schwartz and Leblanc away his eyes were ablaze \vith more than
away from t he building. wrath when he em erg ed divested of his ,

"Only friend I got in this lousy uniform, and completely dressed as a

dump, " he muttered, "and I c an t save ' native.
him from the fi r ing sq u ad . P roba bly Ardis had a villa in the Salahiyeh
not myself either!"
, suburb, east of the c ity. Keane knew
Deserting was one thing ; a man had the way, but despite his disguise, p e ril
a start before being missed. B u t striking was on eve ry side. Damascus was alive
an officer-they'd comb the town, then with patro ls that wer e seeking him.
and there. Fort unate l y, no one knew of hi s fluent
Le b lanc ha d de li be ratel y tempted c o mm and of Arabic; but si n ce a fugitive
Keane to strike him. Saoud's interven­ could not hope to escape detection if he
tion, o nce the dang er was over. clearly w ore uniform or European c i vilia n
showed that master and man had worked cl o thing natives likewise would be scru­
,

together. B u t why this unbelievable ani­ t inized .

mo s i ty toward an enlisted man? It was ticklish work, but he finally

He emptied the wallet Frieda had crossed the squ are, pas s i ng close to the
snatched . Not expecting a sudden break, sentries who , guard in g the dangl i ng
he had not cashed hi s ]Ptter of credit. bodies of three Arabs, we re d i scu ssi ng
Now it was too late. The wallet con­ the attack on Captain L ebl an c.
tained several t h ou s and francs; but more "Schwartz' trial "·on't last long,'' said
than that, there was a letter addressed one. "But it's funny-he says K eane
to Private Arthur Keane, :\Ierejeh Bar­ wasn't with him. And then I heard
rack, D amasc us . Keane was captured and th ey l l both be '

He recogn i zed the handwriting even shot tomo rr ow- "

before he saw the s i gn ature. "If Keane was caugh t ' , ' argued the
Ardis Gray w ondered why he harln 't other, "why all these p atrols? "

answered he r letters. Ardis no w was a So neither noticed the tall, gaunt man
\vidow; she did not blame him for his in brown robe and white turban, who
silence; she realized she should n ot have was heading toward the eastern gate ...
permitted him to vanish for her well Keane pas sed the sentries posted
being, and-" there, and then picked his way a lo ng the
He again scrutinized the frayed en­ tang l e of lanes that wound in and out
vel op noted the stamp, the elate and re­
, among verdant orchards ancl walled
turn address o f the intercepted le tter. estates. He finally found the villa where
''Damn it-she's in Damascus-she's A rdis lived ; but first he had to be sure
been here," he g asped. it was hers. Instead of approaching the
The night became an insane w hi rl. gate, he scaled the wall. Though it was
Ardis had followed him to Syria. late, there might be serv<.!nts quartered
"And Leblanc fell for her. That's why in the premises.
he's tried to finish me!"
It was a grim and ven gefu l man who E CREPT through the luxuriant
later emerged from the ruined building H foliage, and halted at a window
 Revolt of the Damned 11

kick him to death ... not too rapidly ...

from which came a glow o f light. I t was
barred; but before he could move on to Better yet . . . he dislodgerl the door
find an unguarded entrance, he heard bolt from its guides. The heavy iron sat
sounds that at first made him believe his well in his eager hand.
ears were playing him false. But he remembered his one friend, hoL
Then a deadly chill raced through his tempered Schwartz who had come to
veins. V\That he heard was the inarticu­ help instead of running from the fatal
late, amorous murmuring of a woman. encounter, and Keane's heart sank. H�
It might be almost any woman-and couldn't kill the captain. He had to make
her utterances were becoming hysterical, bim 'Hite an order for Schwartz t<1 b;·
gasping, half-laughing, half crying, a� brought to Leblanc's quarters, perhap,
though trying, yet unable, to protest .. . extort a written statement to exonerate
it couldn't be Ardis.... Schwartz.
He dared not look, lest he see and His head was reeling as he tried to
learn that his ears had not tricked him. devise the details. A dozen hopeless.
Then he caught the sobbing catch of her dangerous scheme� flashed through his
breath, and a few words that were tense mind: and life suddenly had become
and eager: "Are you sure-can you sweet, now that there was a chance of
really save him, Captain?" escaping with Ardis.
"Mordieu! But yes! It will be easy
�
to say that German pig attacked me and
that Keane tried to help me. You see, A s I
.
T RRii\'G in n alcoYe warned
.
hun, but nut m time. He had been
I haYe not signed charges. The guard too intent on listening to Leblanc and
arresteL them." Ardis, in the room at the end of the
Then Keane looked into the room. passageway. He whirled, swinging his
Tears gleamed in the anxious blue eyes bludgeon, but it did not check the yelL
of that golden haired girl who regarded "Ya sahib!"
Captain Leblanc. She wore frail chiffon The bolt crunched home; and in the
that scarcely concealed any of her ex­ half gloom, Keane saw it was a man in
quisite body; and Keane sa\\. that the uniform who lay shuddering in a pool
white skin was still reddened by embrac­ of blood and brains: a chausseur d' Af-
ing arms, caught the sharp rise and fall 1·ique, one of the Algerian troops ou
of her blue veined breasts as thev half duty in Damascus, and probably Le­
-
parted the rumpled negligee. blanc's chauffeur.
Even if lw had not heard he won!d Keane reached the door as it slammed
?ave known that Ardis Gray had paid open. The light from within caug ht him
l1ladYance for his life-for a life that squarely in the face; and as he lunged.
the captain could not save, even if he Leblanc recognized him. Keane's voiet•
wished. betrayed his disguise.
Keane, leaving the window. heard Le­ ,\rei is screamed, leaped t o her feet.
blanc tryin g to soothe her sudden out­ staring wide e y e d at the encounter.
burst of sobbing. And as he at last found Keane dropped his gory bluclgef!tl, lest
a� unbarred door that silently yielded to he forget himself and kill Leblanc.
his touch, Keane was glad that he had "You're going to do more than save

lost Leblanc's pistol while escaping. It my life, you-!'' he growled, driYing

would be better to overpower him. then home hdorc the astonishe<l captain could
12 Spicy-Adventure Stories

raise a hand. '• Better wait till I'm in mile route of the Damascus-Baghdad
jail!" bus line.
Then Ardis recognized him. The "You killed more than one man,
edges of her disarrayed negligee dropped muttered Keane, eyeing the riddled cap­
from her hand as she watched Leblanc tain. Then he explained, and Ardis'
double up before Keane's vengeful fist, face became tense as she understood.
and thud to the til es , struggling for "But :you can't save Sch·wartz now;·
breath. she protested. ';I couldn't help it--when
"Art! My God-- I tho ught - he told l realized you'd heard it all-hut I d i d
me-" try to find you. Even before Gray died,
"I heard him," gasped Keane. befr,re I leit the States to tell you how rotten
he could check his words. I felt, letting you accept his terms. He
The color started from her cheeks and wasn't man enough to shoot you, so he
crept down to her breasts ; then her love· used me to condemn you to a living
ly face froze, and she became paper death in the Legion.
white. "But I might have suspected Le­
"I'm sorry-damn it-" He forgot blanc-''
his enemy, and moved toward her; but Her intercepted letter�. and a picture
Ardis was quicker. enclosed in one, had given Leblanc both
He realized that she was shocked ; the story and a desire that was intensi­
then, too late, he saw why she had evaded fied when he met Anlis in Damascus.
his embrace. Leblanc's belt and sabre He had convinced her that Keane was
and pistol hung from a chair. Before in the guard house and could receiw no
Keane could check her, Ardis had the visitors ; and then the frame up, "hen
automatic. she had resisted Leblanc's advances.
He never knew just what she said to "I'll get ;;ome gasoline, somehow,"
the man who was trying to regain his Keane finally said.
feet. He only heard the remorseless The dead, and what he had overheard
chattering of the pistol, and saw Le­ at the window made the meeting a stra in.
blanc's expression change . thrice in as Somehow, it now see med that they were
many instants. two entirely different persons whose
He slumped, clutching his riddled only common point was an odd coinci­
stomach. Ardis dropped the half emp­ dence in familiar names.
tied pistol. Keane caught her as she ''Couldn't I get the gas?'' she ven­
swayed, and carried her back to the tured.
couch which she had left to avenge Le­ "You? Driving a government car?''
blanc's trickery.

HEscaled
"Quick!" he urged, as a swallow oi PLUNGED through t he arden, g
brandy revived her, "did anyone know the wall, and paused long
he was coming out here?" enough to run the conspicuous car int o
"I don't know, but he drove a govern­ a dark lane. The tank was almost full.
mE nt car-" Then he headed for Damascus on foot.
Not a chance now to save Schwartz; He needed at least another twenty
but if Keane could get a few tins of gas­ gallons of gas; but he was thinking
oline, there was a chance to drive across mainly of Schwartz, who was to have
the desert, following the six hundred accompanied him over the hill. He could
13
14 .Spicy-Adventure Stories

gf.t fuel-and that made his rlicisi(ln a hal r to each of the two who dangled
more difficult. in the breeze as an example and a warn­
He might the f ol l ow i n g day, di,guisecl ing to native troublemakers. Agitators,
as a pe ddl e r , venture into the kgion the m i l itary governor cal led them, but in
barracks: he might even get to the sen­ the eyes of the mut te ring natives, they
tri e s posted at the guarclhow.,f: but 1vere martyrs, l\Ioslem saints.
� muggl ing a file or "aw blade to His nex t move came a moment earlier
Schwartz would take days. i\nd in tl w than he expected. In his haste, he had
Inean\\·hiie, Captain L e bl anc woulrl lw lost track of time when the sentries on
rni•:sed, a1rd traced to Ardis' villa. duty wou l d be relie v ed : and the new

\ \'h::.ttt�vf:r th'n: \1·a� to dn had tr, l,c· guard was filing out of a cross al l ey,
done at ono�. bay o nets agleam.
Suddenly it U:me to him, ami hi;: His trick was exposed be fo re it had
laugh wa � lih a sabre hissing f rnm a
a c ha nce to work. There was but one
.�cabhard. Ht \\"::.tS thinking r1f the de:1d
move, and he made it. He snatched a
who hung frorn the archway ...
Lebel and blazed away, raking the angle
In the Chri,:ti:m f]u:,rter he fr.und an of the square ·with a withering fire. As
all night shr•p. There he hrJllght a young, he flung aside the emptied ri fle to snatch
freshly 1Jt11chrr<:d pig-an tmdean beast another, th e ne,.,· gua rd took cover, The
no :\loskm \\·c.tlld touch. Jlc bound it corporal's whistle shrill ed, then a ripping
to his back. t1Jt•n �caltd the wall. and blast of musketry swept the a r ch .
worJ.:ed hi•: l,;,y tm1·arc! •1 r· (·xecutione;-"s
Keane, shooting from cover, emptied
arch in t];r· h;t!f ruin•·r! srcti"n that still
the second gun; and by then m ut teri ng
�kirted the square.
Damascus came to life. His rapid fire
The s• J:lrir", 011 1h1ty were fellow
had mad e it sotmd like a general upris­
�oldiers, but Schwartz 11as hi� friend, ing. and though most of his slugs had
and t litH- dangling cur pee-� were tool�.
ricochetrrl ha r ml ess ly from the flag­
He wn•nrlH·d :. ioo�f' 1,].-.r:-k !Jf ma�onry
;;tr.nes, the surprised guard could not re­
from its heel. aimed cardlllly, and
alize that one man had !aiel the barrage.
dropped it.
That gave Keane the instant he need­
The cnmrliing sound was no prr·ttier
than the chunl· that J(,1)c,,,,.ed. Tile ot her
ed. He h n un cl e d from cover, his clark
n.lw� making him a treacherous ta rget .
sentry, st:utkr; l.y the clatter uf the fall­
Three leaps , and he was beyond the arch
en soldier's I ..-bel. jerke-d ab out. rifle at
the ready. ;..:o fTitmy ll"as in sight. Dy
and the lead that raked it.
the dim glclll· oi a lh,tant �trfct lamp, he '·Look, 0 True Believers!" he roared

saw the: J,Jr,ck 11i qune, thought he un­ in Arabic, cla s hing toward the crowd
derstood, and stepped clear of the arch-- that was head i ng tmYard the disturbance.
But not clear of the dark krm that "The infidels have desecrated the dead!
swooped down from its crown. He cried They de fi led them with the flesh of a

out in superstilious terror, but t!Jat was pig! I slew two of the d og s with my
throttled in his tl1roat. The butt of his bare hands-"
own rif1e finished it. "\\'allah, we "11 slay the rest! There is
Keane moved swiftly, unslinging the no God but Allah! Death to the infidels!
pig he had lashed to his shoulders. He Back, brothers-watch it-here they
split it with a bayonet s t roke , then tied come-kill them! Paradise is in the
 Revolt of the Damned 15

s ar s ! We d i e f o r Allah the life of one man ; he had but one

shadow o f pe
Proph et 1, thought-
an d the
" This way, 0 Faithful ! To the guard

T BECA ME a roaring madhou se be­ hou se!"

l fore the ambushed guard realized

He was armed now, and so were many
of the mQb. Contraband weapons, an·
the arch­
that no more fire came from
cient and modern, had sprouted from
way . T he h
ow l in g r abb le , th oug h r e-
?
treati ng as the guard c harge : ha d cau �Ilt
c on cea lme n t ; pistols, sab res, muzzle
loading jezails, st o len Lebels and l\1aus­
g1.tm p se s of somethi ng wluush hangmg . .
1
ers. Renegade looters , t o w h om rel i gi ou s
from the feet of the d an gl i ng cmmn a s .
fanaticism was only a chance to come
They n ot could see what it \\'as, but a
holy man had called it pork. That s u f ­ f rom cover, s urg ed forth to slay and
plunder.
ficed ; that, and the hatred tha t had
But the fire o f holy war b l a zed high.
smou l de red for mo nths .
and men who knew that bullets would
Earthenware pots and blocks of
that n i ght blast them into a parad ise o t
masonry rained down from the tops o f
s m i l in g g ir ls followed Keane t o a gutted
th e houses overlo oki ng the street. Es­
bu ild ing that adj oined the g ua r d hm1 s e .
caping r ioter s doubled back t hro ugh un­
Someone was comi n g forward with
char te d alleys and assailed the g ua rd
stolen g re na des to heap up and blow a
from the re a r ; and before the alarm
h o l e into th e '"al! that was blank, s:::. v e
reached headquarters, half the city 'vas
for a few s m al L barred windows. And
in . revolt.
the n Keane's heart sank. From hi s van­
That the dead had been defiled w it h
tage p o i nt , he could view the courtyard
unclean pork flashed f rom lip to lip like
be, · o nd . In d espera t io n , the comman­
fi re i n a fuse. -
da nt was releasing and arming the mili­
"This way, true b e liev ers! " shouted a tary pr i so n e rs.
tall , thin faced man in a v oic e that rang
"Anyhow,'' he mu ttere d , no longl�r
clea rly over the roar of many throats. hea ring the uncounted cries of " Alla h ! "
" This way-there are others in prison­
" Schwartz w o n ' t be shot for striking an
others who w i l l be barred from paradise officer."
becau se their b od i es were defiled with
There was a dr on in g overhead. Planes
unclean meat !"
were c i rclin g over the c i ty . Great j ets
Tall flames were rising i n sections of
of flame marked the b ur s ti ng of the
th e city. I\Iachine g uns were sp utte
ri ng . bombs they dropped.
Bugle s brayed the call to arms. And
Keane, rousing himself from that mo­
the n he a vy detona tions
at interva ls ment of d es pa i r , climbed clown to a
drowne d the upro ar.
The artill ery was leaped
­
cornice, poised h imsel f , across
s he l ling the native
quarter ; but the s ud the narrow alley and toward the roof o f
denness of the fa
na t ical outb urst had the ancient guardhouse. H e made it­
caught t he troo ps ff
o guar d . an d then the world b ecam e a vast roar o f
It w o ul d have hap
pene d soon er or ru shing flame a n d whining f ragments,
later ; it had
. (J' , and Kea ne
been bre w i n, · and "· inc! that s m ot e him like a hammer.
had no m or e
than nam ed the tim e for A bomb had landed i n the alley. a t
smo uld erin g ven
gea nce . No r did h e the f ur the r corner o f t h e guardhouse .
stop to thin k
wha t it wa s cost ing to sav e (Co11 tinued 011 page 123)
MARRIAGE

While the women fought, Rhodes felt the swish

·.

of something descending on his head.

The girl is a belie,v er in Maxie's magic prepara­

tions, and though Rhodes is a doubter, he learns
that out of Maxie's shop can conw tropical ro-
mance and sudden death

M
AX I E ' S Magic ).Ianhoocl f-Ioss, signing women who were unworthy of
boiled i n water until i t made a him and devote all h i s energies to the
thick and evil-tasting brew, was one \vhose love was true.
guaranteed to instill red-blooded virility All these thi n gs the slim g i rl with the
and unprecedented ardor into the most straight black hai r and the gold-and­
ana:mic man in all the \V est Indies. ivory skin purchased from l'vb xie t h e
Concentrated Extract of Crcesus Shin­ l\.fagic Man, whose address had been the
bone, used to flavor herb soup drunk Bronx before N ew York's loss hecam.:
out of a gourd in the dark of the m oo n , San Juan 's gain. Then she bought a
would teach him how to get rich. Shred­ phial of I rresistable Lure Lotion, im­
ded Beard of King Solomon , rubbed as­ ported direct from Harlem, which would
siduously into the scalp and the S\',;ell­ envelope the woman w h o used i t in an
i n gs back of the ears with appropriate aura of scent to which no mere m ale
incantations, w ould fill him wit h wis­ could remain ind ifferent longer than a

do m so that he might keep clear of de- few seconds.

for MIJRDER
By t;. A �1 DONNE
. .

Soarfmg like a cigreaa,

Jbe bad apnmg at tbe
intrude�-.
18 Spicy·Ad11enfure Stories
Maxie smiled thinly as he fingered
the silver coins the girl stacked on the
counter, so that his blue j o wls were
creased wolfis hly. "That's right, Maria,"
he aid "If you lose one, go after an­
s .
other. Sooner or later you're bound to
get a good husband with Magic Max
helping you." He winked a t Matt
Rhodes, waiting at the counter to get a
loan. Maxie \Verner sometimes supplied
small amounts of cash to his best friends
for as little as fifty per cent interest a
month. Between checks from the Amal­
gamated News Service, for which he
was correspondent in Puerto Rico, the
young man occasionally found such gen­
ero!'ity convenient.
Th(; girl looked at Maxie with dark,
liquid eyes that could dissolve in tears crr
hurst into flame in a split second. " I f
he is be my husband," she said scorn­
ro
fully in the careful English she had
learned at the convent school, "he must
never run away to marry an old Ameri­
can woman who stays drunk day and
n i gh t , just because she is rich."
"Forget about Jarvis," Max advised.
"He ain t no good, anyway."
'
"Forget him ?" cried Maria, in sudden
anger. "Perhaps I shall kill him yet­
and his old hag of a w i fe, too ! ' '
Rhodes' eyebrows lifted he su r­
as
veyed the impassioned creature. Infuri­
ated, she might easily murder a man or
a woman, he decided-but in gentler
moods she would be charming. Beneath
he r thin white dress th e firm lines of her
l ithe body were exquisite. Her small
breasts, tmtrammeled by any brassiere,
thrust outw<trd against the light fabric.
Her face was extraordinarily pretty,
with soft mouth and eyes and proud nose
and chin. She was eighteen or nineteen,
h e gtwssed, and her hot blood was pure
Castilian, although her ancestors had
probably been m the islands for m any
generations.
Watching the smooth motion of her
flaring hips as she turned to walk into
the blinding sunlight, he was faintly en­
vious of the man for whom she had
bought the love philtre, wh oever he
might be.
T THE door the girl nearly collided
A with a tali man of thirty or thirty­
five. who wore a vvhite suit and a t ropi­
cal h lmet with an air of s wagge r . He
e
halted on his way into the shop, swept
the helmet from his head and said,
" Hello, my dear ! "
1\Iaria's chin went up and her eyes
flashed. She o uld have pushed past the
w
man, but he stepped in front of her,
smiling at her fondly. He as Sylvester
w
Jarvis, who l i ved at the Casa Ramirez
hy his wits, having fled the States to es­
cape the consequences of some minor
villainy. The pre i ou s day he had mar­
v
ried l\Iargaret Aiken, the well-to-do bttt
unlovely grass-widow from Chicago.
wh0 also wa s in Puerto Rico to avoid
scandal-and that same evening he had
won the last of Rhodes' money at poker.
while his bride celebrated her latest nup­
tials by getting sloppily d u nk at the bar.
r
Jarvis spoke swiftly and softly to
:1\faria. but his voice carried to Rhodes.
"Don't be that way, baby," he said. "You
know I hate her-but I need her money.
I c an come down to see you j ust the
s::tme, can't I ?"
A serpent striking could not han· be en
swifter. The girl's tiny hand darted to
her bosom , snatched a thin stiletto from
its sheath between her breao ts. Tanis
l ea p d back, screaming, a spot <�f red
e
showing suddenly upon the wh i te o f h is
coat from a pin-prick wound in the l e ft
shoulder. Before Maria coul<l strike
again R hodes hel d her.
 Marriage for Murder 19

rithed against the new s­ Rhodes nodded at the white-faced

Her body � .
per m an , and even though It took all Jarvis, who was too frightened to speak.

: strength to restr
sciou s of
ain he � , he was ha� ­
her enti cements H1s
" Those birds at the Casa Ramirez are
sharks at poker."
pt.1y con .
secu red the d agger, forcmg "You got to have brains to win," re­
ng
. ht han d
·
rs t o r e1 mqU Js· l1 1 t s h 1' l t ;
· marked Maxie, shaking his head du­
her tight finge
encircling her chest, was b�ushed biously. "Now, if it was craps , I could
his left,
bed With the give you a set of Maxie's Enchanted
by asoft breast that throb
was sorry when Devil - Dice-"
racing of her blood . He

she cea�e d stru ggl ing abrup tly. ''But it isn't craps."
Maxie went into the back room
Vincenzo, the Puerto Rican youth who
to
unearth some secret place.
helped M axie sel l charms and incanta­ money from
He returned pr e s ently with three ten­
tions an d snake-o il panaceas to the su­
perstitious natives of San Juan, came dollar bills and a n ot e for Rhodes to
hurrying out of the bad{ roo m , his hand­ sign.

some face marred by a black scowl. "And if you ain't got brains," he said,
"You woul d do better," he snarled at handing Rhodes a metal disc three inches
Rhodes, "to take her stiletto and drive in diameter, "you might as well have
it yourself into the yellow heart of Senor some luck. This is guaranteed. It's got
Jarvis ! He should die for the things he magic words on it."
has done to Senorita Morales ! " The disc had a horseshoe design and
Maxie, who had shown no alarm the phrase "Good Luck" engraved upon
throughout the scene, sni c ke red . He i t . Rhodes hung the cord to which it was
said : "Vincenzo wi shes she'd try out attached around his neck, so that it hung
10me love p hiltr e s on him ! " He pre­ out of sight beneath the open collar of his
tended not to notice that the vouth's shirt. 'Til try anything t hat ' s guaran­
body sti ffen ed and his scowl became teed," he said.
posi tivel y murd erous
.
"We'll drop the suhject,' ' said Rhodes E PICKED up Maria's packages
sharply . "Senor ita, I don't blame you H and the stiletto and went out into
for what you tried to do, but this isn't the dusty street. He saw her some dis­
the time or place for it-and you'd get
tance away, walking slowly along the
JOUr hand s and dress all di
rty . " He flagstone sidewalk beneath the spaced
released her , and
she walked s wi ftly palms, and hurried after her. The youth­
from the shop withou t
a backward ful Vincenzo came out in front of the
Klance, forgetti ng her pur cha
ses, whic h
�e had dropped. "M axi e," Rho des con ­
shop and stood looking after him, still
frowning.
tmued ' " I came here to
get fifty dol­ " Senorita Morales," Rhodes said , l i ft­
Iars. "
" T wenty-five
ing his hat as he drew near to her. "You
," Max ie said. "Tha
al
•-l you
t's forgot these."
can afford to
bor row at my in­ She looked at him, smiling as though
n:rest rate."
no t hought of murder had ever marred
"Forty, then."
her seren1ty. "My name is Maria, if
"I'll give you t h I' rty, " �!axie said.
"Y . ou pay me f
- c:heck you wish-Senor Rhodes . "
·
0rt Y- fiIVe the
dav your " Matt i s mine, i f you care for the
cornes. You bee
n gam bl ing �ga i n ?" name, M a ri a ," he said.
;..;..,,:"
 She laughed, and as suddenly grew side, that inspired him. For ithad been.
serious again. "You will carry those a long, long time since he had seen a
things for me ?" she pleaded. " I t is so girl as s ed uctive .

hot ! " He captured her hand in one o f h is,

A l l together, t h e y weighed perhaps "You mustn't mind me," he tol d her
six or eight ounces. Rhodes carried them " I really can't help it, thanks to �ra xie· �
with a will through the sizzling streets magic."
unt il she led him through a little passage " 1\I ind it !" she cried, and there was
into a courtyard where the sun was shut something fierce in the way she spoke .
out and the air was cooled by a sparkling "Why should I mind anything, since the
fountain. She put him in a canvas chair man I trusted has betrayed me ! ' '
beside the fountain and ran into the " H e ' s t h e k i n d that always betrays
bouse, to emerge in a short time with women," said R ho d es . "He'll betray his
glasses in which ice tinkled pleasantly. new w i fe, too-and I guess she'll de­
"You must refresh yourself after your serve it."
walk," she said, raising her glass. " She i s a hussy ! " said the girl. "A
Rhodes enjoyed the sweet flavor o f slut !"
Virgin Islands rum as he sipped the He nodded. "And a drunken bum, in
drink, but rio sooner did the fi rst swallow the bargai n."
hit his stomach than he began to suspect They went into the house. It was cool
one of the ingredients must be molten an<i pleasantly dark a fter the gl are of
fire. He looked at her sharply, but her outdoors. Rhodes sat on a couch against
face was so innocent that he put J.way his one wall and drew her down beside him.
suspicions and tried another sip. This He put his arms around her and ki ssed
time he felt the jar of an explosion with­ her lingeringly, and the sweetness of
in him. her--or maybe it was the mixture of
" l\Iaria," he asked, "did you by any Maxie's Magic Manhood Moss and I r­
chance put dynamite in this drink ?'' resistable Lure Lotion, with which she
" No," s he replied demurely. "Only a had annointed herself-made him mad
tiny bit of Maxie's Magic 1Ianhood fo r her. His eyes roved feverishly over
Moss, to see ;vhether it is as efficacious her breasts, her hips and the smooth
as they say ! ' ' slope of her thighs ; his embrace tight­
"But-don't y o u know that it is apt ened ardently and she r es pond e d with
to make me violent ? Don't you real ize eager abandon . . . .

that I may be tempted to-make love to

THE sound of footsteps on the 8toncs

you ?''
Her eyes were inscrutable. " It may of the court aroused them. Rhodes
be," she sai d , "that it will not work." smoothed his rumpled hair q uickl y and
.
peered throug h a narrow window. The
B UT it d i d . It sent hot currents boil- sun was nearly gone and the dim. fleet­
ing through Rhodes' veins . It made ing twi l ight o f the tropics filled the
him itch to touch the cool softness of courtya r d . He saw Margaret Aiken­
l\faria's s m all body, his lips yearn for her M a rgare t Jarv i s . she was now-standing
kisses. at the fount a i n , glaring furiousl y about
Or maybe it was only the sig h t o f her, he r . The mi clclle-:>.ged woman's face wc:.s
st retched out i n the deck cha i r at hi s flushed and she had a di s he v el ed d runk-
,
� T
·- �-- .
Marrioge for Murder

en rance. In her hand she held a

appea
.,all revolver.
y. She
"Sylvester !" sh� called sharpl
for was not forth­
ted
..,aj an answe r that

comiAg. "0 1!, I kno you're here, all

w

righ t !" she shouted. " I 've been told

abou t you r a ffair with thi s cheap t o wn

rl ! I'm h e r e to ha v e i t out with t h e

gi
· · both of you right now ! " She staggered a
ltep or two toward the doorway.

Ia the light of the match he

•w her. It wu Maria!
22 Spicy-Adventure Storie•
-

Maria stirred swiftly beside Rhodes. co N SCIOU S N E S S returned very

He put his hand on h er chest to keep slowly. Rhodes opened aching eyes
her from rising. and found that night had fallen an d da
rk.
"I shall ness was all about him. He m o v ed
"Let me up ! " !1-Iaria gasped. his
kill her for what she called me ! " limbs experiment ly and discovere d t
h at
his left arm was us e l ess and his ri
"No ! " he whispered. "That would ght
hand gripped somethin g hard and r ou n
ruin everything ! " d.
ed and coated with some slipper y . vis cid
The sound o f their voices must have fluid. He uncoiled his fingers f rom th
e
reached the drunken woman. "So you're thing and his hand dropped to a s oft
r
t ying to hide ! " she cried . She moved
mound that felt sli my, too. \V i t h daw n.
toward the door with determination,
i n g horror he b ecame a ware t h at he was
hold ing the gun i n front of her, as if
touching a woman's breast !
prepared to fire.
He got to his feet and groped in his
\Vith a sudden t wi st l\Iaria eluded pockets for matches, swaying- dizz ily.
Rhodes and sprang to her feet. The H e struck a match on the paper folder
stiletto he had taken from her in the shop from which it had been torn. He saw
l ay on the table. She snatched it up. He that hi s right arm, from finger-tips to
gripp ed her wrist with both hands and elbow, was coated with h! o orl !
tried to take it from her.
In front o f him, on the floor, lay the
The other woman was in the room borly of a "·oman-the \\·oman who had
now. In the dusk she must have thought come there to st'ek her husha n cl ! H('r
Rhodes was her husband. "You beast ! " cl othing \\' :lS only sh redded rags. nJood
she said. "I'll give y o u what you d e ­
drenched the upper part of her h·J(Iy ancl
ser\'e ! " She pulled the trigger o f the
from beneath her left breast protruded
revolver, and flame spurted from its
the haft of a stiletto, a round which
muzzle and Rhodes felt a twinge of pain
Rhodes' fingers han been gripped.
in his left shoulder.
aw ful fascination until ti l e
H e stared in
Rhodes had the stiletto now, but he
match burned down a n d lickecl ,·icionsly
had lost l\faria. Snarling like a tigress,
at his thumbnai l . hissing as it r::une in
she had wrenched herself free and had
c ontact with the thickening go;·e. He
sprung at the intruder with hand s
dropped i t and groped until he fnu!HI a
clenched. Swearing beneath his breath,
\\·a l l switch and fl oode d the room wit1:
Rhodes was about to follow her and
electric l i g ht. There \\' a � n o .on<: in tLe
seize her again, for her own safety, when
room sa Y e himself and the d e ad woma n .
he heard a movement at his back. He
He ran through the hot1se and found i t
whirled, holding the dagger re ady to
strike. emptY. He wonclc-rc-d what h a d har­
pene ;l to l\faria. A gktstly su:ip icio n
A tall shape loomed d i mly before his
came into h i s mind.
eyes. Something swished through the
ai r toward him. He tried to dodge, but Had t h e st r a n g e child plannt'd tl1at

the thing crashed against h i s temple and this would happen ? Had she lured h i m
bright lights danced inside his brain. He t h e r e to p la y at Ion•, knmving t h a t hel;
felt himself fall ing down, down into hated riYal would co me ? Had she k1lle .
o
pitch blackness . . • . the American woman, then d r l i l H�ratelr
 Marriage for Murder 23

sage and through a maze of black. unfre­

quented lanes that led tow �rd the harb r. ?
.
On the way Maxie spoke m J erky whts-
pers.
. . .
"There's a fretghter m, , he satd. " T he
Mardi-Gras. I know the skipper, and
he'll take you to Ne\V O rleans." He
thrust a roll of bills into Rhodes' hand.
"Here's a hundred bucks. Pay me back
when you get ready. There's a note
with it, telling the skipper who you
are. "

1"HEY paused in the shadow of a

pseudo-magic was alone.
"What's up ?" he asked.
"You've got to scram !" �Iaxie
warehouse at the end of the wharf.
At the e n d of the pier the dark hull and
superstructure of a ship rose out of the
water. "That's her,'' said Maxie. "Just
slip aboard and ask for Captain Carlson ."
"Maxie," said Rhodes, holding out
his hand, "you're a pal !"
" Forget it ! " said Maxie. "Maybe you
can do as much for me some day." He
melted swiftly into the shadmvs .
Rhodes waited until he was certain
Maxie was out of sight. Then he count­
ed the money a nd read the note that was
s aid .
wrapped with it. The note was type ­

"Why ?"
written and said simply : "This is the
The other's tone was sarcastic. "�fay­
guy."
be you'd rather spend your life in the
The newspaperman turned away.
oldest, dirtiest prison in the \Vest In­
Avoiding the infrequent street lamps of
dies," he said, "-or hang !"
San Juan's waterfront, he headed back
"But I haven't done a thing, Maxie
: !"
the way he had come. O nce the ap­
"Maybe not," he replied. "�bybe the
proach of a group of men sent him deep
airl done it. I don't know . But I d o into the shadow of a building, and as the
bow that somebody sent '.vord to the
men passed he saw that they wore the
� not ten minutes ago t
ha t you killed khaki uniforms of the p olic e . They
a woman her e and
that . slow as thev are,
,
were going toward the pie r he had just
tbey11 be alon g any secon
d. I f- vou
. quitted.
1rant, I can get you -
a,\·av ." � He had never intended to nm away.
''Let•s go ,. , Rhodes saicl
.

•.;
, realiz ing that Now he was glad he had not lingered
thla was not the tim
e for argu ment He
·
loll ed the lean · near the freighter. To have been caught
me rch ant thr ough the there would have strengthened the case
·
e Into the stre et,
.. into ano ther pas - against him immeasurably.
24 Spky-A.dventure Storie•

HERE were two persons he wanted something that lay upon the earthen
T
to check on. Vincenzo, in Maxie's floor. The thing moaned so ftly .

shop, loved Maria. I f he had known or Rhodes dropped to h i s knees and ran
suspected that Rhodes had gone to her his hands over the obstruction. His fin­
house, he might not be above trying to gers brushed small breasts, q•Jivering
frame him for a murder. TI1e dim fonn limbs, a face with the mouth bandaged.
he had se e n - th e form of the man who He struck a match and looked into the
had bludgeoned him into insensibility­ tearful face of Maria, whose hands and
had been tall and slender, as was Vin­ feet w e r e bound tightly with rope.
ce nzo. \Vhen he had torn the gag from her
And Jarvis would bear watching. He mouth she said : " Madre de Dios ! I was
d id not love the woman he had married, mad with fear that you had been ar­
Lut cared only for her money. If she rested for what I had clone ! "
were dead, the money would be h i s . He w a s slashing t h e r o pe s that held
Jarvis, too, had seemed fond of Maria her with his pocket knife. He stopped
-had probably been her secret lover for suddenly. "\Vhat yMt had done ! "
a long time. "Certainly," s h e said. "When s h e shot
As for the girl-it was enti rely within you, I took the knife from you and stab­
the realm of po ssi b ilit y that 5he had bed her. It w a s no more than she de­
stabbed 1f argare t Jarvis. It would ha ve served, the slut ! But I never intended
been in keeping with her character. Yet that you should be blamed."
he could not make himself think that she "Then how-"
would have tried to make it a ppea r that "Ah," she said s a dly , "it was because
it had been the work of the man �he had he l oved me so much. He str uck me, so
so recently held in her arms. He pre­ that I kn ew nothing. When I awakened
ferred to think that she had done it to he had tied me as you see, and he had
protect him from the woman s bullets. ' made it seem as though you had killed
A roundabout route through alleys and her. I could not say or do anything. He
those narrow passages between houses carried me here. He me ant to keep me a
which are a part of the picturesqueness pri soner until you had been sent to pri s­
of San Juan brought Rhodes to the nar­ on or executed. But I should ha\'e told
row space in the rear of Maxie's store. the t r uth when I was free, whether you
There were l ights showing through the were dead or alive, because I am not
w i nd ows , but the back door was closed ashamed !"
and he could hear no sound. "Then it was-Jan·is ?"
A c ell a r window opened to his touch, "No ! " Her voice was heavy with
ho\veYer, and he let himself through it. sco rn . " It was V i ncenzo ! Did you think
He had no definite plan, but he thought Jan·is 'vould love me enough to take
th at if he could climb the stairs to the s u ch a c ha n c e for my sake ? He is not a

door that led into the shop he might ma n at all ! ' '
o v e rhear something that would help him, "And I suppose you love Vi ncenzo ? "
or m ight have an opportunity to seize ' ' Why not ? I love Vincenzo a n d I
V i ncenzo and try to force a confession loYe you , too, because you have bu"th been
from him. go od to me. But I shall probably marry
He took three steps through the black­ Vincenzo, because he is of my race and
ness of the c e ll a r and then stumbled over temperament-although I should be sor-
Marriage for Murder 2.5

Under threat of the gun he wrote his

confession of murder.

ry no t to see you again. That is-I shall

marry Vincenzo if I am not sent to
prison . "
Rhodes laughed . Her psychology
am used h i m . He bent and k i ssed her.
Of course she would marry V i nccnzo !
l L would be the best thing for bo t h o f
them . But she s h o u l d n o t go to jail. . . .

so�lETH!:t\'G whizzed past h i ,; ear,

so close that lie could feci t h e b reeze
of its passa ge . From the steps Lhat led
20 Spicy-Adventure Stories

into the shop a man laun ched himsel f i n her mouth, nor will Vincenzo. As it is,
a desperat e spring. H i s body struck Matt Rhodes has practically confessed
Rhodes, knocking him flat. The man by trying to run away. You know what
rolled away from him with a muttered the courts are like here-they'll railroad
curse, and the voice was Vincenzo's. him right to the gallows, what with fin­
Rhodes scrambled to his feet. In a gerprints and everything. I'll fix the
moment the Spanish youth rushed at j udge with a hundred or so of the money
him, and the newspaperman met him I'll get out of it."
squarely. Vincenzo had another knife, "Yeah," s ai d Jarvis with bitterness.
and the blade of it sliced through "The money yorlll get ! There won't be
Rhodes' sleeve, cutting a thin gash i n much left for me. I doubt if she's got
h i s right arm. thirty-five thousand dollars altogether,
Rhodes swung his fists blindly in the and you say you've got to have twenty­
darkness. They battered against a face. five of it ! "
Vincenzo was staggering backward, too "Don't be dumb, Jarvis ! Look at the
groggy to use a knife a second time. money you owe me already. Haven't I
Rhodes groped with his left hand, located kept you going for over a year, waiting
the youth's chin and b ro u g ht his right fist for something like thi s ? Didn't I send
up from his hip. H i s kn u ck l es smashed your blushing bride to Maria's h o us e ,
aga inst bone. Vincenzo d r op ped limply kn ow i n g there'd he a q u a rr el and that
to the floor. :Maria would kill her ? If it wasn't for
"Come quiet ly, " Rhodes said, helping me, you'd have nothing but a lot of
Maria to r i se . "\Ve'll get out of here be­ debts-and maybe a rope around your
fore there's more trouble. We'll see neck if I decided to talk."
whether we can figure out a way to keep "All ri gh t ! All right ! " Jc: rvi s was
both of us out of jail." nervous. " I 'm not squawking. Only-"
They tiptoed up the steps. Maxie's There was the sound of a qu ick move­
shop was dark, but a crack of light ment. "Ouly, if I kill y ou , I won't have
showed under the door to the rear room, to give you a dime !" There wa s a sud­
and there was the low murmur of two den triumph in his voice.
voices. After a half-minute of silence Maxie
Rhodes put his ear against the door. said so ft ly : " Put down that gun, you
He heard Maxie saying : "They ought fool ! "
to have him now. It's been half an hour Jarvis laughed. "Not till I've clone­
since I tipped off the police to the ship this !"
he was on. I hope they bring back my
SHOT c ra s l !ed out. While the thun-
A der of it still rang in his ears, Rhodes
hundred bucks I "
" I still think it would have been better
if the girl had had to take th e blame," flu n g the door open and sp ra ng into the
said another voice, that Rhodes recog­ room. He was upon Jarvis before the
nized as be l on g i n g to Jarvis. " Under latter could turn, had grabbed the smok­
the circumstances, it would he more l ogi ­ ing revolver and had smashed the killer
cal for her to have done the killing." into a corner.
" N uts ! " Maxie retorted. " She would Maxie had fallen out of the dJair in
have talked too much · and made people front of his desk, and lay sprawled on the
suspiciou s. Now she won't dare op e n floor. Hi� sightles� eyes d vacantly
s ta r e
 Marriage for Murder 27

g . Betwee n them w�s a hol e laid the re vo lve r on the desk nea1· the
t the ce i l i n ·
!". for a man to poke hu finger killer's elbow. He left t he room.
bJg en o ug h
At the door Vinceuzo and M a ria
in .
"Sit dow n at the desk , J ar : !· s I" . stood, their arms around each other.

Rhod es ra .' lJ ed . "I want you to w n te a The youth had retrieved one of his
knives. The lust to kill was in his eyes,
confes";o n . ' '
.
"Go od God ! " the man plea ded , h1s
but th is time it was not directed towards

face a fish-belly white. "Don't make me

Rhodes. "vVould it not be better," he

Let me get away. He was a asked, "to kill him, so that he cannot say
do t hat !
the confession was forced ?"
rat !"
Rhodes said. " S1t
. "No," replied Rhodes. " I t w on ' t be
"And so are y o u , "
necessary." He led them outside.
down or I 'll put a btt!let in yo ur belly ! ' '

I NeqTHE
H e thrust the gun forward menacingly,
ee
st r t i n front o f the \\'eirdly4
and Jarvis obeyed, t r em bl i ng.
u ipp e , malodorous shop i n w b i c h
d
"Take that pen and th a t pad of paper,"
Maxie had capitalized on the age-old
R h odes commanded. "Write : ' I k i l l ed
fears and h o p e s of superstitious men and
:Maxie \Verner because we quarre led
women, the three paused, as if waiting
about how much of m y wife's money I
for something.
was to g ive him for a rra ng i ng to have
"I h e a rd l\{axie and Jarvis p la nn i ng to
he r murde red. ' "
send that woman to l\Iaria's house,''
The pen scratched across the p ape r,
Vincenzo sai d . "I ,s e n t there to keep
wrote the d amn ing w o rd s and paused.
her from being killed by Maria. I
" Now," Rhodes continued, "write :
w o ul d n ' t have t ried to make trouble for
'\Verner and I we re solely responsible
you, except that when I found you there
for the murder of my wife :Margaret.
I thought perhaps you had been maki ng
I stabbed h er t o death.' "
l o v e to he r. "
"But I didn't ! " Jan·is said, his face
'Tm surprised at you ! " Rhodes said.
twisted. "I swear to God I didn't ! I
" :Ji a r i a is a goo d girl and will make yo u
w on ' t write that !"
a good wife. She would not permit any­
"They can on l y hang you once," body but you to make love to her, I 'm
Rhodes said, "and I want you to clear
sure !"
the gi rl who was y our innocent tool.
H e had difficulty in restraining a smile
Howeve r , if you 'd rather, you can s ay :
as he saw a warm blush creep into her
'Max ie stabb ed her to death . ' "
cheek;:, t i n ti ng them a dull re d in the
Again t h e pen scrat ched .
fa i nt light of a s t r e e t lamp.
"Fin ish it up," Rhodes ordere d,
"b y "All I ask, '' he continued slyly, "is
w ritin g : 'Aft
er she was dead, Maxie that you name o ne o f your children after
Wern e r l u red l\Iatt Rhode
s to the place me-perhaps the very first one. R hodes ,
of the m urde
r, knock ed him uncon scious if i t ' s a boy, and R h o da , if it's a girl ."
wit h a bla
ckjac k, and made it appea r
"Certainly-" Vincenzo began. th e n
that he had
done the stab bing .' "
stopped. From t h e room behind the shop
Jan·is finish ed the confe
ssion, signe d ha d come the roar of a n o th e r sbnt.
his name at
the botto m of the sh eet, then Rhodes no d ded a s th ough he had ex­
b�ried hi s face in
h i s hand s. Rho des pected it.
Picked up th e paper , said "Th ank (Conti11 11C'd 011 'page 1 1 0)
s ! " a nd
LUST TO
In the insane carnage of red revolution Collins goes
stark, staring mad. It is a woman of easy virtue who
•aves him, saves him for inscrutable sinister purposes
of her own . . • •

"Take hill feet,

fool!" llhe cried.
"He im'c dead."

OLLINS l eaned against a ruined

C
been, dabbed weakly at the empty socket.
door ':'·ay and retcl :ed in the early Ken Collins, soldier of fortune, had left
Spamsh dawn . H1s stomach was that eye in the fastnesses of the Atlas
a ball of ice bouncing viciously, his ranges as the result of a comrade's de­
nerves hot wires stretched taut, trembl­ sertion, but it still aehed when desola­
ing, screaming. W ith shaking fingers he tion such as this came into being.
li fted the black velvet patch th�t covered The little plaza o f the ruined Spanish
the place where his right eye had once town was a sham b les. Awnings hung in
28
KILL
By JOSE VAt;A
ta unti ng , fingerlike tatters from twisted
supports, shattered gl as s , bricks �nd
mortar l i tt ere d the s t ree t s . Every bUild­
ing bo re its share of pockmarks, jagged
bullet holes resulting from the merciless
street fi g h t i ng of the l as t t w o d ays
.

There were humans in that shattered

square, but the one that breathed, the
only one that w ou l d ever awaken to meet
the cold mag ic o f Spanish dawn was

Collins, the Loyalist aviator, whose skill

was for sale to the highest bidder, whose
profession was death and destruction .

Now he leaned ag·ainst the doorway and pangs o f l i fe. But the black holes t h at
retched, his whipcord uniform and smart peered o w l i shly i n t o the dawn were
boots the only moving spot of color. me rely empty sockets. The vul t ures had
Except for the vultures. seen to that.
They plodded like fat du ck s f rom one
delectable feast to anotlwr, their e"il X A doorway across the street the
eyes glazed from t h e sat ing. their red J brown, abused body of a young wom­
necks like rin g;; of blood �n scrawnY · '
an hal i lay, half sat. Clothes had been
dirty fingers. ri pped f rom her. A bayonet still cl u n�;

:
.
Agai nst the far wall lav the corpse s of
ree boys, staring upw� rd at the gray
in the hideous woun d between two cn l ,j
breasts, t h e butt o f the heavy rifle ca u::.·
Y, faces t wisted , contorted by the last ing the body to sit hal f e re ct Ri(lor
.

29
30 Spicy-Adventure Stories
-
mortis had set in l ong ago. The nude men i n civilian clothes, clutching auto­
corpse s w ayed grotesquely. matic rifles. A third leaped f rom the
at
Collins raised the cante e n that hung rea r, a man in uni form, an a u tomatic
his side, gulped once, tw ice . The cognac in his hand. To Collins' hysterical brain
was like water in his dry th roat, but the they were simply something more at
alcohol warmed the icy co ldness of his w hich to shoot. His first shot caught
stomach. Collins' little car was parked one of the civilians between the eyes ;
a street away ; he had dr iven in from his automatic rifle clattered to the cob­
the a i r field in the grey light to view the bles.
desolation of the town. He was mor­ The little man in uniform leaped
bidly fascinated, had been growing more shrieking into the t o nn eau o f the car :
and more so through the days of the th e second civilian raised his wc:>apon.
vi ci o us revolut ion. "Kill, kill," screamed Collins. " B:ood !
As a matter of fact C oll i ns was tired Death you wanted, damn you ! Death ! "
of slaughter, tired of the war that had The automat i c rifle clattered only a
filled his life since th e days of t he Great short burst, for the user s p ra"' led to the
Push. But he didn't know it. He knew pavement. Unscathed Collins leaped for­
o n ly that his nerves were on edge, that ward, Lueger sti ll blazing. TI1e little o i­
the stench of death, the sight of death ficer in the to n n eau of the car crouched,
sick,ned him, yet fascinated him irresist­ l evel e d hi s own gu n across the door.
ibly . He turned slowly away, try in g not A corpse saved Collins' l i fe , for as t he
to see the nmti latcd corpses , the torn man fired pointblank Collins stumbled,
faces, the gorging vultures. went to his knees. Coming up he threw
Something squeaked be ne at h his very his emptied gu n in the o ffi ce r 's face,
feet. The blood drained from his f ac e. sprang i nto the tonneau and gripped a
A giant rat crouched away from him, throat with sinewy finge rs .
beady eyes venomous, sharp teeth gleam­ "Kill, ki l l , " he screan1e d . His teeth
ing whitely al t ho ugh its mouth was filled closed on fl esh. The man beneath him
wi th a gre at strip o f purple flesh torn screamed as those relemless fingers de­
from a corpse. manded and received their toll.
Coii in s rocke d w i th la ugh ter and as
the rat turned and hurdled carr i on, drew oNLY when there was no movement
his heavy automatic and shot the clip beneath him did the crazed aviator
empty. The rat exploded, a surprised release his v1ct1m. Stupidly he sat up,
vul t u re awked even as hs head flew f rom breathed deeply. The canteen again , a
its body. Another t ri ed to waddle away, long drink. He spread his hands, gazed
too gorged to fly, and m e t fitting death at i ro n fingers an d giggl ed . His laugh
instead of escape. was eerie, inane, the laughte r of a de­
Trembl ing, Col l ins reloaded, the sweat mented one. Sla ughter and horror had
dri ppin g off his nose, his chin, his ner­ touched Collins' brain.
vous fingers r e fusi ng to answer the i n­ . He l oo ked down at the man i n the
structions of his brain . He had barely floor of t,he car and for the fi rst ti m e the
gottt•n the clip home, and was t ur n ing light of reason appe a red in his one eye.
to go, w hen a car roared into the plaza, He sprang up as if he had seen a ghost.
bumped two corpses and came to a stop. "No ! No !" he m ut tere d . "Christ o !"
Two men l eaped from the front seat, The man who stared up at him was
 Lusl
(jenera! Alf redo Gonzales , leader o f �he
LOyalist t roops m . that sector. Colltns
had killed his ow11 mperior officer.
Th e wave o f insanity swept over him
again. He began to laugh. S l owly, he
lflade his way across the sq u are , st i ll
laughi ng , his demented mind ram bli ng.
"K ill me," he screamed, "they'll shoot
lfle, torture me ! I d i d it ! I did it !"
Footsteps ?
Blindly, bl an k ly he ran, stumbling,
falling to his knees, arisi ng and running
on. The black doorway of a large house.
He missed it, · hi t the wall i n s t ea d , fell
back into the street and lay still besid('
the mutilated corpse of a gi rl of sixteen.
The sun w as just peeping oYer the
shattered rooftops. Collins' t w isted
strangely grotesque in the early morning
sunshine.
For long moments there was silenL-e
in the square broken only by the squeak­
ing rats. A red n ecked vulture circled
low, lit on a ro ck, eyed Col li ns ' still
fonn. He lunged forward on six foot
fte.pping wings , al i gh ted on Coll i n s ' left
boot. Collins twitched. The bird with­
d rew a few feet. paused to eye t h e re­
cwnbent man hungrily.
A WOMAN ran from the large house,
a b roke n chair in her hand. She
cursed the yuJture, frightened it from
its inte nded prey, knelt beside the un­
conscious Am e r i can . She wore a tattered
even in g gown , black in cont ra st to the
olive of her flesh. The ski rt , ren t and
torn expos ed the smoothness of a full
fleshe d thigh as she lrnelt, the nse an d
fall of olive breasts.
She called, " Corne, Carlotta, it is the
avi ato r, the one- eved m a n of America.
li el
p me, hel p me�··
A not he r woman a ppeared i n t h e bleak
d oorway , cautiously peering up and
do wn the square before approaching.
to Kill 31
Her sol i tary garment was a lacy ma n ­
tilla that circled rounded shoulders, only
half obscured trembling breasts and lyre­
like hips. She leaned above the fallen
man, said ".Madre dr. D ios, Luisa, he has
killed Gonzales ! We dare not help him !
Even now-"
"Take h is feet, fool ! We'll nee d him.
we can use h i m . He isn't d ead ! Hurry !"
Scarcely had they disappeared with
thei r sagging burden when a motorcycle
shot into the plaz a. The u n i fo rm ed rider
found the dead general , fled as if the
devil pursued. But ten m i nu t es late r the
place swanned with Lo yal i st sold iers ,
enraged, blood thirsty, aching for re­
venge . Every ruin, every battered shop
was searchP.d. Trim L i e ut enant R osi­
nant e , a squad at his heels entered a
certain black doorway to fi nd a bl o nde
woman calmly ea t in g breakfast of hard
bread an d wine . The blonde woman's
only covering was a black lace ma11tilfa,
which she carelessly let remai n the way
it was. B rea st s quivered as her arms
mowd. She smiled la zi ly , said, "Good
morning, l i eutenant. You come early.
You wish to se e Ca rl o t ta , L u i sa ?"
The l ieutenant al l o wed his h o t eyes
to r o ve OYer exposed charms. Gal lantly
he s a i d , " Senorita, I will undoubtedly re­
t u rn tonight ! But now we search for
the killer of El Gcttcral Gonzale s . ' ' He
l aunched into ra pid Spani sh Jrscribing
the deat h of t h e i r leader. How one o f
the civilians accompanying h i m had only
been \YOtmded, how h e had des cr i b e d
the one eyed man in the aviator 's uni ­
form who was undoubtedly that A mer­
icana turned traitor. \V ide eyed the
blonde Carlotta listened, �hrug�ed
shapely shoul d e rs ancl pouted.
"You so l d i er s ! Adventures you h:t v e .
adventur e s ! And l i t tl e Carlotta l i es
sleepin g while all th i s happens ! Share a
d r i nk with me, Jieut enallt, and tell me
32 Spicy-A.d.,enture Storie•

you have caught the murderers when
you come again t onight . "
What coul d a gallant soldier do ?
Behind the door, ear pressed to the
wall, the w oman , Luisa, sat tense and
taut on a great Moorish chest. H e r body
ached, her breasts throbbed with the in­
tensi ty o f her fear and hope. For within
the chest lay the six foot body of Ken
Collins, soldier of fortune, whom this
woman desi red so greatly to save. Luisa
had uses for an aviator, even though he
was a little crazed, even though he had
but one eye. She heard the l i eu te nant
and his squad depart, leaped from the
chest, threw back the lid. Her anxious
fingers found a faint heartbeat in the
great breast beneath her. She smiled
contentedly.
quite annoyed by the constant searching
parties of Loyalist s who persisted in
scouring the city for the one eyed killer
of their leader.
OLLI N S lay for two weeks in a
C small
alcove off the kitchen on a
bed of so ft blankets. He raved inces­
santly, sometimes so noi sily that he must
be restrained by force. H i s huge body
grew thinner as jangled nerves preve nted
the regain ing of his strength. H i s sol­
i tary eye was a headligh t o f madness.
H i s beard grew black, ragged, and still
the woman Lui sa persisted in protecting
him, shielding him from the men who
searched .
He awakened that morning weak but
sane, heard the two woman talking over
h i m , but he did not open his eye because

B UT when the admiring l ieutenant

came that night he met not the al­
he was afrai d ; he tlid not know where
h e was .
luring blonde, but the demure Lui sa , He beard Carlotta, the blonde one,
radiant in a new dress that clung like saying , "You are a fool, Lui sa, to keep
a sheat h tQ f ull hips, that exposed the this one when it is �o dangerous. What
upper slopes o f olive breast s to admiring good can he possibly do you ?"
eyes. The lieutenant sat beside her on Lui sa sai d , "He is an aviato r . Some­
a divan, drank wine with her and time he will recover his strength. I have
boasted of his exploits. him hand and foot because we witnessed
These rebels, poof ! They were noth­ the murder of Gonzales. Now do you
ing ! These gener�ls, Blanco, Mota and see ?"
Cabenellas ! Poof ! The Loyali sts, the "Even if he recovers, how can you
Reds, would soon have them d r iv e n into bend him to your will ? He'll run away !"
the sea \vhere fish woul d eat the carrion ! "Sssssh ! There is someone in the
Yes, war was cruel, but war was neces­ front. Listen, Carlotta, I have a face
sary to strong men ! The Se ii orita Luisa and a body. This American is strong,
was so sympathetic, so complimentary, a pillar o f strength ! \Ve need him !
that the pouter-pigeon lieutenant was Little fool, I will make him love me so
quite enchanted . It was almost dawn much he cannot be d riven away ! Now
when he took his departure, and the sloe go ! I f it i s that Major Cervantes, bleed
eyed Luisa smiled gri mly after him, him. Get all the i n formation you can
pulled her dis a rrayed cloth i ng about her get for our messenger will soon be here."
body and went into another room. The door slammed, footsteps dimin­
A li ttle later, following the lieuten­ ished. Slowl y , care fully, Col l i ns risked
ant's orders , a soldier mounted guard a look, peered thro11gh his eyelashes.
at the door, for the Senorita Luisa was For the first time he saw Luisa in all
 33

her lush, dark beauty, for she wore only tween her breasts deepened and dark­
the briefest of tight panties, the thinnest ened. She smoothed the hair back from
of net bras sieres. A transparent white his iorehead tenderly. Collins stirred,

mant illa cO\·ered her shoulders. H e saw sighed. The fragrance of her was in hi s
her kneel i n the corner, �aw the bowed, nostrils. Presently she, too, left.

Mad with rage, he was

choking the life from her
body.

Weakly Collins ro l l e d from the b l an ­

ket, l i s tened at the door. From the front

alluring line from full hip to thi n ankl e . of the rambling house came the sounds
She pried a s to n e kneeled ov e r a box.
, o f merriment, the dink of glasses, of
There c a m e the rustle of paper, then the voices rai se d in so ng. The d o o r was
box w as re placed , the stone set back in locked. He wobbled to the corner, knelt
place. where the woman had knelt. It rtqui red
The \\" Oman came closer to h i m . a little time, ior his fingers were weak,
peered down for a moment. Suddenly but presentiy when he went back to the
she leaned over so that the hollow b�- btd h i � m0uth was set d etermincclly.
34 Spicy·A.d..,enture Storie•

g
S o t he woman tho u ht she had him, He groped for her ha d n . "Why did
h g
did she, t ou ht she could make him you take me in a n d shelter me, hide me
lov e her ! Thought she could make him here ? Don't you know how dangerous
do as she pl eas e d ! Ha I She and the for you it i s with the whole town in
blonde Carlotta were Rebel spies ! The fever heat ? Why did you do it, seiio­
little box held proof of that, held mili­ r-ita .9,,
tary information carefully written on She laughed softly but he saw the
t hi n , onionskin paper, other i m pl icati ng masked shrewdness in her eyes. To him­
letters ! Why, he had o n ly to noti f y t he sel f he th o ugh t, " N o matter what she
a u thoriti e s an d- says she'll be lying. She's saving me for
But how could Collins talk wi t h ou t some dirty work of her own ! I ' ll play
meeting the same end ? H e lay th ere on up ! ' '
the blan k e t and pondered. He remem­ H e listened to her say so ftly, "Per­
berd all too vi vidly the k illing of the haps it is because I have a weakness for
Loyalist com ma nd er ; after that, noth­ A mericana aviators who are real fight ­
ing. His beard showed that this woman ers ! \Vho can say ?"'
had sheltered him for many days. Per­ He laughed depreciatingly. "But it
h ap s he owed h e r so met h i n g for that, was dangerous, aud is dangerous." He
even if she meant to nse him l ter on. tapped his forehead sadly. " I have seen
a

\Veak as he was he almost gri n ned. too much of war and fighting. I am sick
\V ell, i f he owed her s om ething ! C o l ­ here. At any moment I may become
l ins always pai r\ his debts. v i ol e n t , may attract a t t e n tion to you."
She giggled. "Luisa can calm you ,
HE came in later with wine and Seiior Collins. :Many times i n the past
S warm soup. To her surprise she two weeks you have raved and-"
found him sitting u pright on the pallet. "Then it wasn't all a dream ! I thought
Her eyes gleam ed, she smiled, fi n ger I d r eame d of l\l a rgo that I lov ed in
at her l i ps . "\Ve m us t be very quiet . Marseilles, thought I held her in my
se·ii Of'. You are hetter, eh ?" arms, kiss ed her and-"
Now he, too, pau s ed .
She pulled a low bench close to him, Softly s he answered, hal f de murel y.
set the t ra y and it s li ghted candle on i t . "It was no dream, seiior. It was t h e
"You must eat," she w hispered, "and on ly way I co ul d still you. Now you
grow strong again." must be qu i et and eat."
His one eye coniin ue d to gaze at h e r I n stead t he l ean fin gers on the olive
steadily, unwavering. I f she wanted a wrist pulled her closer, until she was

game she could have it ! She flushed besi de him. His arm slid about her
a

bit beneath his pryi n g· gaze, pulled the
scanty negligee closer about her shoul­
ders, acc en ti ng more than ever the flare
of impudent breasts. His voic e was a
littl e hoarse, with j ust a trace of mock­
ery.
"\Vhy did you do it ? "
Her arched brows questioned his
question,
smooth shoulder, displaced the negligee,
while his l ips met tawny skin. Collins
had m eant the gesture sardonically, had
mea nt it as part of his plan .
He had known many w om e n in many
lands, knew how to play on the i r emo­
tion:>. But this woman was di ffer en t.
S h e fairly flamed beneath his caresses
and the fire o f her response leaped
 Lust to Kill 35

q ui ckl y into h i s o w n s in ews until his her love him, make her u n abl e to hurt
muscles ached, yearned to crush her, to him through lo ve .

hurt her. Her mouth was a well of pas­ Collins began to thi nk he was succeed­
si on her body
, a torch of love . Tremu­ ing. She cam e to h im every clay, not
lous breasts, quivering th igh s ; an only to nu r se him, but to feel t he
undu l a nt body and writhing, flaming l ips. strength of his a rms , the caress of his
Carlotta, the bl ond e stood in the door­ lips. H e ca m e to know eYery so f t curve
way, called Luisa's nam e so f t ly . There and turn of h e r tawny body, every ten­
was no answer. Hal f fearfully t he der gesture, every burning sign o f sur­
blonde m u t t e re d .-, Verdad, no good will
, rende r . But he never succeeclcd in
come o f this ! " For a moment l o nge r getti n g her to l ea ve the door tu; l ocked.
she stood there then closed the door and Her excu�e was that it was for bis own
went 5lowly back to v.- here th e Lieuten­ protection.
ant Rosinante waited for Luisa. h i s light O ften he ieigned sleep while the
of love. woman stood over him staring at his
The waiting was lor.g, that night . repos�d featurrs . .'\ nd often he li fted the
little t i n box and read the ilccumulated

D AY
but
a fter day Collins grew stronger,
l l ow d the two wome n to
he a e
contents.
cold
These always til led him w i t h
for Luisa Gomez' papers
fear,
believe he was still a sick man. His proved her to be as ruthless as she was
brain w a s healed : h e thought hard. H e beautiful.
tol d himself that i t was a game he play­ The game went <J i-, and evcr1tually it
ed w ith the spy. Luisa. that he was was the woma n who surprisecl the man .
making love her him with one f' nd in As ;,he la y within the ci rcle of his arms,
mind-so t ha t h e could escape. B u t al · soft body warm agai n st his chest she
ways the door was locked when he wag murmured, ''Will you be frightened i f I
alone ; he w as a prisoner as surel y as if leave your door unlocked tonight ? "
he lay in the dungeon the Loyalists H e simply looked a t her. Something
wanted to p ut him in. within warned him that here i t was, here
Collins was between t he deYil and th e was t h e way :;he meant to use him.
deep bl ue sea. The Rebels w o u ld like "You she went on c oy Iy ,
know,"
much to capture him, for he was hated of our--er-{)tlr vis­
' ' sometimes some
and f ea re d by them as a cruel and itors drink too much. Th ey get c r ud e
\'icious bomber and machine gunner. and-"
A.nd the Loyal i sts wanted him for the She b rus he d h i s cheek with her l i ps .
killing of Gonzales. Yes, his only " Ton ig h t I am exp ect ing a man who
chance l ay in the woman. Two could is angry with me. I have no one else to
play h e r game . He must make her care tum to b u t you. I will l eave your door
for him . unlocked, l ea\ e yo;_t at \Yatch.
· At m!d­
Oft en he wondered what she m ean t night come to my door, li sten . If there
by ' " using him." What
plan did she have is no no i s e go back to your room and
,

in mind wherein he fi tte d ? Spies arc soon I will be with you . "
notoriously t reacherous ; he knew he
couldn't t r u s t her. She w ou l d use him ,
then turn h i m over to h i s enemies. So
ALL h e tt�rned
evening in
mind w hile the hands crept arou nd
i t over his

i n order to thwart t his h e m u s t make vn the face of the little watch �he had
36 Spicy-.4d.,enture Stories

given him. He knew the door was open, breathing hard, breasts rising and fall­
knew he could escape, but what then ? ing. Collins glared at her, realizing he
Would he be recognized by a Loyal ist ? had ruined his chances to get a way from
And i f not, where could he go, what her. She found a torn and tattered d ress ,
could he do ? Better to play a waiting got it about her shoulde rs without speak­
game, to see what she had up her sleeve. ing.
He waited nervously till nearly m i d­ A knock at the door, a voice, "Lieu­
night before swinging the thick door tenant, Lieutenant ! "
open, before tiptoeing down the corri­ T h e sentry ! Collins laughed, picked
dor. A line of l ight gleamed beneath the up a chair, stepped aside, said, "Pasa
last door to hi.; left. He paused to l isten . us ted ! "
Beyond lay the patio, beyond the patio, The door flew open, the chair arced,
the street. Dangero us, yes, but no more the sentry j oined the lieutenant on the
dangerous than th i s woman ! Then the floor.
shril l , hysterical voice of little Lieuten­ C o l l i ns grinned and his grin was not
ant Rosinante came from behind the nice to see. " Now what ?"
door. The woman moved quickly. "\Ve've
' ' Damn you, you siren, you C irce, I'm got to make Madrid, we'll be all right
g-oing to kill you ! You lead me on and there. I haYe friends-"
on, you force me to bet ray my tru sts
He laughed. " I 'd be recognized !
with your s weet p r omises , and always
There's n ot a cl1ance ! I 've done your
\\'hen the b i l l i� to be paid you put me
kill i ng for you, now go on without me.
(,ff � Now I kill you, I th ro ttle that
I 'll take my chances here."
pretty throat-"
"There's no time to argue," she
A woman's scream of agony, the
snapped. ''\Ve'll take Rosinante's car
sound of blows. Unable to help himself,
and try it at least. But what of Car­
acting on impulse, C ol l i ns opened the
lotta ?" She paused. ';We can't wait for
door. Dishevelled, mad with passionate
her. This is a dangerous game. She'll
rage, the l ieutenant had the woman by
take care of hersel f."
the throat, had her bowed over the
table. Clothes were tatters on her body, She stooped over the corpse of Rosi­
long scratches crossed her olive skin, her llante, extracted a sheaf of papers from
olive l egs flailed f ruitles5ly at the tor­ his breast pocket and ran from the
hirer, s o ft flesh quivering. room. \Vhen she re t u rn ed, she wore a
Collins saw red. He took three hasty capel ik e cloak, clutched something be­
strides, his own fingers closed around neath it. Her eyes were ha r d as her
the throat of Rosinante. Once again the hand moved to disclose a gun.
killer lust awakened in him. Rosinante's "You're driving me to Madrid, Ken
eyes bu l ge d , h is tongue protruded, his Collins, whether you are afraid or not."
face purp led. When his struggles ceased,
Collins still h e l d him suspended, shak ing HE sat grimly beside him in the car

h i m as a terrier sha kes a rat, his toes S as he made the four hour run.
scarcely touching the floor. He ca:>t him The wind whi p pe d the cloak aside, ex­
off like a rag doll. The Span ia r d's skull posed th e torn dress, revealed the olive
crunched like an eggshell on the floor. breasts that rose and fell so alluringly.
The woman crouched at the table, Bitterly Collins stepped down on the
 Lrue to KUl 37

----
. -- -------
--
- -

"Share a drink wid• me,

lieutenant, and tell me you
have caught the murderers
when you come again to-
night."

barricaded highway ca u s e d them to de­

tour while a peasant shot at them from
behind a tree w i th a highpowered rifle.
accelerator,fou g ht the car over the T he car rocked along in the grey dawn.
rough back roads. Ahead the �>ky was ill uminated by
"And a ft e r we get there, what ?'' buming buildings. T h e y heard the sound
"'{ou go yonr way, I go mine . " There of sing ing, the shouting of a mob. Col­
was a catch in her throat, she did not lins wheeled, backed and turned in the
look at him . His voice was bitter. narrow s t ree t , but before the car was
" A nd all the past weeks have been completely turned the mob rounded the
but a game to �-ou!" Again t hat laughter, corner.
a little mad. The car shot f o rward even They were women ! The dreaded,
faster. deadly women's battalion o f the Loyal­
They heard the sounds of r i oting be­ ists called La Passional'ia, who asked no
i ore t h e y hit Madri d . At one place �- q11arter a n d gave none. In t h e flickerin g
38 Splcy-A.d"eneure Storie•

to rchl ight , even as he f ought the wheel mured, "it wasn't all play. Perhaps I
o f the car, Collim g l imp sed the deadly m ean t it-a l i ttle."
rifles, the gle am o f light on ba re breasts, Presently she straightened, pu s h ed
the fiery flare of pas sionate eyes glinting h i m away. " I f yo u know about me," her
with death . voi ce grim, "you know I ha ve work to
"Q uien es 't" s c re am ed the leader of the do, work t ha t I put ahead of everything
Amazons but the car finally answered e lse, even my l o v e for you. Skirt the
Collins hand, roared away. A b la st o f t ow n to the north, Ken, if you love me.
rifle fire shook the . bo dy. Luisa leaped I 've got to delive r my paper s, my re­
i ! l the seat, sank s lowly down as i f re­ ports. Nothing else matters.''
laxing. Collins sh out ed, "Are you hit ?''

THE
and w h irl ed ahout the corner. g rey car ski rted the tO\m in the
She was hit. It was b locks before grey dawn. He t o ok the age old
Col l i ns f elt safe enough to open the h i ghwa y leadi n g south, veered into a
cape, w i t hdraw the bloodstained dress si d e road as she di rected and b rough t up
f rom her breasts and exami n e her be fore a ru i n e d castle nestling in the
wound. It was high on the gen tl e slope h i ll s . A roa rl of broken colJb!estones led
of a n ol ive mound, ugly and bleeding. t o it, passed it . Hal f concealed in a
He stopped the blood, bound i t tigh t l y . s ma l l grove, beh in d the castle was a
She opened her eyes. hangar. B efore the hangar, a p o w er ful
"I'll find a doct o r somehow," he as­ p l ane s qu a tt e d l i k e a bird ready for
su re d her hoarsely, but she shook her fl ight.
h ea d. She s toppe d him b e fore reachi ng the
"No, there isn ' t time. I'll be all right ha nga r. Agai n she ki s s ed him, her eyes
but you'll have to help me n o w. There'll sta r ry .
be no parting. I need you more than "I'll be back," she whispered, "then
ever ! ' ' we take our cha nce s , you an d !-t o ­

He glared at h er , but h i s eyes soft­ geth e r. ' '

ened at sight of her pa in . She tried to Silently, almost gluml y he \Vaited
raise her gun to cover him, but it wh ile she ran toward t h e c ru mbli ng ruin.
d ropped from her fingers. He s mok e d . Collins was i n for it now.
Grimly he said, " I 'l l help you, not He knew his cha n ces for escape were
from fear of t he gun, but because I l o v e few, slim, even a lon e , and s addle d with
you, God hel p me. It m eans death for the wom an he loved, a known spy, none
m e in ::\Iadrid, and you know it, yet y ou at a ll . Death ? Collins ha te d to die, but
forced me to bring you he re. I 'm a fool, the re was th e gi rl-
Luisa, I know who you are, what you He sat up straighter. In the fi rst rays
are, know you're rut hl ess, that my life of s u ns h ine, far do w n the road he saw
means nothing to you . I 've known all approaching clouds of d us t . For a long
along you m ea n t merely to use me. But m o ment he sat there, then seized Luisa's
I can't h el p myself, I l o ve you." fall en automatic and ran toward the
Somehow his a rms were about her. ruined castle.
Someliow in spite of her wounded shoul­ Hurry ! Hurry !
der she was p re ssing closer and closer Through one mouldering room a ft e r

to him, trembling like a leaf in the wind, another he flew u n ti l at last the sound
shaken by passi on . " Perhaps," she mur- o f vo ices off the patio drew him. He
 Lud to Kill 39

heard a thick, g u ttural voice saying, closer, "Don't let the beard !ool you,
' ' You fool, we've got to go, and it's you r Schwartz ! Remember the Atlas Ranges
fault. All our work for nothing be ca u se eight years ago w hen a plane r as hed , c

of you ! You left that b l onde vixen Car­ when an unharmed ob s rver left his e

lotta and she talked, she told all ! My wounded pilot because he wa s too yellow
ra d i o has just given me code dispatches to stay and fight off th e Ri.jfi? A nd the
s ay i n g the Loyalists know I am a spy. pi lot's name was Co i l i n s , and the ob­
Come, we'll leave the fool you brought , server's name was Schwartz ! Remem­
we'll-" ber Schwartz, remember ?"
C ol li n s op n ed the door just as two
e Step by step he ad a n ce d , hands out­ Y

automobiles roa re d into the c ou rty ard , stretched, tingers crooked like talons.
automobiles filled with arme d soldiers. Schwartz' voice was hoarse. " �o ! Xot
A German in a S pan i h Loyalist uni­ you ! Keep a ay, Collins, keep a\\"ay !"
5 \\"

fo rm glared at him, motioned toward h i s The gun boomed . Collins swayed, hal f
gun t he n ran for a bal o ny . Col l i n s fell, then laughed. "They took my eye,
c

heard h i s g u t t ur l Spanish addressed to Schwartz. on c ount of your cowar­

a a c

the new arriva l s . dice ! 1 \·c lonkd for you for a long
' " \Vhat d o you want, s w i n e ? \' ou t ime."
come for Coronel Schwartz, eh ? You The gun boomed again , b u t Collins
want me to come down ? \Vait, wait, mv d id not sway this t i me. Nervous fingers
friends, I am coming . " had mi s sed , fr ightened nerves had failed.
Coll ins' fingers cl o s d around the thick e

HE(bsregarcled
·
. D A S H E D back into the �-uo m , Te11tonic throat, hi s knee flew into an
_ _
Col!ms, �poke VICiously unprotected groin, his teeth sank imo
to th e woman. " Kow, fool, see w h at flesh . The red l u st to kill g r a bb e d him
yom dum bne ss has clone ! They have again.
come to arrrst nw ! �\ fe, Schwart z ! " He was conscious onc of the woman e

All :he time he fumbled a t a desk claw i n g at his back, beating at his shoul­
d rawer, o p ne d it, \',·ithdrew a grenade.
e ders, saying, "He's dea d ! He's d ea d .
His feet were cat l i k as he made the
e You've kil le d him ! Schwartz, the head
balcony. Col l i n s ' eyes burned as he l i s ­ of our Intelligence ! Get np, get up !"
t !"ned , heard the great b.)oming e:xplo­ But the r e d l ust to kill heavy o nwa s

�ion i n the courtyard be l ow . the screams him ; he throbbed w i t h i t , ra g e d w ith it.

of ag(;ny that soon were stilled. It was lo n g moments before he arose
Flushed, tri um phant, eyes beady with from the tiling that once had been
victory , Coro11rl Schwartz, t he rebel spy Schwartz.
ret urned. _\ gun was in his hand, his
Yoice was filled with glee. " A rre st Coro­ OURS later the plane droned
l!cl Schwartz ? ::\Iy dear, impossibl e ! Th e H th rough the air, Collins a t the con­
plane awaits, we go. You n d I but not a trols. The woman , huddled beside him
your friend. The plane carrie s two, and said softly, "San Sebastian and pe ace .
tw o alon e . " These di spatches del ivered , you and I to­
His smile v. a s mnck i n g . be raist"d t h e gether, together." He Slll i krl grimly
gun. and headed t h e l
p an e n orth. Presently
Collins sai d , " S cl1\v a r t z , Schwart z . re­ she slept.
mernbt-r me ?" The G e rman p':'erecl r Co n l i11 ued on page 127 )
 By
LEW DEVIL
�IEBRILL

TRAIL

Bill knew they were in for it

u:hen his companion mur·
dered the chief to get the
latter's young toife. But the
jungles of Madagascar gave
them more trouble
than they expected
in their search for
the white queen

ILL '
H e quickened his pace, flung open the

B
WINCHELL heard R:mava s
muffl.ed cry coming from the in­ tent flap, and saw the Honorable Howard
side of the tent, as he strode back, Thring, about as d runk as he usually
weary after an afternoon's unsuccossful got at that hour of the day, pawing at
hunt for game in the Madagascar Ranaya's kitam by, the apron that covered
j unglcs ; and he guessed what was the lower part of her body from waist
happening. to heel. Her little j acket, which the
40
 The priest raised hill voice in a challenge while the girl
drained the gourd.

Honorable Howard had alread\· suc­ Ranava, who was old Kito's w ife , and
ceeded in ripping o ff, was lyi ng· .on the she had always been garbed with the iu­
grass, ba ri n g the upper part of her body. st i nc ti ve modesty of the high-class Mala­
It was perfect golden-brvwn of
a gasy. The sight qu ickened his own
Woma nhood, with full b rea st s ft rm a�
, b lo od . But h e knrw i t w as n t ' a light
a young white girl's and waist and h i ps matter to tamper with ole\ Kito's wife,
of flawless contour. even though the chief wa3 probably
B il l w as n t any saint. He hadn't seen
' asleep, intoxicated with smoking native
a woman since they left Anta.nana riYo. hemp.
the capital . three weeks before. except \Vhen Bill bunt i n . the Honorable
42 Spicy-A.dventure Storiea

Howard had almost succeeded in tear­ and I'm damned lf I can see why I
i ng away the kitamby. Sleek, round ed shouldn't have some diversion. These
limbs, only partially covered, tape red hellish forests-three weeks hacking our
down to bare slender ankles and small, way through them-"
arched feet ; and the Venus of Milo ' ' Old Kito said we ' d reach the temple
hadn't a nyt hing on Ranava . in three days more . You've got to pull
Bill dropped his hand on the Honor­ yourself together, old man . Remember,
abl e Howard's s ho ul de r and spun him Kito's a chief, one of the A Hdriana, the
around, fo rci ng him to release the girl, nobles-"
who, s n a tch i n g u p her j a cke t, fled. ''That's h i s 5tory . "
" Don't be a damn' fool, Thring. I ' ' He wouldn't dare �port that scarlet
warned yo u to leave that girl alone." umbrella if he w a s n 't . And the A ndria 1za
" Damn you, you inte rfe r ing Yank, don ' t like having their wome n tamp e red
\Vhat business is it of yours ? " snarled with. Furthermore, Kito's the only man
th� Engl ishman. who can guide us to that temple. God
"It':> m y j o b to see y o u don't g et your kno w � . he may he lyin g ! But \vhy d i d
w i re s crossed, e5pecial ly wh e n you're he sef·k m o m in A n tananarivo, w!1en he
d runk." got w ind of ,1ur p!ans ?"
"Curse you � · · The Hon or abi e How­ ''All right, all ri ght," gro w l ed
ard staggered towa rd the entrance. Bill Thring. " Have a peg, Winchell, and
pushed him d own upon his stretcher, stop grousing like an old ,.,·oman a l l the
where he sat giaring. time. Damn it, these nat i v e women be­
"I bro ught you along to work for me, long to anybody who wants them ! She
after you were left st r anded in Tamatave, was j u st t rying to be coy , when you in­
when that bot a ni cal expedition coll a p s e d. terfered. you fool !"
Vv'hat were yon ? A tramp ! H e ll, all you He staggered to his ieet, took up the
had in the \vorld was a ring-tailed lemur. w h iskey bottle, and poured himsel f out
If you don't like my ways, go back ! I ' m a fuil glass. He drained it. sneered ven­
sick to death of you ! " the En g l i shm a n omously at Bill. and col l apsed npon h i s
finished. 1tretcher.

ILL ILL went outside.

B
a
B
r ol led cigarette and waited Thring wasn 't a
till the Englishman's fl ow of speech plea sa nt personality. High in t h e
had subsided . " !\ow I 'm goi ng to put it n o rt h loonvcd the great peaks, among
to y o u straight, Thring,'' he said. ''\Ve're 'vhich the temple was supposed to be. A
on a j ob that's goin g to need all o ur short d i st�nce a wa y , the three natives
judgment. Y ou ' w got to cut Dut the were preparing the ev en ing meal of rice.
booze, and you've go t to leave Ranava manioc, a n d yams. Always rice, manioc,
alone. If I l eft you, you know \vhat and yams. Le m u rs a nd aye-ayes consti­
w oul d happen to you. A few specks of tuted c.lmost the e n t ire fa una of �Iada­
on e of their native p oisons ;n your gasc:\r, and B ill h adn 't got to th e point
manioc, a n d- l i gh t s out ! So I'm not of e atin g tht m . The natives \\'lluldn 't,
goin g to quit. :'\ow, are yon go i n g to hecau<C' they had a �ort of mysterious
lis ten to reason ?" lemur worship.
"Oh hel l , I know you're right," Thring On the edge of the forest Bill co u l d see

mumbled. " That girl gets me, though, the Sl'a rlet 11mbr�Jla of the old o:-hief,
 Devil Trail 43

erected above him, and Ranava squatting
besi de him, tending him. Bill
Thring . Certainly he was an unpleasant
person, and a damn fool too . The Mala­
gasy were not warlike, but they had a
knowledge of poisons that would make
the pharmacopoeia look silly.
The whole scheme had been prepos­
They had been travelling three weeks
cursed through a d istrict that no white man had
ever penetrated.
ILL ate a little rice that night, but
B left the manico and yams. Though
he was worried, h e was tired out by his
long trip into th e j ungle. That was why

terous, but the rumor that Molly Thring he slept so soundly. It was a distant
had survived the murder of her father, hubbub, and then a scream, that brought
the m i � sionary, had reached England, him suddenly to his feet. The full moon,
and brought Thring to Madagascar. shining through the open flap of the
Molly's father, a peer of the realm, tent, .showed him that Thring's stretcher
had given up everything to spr�ad the was unoccupied.
Gos p el among the heathen, and Molly Buckling on his belt with his revo!Yer
was a cousin of Thring's with a castle in the holster, thrusting on his boots,
and two hundred thousand pounds in Bill ran out into the moonlight. Those
the probate courts-a million dollars. screamg were Ranava 's. In the d istance
Thring , a typ ical ne'er-do-well, of B ill could see a little group at the edge
good family, wanted t o get his hands of the forest. Then Thring's revolver
on that money, ei ther by finding l\folly barked once, sharply.
and marrying her, or by proving her B i l l yelled and raced toward the spot.
dead. H e had told B il l so, when he w as A s he ran, he saw the three natives
drunk. break away and run into the fo re st .
In A ntananarivo the rumor ran of a On the ground lay old Kito, his head
white girl chosen to guard the t reasures something Bill didn't want to look at
of the dead queen of l\1adagascar, until twice . Clutched in one hand was �- knife.
she returned from the gods to reigti And, if this didn't tell the story, there
again. A white girl, ruling a district was Thring, roaring drunk, swaying and
where women were supreme, a matriar­ laughing ov e r Ranava, who crouched,
chate such as exists in Madagascar and clad only in her kita mby, up on the
many other odd corners of the world, ground, b Ult i ng her breasts and wailing
such as the Uni ted States . bitterly.
Bill had been frank enough to advise Thring swung about as Bill came
Thring not to believe the story, but he running toward h i m . "Too late this time,
ha d been glad of the j ob, after the ex­ Sky-pilot," he j eered. He a i med the
pedition of the western university
- had revolver unsteadily. "Keep back ! " he
fold ed up and left him stranded. warned.
Thring had babbled when he was Bill's leap was like a panther's. The
dr unk . Hence old Kito, who professed revolver exploded, and Bill felt a .s t ing
to kn ow the site of the temple, his wife, across his hip. Then his right fist con­
Ranava, and the three native bearers. nected with Thring's jaw, and Thring,
They h a d slipped r"tt of t h e capital after totter e d , sagged, and fell flat upon the
Captai n Lamaitre, the military com­ grou n d , completely out.
s te rnly informed them t hat
llla ndant, had Vvith a scream , Ranava flu11g herself
the expedition could not be permitted. upon the body of the dead chief, kiss ing
44 Spicy-A.dventure Storie8

the lower part of the face, crooning, and "You'd · be,st eat something first." He
brushing the body with her ivory breasts. pushed the pot toward him, with the
Bill to u ch e d her on the shoulder. "I'm unsavo ry mess of manioc from the eve­
sorry," he said awkwardly, in French. ning before, dipped out a portion on his
''Gold sh all be p ai d for the killing, and own plate, and swallowed the stuff. But
the murderer pu n ish ed accord ing to the Th r i ng only backed into a corner.
white man's co d e. Call bac k the bearers, ''Listen, Winchell," he whined, ' ' talk
and in the mornin g we'll bury the chief reason. My n e rve ' s gone, d amn it. I'll
beneath h i s umbrella." be better after another drink."
He poured out all that was l e ft in the
and gulp ed down the contents of
B
I LL d ragged Thring back into the bottle
tent. The Englishman was u ncon­ his glass .
scions, t ho ugh more from w h i skey than ' ' Old man, as he ll , but
I 'm sorry
the knockout. For the rest of the night there's done abont it now.
nothing to be
B ill watched him, and l i s tened to his I wa� crazy d runk, and crazy about that
stertorons breathing. gi rl . You can't play a trick on me like
\V hen TT1ring became conscious , that. " And, seeing Bill's implacable
sho rtly a fter dawn, B il l 's rem ark s were face, " Damn you," he screamed, "give
short and to the point. me back my gun , and I 'll shoot it out
"You· re a d a mn cur, " he said, "and I w ith you . "
,-,ught to haw shot you. I'm going to re­ · · You'd best get your th i ngs together,"
port the nmrder to the authorities at
said B i l L ' ' I 'm going to tie your h ands
Antananarivo. You're comi n g hac!; as bthind your back."
my prisoner."

HEspeak.
" God, I u i dn 't m ean to kill him,''
wondered why it was so difficult to
wailed Th r i ng . ''I d idn't know what I
A curious lethargy was
was d o ing. Give m e a drink."
coming over him, the result, no doubt,
B ill poure.d out a stiff onP. Tliring
of the little sl e e p he had had th e night
was all i n . "You can ex pl a in all that to
before.
:he court , ' ' Bill s ai d , after Thring had
<!rained his glass. ·•y ou rlirty bully of a Yank , ' ' snarled

" �ly God, W i nchelt, you 're not going Thring, "I 'll get even with you. You'll
ucwr get me to Antananarivo."
to do t h is , just b e ca u se I killed that old
nig"ger ? \Vhy, we're nearly at th e He stooped , as i f to pick up his carry­
temple. There may be je\vels there. all, then suddenly dived beneath the
They say the old queen's crown-" bottom of th e tent and vanished.
" Pack what you mean to carry," Bill Bill sta ggered to his feet and drew his
i n terrupted tersely. " I guess those na­ gun . \Vith an immense c tTort he made
t ives won't he back." his way to t h e entrance. The wo r ld was
H·.> \V ent to the tent door and looked r eel i ng a b ou t him . ::-.Jea r ing the edge of
out. He called, but no one answered , and the forest he saw Thri ng runni!lg. He
there was no sign of either Ranava, sa w t w o Thrings, th re e of t hem . H e
Kito's body, or the umbrella. \Vhen he tried to d raw his gun, but h i s hand re·
went back, Thr ing w a s stand ing, sti l l in fuseu to function.
a daze ; he had not begun to pack. Thring looked back from the e dge of
"T �aid IYe're •;tarting," said Bill . tiH" fore �t. and waved l1 i s arm derisively.
 Devil Trail 45

Bill tried to follow, then suddenly found

himself lying on the ground.
� \. 1 � God, he knew now what had happened
-- to him ! The manioc had been poisoned

\ by the natives, the master-poisoners of

the world, in revenge for Thring's at­
tack upon Ranava the afternoon before.

1'briDa •oodover the girl who knelt weep­

iDg by bee dead husband.
 Spicy-Adventure Stories

And Bill had been lon g enough in woman, and dared not retu rn to the
Madagascar to know that the poison temple to get the royal crown . Then
used by the Malagasy is certain deat h . when the people chose the white girl t�
He d ropped and lay staring up at the b(; their priestess, Kito told me I must
sun, which seemed to blaze in a ring o f return, to claim my rightcS.
suns from a l l quarters of the heavens. " B ut no w I no longe r wish to return,
Then a blur of darknes s came slowly for Kito is dead, and I am your woman."
weav ing over the blue. Bi l l knew Simply and gravely Ranava pressed
nothing mo re . the warm l en gth of her body to Bill and
gave him her lips.
"NOW you are better. Now you will Bill groaned as her arms -closer:! about·
soon be well." his ne ck . Whatever the nature of th e
The voi ce V\'<ls a woman's, the speech antidote t h at Ranava had given him, he
the soft, l i q uid tones in which the Mala­ had never felt stronger or m o re virile
ga�y Spt'ak the French language. tha n then. A nd the warmth of her, the
B i l l opened his eyes . He was lying scent of her, as she seemed to melt into
on the ground in si d e the tent, and his a rm s , was swttping ev er; scruple
RanaYa was crou ching be side him. She away.
was \vearing only her kitam by, and as Her mouth was a devouring fl ame. " I

she l ean ed clo�e, the touch of her soft l ove yon, I love you," she whi spered,
breasts was wil.rm a gai nst his chest. b etween gusty sighs. "I loved yon since
There w as a bitter, pung�nt taste in I saw you first. That was why I hated
Bil l ' s mout h . T�1ring. Now you ar e mine ! "
' 'Those � w i n e poisoned me," he whis­
pe r ed . 1.,\1\'0 days later, a t dawu, B i l l saw
"I d i d not know.'' m u rmured Ranava. the rugged , flat-topped peak, arising
"After they ran away I made a hole in out of the j ungl e . For two days he and
the ground. w i t h a stick, and lai d Kito Ranava had gone forward, Ranava
in it. Then I and saw the
c re p t back !Shouldering her sh ar e of the eq uipment
tent \Vas still standing. For a l on g time with t he strength of a man.
I was afraid. At last I came, and found Bill had gone forward against the
yoll almH.', lyi n g upon the g ro u n d a.s if , gi rl 's urgent pleas, but, when she saw he
dead. I ran to pi c k the h erb that cures was determined, she refused to forsake
one of the poi son , and gave i t to you. him.
Now you will get well. The stories that she told him, in her
"And, since I saved your life , vou will halt ing French, sou n d e d incredible. A
make me your woman after the manner matriarchate, a society in which women
of the white men, will you not ? For I were supreme, as am o n g the Hovas
am a pri nce ss of the Hova people, and I befor e the French conq uest . The cere·
know th� temple where the m�ma mys­ mony of the new moon, when the
teri es are performed. I am the grand­ priestess, drugged with a potion, mu st
daughter of the qu e e n , Ranava!ona. yield to any man daring enough to co urt
"\Vhen the French c onq ue re d the her. Death for him, by torture, if sh e re­
co un tr) I fle d from the t e mpl e , to fol­
, jeCled him. If she accepted him, :1 month
low her, but the French sent her across uf bliss, of royal honor s-ancl t h e n death
the bl a ck water. :mel so I become Kito's j ust thf' �arne.
 Devil Trail
The man must be a stranger. And for
y rs it w.as known . no man had �en­
ea
tured withm the terntory of the prtest-
ess.
"\Vh ether she chooses you or rejects
you, you must die," wailed Ranava.
"Ah, you are already lost to m e . "
"I'll never leave you," B ill swore as
he held her in his arms at night. "I'll
beat that tabrl. Th e white man is not
bound by it. "
He believed he meant it. For America
seemed very far away, and Ranava was
lovely and de�i rable, a n d there was no
African blood in t h e Malagasy.
But that last night of their j ourney
was the night of the new moon.
Bill had insisted on completing the
journey, in part out of sheer doggedness,
but largely bcca u ;: e he strongly suspected
that the Honorable Howard Thring
would be found at his destination. They
had gathered enough from old Kito to
be fairly su re of the location of the
temple, and Thring badly wanted the
little cousin's money, not to speak of
the crown and jewels of the ex-queen.
But of course the \'vhole tale was fan ­
tasy. Bill would be ready to call it a
day when he had Thring in his hands
again, to take him back to the capital to
stand trial for the killing of old Kito.
THERE was no longer any mystery
as to the location of the temple . for,
as they ascended the lower slopes of the
flat-topped peak, there cam e to their ears
the distant c ries of the mana wor­
shippers, blending i nto an indescribable.
discordant sound , blood-chil ling as it
ran g thro ugh t he stunted poinciana
trees, whose pendant flo wers hung like
bunch es of hlack grape in the l ight of
s cent re . There was something that looked
the tiny feather of a moon, j ust visible
1 overh ea d
•
f
Ranava grasped Bill's arm. "Now-
47
now, before it is too late, let us turn
back," she pleaded.
".Nothing doing to that," said Bill­
or, rather, its French equivalent. ''I'm
going to see this thing through. Huh,
I 've got two gun s here, and I g u e:;s these
1\-Ialagasy will find plenty po i s on in
them . "
"Then kiss me-kiss n:1e � · · Ranava
pleaded.
Bill put his hands under her arms and
felt her tremble be neath the little open
jacket. He slid his arms about her,
hugged her close. felt her go limp he­
neath his caress. Ranava sighed heavily.
Bill kissed her, felt her a clinging fire in
his embrace.
"�ow we've got to forget t he love
business, Ranava," he said. '' Dump t h is
stuff here, and wait for me. I 'll be hack,
don't worry . "
He deposited h i s load a l ittle below
the edge of the plateau . Ranava dropped
hers, and Bill made her sit on i t . ' ' I 'll
be back,'' he repeated , and moved for­
ward through the velvet night toward
the flat summit, from which the monot­
onous chanting carne.
Now he could see, in the starlight. a
ring of figures moving, with arms inter­
locked, ahout a small structure in their
m id s t . The top of the p l at ea u was bare,
except for some palm and tree-fern scrub
that had contrived to find lodgment
among the rocks. Bill went down on his
hands and knees, skirted the approach,
and lay down at the edge of the scrub,
looking at the scene before h i m .
OUDER grew t h e chorus of the
L dancing figures, wilder their move­
ments about the little structure in til('
l ike a flat-topped stone in front of it, and,
in front of that, Bill saw a woman
seated.
 48 Spicy.A..dventure Stories

She was slender, and nude, save for the gou rd to he r . For the first tim e she
a short kitamby that looked like grass or sti rre d . She took it, rai sed i t to her lips,
fibre, about her waist and loin s . But and drained the c on t en t s . The pri es t
11pon her head a circlet glowed an d scin­ raised h i s voice in a bull bf:'l l ow of chal­
tillated, and sent fo r th flashes of red , lenge, or defiance, and , as the echoe s
and blue, and gre e n . rolled am o ng the rocks, the drum� began
It was the cro wn of Queen R ana ­ a wild tattoo.
valona ! e
The pri s t entered the structure be­
t
All Bill's a t t e n i o n wa:; concentrated hind the girl, and returned, leading
011 that motionless figure, sea te d on wh at Th r i ng .
he co ul d now see was a tree-trunk, in

THH.ING's ankles �vere

front of the tem pl e . He crawled nearer,
bonud by a
neare r . The wild, leaping figures .
short length of tw ted rope, and h1s 1s
s eem e d una\', are of h i s approach. And arms str ap p e d to his s i d e . A s he came
1hen he perceived that the flat-t0pped forward, agai n the cro wd began its caper­
stone was some �ort of altar.
ing. But now thei r fran tic movements
He gained the shelter of a great bou l ­
were bestial, o r gi a s ti c . Propelling them­
d e r , and p e e r e d o u t . He cou l d s e e the
selves upon t he i r toes and knuckles, they
w o man p lain ly now. It was-God ! it
gamboled about l\1 oily l i k e great apes.
was a white woma u , seated th er e , a girl,
There was s omething hideousiy sug­
mot ionles::; as a statue. Smal l , girlish
gestive of ape s or monkeys .1s they
breast " . a thron t and shoul der.� fo r a
circled her in a fantastic ring. Or le­
sculptor, sl en de r waist and thiells that
murs ! Bill understood . T h e s e were the
the kite 111 by revealrcl in all th e i r beauty,
Htana mysteries, i n which the lemur, the
rathe r than concealed.
ta:rsius, a sub-species of m on ke y peculiar
Bill drew in a Jeep breath. The stm)'
was
was true. It ;va s ?vfolly Thring, the
to Madagascar,
worshipped.
symbol ized and

prieste s s of these savages. Suddenly the

Bill crawled n ea r e r . Unnoticed, he
yearning toward a '>v o man of his own
gained another boulder. He co ul d see
race grew mighty i n him.
he knew that he co ul d never go
In an in stant
native Mol l y ' s fa ce cl ear ly now. The hellish
potion that had been given her was work­
with poor Ranava.
ing. H e r face was changing from the
Drums were thumpi ng, and the chorus
pure and innocent ser en i t y of a wh i t e
ro se to a w i ld , shrill wail of t r iumph .
gi rl into that of a woman u nde r the spell
Then suddenly all m o v em e nt ceased.
of inordinate impul se.
Then, from the midst of th e crowd,
\vh i ch had frozen into complete im­ She was n s mg, m ov i ng forward
m ob i li ty, a single figure a pproached the slowly on little bare feet, her small
gi rl . breast s s way i ng, her hips un dul a tin g. Bill

It \va s that of a very old n a t i v e , b o we d felt a sickening hate, a desire to crush

w ith years. He w o r e a salaka, or l oin­ out the whol e mon st r ous grou p as men

cloth, of lemur sk ins , w i th a g rot esque in olden times d e stroyed witches an d

iemur tail that swept the ground, and a warlock s .
grinning lemur skull was on hi s head. Again t h e d r u m s h a d ceased. The
In his right hand he c a r r i e d a tiny gourd. galloping savages can1e to a halt, still on
He approach ed the girl and handed their hands a n cl kne e s . A II gron ped
 Devil Trail 49

Ranava pulled back

from Thring and
whipped up the
knife.

themse lves ab out the two figures, There was something so piteou sly
Watch ing them . horrible in the gi r l ' s face, quivering
Thring had been untied and now he u n der the st imub t ion o f t h e drug. that
and f..I o l l v watched each ot her face t o B il l , n o w clutch i n g a revolver i n e i t h e r
1face in a . silence m o r e terrific than the . han d , f e l t as i f h e \•:ere palsied, and h e
: . Yells and the thudding of the drums had could t h ere,
l. been . stomach,
only
and
l ie
watch.
prone
He knew
on his
w hat
50 S picy-Adveutrtre Storie8

t h i s si len t wa t ch i ng meant. l\Iolly was h i s lips in a frenzied scream as he sprang

to d ec id e whether she would take Thring to h i s feet and hurled h i m s elf into the
fo r her ma te-·-t h e first man, by all odds, mid s t of the circle, a gun i n ei ih e r hand.
who had entered the d i strict from outside ' ' Stand back, you swine ! ' ' he bawled, in
s in ce she was a child. h e al t h y Anglo-Saxon, as he leaped be­
For, j u st before the hel l i � l t d ru g began t 11·een M olly an d Thring, at the s ame
to uke effect , Bill had seen the girl's t i me dealing the latter a b u ff et that sent
face, ami he knew, as surely as he k new him reeling backward .
any thing, t h at this h ad ne\'C',. happened
to h e r b e for e . OR a moment there \\'as cleacl silence.
F Then some of t he savages turned to
JT \V A S on l y six years s i nce \lolly's flee at the si gh t o f the second white man .

..11. father hac\ been murdered. s : ,,• m u st They wa \'ered , surged to and fro, .,\· hi l e
! m\'c bee n at le2.st t \\ e\ y e - ycar.s "f age Bill heard h imself shouting, shrieking,
:tt t h at t i m e . Til<' Y e ne c r of �a·c · : : r�ry tkeatl"n i n g . Thring h ad staggered hack.
could not l l a \'C ckstroyed her c: ;:er :mel sto o d crouching. eyein g him maln ·

memories. But B i l l could �·� c chat �he "k ! : t ly. :\lol l �· , :15 if she \\·ere unaware
was stupefied hy the d r ug t h at the old of B i l l 's JWCSC IICe. stood be�ide him, \\'i t l l
priest had giv en h e r . She wa� i g·norant arms u p rais e d .
of w he r e she \va s . or what �he \\':lS ?\ext moment the ol.cl priest bad
doing. sprung into th:::o mid st of h i s fLlll ower�.
Sur\c!enl�·, \Yith a cry, s h e flu:,g her­ :=.cream ing. They turned. Kniws
self into Th r i n g s ' nrms. gleamed i n their h and s whipped from
,

T h e d r u m s beat a n d a fearful yell their l n i n -clnt h s . They l e a ped at B i l l .

\Ye n t up from t h e ass�.· mb!cd s;l\·ages. and B i ! l · s gnn cracked.
And still Bill m1itecl. He h;td sense Six shots . each tak ing its toll, plough ­
en o u g h to real ize that he must ch;!ose ing a bloody furrow into the p<�.cked
his moment beinre h ud i n g h i mscl i sin £;k­ ma�,;e,,. A. n d s i x m o re , fired into the
hancled i nto the m idst of th·:t c ro 1\'d , midst o f tlw fleeing mob. That was all
stirred to t h e full est c\ C:'pths of ian a t ic i 5 m . the ammu n ition t h at Bill h ad , but it
T h e ol d p r i est s idled forward ancl drew looked as i f n o mo re would be nee d ed .
them ap<trt. Now l\ I o\ ly �toocl n ude in The :\I al aRa�y were run n ing for de<�r
the m o o n l i ght. l ike a \\·h;te sta t u <? , flmr­ l i fe . 2.!1 except t he dead and wounded .
less, perfect. S h e stood hefore T h r i n g and the old priest, \'. ho crouched. gibber­
una �hamcd 1raiting-. Only the w o rking ing. h:::oh ind th e alt2.r.
nf h e r face sho11·ecl the seet h i n g· p,1; s i o n s Tl i l \ seized \
i Iolly h\' the h a n d . Slv;
her.
\Yi t h i n still stoorl then' . m otionles;;, hut, a.' h e
Next moment b l i n d fur:: fi l l e d B i l l' . .; pu\led h e r s h e toppL·d ami sank upon
,

heart. He t1' 1 flerstood \': h : , t the e\-il cen'­ h e r kn ;:>e�. B i l l s t oope d to raise her in
m o n y w a s to h e . . . . h i s arms.
And Th:·in !�· \\'a� wi!h1g. \\' i l l i n g· to A st r eak o[ fi re pie rc e d B i l l t h rnugL
lend h i m sc·l f l il such a v i l e thing, t· ' san' the thigh, and h e stumbled . tried to get
his wretched l i fe. \Vi l l i ng to cl ishllll')r up. and S:l\\' an arrow fast in the flesh .
I\I o l l y . a w!!itc girl , a d r t ! g·��·�"d gi rl , be­ Th e n, as h e groped for stance, suddenly
fore these savages ! a tig-ure hurled itself npon him. It was
B i l l h o:· a r d h i s own voice hre:.tk from Thring, pinning· him down , shoutiug to
 Devil Trail 51

the savages to come and capture him . leav in g Bill s t anding over Ranava, and
He was s houti ng in English, but his ::\lolly close beside him.
meaning wa s unmi stakable. A fresh Bill raised Ranava in his arms and

ch orus of howl s came from the edges o f carried her into the temple. He l a id her

the plateau . down, went back for Molly and ied her
Thring dashed his fists into Bill's in. She sank d mvn in a stupor i n front
face, t umbl ing him backward. Curses of one of the monstrous carven idols
broke from h i s l i ps . ''I 've got you now, that were ranged about the interior of the
you di rty Yank ! " he shriekt(l. He bn ildi ng.
snatched up one of the guns that had "Bill ! " whi spered Ranava fa i n tly.
falle n from Bill's hands, and struck h i m Bill bent over her. With his fingers he
across the head. tried to wipe a\vay the blood that was
The worl d swam dizzily before B i l l ' s gushing from her mouth. She tried to
eyes. Then t h e Jlalagasy were upon him. put her arms about him, hut thev fell
Like a jack-in-the-box, the priest popped back, hel pless, and B ill h el d her close to
out from behind the altar. Bill was l i fted him.
and deposited upon the flat six feet of " I die , Bill. I t i s well , for the brown
stone. Knife uprai sed, the priest stood people cannot mate with t h e white, and
over h im , howli ng an incantation, while you \Yould have grown tired of me."
the drums thundered, and Bill struggled "No, no, R a n a va. I love you. I 'm going
m va m . to marry yon in the white man's way,
and yo u ' r e going to get well . "

QUT o f t h e crowd a figure broke- I n the moonbeam entering through

R<man. She flung hers( I f at the temple entrance Bill c o ul d �ee the
Thring, knife in hand . It fla�h e d . � n d , flicker of a.on Rana.ya' s face.
smile
with a sh out of horror . he reeled hack­ "I d i e-no w , Bill. I am glad-we
ward, cl a ppi n g his hands to his chest . toYed . Perhap:=;-in the h ea ven where­
Agai n , again , l ike a fury the gi rl -.tabbed there are no--whites-or browns-we
and hacked , u n til the "· ri thin g thing at 'hall meet again . Kiss-me-once:: mere,
he r feet had c e e� s e d to g r oa n : .1nd lay, Bil l . "
mere inanim:tte clay, among the blood­ Bill pt-c�sed his l ips to Rm�ava's. It
spattered rocks. 'vas her la�t sigh that he rece.ived.
As hi s cnptors relaxed their grasp. Bill He left the dead girl nnd went to
managed to gain his feet, but not i n :\ l ol ly . She we�s unconscious, breathing
ti me . A s Ranaya s t ood O\'er the bodv o f softl y . He !coked at the enticing, half
the s h i n man . t h e old priest sidled for­ nude body. at the �oft breasts and
ward . e�nd in lwrrnr Bill sa \\· the knife rounded l imbs, and he knew that, since
pa s s t h ro ugh Ranaya's body and p oi n t he was a man, with h i s life to l i ve , he
<"merge unclrr one hreast . must forget Ranava..
Then B i l i wa,; npo:1 h i m l i ke a wild H e 'wn t ont : he picked u p a n d placed
beast, snatched the blood stained knife about:-Inlly pnor R a nava ' s j acket. And
fr o m the priest's ha n d . and drove it he brought back QtteeH Ran avalona' s
thro ugh his thro at. crown, "·h ich had d ropped he3i<.le the
He fd! , hi� bubbling shriek cut off bv altnr.
d eat h . Thnt \\"as eno�tgh for the Mal ­ � Su d den l y rifle-fire b r oke out some­
gasy. \Vith howls of terror, they bolted , (Co ntimml 011 page 122)
 ME S S AGE
Betraying the notorious Sir Henry Morgan was dangerous,
but this girl of old San Cristobal wanted only to save her
sweethec1rt. Then she found that betrayal can work both
ways

HE Spa in'•

T
big, bl ond-bearded l ieu tenant r uffian's tavern of night:: in
was very d runk. And t he tale iartherest-Hung outpost of San Cristob al.
he was telli!lg t he duk-cyed ;; i rl Lithe, bright -hamlan na-cd Car ibs ;

enormou sly. H
acr o s s the rough deal table amused him
e chuckled i n t :J h i s flagon
o f chicade-maize, pay i ng scant attention
huge, n o s e - r i n g ed \Vest Indian blacks :
hawk-nosed Spanish sol d i ery ; they filled
the smoky, low-ceilinged room i n cu rs ­
to the red, roaring· hell t ha t filled such a i ng, j o stling tumult. The bearded one
to MOR GAN
By GUY RUSSELL

'(\ 1," I1;1//f

I /

�
�
�
�

As Blake strJJck the soldier, the

Spaniard with the lantern cried:
"Bind him!"

pulled deeply at the flagon and wiped his to\\·n, it seems to me that a Spanis h
chin with a hai rv-hancl . He leaned over officer would have scant cause of m irth . "
the t able and lat;ghed agai n . " Hah, b u t t h a t i s why I l augh . " He
"Wh y d o I l a u g h , l i t t l e one ? ' ' He winked, drunkenly. ' ' ?-.iorgan only r i sks
reached for the girl ' s ti gh t , s i l ken bodice. his bl ooocly p i rate's neck this close to our
She pull e d awav, guns because he knows that
' black e ves
- fla�hing cli s - Adm iral De
dainfullv.
- Vaca has taken the fleet to Cartagena.
,) "Yes, Do n Jaime," she repeated coolly, He thinks to catch us asleep."
why do you laugh ? vV ith Sir Henry ''As he has," she said, shortly. "Every­
._hiorgan's fleet within gun-shot of the nne knows that De Vaca has sai led for
 HE pushed t
S the rear o f
Cartagena. Why should not M or gan h r o u gh t h e crowd t o\\· a
r d
know it ?" She al l b
th e tavern.
" l\Iorgan thinks he kno\VS everything. felt th e Spaniard 's eyes hot upon h e r lu
h i ps and she s l ipp e d from sigh t b e hi nct
�
J us t as you do, chi q u i t a . B ut you're both
wrong. De Vaca d i d not go to Car­ a knot of s a il o r s lest their provo cati ve
tagena ! " roll should i n fl ame Don J aim e into fol.
The girl started, imperceptibl) . "He lowing her. One of the sailors dropped
d idn't ?" s h e asked, c arel e s sly . "That a s \v a rthy hand on her shotdd e r. A rib.

was the talk about the tavern." bon gave \vay and a finn, white -cu rved
breast esca pe d from its fl i m sy moo rin gs
" It was m ea n t to be the t al k about the
to gleam , naked and i n v it in g .
t av e rn s . S o th at M orga n would also
She spat at the man in sudd m fury,
hear, and bel ieve. And he would nm

h i s head into the n o os e which w e have

a short, glinting d i rk l eap i n g iro m her
sas h . B ut she had no need to use: it.
prepared fo r h i m . "
Th e black-browed sailor felt steel fi ngers
" Noose ? The n oo se for l\I o rgan has
close on h i s out-thrust wrist in a bone
no t yet been woven," sh e sai d , contempt­
c racking g ri p. S n a rl i n g, he w hir l e d to
o u sly.
f a ce cold , grey eyes a bo v e a tall, wide­
"Ho ho ! " the Spaniard chuckled. shouldered bo d y.
" That's what I\ L organ thinks. But to­ "Let the girl he, fr i en d," his captor
morrow \V t' 'I! surprise him. \\' he n his a d v i se d h im, quietly. The grey-eyed man

men arc ashore and De Vaca falls upon was d re ssed i n the same rougl1 seaman's
his ships from the sout hward." Llouse a n d w i de - fl ar i ng trousers. Dut
" Soutll\\·ard ? But you s aid that t he there was t h at in his lean , hawk-no.,cd
fleet d i d n o t go to Cartagena ! I fea r face and level eyes that compelled
your boast;; come from the belly of that obedience.
fla g on , Don Jaime." Hot, black eyes tried to meet those
X ettl e d , he whispered, " D runk I may level ones and fell away. ' ' I meant the
be, but De Vaca d i d not go to Ca r tage na . \\'ench no harm," the sw a rt h y man mut­
Set sail for t he r e , pe rh aps , !Jut-he \\'Cnt tere d . H i s wrist released, he turn ed back
no farther than I\Ianzanilla Point ! " to his drink.
The girl s\\'ished away w i thout a word
S h e shrugged. ' ' \V ell, ' t i s i n t e re stin g ,
nf thanks. B ut t h e re was some obs cure
Do n Jai m e . But o f no i mpo rtance to
! l l e .; sage in th e fleeting glance she t h rel\'
me.'' R i s in g from the table, she said,
her rescu e r . He d ra ine d his t1agon and,
'' Cnless you s h ould Lring me the mon­
t o s s i n g a coin on the t a!Jl e made hi s wa)'
s t �ous j ewel , a f ter you have caught I'.Ior­
to th<: door.
·:; J ! l i n yom noose, wh ich 'tis said he
Out i n t h e ve!YCty t rop ic d a rkne ss . th e
wear s in h i s neckerchi e f . "
tall man st r o de , h i s big body m oYing
Don Jaime caught at h e r \Hist. G!ad­
,; i lent I y as a cat · s, past a group ot· clan 1 '-
• ''

iy-i f you'll take me \vith you now ."

ing so l di er s , off to change the g uard at
She pressed a fi rm t h i gh against his Lhc wha r f. At an al l e y - w ay around th�
;houlder but t\l'istecl ay.- ay before h i s comer, he s hot a s w i ft glance up an

cl utching hands co u ld hold her. "After down the dim-lit street and stepped i nto
I J a i m e ," she said, the black shadows oi t he allev's
. mo u t h ·
get the j ewel, Don
.
laughing. ··I trust not your promises.' ' He had do ubl e d back until he was beh m
d
 A Message to Morgan 57

the taY e rn and waited there, his back to flame ag a i nst his. ''I'll be back ," he
t he rough bole of a great palm . promi sed , thickly. "As soon as t he mes­
She came all in a rush . Almost before s age has gone. Do you wait for me."
he heard the rustle of silk in the gloom,
soh arms ,,-e,-e about his neck and hot,
seeking l ips glued themselves to his
TEAR ING
left the a ey ll
himself away fro m he r, he
. In the street, a squat,
mouth. Round, firm breasts set t i ngli n g o ne - eye d m an i n fhe sa m e rough dress
fi re to his skin as the ir warm flesh fell into step. " \Vhat l ea r ned you from
burned t h r ough his thin shirt ; and h e the j ad e ? '' he growled.
felt the trembling o f h e r long, t apering " Call her 'j ade' agai n and I'll jam a
legs as the l engt h o f her th r obbing body thumb i n t o the one eye you h av e l e ft,
,yas h ugged to him. rascal , " B l ake laughed at him. " B ut t h e
' ' Rosa ! " he chuckled. "Do those eat's S pan i s h dogs try to trick us, Dick. Old
eyes of yours never make a mistake i n De Vaca d i d no t go to Ca r t agena , as we
the clark ? D i d y ou attack som e wandcr­ heard. He Jays Lack to M anzan i l la, wait­
i:Jg Spa ni a rd in th i s fas h ion , you ' d not ing until we at tack the town and our
b::! used so ge nt l y , I can tell yo u ! " decks are stripped of men."
, ; Do not talk so, Roger," she mur­ B l ack R ichard, the h nge, bull-muscl ed
mured against his cheek. "Do you think gi an t who led the cutlassed cut-throats
I ' d no t know you, i f I hac! no e yes at of H e nry l\I o rg a n's terrible boa r d in g­
;til ? And I 've worried s o ab o ut you. I parties, r umb l ed from his thick chest.
was afraid the guard \Yould catch yo u . " · · An d how do you kno w she does not
Rog-er Blake ti ght e ned his arms ab out lie ?"
hu-. ' ' A iew flea-bitte.1 Spaniards trap ' ' l\ot to me, she doesn't lie, Richard.
<t man of l\Iorgan's ?" he sco ffe d . " N ever. She tells me a t such times as all maid:>
H ut-tell me ! \Vhat did the d runke n tell the truth."
rme say ? ' ' ' · Hah ! They lie a s well to their lov­
'
" De \'aca s fleet did n o t g o to Car­ ers as to other men . . . ."
t = ;�ena. They wai t beyond l\Ianzan il l a ' " To h el l with you ! "
Point for yo ur men to come ashore. " For t he sake of your neck , ' ' the thick
Then they will fall u p on your ships." man grumbled, "I hope t h e wench knows
· • ' Sh lood ! " he muttered. "\Ve feared whereof she speaks. \Vhat will l\Ior!!an
�·nne such Spanish trick. \Veil, tha t do ?"
m�ans I \· e got to hurry." "That I don ' t know," Blake said. " B ut
" H urry, R oger ?'' she breathed. "You you g et the news to him, as iast as that
m:·an. you must go--tonight ?" big carcass can pull oars, and let him de­
· ' :\Iorgan m u st be warned," make told cide."
so ftly.
1 : ·: -r ' ' Not that I- want to go, so · · r ?'' Richard par rot t ed . ' ' Do you not
SC()J1.'' return to the s h i p also ? ' '
S h e pressed cl o se ; t h e touch o f her ' ' :\ot I . I have husiness at C r i stobaL"
b t·ca sts, o f her soft, u n dul ant bodv
was a 'Tis rare busillC$� that keeps ;"�n o ffi ­
a rhythm ic , blood-m
addeni ng pr;ssure. cer o f Morgan's ashore i n l'anama this
' ' l t has been so long, Roger. ''
she gasped . night. I hope the Spani a rd � gut you like
' · Can't you come back-to m e ?" a turkey."
H c smashed h i s mouth down on het·s ' ' They'll gn t us all if yo u don't haul
until her answer ing lips became w ri t h i ng
your trouser patches out to 1\'[organ
 58 Spicy-A.dventure Stories

right speedily," Blake •varned h i m , grin­ She pulled a t his head, tiny nails dig­
ning. They came t o a dark, deserted g i ng into his neck, with one hand. The
section o f the wharf. A skiff bumped fingers of the other made little, seeking
against stone facing in the black water paths of fire down his body. " Roger ! ' '
below. Black Richard lowered himself, s h e gasped.
with the agility of a monkey, into it.
"\Vhat shall I tell l\1organ, when he
B shutter cracks grow bri l l iant with the
LAKE watched the sky through the
asks for you," he growled .
"Tell h i m I 've got to put my initials r i s i n g tropic moon. Beside him, Rosa
i n my share of tomorrow's loot. Get murmured, " \\' ill l\1organ still attack
gone ! " the town, Roge r ? ' '
R ichard sheered off with one mighty " That I don't kno w . Sometime. s u r e ­

shove and the skiff d i sappeared seaward. l y . Perhaps not until we have taken care
Blake l istened for a moment to the of the old butcher, De Vaca."
hushed rattle of oar-locks. Sound died Her l ips were soft against hi s cheek.
away to the sucking of waves against " \tV i l l you con 1e to me when he does,
stone piling. Roger ? The t! J(Jllght of :-Iorgan's pi rate!"
frightens me."

T HERE was no shout o f alarm f rc·m

any guarcla costa or thick-witted
Somet hing i n her Yoice rang a warn i n g
bell in Blake's consciousness. B e fore
sentry along the sea- wall . So Blake re­ he could think agai n, the door slammed
traced his step s, sticking close to the sharply open and a lantern's beam
shadows, into San Cristobal . blinded him.
Behind the tavern again, he tapped
The lean, saturnine Spaniard behind
cautiously at the wooden shutter of a
the lantern spoke sharply. " B i nd him � "
certain windo\\' . The shutter swung open
Roger Blake whipped an i r o n fi s t to o n e
and he pulled himsel f up and through
c h i n as soldiers flooded t h e room. The
the narrow opening. vVarm arms came
man went down in a crash of cl a ngin g
up to meet him.
armor, his j aw shattered, but the others
H e strained her yielding bod y to him
bore Blake dom1 before he could strike
and then pulled away the si lken m antle
another blow .
.-:!:=-:h h i s fingers found bet\\·een th em ­

The lantern swung to Rosa, trying

selves and damp, satin skin. They trailed
vainly to cowr i\'ory nakedness with
down her smooth back, to the slim waist­
two small hands.
curve above the flares o f her hips ; hun­
The S pani s h officer bowed to her.
grily he crushed her to him, found hot,
eager lips and ki ssed her until the young " \\'ell done, querida," he said, sardonic­
ally. " S hort of �forgan himself, we
body moulded to his was a writhing
caress of abandon . could ask no better return for our pieces

He felt the naked warmth of her arms o f silver than the great Roger Blake . "

about his neck ; the firm breasts tor­ " Silver ! ' ' she cri e d . Then p;teou s l y ,
tured into flat cush ion s upon h i s che s t .
" '\: o , Roger, n o l BelieYe m e , h e lies."
Blake l i b:d h e r and sank to the cot Her semi-nudity forgotten, she ran t o
with the girl on h i s l ap . .'\ ! most roughly, Blake. H e laughed a n d t ure her arms
he bent his face to the p ul s i n g . slllooth from about his neck. She fell lw.-k
flesh o f her throat. against the cot and lay there. sobbing.
------ �-----

Blake drove her bade with an open-hand"d slap.

59
60 Spicy-Adventure Stories

"Your kni fe, Blake ! " the Spaniard from a warm bed to catch any common
sna pped. sailor. She must have told him who you
A soldier yanked it from B l ake' s sash \Vere. ' '
and offered it, hilt foremost. "It will give " I said she betrayed m e , fo ol . . ,
m e pleasure, some day, to give you such ' 'Then . . . the message, man ! The i n­
a blade, other end first, Don Diego," formation about De Vaca's fleet must be
Blake told him, coolly. false ! "
" I 'm a fraid you'll not live to see that " O f course," Blake said, dully. ' ' Un­
day," the other sneered. " O ut wi t h less l\Iorgan stand s to sea, he is trapped,
hi m . " somehow. They had s om eth i ng devilish
They hustled him roughly out the door i n mind or they would never have ta ke n
and through the sudden quiet, watch ful the trouble to dupe me as they have . "
mob in the tavern. There were men of " ::\ot quite correct, B l ake,'' Don Diego
M o rga n' s in that crowd, Blake knew. Xarvaez spoke from t he arched door­
Which or how m an y, he did not know. way. "The pleasure o f se e i ng you hung
w i l l be well worth my troubl e . "
R osa stood c l o s e to the Spaniard's
B
UT, shackled to a stone pillar in a
dank d ungeon de e p below the great shoulder, h e r face a d i sdainful m as k as
stone fortress of San Cristobal, it she stared coldly at R o ger Blake "It was
seemed h e wou l d have pl e n ty o f t i me i n really \'ery little trouble, Don Diego."
w h i c h to t h i n k of t hat-and other t h ings. she said contemptuously.
Such was the way in wh i c h R oger Blake , "He l ooks n ot much like the dare­
trusted lieutenant of the famed Sir devil Blake o f whom we had heard such
Henry l\I o rgan , h a d been caught, l ike tall tales, does he, chiquita ?'' ::\'anaez
an inexperienced boy , by the lure of siim laughed, pulling her to him. "I think you
legs and a girl"s s o ft breasts. H e c u rsed a nd I will laugh t oget her often as \\·e
h i mself in a g ro w l ing sai l o r ' s l itany until think of him cha i n ed to the " al l like a
breathless. But, in the back o f h i s head runaway slave . Or d a ng l i n g from a
was, a fter all, the saving thought that rope, as he soon will."
Morgan had been \\·arned. " You she-turtle ! " Blake said, slmdy
"Ho ! Such l a ngu age, cockerel ! ' ' a and distinctly, ignoring N a rvae z . " You
deep voice rumbled from the gl oom . il! -;.. m elli n g mother of mangy curs !
" H ow did you happen to run foul of t he \\'hen l\Iorgan ' s n i gge rs have done with
gu a rd ? ' ' you, I ' l l have them lash you across a
' ' Black Richard ! D i d n ' t you reach hogshead and rol l you f rom one end of
:\1 or g an ?'' Cristobal to the other."
' 'Aye," t h e voice chuckled . ' ' But, l i ke Black R ic ha rd roared. "That nimble
a fo o l , I came back to looJ.: a ite r you . brain o i yours has come back to you,
They took me as I stepped a;;hore. B ut Roger. ::..l ay I live to see i t ! ' '
)'Oll-)'O U hav e !lOt told me-" "You won't, ' ' Xar\'aez promised, \\·olf­
" 'Twas the wench, Dick," B!;l].;:e told i shly, turning to leave. But the gi r l
1im, ),it terly. " You may call her j a d e, leaped at Blake in fury. She spat ful l in
ww, to your heart's cnntent. She be­ h i s face and raked a t h i m with mad­
raye d me to Xarvaez . " dened, claw-like fingers. Blake drove her
" Don Diego ! ' ' R i chard breathed. " The away with a careless, open - ha nd edslap
:aptain o f the Guard ! He'd not cl imb and she reeled back into Narvaez's arms.
 A Message to Morgan 61

Puz zled, Roger Blake ·watched the guard try came in and aimed an angry kick at
c<:ptain drag her, screaming with rage , his rib s .
from the dungeon. That blow had neYer Dlake h a d measured his d i stance. F lat
t ouched her ! on his back , he lay at t he utmost limit
of the chains fastened to his wrists. He
drove his r igh t foot up at the soldier's
O !\lETH I N G gleamed dully on the
S middle w i th all the tautened power in
floor and he put his foot over i t
h i s long body.
quickly. Bare-footed in his seam an 's
The man toppled forward with an
m as q ue rade , h e fel t plai n ly the outl i n e of
ago niz e d grunt, a bloody mess b u rstin g
the dirk. The one he had seen leap from
from his riven bel l y . \Vinding h i s long
her sash i n the tavern !
legs ab o ut the '" Tithing corpse, D !ake
His head ,\· h i rling, h e leaned back
d ragged it to him u n t il his fingers could
against the rough stone and t ried to fit
reach the keys at hi s belt.
this new piece into the bloody pu zz l e .
F r e e i ng himse l f and R ichard, he
the fact
caught up the c u tlass from the deacl
R o sa, the drunken lieutenant .
t l1at I3lack R ichard was allow<.:d to reach
sentry . T h e y crept caut iously into the
�, fo rg an , un h i n d e red , and then c aug h t
corridor and along it t ow a r d the windin g
he tried to returu-all part s
stai r way that led up to th e outer air
as soon as
of an elaborate s c h e m e to bring l\Jorgan's
ohi ps into s ome trap at l\Ianzan illa Point.
and freedom.
Some sound must have b etraye d t h e m .
D ut why the kn i fe ?
B lake came around a bene! i n the sta i r ­
It was too r;mch. And there were o th ­ way and looked stra i g ht into the muzzle
er, i mm edi at e thi ngs to be done� Dlack of a mu�kct. It belched flame in his face
R i chard was growl ing . ''And the next
and a mighty hand struck h im across the
t ime , Roger, I 'll wa ge r you'll l i sten to
head, fci l i n g h i m . As h e went d o w n , he
and not set out a f ter every pret t y
me sa'v a j umbled picture of Black R i chard
l e g and wriggling stern that crosses your
going down under the clubbed ba r re l .
cour se. "

" L i sten to me," B lak e r as p e d . ' ' Raise I G H T filtered back i nto his dazed,
disturbance that w i ll get that sentry in L
a aching consciousness. h i s wrists were
here. But not t oo much no i se. Fali in a fast ag ain . This time, to a wooden post
tit . . . foam at the mouth . . . but get him in the center of a low, dim-lit room.
here ! ! Quickly, man !" ;'\ arvaez, the yellow-bearded man whom
Tearing strips from his shirt, he Rosa had called Don Jaime beside him,
bound t he haft of the kni fe securely stood a few feet a\vay, watch i ng Blake's
to the bo tt o m of his foot. W ith a mut­ fl utteri ng eye -lids.
te red curse at such fool 's play. R ichard '' It's a thick skull you own, Blake,"
clanked his chains, and foll owe d orders. he said s h ort l y . " I t turns m u s ke t ball �
He groaned and gas ped , suc k i ng at his like granite."
l i ps l i ke a madman. The sentry heard Blake looked about the room. Rows
and put h i s head i n . of i ron ring-bolts i n the blood-caked wall
" S ilence, dogs ! " h e roared. R i chard and a dozen devilish contrivances about
redoubled his e fforts, rolling a n d squirm­ the floor told him what he had already
ing about the floor as lustily as the length suspected-that he was i n the fort r e ss '
of his shackles would let him. The sen- tartur<.: chamber. He saw Black Richard
62 Spicy-Adventure Stories

a t the next post and he groaned as his no more black flag of Morgan's for you
eyes came to the slender figure lashed to sail under."
to the one beyond. "Then . . . the knife . . ," Blake whis­

"Rosa ! " he gasped. pered.

"\Vas all I could d o to help you,
"Yes, Rosa ! " Narvaez bit. " \Ve were
Roger,'' she finished for him, bravely.
afraid that you'd not regain conscious�
ness in time to watch your traitorous
"After I knew that Don Diego meant
to break his promise. Now I will die
mistress keep her appointment with the
with you . Roger . . . I'm not afraid . . .
Iron Maiden . You should not have kept
even of the . . the Iron Maiden . . . i f
the blade w ith which you gutted my
you'll say that you don't hate me."
guard, I3lake. For her sake. Too many
o f us had seen it at her belt." " She's a brave wench, at that," Black
Richard muttered. "Being a woman, she
" The I ron lVlaiden ! You murdering
couldn't help being a little treacherous.
devi l ! "
Tell her that we don't hold it against
" Aye, h e ' s that, and more," Black
her, Roger lad."
R ichard gr owled . " But wait 't i ll :\lor�
"Enough of this ! " Narvaez snarled.
gan catches h im. He'll wish he'd not
" Prepare the i\Iaiden ! "
delayed to torture women. "
Two soldiers leaped beside a great
"I f e a r that Sir Henry Morgan will wooden figure which Blake had stead­
be long i n coming," Narvaez sneered .
fastly refused to look upon until no w .
" H e swal l m,·ed your message, hook and
He shuddered as he saw the monstrous
all. Even now he makes ready for sea.
t h i ng, the outside carved into the rough
He will set sail with the tide for l\lau�
semblance of a woman. A very pious
z a nil l a Point to fall upon Admiral De woman ; hands folded on chest and eyes
Vaca. But D e Vaca will be far at sea.
rai sed upward. The men swung i t open.
:Morgan will find himsel f, hecalmt>d, un­
S plit in hal f and h i n ge d, it yawned black­
der the fi re of shore batteries concealed ly to s h o w the rows of needle-sharp
i n the s a n d which he had not known
spikes with which the interior was
w e re there. \Vhen he t r i e s to man h i s
studded.
boats and beat o u t to sea, De Vaca will
" Strip her ! " Narvaez ordered. The
come down with the westerly \v ind and
men untied Rosa's thongs and dragged
smash him f rom the other s i d e. I very
her into the center of the room. Strip­
much fear that that w il l be the end of
ping her bodice off her shoulders, one
your gallant l\Iorgan ."
pawed avi d ly at the fastenings of h e r
Blake ga ze d past him . ' ' Rosa," he
skirt in place below w i de set - , perfect
asked, '' wh y did you do this ? \Vhat h ad
breasts.
I done to deserve it ?"
"Tear it off, fools ! ' ' the Spaniard
She raised wet ch ee k s. "I love you, snappe d . tongue-tip at his red s n a rl i ng
Rog e r, ' she said simply.
' "I did not do lips. " She'll have no more use for i t . "

it for sil ver. Don Diego pro m i s e d that, The soldier yanked and the thin c l oth
i f I betrayed l\lorgan and �ucceeded in split, ba r in g r,-leaming th ig h s an<l soft­
keeping yo u with me, he would spare moulded hips. Dlake snarled, deep in his
your l i fe . I . . . l ike a fool . . . believed throat, at the s i g h t of that sweet body .

him . Morgan w ou l d be dead and you A single. sil ken wisp r emained about- h e r
would be safe and with me. There'd be upper t hi g·hs.
 A Message to Morgan 63

She had n o use for the knife, fo� a new ,·oice said qui etly: "Let the
girl be, my friend!"

They pulled h e r rou ghly to the maiden "God forgiw me ' You ' l l be aYenged on

:tnd bound h e r . outspreacl. by the \Hist t hese Spanish !mccher,; ! "

and ankle with i n it. A crank turned slmY­
l y and the m ighty front o f the thing be­
gan to close. She forced her qui,·ering T HE hah·e , 0i the :\Iaiclen
"l "v;ly. incx•) :·ah]_,. together .
swung
\ s they
.

1 ips t o smile and wh i sperecl . '' Good -Lye. came near ckhi : t g . ; h e h e l pless gi rl with­
Roger ! ' ' in sh rieked in a l r mg cre.< CL'!lcio of hear t ­
Blake t o r e a t h i s bonds, but t h e y gaye wrenching agon:·· .
no more than steel . " Rosa," he gasped , Xan·aez. 'l.lnw,;t beside h i msel !: in a
64 Spicy-Adventure Stories
bestial frenzy, flun g up his hand.
"Open !" he ordered, thickly. His men
reversed the crank and the maiden
a
swung apart ag in .
The girl had fainted. Her limp body
hung lifelessly in its cruel shackles. From
her ankles, up s\velling lovely limbs to
curving, stomach and full, pear-shaped
b r ea sts , her warm ivory s k i n glea med
wit h t i n y scarl et dro ps. It was as i f
som e heathen worshipers had set the
matchless i mage of th e i r goddess with
innumerable little rubies. Some of the
drop s broke and r an , net tin g the iv o ry in
a wa ve r in g tracrry o f crimson.
"See ?" Na rvaez panted . "The l'-'Iaid­
en's embrace has but touched h e r skin.
The next time we sho w her to you, each
o f those pi n- p r i c ks will be a spo ut i n g
fountain . " Little t ri c k l es of saliva ran
down his chin as he screamed, " Close it !
All th e way, this time ! "
The crank bega n t o creak again. Black
Richard, frothing like a maniac, wen t
berserk. The rope-maker who had fa sh ­
ioned the las h i n g s about the bl ack one's
wrists ha d n o t t hought to hold a m a d ­
dened bull . The ropes parted like so
much rotten twine. Richard leaped on
Narvaez. Blake cried, " N o , D ick ! That
black devil belongs to me !"
Rich a rd wa ' l n
sn t i steni g . He sen t
Narvaez spinning with one sl e ge d - ham­
mer blo w and then Don Jaime went
down with a shatte red skull. He caught
the two men-at-arms over the cra n k
with a great hand on each throat. Huge
muscles knotted and Blake heard a sick­
e n i n g crack, and then ano t h e r . Both men
went limp.
Black Richard shook himself like a
great dog. Slowly, he took a dagger
from one of the two c o rps e s at his feet
and s lash ed Blake's bonds.
"That was well - cl on e , Richard ! " Rog­
er Blake ch uckl ed . He stopped and
pulled a rapier from Don Jaime's life­
less body ; then leaped to the Maiden .
o
He cranked it open and to k Rosa's still
limp form from its fastening. He low­
ered her gen tly to a bench and stooped
over her.
Richard's roar warned him. "Roger !
h
Behind you ! " He w i rl e d to face Na r­
vaez , and take the man's leaping a
bl d e
across his guard .
"Ah, Don Diego," he gri nned, m i rth­
l e ssly , "you we r e mistaken . I do have
opportun ity to offer you my steel, again
-point foremost ! "
He feinted low and , as the Span i a rd ' s
guard came clo\\"11, sb i f t e d lightning-like
to his throat. The needle -poin ted rapier
slit K ar v ae z "s j ugul ar , passing throug�1
until the hilt s mas h e d agai n s t the guard
capta i n ' s chin.
"Good eye. lad ! " Bl ack R ich ar d
grunted . " �ow, get somet hing around
that w ench of yours and let's begone be­
fo re we have the town about our ears. ' "
"And be f o r e the tide se t s out with
Morgan," Roger Blake reminded .
"There's still damage t o b e undone."
He wound D on Diego's c l oak about
the unconscious girl's body, still traced
and speckled with blood from the tor­
ture-spikes that had needled her tender
flesh. He l ifted her to his a rm s .
They won free o f the fortress w i thout
trouble.
S range , " Richard commented.
'' t
"Not so strange. The Spa niard s arc
all d own at those shore batteries Don
Di ego bragge d o f . "
" 'Tis a piece of luck for us, no mat­
ter ,.,here they be."
HEY came to the wharf, still un-
T molested. But the skiff was gone.
Search as they might, they could find no
ot her boat. R osa , revived by the dawn­
col d air, said s o ftly , "Roger, since we
 A. Message to Morgan 65

\\" hat will �f or g a n say

must h asten-! can swim, if it' s not too " l\ ot \'ery.
" w hen you bri n g me ahoarcl ?"
far. . .

"It 's so methmg Jess t ha n halt a league, ' ' H e 'II think of n e t hi ng else but the
told her doubtfully. "But, news \\·e b r ing. _-\ n cl never fear, we'll
]as s , " R oger
it lo oks as if we 'II ha Ye to try."
keep you safe. The Engl ish K i n g ha s

Clo se against him, she hesitated, look­ promi�td ),forgan a pa rdon , i f we sack

ing at n iack R i cha r d . Blake sai d , " She Panam a . Then you and I can go ashore

has no ga rme nt but t h e cloak, Dick. And in Barbados and hecome respectable.''

she ca n't swim in that. Do y c• u start out "Oh. Roger � · · He co u l d barely hear

ahead of us." her. Thm, " R oge r , I think I can se e the

"Hah ! " the gia n t grumb led. • · I do n t
' ships.''

know w ha t secrets she thinks she has The b l a c k b u l k of !mils a n d ma.sts

from me, after this nigh t . But-so be it . " l oomed up ahead. " 'Tis but a few
H e stripped s h i rt and trousers from stroke s mor e , " h e encouraged.
his h ai ry body and s l ip pe d silently in to "I kno w . Reger . . . will y o u kiss me
the water. Blake, doin g like,,·ise, fol­ b e i o n: \\ e r e ac h the s h i p � · ·
owed him. As h i s head came above w a­ He rolled on hi s s i d e an d sl i pped an
ter, he saw Ler p o i se d on the w h a r f arm beneath w et shoulders. A s his mouth
above him. H i � eyes fil led with t h e lilt­ gl ue d itseif to h e rs , he fel t soft, cool
ing ctm· e s o f that slim body, sil h o u e tted arms entwine them�e!Yes about him. The
sharply against the faint-cla·,m !ng sky , colc.l \Yater became sud denly warm as
and he thought h e had ne,·er seen beauty they ,a.nk dmm i n ro shadowy depth s .
before. Then a w h i te streak came down He tore h i s mouth away and broke
beside him and the w ate r closed behind for the su rface. Laughing as she came
her without a ri pp l e Th ey struck out
. up beside hi m , he said, " Th e Atlantic's
for the ships. t<"JO deep for that. And we've time
"Roger ? ' ' s h e whi�pered, a lo n g time enough aboard . "
later, " a r e we almost to the shi ps ?" " O h , " she breathed. ' ' M y beloved !
"Almost, ' ' he told her. ' ' Tired �-· Thtn . . . J e t 's ha:o ten . Roger !"

In deepest Borneo the Eel finds ad,·enture and romance

next month.

Don't miss Justin Case's

"THE RIVER OF BLOOD" !

 LOG
By .
ROBER'".£ LESLI:E
BELL EM
IGHT had spilled purple ink ove r

N the sky as Steve Conlan headed

for camp headquarters. His
caulked boots crunching on the snow,
the broad-shouldered boss logger of the
Thayer Timber Company strode forward
with his mind tuned on trouble.
And trouble came.

A blue-eyed, slim-hipped girl

owned the last logging outfit
that dared make a stand against
�he o c t o p u s - t e n ta c l e s of the
Trust. Steve promised himself
that she'd win, come hell or
high-tvater !
66
JAM
As i f o u t of nowhere, something lanced
past his s ! 10ulder in the darkness, like a
hur led j aye l i n . It clunked s av a gely into
a tree-bole and quivered there.
Startled, Steve Conlan c urs e d and
leap ed a t the t h i n g : w renched it free. It
\Yas a peavy - �t ick : a long shaft of hard­
wood t i pped \\"ith a m u rder- sharp spike
ami a curYecl hook. Another two inc h es
and it would have i mpal ed him like a

spear !

The Canuck charged. "By gar,

thees jam she is not to be
feexed!"

He pivoted and hurled himself toward

the shadows from which the dea dl y
peavy had been thrown. He saw some­
one running t h rough the tree s , ;•nd he
launched forward in grim p u r s u i t . He
drew back the peavy-stick, took aim,
hurled it. The stick's point thwacked
67
68 Spicy-Adventure Stories

into the hard snO\\. alongside Conlan's deviltry, of a piece with the other sini ster
quarry ; and its hardwood shaft caught things which had happened recently. Th e
between the fl e e ing man's legs, tripped bos s logger ' s mind raced back over the
him . He went down. preceding six weeks. Six w eeks of
Like a puma, Con la n po un ced. He blistering his crew of lumberj acks into
d ragged the fellow upright. "You fren z i ed effort. S a wyer s and swampers
damned murderous rat !" he snarle d ; and working savagely, felling the giant first­
his hard, calloused fingers closed about growth spruce. Trimmers hacking and
his a ss a i la nt' s throat. s las h i n g l ike maniacs, preparing the
The man choked out a w hi m perin g straight green logs for the tractor-drawn
Uloan of f r ig ht. "D on 't- ! " s l eig h- t ra i ns that hauled them down to
"I 'll break your n eck, by God ! Am­ the frozen river. Deck after deck of logs
bush me, will you ? I ought to kill you ! " piling up symmetrically on the icc,
"No-no-- ! " chained and ready for the spri n g break­
"All righ t , then. Talk. Fa st. Who up.
hired you to stick a peavy through me ? It had been a tough job. Now, with
Cough it out, you rat, before I start the l i fting of sub-zero weather, the end
working y ou ove r !" was almost in sight. Cracks were already
"It-it was-" appearing on the r i ver' s icy surface. Pe r­
haps tomorrow the water wuuld start to

THE words ab or t e d
throat. Out of
in
the
the fellow's
su r rc. u n d i ng
mov e out ; and with it, ten million feet
of pr im e Thayer Timber Com pany logs,
blackness a tongue of yellow flame licked headed for th e waiting mills downstream .
out. Cra-a-ck ! came the whiplike report That i s, if n o t hi n g went wrong t onigh t .
of a .30-30. Conlan's eyes narrowed. If noth i ng
Steve Conlan dropped prone. He went w r o n g ! That was the rub ! Plenty
heard the . 30-30 hark agai n , and a slug of thi n g s had already gone haywi re. Key­
sp r aye d sti n ging p ar t i cles of snow into logs had been mysterious ly sawed apart.
his face. He felt something heavy sl u mp p e rm itt i ng piled decks to col la ps e in
oYer him, pinning him down. T11en, in con fused chaos on the ice and cnoanger­
the distance, he heard rnnning footsteps. i ng the lives of d eck e rs . Tractors had
Conlan waited a cautious minute, been sabotaged . Links had developed a
while a red haze of fu ry filmed his eyes. hab i t of snapping apart when chainmen
Then h e stirred, moved. H e grasped the made their ho oku ps. And now-this
s h oul de r of the man wh o se weig h t hac\ murderous at tack on Steve Con lan him­
p i n ioned him . "Talk up ! " he wh i spe re d . self !
" S omebody h i re d you to throw that The Lumber Trust was behind it all .
peavy at me, i sn't that true ? And when of course. They wanted th e Thayer
you were about to tell me th e name of outfit b ankr upted , so they could buy
the man, he shot you. Isn't that it ?" in the property for a song. 'Vel l , tht>�­
But the fellow didn't answer. He wouldn't get awa y with it, Steve Conla n
would never answer agai n .
anything told h ims e l f grimly. By tomorrow, t he
There was a .30-30 shtg in his brain. He drive would start. River act i on ! Huge
was dead. log-rafts would go c h urn ing downstrearn
in his
Steve Conlan swore softly, d ee p with the breaking ice ; and w hen t h e
throat. This was more L umbe r T r us t l umber reaclwd the mills. n ,-. t h Tl l :t V('I'
 Log ]am 69

wo uld collect enough money to keep her U I n1ean it's probably the Trust gtt­

co mpany out of the red for another ting in its la�t licks. E i ther they've got
seaso n . to wreck u> tonight, or they won't wreck
\Vhen he thought o f fl eth Thayer, a LiS :::. t all. That's "·hy I \vas on my way
�ing!e rac e d
through Conlar:J vei n , . ..\ here. J w a n t perm ission to pay ten men
bluc:-eyed. slim-l,ipped 2:irl, she had in­ <! 1 1 - n 'ght overtime, so I can post them to
herited this loggi n g outfit j mt a fe w gmm! the dec k s until cla"·n . "
mon ths before, upon the death of her S h e took a step to\\·ard h i m , a n d his
fat her. Last of the inclepenclrnts to make appreciative glance caught the sleek
a stand agai ns t the octopus-tentacles of ripple of her t h igh-muscles through the
the Trust. she \\'a s p ut ti n g up a lml\·e r(Jhe . ".�n;:thing you say, Steve. Do
t5ght to keep her company goi n g . />, n d wk�te\·er yo u think best. But-"
now Steve Conlan prom ised h i m se l f that " Eut \\·hat ?"
she'd win th rough, come hell or high · · r 'nnt you to promise me you'll be
water ! c<:rdul. You mu�tn't take chances .
"

"\\' oulcl it mattt:r to you if I got

E WENT back to the trai l , paced hurt ? ' ' be a�kt·cl softly.
H
swiftly to Beth Thayer's log shack. "It would matter terribl y ! " she whis ­
He knocked on the door. pen' <i .
A fter a m in ute , it opened. Beth A leaping elation surged into Conlan's
Thayer herself stood framed i n the por­ s t ou t heart. H i s h a rd arms sw ept out,
tal , the light from a kerosene lamp e n c i rcled her girlish waist. He pulled
fl ickering behind her. She'd evidently her close, tilted her chin \vi t h hi5 palm,
been in bed, for she wore a warm woolen looked down into her clear azure eyes.
robe over thin crepe pajamas ; and where "Beth . . . !" he sai d . And he kis!>ed her
the robe fell open at her throat, Conlan on the lips.
caught a thrilling glimpse of �mooth, She gave him her mouth will ingl y ;
lilting breasts beneath the pajama­ surrendered her ki sses with sweet, vir­
j acke t . ginal fervor. Somehow the woolen robe
She seemed a little surprised to see slipped do\\'nwarcl upon her arms, baring
him. " S te,·e- ! 'What brings you here her shoulders and the silken smocthness
at t his hour ?" of her bosom. He saw the partially-re­
He entered , closing the door behind vealed upper halves of her hard little
him . Hungrily he eyed her, drinking in breasts, and the faint shadow that hinted
the sweet contours of her slim body, the at the hidden nuances and curves of those
gamine piquancy of her features, the scented hillocks of charm-
glori ous golden sheen of her hair.
"T rouble," he said shortlv.
. H E click of the door-latch behind
" Trouble ?" T
him made Steve Conlan stiffen,
''Yes. Somebody slammed a peavy at spring back, whirl around. His eyes
m e on my way here. :tvl i ssed me. I were abruptly filled w i t h darts of anger­
caught the guy ; tried to make him talk. lightning as he saw a man standing there
The n someone shot him, killed h im . Al­ in the <i0orway. "L'Ableu-what's the
most pl ugged me, too." idea of com i ng i n here without knock­
She paled . Her hand fluttered to her ing ?" he demanded.
heart. "You mean- ?" The ne\'rcomer was H e ct o ir e L'Ableu,
 70 Spicy-Adventure Stories

boss decker of the Thayer Timber outfit ; " N o th i ng will go wron g , my s weet "
'
a dark-vi saged, saturnine French Cana­ he said g rimly. "Good ni ght ."
dian whose sar ca stic smile was <t t hi n l y ' ' Good night, Steve . . . dearest . . . "
veiled accusation. His narrow ferret­ He left her ; strode out of the h ous e
eyes licked at Beth Thayer's partly-un­ and down t oward his own shack by the
d raped body, and h i s gr in widened. " i\Ie, bank of the frozen r i ve r But s i n ging in
I am ver' sorry. The door, she was open his heart was the me mory of her kisses,
a leetle way. I deed not know I was b e the f ragrance of her yellow hair , the
i nt e rrupt' such charmant love- scene." slender l i t hen e ss of her body pressed
Beth Thayer's cheeks fl us hed ros e ate ­ c l ose to him . . .
ly as she p u lled her robe more closely
about he r th r obbing throat. "What did
you want, L'Ableu ?"
HISt v NEXT
ty
hour was a
.
First he d i rected
i i
fury of ac-
the re­

The Canuck laughed silki ly. " Me, I moval of the corpse of the man who h ad
guess I was be wantin g nothee n g n o w . tried to murder him wi th a peavy ; then
Some body else, she's beat me to eet." he superintended the sta t io ni ng of ten
There was no mistunderstancling t h e b u rly lu mberj ac k s to guard th e l og -de ck s
implication of his wo r ds, the m al ic i o us at str ategic points along the river. The
d i sappointment in his beady eyes. S teve night was filled with m en ' s shouts and
Conlan took a l ong step forward. "You with odd crackling sounds as th awin g
lou se ! Are you hi n ting that Miss ice commenced to break and grin d on
T h a ye r-" the stream's surface ; an d t h e a i r h el d a
"Me, L'Ableu, I hint notheeng. My heavy redolence of spru ce-sap and pine­
heart, she's satisfied to w a it . ::viaybe I wood fl ares.
take what you leave, eh, Conlan ?" For himself, Conlan chose a key po­
The b oss logger's knnckles whitened. s ition near his own shack, close to the
"Get out of here ! And ke e p your filthy most important log--decks. Gr i m ly he
tongue off ::Vl i s s Th ay er' s name, hear e ye d the set-up ; f-ound it to his liking.
me ? " He commenced s l o \':ly to pace the ri\'er­
L'Ableu s h ru gged , turned, swagger­ bank-
ed out. TVhat was that?
Conlan swung back toward Beth Again h e heard the souncl : a ·.-; oman ' s
Th aye r . He wanted to take h e r once w a ili n g, gurgl ing moan of t e rror. It
more in his arms ; but somehow the ca m e from somewhere out o n t h e ri\'er ;
magic spell had been broken by the m uffled , wet, laden w i th the fear of
Canuck's openly sugge sti v e hints. The death.
serpent had e ntered Eden ; and for the Conlan ' s heart co n st r ict ed . Someonf
time, the slimy trail of his innuendoes w a s in the water. A woman-a girl !
coul d not be e ras e d . . . C oul d it be Beth Thayer ?
" I t ' s-it's all r i ght . Steve," Beth p
He plunged dO\m u on the ice, started
Th ay e r whispered. "He didn't m e an racing outward . His c au l k ed boots gave
anyt hing wrong. N ow yon m ust go and him purchase, gri pped the slippery s ur­
post your guards along the river. Noth­ face as he sprinted toward th a t wailing
ing must h appen to those l og-d eck s . If cry. He ca me ab ruptly to a wide c rack
anything went wrong, it would mean the on the frozen river ; a black, y awning

end of the Thayer Timher Company." fissure i n t he ice. He saw a head bobbing
 Log ]am 71

in a ghost-pale face .
t he dark \Yat e r : s a w
It was It
not Beth Thayer. was some
other l girl whom Steve
gi r - a Conlan
had never seen before. l
Her o n g black
hair streamed out upon the \Yater. and
her eyes were wide with frantic iear.
' ' Hold steady, girl ! " Conlan gra e d t .
bl
He went down on l t i s e l y s t rct c l i ecl out
,

Steve tugged,
slipped he•· up
out of the water.

his arms beyond the ice-fissure. His

fmgers en t w i ned in thick, coarse long
hair. H e tugged ; pulled the swimmer
back to the precarious safety of Lhe ice.
He slid her up out of the water.
In the darkness he saw that she \vas
young brunette, pretty. Her soaked
,

dress adhered to the lush curves of her

body, intimately comforming to every
swelling feminine contour of thighs and
72 Spicy-Adventure Stories

hips and nubile bre ast s . Her eyes were he ha d n o time for thinking about it. He
closed. and ::> fa i n t moan issued from her ha d to get the girl dry. restore warmth to
parted, sensuous lips. h e r chilled flesh. Otherwise she'd be
Conlan lifted her ; felt her :=trms go flirting with pneumonia. At last he
about his neck as sh e clung to h im . H e managed to unfasten the last snaps of her
turned, raced back across the ice, gained frock, an d he p ee le d the clinging gar­
the gently-sloping bank. H is own cabin ment away from he r.
was j ust a few rods away, and he made She lay back upon the bed, and her
for it, kicked the door open, carried the soft, fu l l lips parted in a half-smile as she
gi rl inside. o;aw his eyes t aki n g in the volu ptu o u s
He had left a lantern burning on his whiteness of her almost-naked form.
table ; and now, in its yellow light, he Clad n ow in nothing but a soaked ban­
saw the brunette girl open her eyes as deau and a triangular wisp of chiffon
he deposited her on his bunk "Af on Dieu pa n ti es , she submitted v.·ith docile wil­
-I am c-cold- !" she whimpered. l in gne s s as Conlan got a rough towel and
He got out a bottle, poured a stiff slug s tnrt c d b r i skly rubbi n g circulation back
of brandy in to a tin cup, held i t to her i n to her arms, her legs, her body.
lips. " D rink this !" he commanded. S he He went at his task with impersonal
choked the fi ery stuff down, and color vigor ; and yet, wh e n he inadvertently
be gan re tu r n i ng to her ivory cheeks. brn;;hed the ivory smoothness of her
Nieanwhilc, Steve Conlan was fumb­ sk i n , an un su mmo n e d t i n gl e darted
ling at her d re s s unfastened i t . "How
, thr o ugh him. The wet brassiere was no
the devil did you come t o fall i n ? " he concealment fo r the quivering perfection
demanded as he worked. of her soft, tantal i z i ng breasts ; and as
"I-I >vas crosseen g the ice, and I far as the chiffon panties were concerned,
deed not see the crevasse," she answered they might a lm os t as well have been en­
s i mpl y . t ; rely absent.
But Conlan thought he n ot i ce d a faint R e solutel-y, Conlan closed his m in d to
touch of hesitancy in her voice ; some­ the indubitable flawlessness of her ex­
how he got the impress ion t hat she po;;cd charms. Just t h e same, when her
m i g-ht be tel li n g a little less than the skin finally b e gan to take on a p i n k glow.
truth. "\Vhere do you l i n ?'' he asked h e fo un d it i m p o s si ble to restrain his eyes
he1·, st i ll fumbling at the catches of her from linge r i n g just a l ittle u po n the
dripping frock. smoothn ess of her flesh. And at t h i s .

' ' I n th e settlement across the rivai re . ' ' she smiled at him lazily ; gav e him a

worldly, inviting glance.

HERE wa s Yery fishy He disregarded the ch al l e ng e in her
T about
someth i n g
that. Conlan thought. 1\ o cl a rkeyes. Instead, he stood ba ck .

river-dweller would be carel ess enough '· You're dry now.I 'll g-ive you a robe .
to fa11 into an ice-break . The re g ion's and then you'd better crawl under t h r
natives were \\- ise i n the ways o f the covers u nt i l you ' r e thoroughly "·arm."
river . Moreover, the g irl didn't talk like She sat up . " You are ,· e r - re e kincl.
most of the people a ro u no here ; d idn't J r onsicur."
cmpioy the same dialect. Her locutions He tu rned , went to his close t, pull ed
w ere somehow different. o u t a tattered robe. \Vhen he again ap­
I t nuzzled the boss lo_g ger a little. But proached the g i rl . his eyes widened . Her
 Log ]am 73

hands were behind her, fu m bli n g with sci f-con demnation Co nl an pelted after
the hook of her wet ban dea u . h e r . leaving the brunette French-Cana­
The sight of her thinly covere d b rea s t s . dia n girl standing in the middle of the
s w i n g in g forward with her movemen t. room .

was like an electric shock in hi s veins. Outside, the boss logge r saw B et h
He flu s hed a little ; extended the robe . Thayer running toward her own sh ack.
" \Vait until I leave before you undress On mighty strides he p u r sue d her. "Beth
completely." -my dea r est ! \Vait ! You' ve got to l isten
She lau ghedl iqui dl y . "Oui. I under­ to me ! You've got to !"
:;tand, M onS1'.eur." She desisted from her But she paid him no heed ; kept to her
efforts to unhook t he bandeau, but her headlong course. Then suddenly, off in
clark eyes were mocking. the downstream d i stance, Steve Con la n
Steve Conlan scowled. He fought back heard a rumbling detonatio n-a bellow­
a n impulse to grab her in his arms .He ing, earth-shaking roar that filled the
turned away- night with a hideous blast of sound.
And even as he turned. she slipped to Dynamite !
t h e floor and ran toward him. B e fore he
The sh att e ri ng reverberation reached
could real i z e what was happen ing, she
Steve Conlan's ears, stopped him dea d in
g to him
h i s t r acks . What the hell did it mean ?
was cl in g in ; had her a r ms about
Her mouth was riveted upon
He hrard a confusion
h i s ned<.
1 .
of shouts ; an d
O\'tr the voices of the me n , there came a
·'IS own.
.'\ fi e ry cascade of sensation seemed t o
new and mo r e ominous s ound . It was a
leap f rom her body i n to Steve Con lan ' s
gri ndi ng, metallic u nder t one with a q u e e r
ve ins. He couh L·c! the moist warmth
obbligato of c r ac\.; i n g nois e .
r;f her mouth , as her lips pa rt e r! .
T h e i c e is going out ! "
Her
· 'The river !
breast'> were twin throbbing mounds
h i s chest, a nd
Cnnlan w h i spered.
p ressing upon
·cp to him pel ted a s wea t i n g . white­
her body
\\'as welded a g ain s t his as she writhed in
heed lumberjack. ' ; Hey-Stew ! For
a sava ge rhythm of aban donment.
Cripe's sake ! Hell's b u s ted loose ! Some­
Almost without vol i tion his h and s
s1rayed along the smooth skin of her body dy na mite d the booms down·

hack. He crushed her in a momentary stream ! "

embrace. And then- ' ' The booms- ! ' ' S t e v e Conlan ras p ed .
Into h i s mind's eye leaped a pic t u r e !>i
E H I N D him, he heard a choked cry those l og st ructures bu i l t l ike half-dam�
B
of d i smayed disillusionment. He across the r i ve r a hal f-mile cl own. Ex­

"·heeled-·and saw Beth Thayer s ta nd in g tending outward fr om either bank, the

thC>re, wh i t e-faced and unbeliev i ng. booms served to guide rafts o f logs past

" S t eve - how could y ou - !" the pe r i l ous rapids : served to keep the float·

gold en-hai red g i rl \\'hispered. Then she ing decks of lumber irom pil i n g up anJ

tur!1�cl ancl raced from the cabin, j amm i ng and splintering i n t L1 worth!rss

through the open door. nothingness. "The boom,.;--d yn�uuited ?"

For a s i n gl e i nstant he stared after Conlan repeated harshly.
her ; saw th e swishing flat·e of her cor­ ''Yeah ! An' t he ice i s hrcakin' up !
d n roy s k i rt that l imned her slender h ip s . Teeze, hoss, we gotta work i:tSt ! Them
Then sh e w a ;; gone. \V i t h a bitter cry of booms is gottit be fi xe(! bt'inro: the ri\'c:'r
 74 Spicy-Adventure Stories

starts runnin '-or else ·we'll never be shouts and cra she s could still he he a r d
able to fix 'em at all ! " that ominous upstream grinding : the
The m a n was r ight . Co n l a n kne w t!1a t. crackle of breaking ice and moving w a t er
Conlan knew that if the booms were no t unpent after its w in ter- lo n g f reez e .
i m medi a t e ly r e p a i r e d , it would be wo rs e Desperately Conlan if'!! to h i s task
than useless to start the log-decks float­ \Yith re ne w e d frenzy. Be neath his feet,
ing down to the mi ll s below. \\'ithout the river-ice was beginning to moYe a
those booms, the lumber-rafts \\'oulcl pile l it t le ; he could feel the sur gin g sw:�y of i t
up in the ra pi d s and be i rrevocably lost. u n d e r h i s caulked boots. Sweat poured
And i f that h a p p en ed , Beth Thayer ' s into his eye s . A c hugge ring c a te rpi l la r
com p any would be ba nk ru pt ! nosed out upon the cracking ice, ha ul i ng
\V i t h a snarled oath, the boss logger its sle i gh-tra i n of ne\\· logs. On the first
leape d into action. "Roust ou t the men ! sleigh r e pos e d a donke y- en gi ne. Conlan
Get the tra ct ors goi n g ! Chain up five or swu n g for ward, grabbed c h a ins, made a
six decks of logs and snake 'em down to hook-up on the second sl e i gh ' s l oad of
those dynamited booms ! Get a move on ! logs. " Sw ing 'em ! " he roared.
We've got to make repair s while the icc The donkey-engine snorted and chuff­
still holds-and b y God, we'll do i t ! eel. Th e logs went sailing upward, bung
·we'll sho w the damned Lumber Trust suspended by a short trestle-boom.
that they can't blast us out of the "O kay-trip 'em ! " Conlan be llowed .
p ict ure ! " Three c h ainm en p l unged i n , s t r \o! c k at
The l u mb e rj ack nodded, scurried the l ogs. The load cra sh ed down upon
away. Conlan \•.;hirled and smashed the ice, fell in orderly row s . Other j acks
himself down to the river's edge ; went l e ape d at t he logs , j e rlced them with
th un de ring along the bank to the spot peavy-hooks, set them i n place en the
where those wrecked log-booms lay in reconstructed boom.
t w iste d chaos upon the crack ed s urface
of the ice.
Al r e a d y his men were on the j ob,
ANhohour. Two
urs of spine-
hours. Three.
b reaking,
Three
muscle­
toili ng like beavers. Chainmen and rig­ s h a tt e ri ng labor. And then, at last, the
gers v,;ere clearing away sp l inte r�d logs, dyn a mi te damage had been repa i re d . Not
ripp i ng into the mess with peavy-hoo k s satisfactorily, perhap s ; but as Steve Con­
and axes and saws. Off in the d i stance, lan sun-eyed the rebuilt booms and
tractor-engines roared and chugger ­ j e tties , a hard smile crossed his stern
chuggered-chuggered . The first cater­ face. They'd hold , with luck. They'd
pi l lar waddled into view, snaking a ten­ hold long enough to permit ten million
�leigh train laden with fresh timber from feet o f pr ime Thayer Timber Company
the mountainous decks upstream. l o gs to stay i n the channel and go shoot­
i ng safely past the rapid s to the waiting
JN THE flickering light from scatt ere d mills downstream !
Tesin flares, Steve Conlan went into The boss logger pounded the last log
action. Seizing a peavy, he unsnarled a into place with the blunt snout of his
shambles of spl intered spruce at the single-bitted axe. Then he raised his
nearest boom ; yelled directions while voice. "Okay, j acks ! Haul away ! Get
fresh logs were lowered into place and goi ng ! "
chained. And over the confusion of Men scram ble d off the insecure ice,
 Log ]am 75

gained the le5s precarious banks. Cater­

pi:lab went clmg-gcr-cimggc r i n g back
toward camp, and \l"eary lumberj acks
head e d for the bunkhouses. A s ilence
descended upon tbe m i d u i:�·l tt, broken
o nl y by the grow i n gthunder of thawing
ice and movin g \\·ater .
A s he trudged back upri Ye r , Steve
Conlan for the first time in hours had

The!'e was a fl<'shing i nstant as

the legs went out with the ice.
He held Beth to him.

time to tnlllK t llmg,; oYe r. He remem­

bered that brunette girl whom he had
re sc u ed from the river ; remembered hmY
she had flaunted her charms b e fore his
eyes, tried to lure him w i t h her seductive
body ! His fists clenched. "By God ! ' ' he
'.vhispered. ' ' The Lumber Trust bunch
76 Spicy-Adventure Stories

must have hired her to pull that t:1ick on as he fell. He reached out, caught Beth,
me to keep me out of the way wh ile they held her against him as their two bod ies
were dynamiting t he boom s ! " went hurtling through the air. There was
Then he thought of Beth Thayer, who a brief, flashing instant of kaleidoscopic
had cau g h t the brunette girl i n his arms. sensation as he crushed her close,
He must find Beth now ; explain things shielded her with his muscular torso.
t o her- Somehow, as he fel l , Conlan ca ug h t a

As he started toward her cabin a glimpse of that skulking shape below.

woden chill surprise clutched at his It was Hectoire L'Ableu, the Canuck
he a r t . Thmugh the darkness he spied - t he top decker of the Thayer T i m her
Beth j u st ahead. " B eth- ! " he c ri ed out Comp any. L'A bleu with his peavy-the
in a startled voice. o n ly decker i n t h e outfit clever enough
She was standing atop a towering, to yank out a key-log and send a whole
mountai n-high log-deck at the river's deck plunging into splintered confusion !
brink. She seemed t o he making a sur­ L'Ableu ! Then he was the man who
\·ey of things ; and her footing was had planted that girl to keep Conlan
perilous, insecure. It was no place f o r a from his duties ! L 'Ableu was the rat
girl. Even a seasoned jack would be i n behind all the d i rty work that had hap­
a bad fi x if that deck's key-log happened pened to the Th a y e r camp ! L' Ableu­
to give way . . . in the pay of the Lumber Trust !
"Beth ! " Conlan called again , hoarsely. It was j ust a single flashing instant of
And he started cl i m b in g toward her, his stunned realization in Conlan's mind.
caulked boots taking heavy purchase And then-a cold, saYage plunge into
upon the rough bark of the piled logs. the river's i c e s t r e w n water, with Beth
-

Thayer still in his p•-otecting arms . . .

gasped,
QUT of the tail of his
something far below
eye he saw
hi m-a moving,
The golden - hai red
screamed as she struck the frigid surface
girl

skulking shape. It was a man w i th a and \\-ent under. Steve Conlan wrenched
peavy-hook. B ut for the moment. Con­ her back up. He grasped a floating log
lz.n paid no attention. His �hough t s bobbing amidst the churned ice. He
were on Beth Thayer. He reached her, dragged himself upright on the spinning
slipped a steadying arm about her 'vai st. tree-trunk. gripping it w ith hislogger's
His hand brushed against her blouse, caulked boots as he held B eth Thayer in
touched a nubile mound of flesh. "Beth h i s grasp. Other logs caromed into the
--come down out of h ere-" one under his feet, and he danced
The words died in his throat. At the desperately to retain his balance and h i s
bottom of the log-deck, something hap­ footing. On the shore, men were shout­
pened with unexpected s u dd enne s s. ing, yelling, signaling.
There wa s a qu iver, a jerk, a sudden Conlan stared. \Vith a .sickening sen­
rending roar. Steve Conlan felt the top sat i on, he saw what was happening. H e
logs fly out f rom under his feet ; felt the was headed downstream on the floating
deck collapsing, spilling into black space. log ; and already other logs were pil i n g
And at the same instant, the river-ice up in gigan t ic chaos at the booms. The
went out with a thundering roar of wrecked deck, plummeted into the water
sound. by L' A ble u ' s treacherous peavy -wnrk .
"God in heaven !" Steve Conlan rasped had d isintegrated and scattered ; now the
 Loa }ttm 77
---------------------- �"�--------------------�

jumbled timber w as j amming in the nar­ He saw B et h Thayer coming toward

row channel, pi l i ng up agai n st the him over the j a m. "Steve-my clearest
"
hastily-rebuilt j ett i es.
Steve Conlan knew what would follow. "Go back ! " he roared at her. "Go
The log-jam would grow skyscraper­ back ! "
high ; then, crushed forward by ice­ "Ko ! Look out-behind you- !"
p r e s s u re from behind, it would smash Steve Conlan j umped around-and
those rebuilt booms like ki n d ling. There saw L'Ableu leaping at him across the
was only one chance of salvation. Con­ j am from t h e opposite bank of the r i v e r .
lan's eyes nar ro w e d . If he could get at It was L' Ableu who had hurled that
the key-logs of the j am, dislodge them, peavy j ust now ! And the Canuck had a
he m i ght relieve the tremendou<; back­ .44 Colt in his fist, was aiming it at
p re ssure. He might be able to free a Conlan's guts.
channel for the swi rl ing logs to pass Beth Thayer screamed again. Over
through . . . her keening sh r i ek came L' Ableu's snarl­
The log on which h e was riding no w ing voice : "By gar, thees jam she ees not
j :>. rred under his gri pping caulks. He to be feexed, you ond ers tan ' ? Me, Hec­
was at the j am ! toire L'Ableu, have say so !"
Conlan's eyes gleamed with red ra ge .

-IE WH IRLED and danced precari-

J ously to the nearest bank. He set "The hell you say ! " he roared.
w re n c hed at the peavy which the Canuck
And he

Beth T ha y e r on her feet. "Run ! " he had thrown at him. Wrenched it free.
grated. " Back to camp ! Send powder­ Raised it in one s w ift motion. Hurled it.
n�en here with dynami te ! " It clunked into the log under L'Ableu's
" ' Dvnamite- ? \Vhat for ?" feet : and the har cl w o ocl handle came up,
""\\' e'll set off a small cha rge . Free smashed into the decker's j aw. L'Ableu
d � c key-logs ahead of the jam. " staggered, lost his footing, dropped h i s
"But-that might w r eck the boom s ! " gun. He clung desperately t o a Jog a t the
"\Ve'll have t o r un that r i sk . " He side o f the jam.
d id n 't have time to argue with her. He
turned, raced back across the log-jam. Conlan didn't go after him. X
\\'ithout a peavy he was almost i m ­
B UT
yet. There \\·as another rask-a
ot

potent ; yet he set to work with his bare, more important j ob . L i k e a m ad man . the
ca l lo u s e d hands. He scrambled to the b o s s logger grab be d the peavy ;md at­
key-logs of the jam, wrenched at t hem , tac ked the remaining key-logs of the j am .
kicked them. One shot free, went skir­ He grunted, s w or e, swung h i s weight
t i ng dow nstream. The jam shuddered a against the peavy . A log shot out, \Yent
l i ttle, sh i f ted its po s i t ion . Elation leaped s kitte r ing downstream. A no the r . The
c:-rimly i nto Conlan's heart. Perhaps if he jam shuddered, began to move. Began to
could move two or three more logs- break up.
'
H e he ard a shrill feminine screa m be- Conlan wheeled, thru s t t he peavy s
1 �ind him. He spun on his h eel -a nd the hook under L'Abl�u's mackinaw collar ;
movement saved his l ife. Something pulled the Canuck out of the icy water.
:• rrowed pa s t his ear, th wacked i n to a log Then he grabbed for Beth T hay e r ,
· �-yond h i m . I t wa s a peavy-and some­ dragged her across the bobbing Jogs.
tte had hurled it at his heart ! (Con tinued 011 page 1 12)
When Bob Carson went
into the bayon cormtry
with his young wife, he
thought only of combut­
ting superstition and dis­
ease. But he soon found
truth in the s a y i n g­
" W o m e n d o n ' t m, e n n
nothin' down in this ht're
neck o' tire woods ! "

By
..

KEN £00 P ER

RIVE R
of FIRE
M rs . Ca r s o n w il l

Y
'' O U know what t h i s a s s ign­ ''Yes, I 'm willing.
ment mean s , Dr. Carson ? ' ' acc ompa n y me as my nurse . "
T h e gr ay - h a i red Divisi o nal The d i rector f rO\vned . " I f I ma y so
D i rector of the United States P ublic sugge s t . D r . Carson , " he sa i d , " I do n ' t
Health Service looked up. t h i nk i t ' s wise to take a w o m an into
Bob Carson nodded . " Ye s , I under ­ t he bayou country. You will find con­
stand pe r f ectl y . " ditions precariot\5 enou gh without th e
" Y o u will be as much a missionary added burden o f protecting your \\ i fe.
c.. s a phy s ician," the d i rector con t inue d . T h e p ractically uncivil ized m e n who in­
"These bayou people a r e almost fanatic h a b i t the regi o n rega rd w o m e n as chat­
in their distrust oi medical s c i enc e . tels. I f e e l it i mpe rat i ve to warn you
D e spi t e e n· r y e ffo rt tn wipe it ou t , about t h i s . "
barbaric voodooism is still rampan t . Om ·• :\ I r s . Carson i s e ag e r to g o alun g.
latest re p ort shows a gha s tl y inc rease I ' ve t o l d her of the dangers . She com es
in mortality. The Okochee Bayou is f rom p ioneer stock, sir. I'm certain she
« fester o f filth and d i sease. Are you can be o f great assistance . "
s t i ll w i lling to ac cept the p o s t ?' ' The d irector shrugged. " I t's up to
A f a i n t smile curled Bob's lips . He you, docto r . " He f umbled through
was t h inking of Pasteur, o f Lister, of sr•me papers. "This i s your assignme nt .
\Valter Reed . Th e y had all fli rted with A r rangemen t s haYe a l r e ad y been maJe
death to bring e n l i ghtenm e n t . He to ship instruments, medicinals, and foo d
SC!t:ared his broad shoulders. s u pplie s . A bungalow has been built.
 The fiends were spreadin g oil on rh-, water-igniting it. There
could be no <!SCape!

Naturally, utmost s e cr e c y as to i ts pur­

po5e was necessary. Nobody knows , as AN HOUR later, in a Savannah hotel
room, B ob interruptecl his packing
yet, who will occupy the bungalo w . tc S \\·eep the sl i m . lovely f i gure of En i d ,

Now, as to getting there. The Spnng h i s bride o f a mon t h , i n t o h i s arms. He

floods have made the wagon roads im­ ki s s e d the s o f t hollo\v o f her throat, her
p a ss ab le. You wi!! h a v e t o go by s t eam cheeks, he r warm, poppy-reel lips. His
launch up the Okochee River to the arms t i ghtenecl lm i ngl y about her m a
· ­

delta. There, according to our im·esti­ ture curves, mou l d i ng her high finn
gat<Jr, you will find a native eel fisher breasts 1gainst h i m .
who can row you across the bayou to " T h i s can eas i l y make a name for
the bun galo w . It p os s i b l e , send out me, d a rl ing," h e enthused. "If we go
monthly reports." i n there and clean those people up \ Y e 'II

He rose, e xte nde d his ha n d . "You both be famous." His face darkened.
haye my best wishes, doctor. The ' ' There's j u st one thing·, Enid . It's a bo u t
knowledge that yo u are aid ing huma n­ you. B lake, at the H ealth Srrvice,
ity should compensate for an y d i scom­ \Yarned m e agai n s t l et ti ng you g·o al ong.
fiture y ou may experience. Good- bye He said i t might be dangerou s . "
and good luck !" E n i d pressed h e r young, vitally alive
80 Spicy-Adventure Stories

body close. " Do you th i nk I 'd l e t you Her heau came back and her mouth
go without me ? ' ' s ou g h t Bob's lips. They we r e warm
" ?\ o, but-but I t h o u gh t I m igh t re­ when they tou c h e d , but t h e y turned to
f us e the post . " ice as a weird s h r i e k knifed out of the
" G oose ! I t ' s a wo n d e r f ul oppor t un­ black pi ne grove, rippled over the water
itY, i s n ' t it ? Haven't you b ee n talk­ like a snake and scuttled i nt o the valley
iJ ;g ab ou t i t a!l the 1vay f ro m New bey o n d the bayou.
York. H mv m any young men j u �t o ut ' 'What's that ?" Bob g a spe d .
o i medical school get appoi ntments to The fisherman answered without
the Publ ic Health Service ? ' ' She t w ined turning. •· Screech owl. Sv..·amp's ful l
her arms about l3 ob's n e c k, mashed her nh dem. Ain' no hurt but dey sho'
parted lips down on his mout h . The f righte n s d uh wi t s o ut u h y uh ." He
s \\'elling of h er splendid br e a sts 1vas c ack le d hideously. " S om e folks s ay d ey's
Bob's an s11Tr. She am pl i fied it on ly d u h sp i ri t s ub duh dead. Ah dunno."
when she dre1v her m o i st l ips away. The boat s wung around as it n-eared
" \\'e ' rc going together, darling. If i t' s the steep-banked sh o re . Bob m ad e out
dangerous you need me and I need you . the outl ines of a small b ui l d i n g set in
R i gh t ? ' ' a cluster of t ow e ri n g p i n e s . T h er e w:-ts
Bob th r il led to h e r co ura ge . ' · Ri g ht , " a flickering l igh t i n one wi nd o w .
he whispered, a ga i n se e k i ng the ecs t a t ic " I s-is t hat the bungalow ?" he qu<>­
wcll-spri:1g of her mouth, feeling the ti one d .
globular fullness of h e r Lrea�t" a� his The i r fe r ryma n leaned over, grabbed
arms enfolded h e r. t h e stump o f a sa pl i ng tree and pulled
the boat in close. "Yassuh, dat ' s it.
O n ly t h e D o n ' look so good i n duh ni ght but i t ' s
N
I GHT on the bayou . d ee p
c r o ak ing of g ia n t bull frogs and the a rig-ht smaht shack. Heah, step easy. "
faint, muffled s pl a sh of an oar in the He held a b o n y hand o u t t o En id. She
dark water. d rew back.
Huddled in th e back seat of a fla t ­ Bob l i ft e d her from the boat to the
bottomed eel boat , Enid shivered as the bank, handed up h i s pe rs on al instru­
ch or u s of throaty sound ec ho ed f rom ment bag. t h e i r two s u i tca s e s. He d u g
the ebony p in e grove on the far s id e into his pocket a n d brought ou t a d o l ­
o f th e bay o u . lar bill. The ancient took it, exam i n ul
Bob t i ghtened his arm about he r it in the orange-yeJlow g l o w o f an oil
waist . "Cold ?" h e whi spere d . lamp.
" �-No." Her t eeth chattered. "It ' ' Fixin' to stay o n a spell ?" he ques­
-it's j us t a little s po o ky . " tioned.
The w r i nkled, stoop-shouldered n a tive B ob ca u g h t a whiff of h is breath. It
in th e prow o f the boat spat into th e was heav y with raw alcohol. ''I-I sup­
water. " N i gguh n i gh t," he mumbled. pose we'll be here s o m e time," he re­

The very timbre o f his voice seemed pl i ed . " Why do you a sk ? "
to ma t ch the croaking of the fr o g s . Bob's " \Val, ah thought m e b b e you 'd be a­
hand slid u p to w he r e he c o u l d f eel the needin' s om e f resh eel s . I 'l l be ove r
pounding o f her heart. mebbe in a week. I f yuh'r heah, I ' l l see

" You're not f r igh t e n e cl , are you, dar­ yuh . "

ling ? " B o b s t e pp ed up on t h e bank. The
She laughed softly. "Of course not." boat slid out on the black water. The
 River of Fire 81
�--------------------------��----------------------�
eel fi she r's fiendish cackle came back to " My wi fe," B o b explained. "Mrs.
them faintly. Carson, Mr. Eddinger."
Enid hugged Bob close. "What did Enid forced a wan smile. "How­
be mean ?" she panted. "Why did he how do you do, Mr. Eddinger."
if we 're here ?" He nodded, shuffled his feet self­
saY
B ob tried desperately to make his consciously. " I t's high time we had a
�oice sound cheery. It was a piti ful doc down here," he said. "Yes, sir, it
effort. " He-he doesn't know we're sure i s . 'Why, them white trash are
staying, that's all. You take the small dyin' off like rats i n a flood, they are.
bag and I'll take the rest. I'm anxious Burned six yesterday."
to see our new home. Come on." " Burned ?" Bob echoed.
" Sure thing. They don't believe in
S THEY neared the bungalow the decent burial, no, sir. Burn up the
A door opened and a man in boots corpses an' eat the ashes, that's what
and breeches stepped out on the porch. they do."
The high crown of his tan sombrero Enid turned white. Her hand covered
almost touched the porch roo f . He was her mouth. Even B ob blanched. Ed­
big and rangy. The light from the room dinger seemed not to notice thei r dis­
beyond silhouetted his broad-shoulderP.d gust.
figure. "They kinda figure a man's soul stays
"Yo:.� the Doc ?" he questioned. with his ashes," he continued. " So they
Bob stepped in front of Enid. "Yes, eat 'em to keep him alive. When a
I am." woman dies they scatter the ashes on the
"Here, let me take those bags ." Ham­ bayou for the eels. vVomen don't mean
like hands reached out and snatched the nothin' down in this here neck of the
baggage from Bob's grip. " Been waifin' woods."
for you. Got a fire all set. There's a "But-but how do you happen to be
chill." here, Mr. Eddinger r" Bob· questioned.
Holding Enid's arm, Bob f ol l owed the " l\Ie ? Oh, I come in before the Spring
giant stranger inside. He turned to face floods an' stay on until late summer. I
them, pu�hing his hat back on his head, buy up all the t u rps they tap, haul it
towering iike a Goliath above them. The out around August."
skin of his cheeks was like oil-rubbed " Turps ?"
leather . Brigh t gray eyes flashed f rom "Turpentine." He pulled a turnip of
bene ath shaggy brows. a si l ver watch out o f his pocket. ''Guess
" M,• name's Eddinge r , ' ' he said I'll be goin' along. You folks '11 be
y
blu ffl . "Boll Eddinger. Heard you wantin' some sleep. There's j ust one
�ere com in' down so thought I 'd drop thing, Doc. You won't be gettin' much
tn an' .
g-et things set to rights . , thanks for anythin' you do. These folks
. Bis hand grip had the strength of a kinda got their own way of handlin'
Vtse. B o b winced . " That-that's aw­ sickness. Last week a girl run a sl i \·er
full y n ice o f you," he stammered through her hand. They didn't wai t to
.
Edd i nger shrugged. " ?\othin' at al l . " see w !1at come o f it. They j ust chopped
lie eyed Enid curiouslY. but there was the hand off. She bled to death d urin'
Warmt h in the move ent of � his eyes
. t he night." He paused at the doo r . ''Jus'
e�er her youthfully cnrved figure. go easy for a spell. I f you need me
,'Di
dn' t expect a woman, though . " ask anyone where Boll is. G 'nigh t . "
 82 Spicy-Adventure Storie11

\Vhen the door had closed behind him, aged birds d ipped low over the sur f ace
Bob turn e d to Enid. Her cheeks were of the water. It was a different world
tall ow ·white and he r eyes burned like w ith the shades of darkness gone.
: ive coal s. Bob u npacked his instrumen ts an d
"Bob ! " she whispered. ' ; D id-die! you medicinals. Enid busied hersel f with
c nr hea r anyth ing so horrible ?" the foodstuffs. Not a h u man soul oth e r
He sl ipp e d his anns about her waist . t han thems el ves disturbe d the sy lv a n
· ' Buck u p kid.
, \Ve knew what we were . tranq uil ity o f their pine s h aded retr eat. -

coming to. That's why we cam e , be­ " I don t suppose there's m uch tr an­
'

'.':iuse it was thi s way. In a month we'll sient trade here," Bob said j okingly . " No
have them eating out of our hands." He usc hanging up a shingle . "
t:issed the delicately soft hol low of her E nid laugh ed . " T h i s d ru m o f kero­
r h roat, ran his lips up over her chin to sene, Bob. \Vhat ' s it for ?"
her mouth .
' ' Lamps and l ice. That's where you'll
Neither of them saw the face at the
come in, darling . " H e scratched his head
window. It was thin, sallow and heavily
significantly. ' I ll
' ' wager every kid on
bearded . D a rk , malevolent eyes peered
the bayou is inhabited. You won' t m in d
out from under scraggl y , unke mpt
working on them, will you ?"
b rows. The yellow-green tu,;ks o f root­
' · M ind ?" She slid into Bob's arms,
rotted teeth hung viscously ov e r a
pressed his cheeks between the palms
cwisted lower l i p. It was t he face of a
of her hand s. "You know I won ' t mind
maniac ; the face of a warped, unde­
doing anything- for you. "
\'eloped m e ntality ; the face of a h u man
creature whose habita t was t h e slu ggis h ,
As th o ugh they were powerful mag­

oily bayou . nets, the upthrust h i ll s of h e r Lreasts

A white-coated tongue slithered o u t drew his caressing eyes. It seemed as

;mel licked the shapeless l i ps as B o b and though he co u l d never get enough of

Enid a nd Enid's mouths j oined . Saliva Enid's 10\·el iness. Her bod y was a holy

Jroolcd from the tartar-stained teeth and shr ine on which he laid the votive offer­

. i roppcd to the fil thy rag that was the ing of his adoration .

creature's only covering. Its pupi l s d i­ "I love you," he whispered, his lips
!ated sensuously. r i vete d on Enid's close to the sweet wa rmth of her m o uth .

hrt:>asts. Then, breat hi ng h ea vil y , it '·I love love, love

, , /m1e you � "

melted int o the darknes s . Enid's eyes smiled. Her lips parted
in expectancy. "I gu es s you lm·e 111e,"
l'"fHAT fi rst night was mental and she murmured.
physical tortur e.The macabre
croaking of the f rogs, the gh a stly out­ ARKNESS fell all too soon. G ray
cries of the screech owls, all c onspi red
D- fingers of d usk reached d0\1·n o ver

to keep them both awake until sh eer ex­ th e bay ou - , clutched at the day l i ght ,
h au stion conque r ed stark, unmentionable nwve d it be\·ond the horizon. The irogs
terro r. As best they coul d , they t ried began t he ir ince ssant croak ing.
" Cric k e ts
tu hide f rom each other t h e f ear that chirped in the ,; \\·amp grass outs i d e the
gri pped them. cabin.
Daylight brought surce ase from the En i d p r epa re d dinner. It was \\' h i l e
pitch horrm· of night. A bright sun she was was hing up the few dishe s an d
shone down on the bayou. Gay plum- Bob \\·as labeling his hottles, that a
 River of Fire 83

"Get out!" Enid screamed. "Get out!"

knock sounclec! at the door. Bob an- w o m an rather than a child. A full-
swered. grown woman, voluptuously soft and
It was a barefoot girl clothed in a r o un d e d .The bodice of her faded dress
filthy rag o f a cotton dress. At fi rst had been t o n The gri my color of her
r .

giance Bob thought she was a child. Her f a ce almost belied the whiteness of the
ethereally beauti ful f ac e was hunger­ breast Bob could see through the rent.
pinched a n d d i rt-smeared. H cr black "Come in," he said.
eyes bur ned in dee p-sunk socket s . The girl hung back. " 'Druther not,"
"Cud yuh come, mistuh ?"' she q u e r i e d . she blurted . " Cue\ yuh come q u i ck , mis­
"Paw ' s sick tuh dyin ' . ' ' tuh ?" Her fingers fidgeted with the
Her vo i c e was t h i n and q u av e r i n g . f ro nt of l:.e r d re s, tightelling the thin
s

Her li p s, ripe and full, quivered. Bob material ove r he hi gh swelling breasts.
r ,

ran his eyes up a n d d o wn her figure. I t was evident t ha t the d r e s s was her
lie was amazed to see the plump, glo­ sole covering.
bula r ou t l i n esof mature breast s . the Enid came out of the kitchen. Her
lyr ed sweep of cu r ed h i ps . She was a eyes dampened sympathetically as she
v
 84 Spicy-Adventure Stories
-

saw the woe - beg on e figur e at the door. the soft hiUock th ro b like the pulses in
"What is it, Bob ?" she questioned. her temples. Afraid ? Yes, she w�
" She says her father is sick. I'd bet­ afraid. It was a fear born of the in.
ter go along with her. Do you mind tangible ; fear of the pagan u nk nown
stay i ng alone or do you want to come l ur k ing in these wilds.
along ?" F inished with th e d i s h e s Enid b u s ied
,

a D o n ' t be silly ! I 'll stay ." She ad­ herself measuring d i mi t y curtains for
d r e ss e d the gi rl . "Won't you come in the windows. S he was a t t a c h i ng the rod
f o r a moment ?" on one of the two windows f aci ng the
The gi r l s eyes d r opped to the floor. b a you \Vhen her f a ce froze in an ex­
She hid one d i rty foot behind the o th e r . pression o f abysmal horror. There, star ­
The rapid rhythm of her bre a th ing i n g at her th rough the gla ss was t he ,

raised and lowere d her resilient breasts. sallow-cheeked cr eat ure whose malevo­
Bob was bac k with his bag. lent eyes had licked sen s uously at her
" \V hat's the matt e r with your fat h e r ? " on c e be f ore .
lw asked. A scream rose in Eni d 's throat, died as
She shook her head. "D unno." it reached her numbed lips . The walk­
"V/hat's y ou r name ?" Enid ques­ ing, living cadaver p re ss ed its face
tioned. ag a i nst the pa ne . A leer, spawned o f
Again the girl hu ng her head. She th e darkest pits o f hell, t wisted i ts shape ·

seemed dazzle d in the pr e sence of a l e s s mou th .

woman wh o wor e clean thing s , stockings, Enid stumbled to the center o f the
shoes. room. She wanted to cry out hut the
"Peg Cowher," she mumbled. finge rs o f hideous fright were i ro n claws
Bob kissed Enid h ur r i edly on the l i ps. a b o ut her throat . S he braced hersel f
'Til be back as soon as possible. Don't against the table, waiting for t h e in­
wo r ry. " eYi tahle, helpless before i t s com i ng .
' · Bring her with you," Enid whis­ The door opened slowly and the black­
pere d . " I have an old d r e s s she can n e s s of the n i g h t vomited the hunched .
wear. She looks hungry, too." bearded man. His shoe-button eyes
" S weet ! ' ' were maliciously br i ght as they glittered
from rh e umy l ids. His \Yhi te-coated
JE WAS go ne
! , following the bare­ tong u e slid l ike a gi an t gr ub oYer a
..ii.�
. foot gi rl th rough the pin e grove. twisted lower lip.
Enid stood in the do orway until the " /\in' a im i n ' tuh harm yuh,'' he
crunch of h i s iootsteps in the dry cl r o \rn croaked . " J us' come by tuh tell yuh \Ye
needles was lost in th e black b eyo n d . d o n t like town folk messin' in
' our busi­
The slim crescent of a cold, si l Y e r y ne s s. S 'pcct y u h d bettuh be shipp � n :
'

1!1oon was co ming up over t he bayou. A b«ck f'um \\·heah yuh co me . Alii
b:1t crossed it, w in gs widespread. E n i d healthy in t h e s e heah paht s . ' '
shuddered, closed the door, return �r! t o H e wasn ' t an id i o t . H i s speech 1 \ a "
h e r dishes. t h i c k b u t he kn e w \\·hat he was talki ng
As she \\·orked s h e sang softly . The about. He \\·aited f o r a rep l y . his ey es
sound o f her own Yoice seemed to lend moving up and dmn1 Enid's hody.
v;annth t o the al o n en e s s . She could f eel She could a l m ost feel the hot. corrt nn s
the poundin g o f her heart under t he flame o f them penetra t i n g- I t e r cott on
flesh cushion of her breast. It made dress an d curl i n g �bout he1- na ked
 River o J Fire 85

breasts. It was an unclean sensation. mans. They were creatures of the black
Someho\\·, the power of sp eech re­ beyond.
turned t o Enid. She drew a de ep breath.
•·You-you can't force u s to go ! :\fy "Light intuh darkness, Ll a ck e r ' n pitch,
hu sband is a government employe ! He's Eye o' the n ight-owl-"
here to he lp you ! "
A wolfish snarl l e p e d from the m an 's
D r oni n g . . . dron i ng . . . droning.
a

blue lips. ' '\Ve ain' askin ' none o' yuh'r Enid turned her head, looked at the
help ! \Ve got ways o' mak i n ' yuh git." The fl am i ng wick
He b acke d to the door, motioned.
lamp on the table.
was fluttering, goi11g out ! The same
Enid quivered as she heard the cl�tmP­ th i n g was h a p p e ni n g to the lamp in the
cla mp- clump of heavy i eet. A shuf­ kitchen !
fling, g ray - hair e d hag appea re d in the
orange-yellow light thrown by the lamp
the tabl e . Saliva d ri p pe d from her
"-hell's own ,,·itch,
en

bl o od l e s s lips.
D�bbil come up f'um th' pits o' sin . . ."
Madness was p r o b i n g into the soitness
of Enid's b rain. S he was a graven image, d aDroning . . . d roni ng . . . d roning. And
rk n e ss , sett l i n g like a <.Ieath's pall o ve r
incapable of movement, as t h e bent ,
hood ed crone came forward. The dank ti1e" Get cabin.
o ut ! " Enid screamed. "Get out !"
odor of flesh rot swept across Enid's
The man's mocking la u gh t er and the
nostrils, choking her with its f oul ne ss . old crone' s dron i ng. On and on and on
" Put th' hex her, Ad a ! " the man
. . . e ndle s sl y . . . while it grew darker.
on

s c r ee ch e d . " Show her we ain' no fools ! ' '

The wick of t he kitchen lamp sp utte r ed ,
went o u t . The secon<.l lamp, giving off
THE o l d h a g raised h er bo n y a r m s .
a feeble, c r ooked light, th r e w gaunt,
eerie shadows across the wa l l s .
They were fleshless. Her toothless
gums gleamed behind s p re ad l ips.
She began to chant, sw ayi n g from side
to side. "Light intuh d arkne s s !
i
L ght intuh darkness !

t
"Light in uh darkness, blacker'n pitch,
Light intuh darkness !"

Eye o' th' night-owl, hell's o wn witch,

Debbil come up f'um the pit s o· sin, The hag was s c rea m ing now ,

Ole Ada askin' th' ha'nt tuh begin ! " screaming l i ke a demented thing.

The bearded man laughed hysterically, t i ntuh da rk ness , blacker ' n pi tch !
' ' Ligh

eye s glowing like l i\'e coals. E n id 's Eye o' th' night-owl, hell's own witch !
r i
fi n ge - n a l s bit into the wooden table un­ Darkness !
p
til the excrucia t i n g a i n was almost an Darkness !
l .
an a ge sic The room began ge ting t Eecce . . . ooo oooohlt !"
darker and she wondered whether she
was lo s i ng consciousness. The second lamp went out. A s tyg i an
She seeme d
to b e in a blackness· descended on the room. Even
d ifferent world ; a world di­
vorced from reality. The old crone and the slim, s ilve r crescent of the moon
the leering, bearded men were not hu- dipped behind a cloud
86 S ['icy-Adventure Stories

T�ETRIFI ED, En id stood rooted to ir shud d ered out into the n i ght , e ch o i n g
.;.. the spot. \Vhat madn es s was this ? across the bayou only to ret urn in a

'Yhat e v il machinations of black m agi c ? g h a s t ly echo.

'-.\'hy had the lamps go n e out when the . \ gain and ag ai n her to r t ured th roat
: : · : ; :::g;m c han t ing ? g«ve Y oice . Sp a sms shook her body . In
r i tT m in d, torn by f e ar 1Jtyoncl al1 her hysteria she h a d t o r n rhe bod i c e of
; � • r ; J i a ! l end u ran ce , spun l ike the Yortex h e r cotton dress , rippe d i t t o the wai st.
,, : a w h i rlpoo l . Numbed, timele�s Tears t h at f e l t as cold as liquid ai r rolled
: : r • nm:nts pa s s e d on le ad e n feet. ."\ d r .l\\'11 h e r cheeks and dropped on her
l - .'<lvy, oppressiYe silence seemed t o h a Ye kt re breasts.
c ' Hn<e with the d a rk n e s s , was one "·ith . . .\' o !" her brain shrilled. ''X o '" her

t h e· pall of pitch. T h e n , out of the n oth ­ l i ps ans\rered. ' ; N o ! No !"

; , ,�- t ' t s s came the shuftl.e uf fe e t . Swislr ­ The eyes gr ew l arg er as they c a me

i lt ud . swish-llr 1t d . S'i.cish-tlwd. Ew r cioser. E nid felt hot exhalat i o n s , the

nearer, ever loude r . smacking of thick , moist lips. Two
Enid tensed hersel i , s c arce l y daring sl;rouded ar ms came out, w r appe d thcm­
t• • bre athe . Oh, God, w hy didn't B ob ;;ch·es around he r.
cr•mc ? She wanted t o scream for h i m, Nausea turned Enid's stomach She
! . . :t he r vocal cords were l i ke taut-drawn tried to es cape the thing's h o rrib le cl utch ­
p : ; mo wire s . ing arms, buf they hel d her tight, pai n ­
:---; he sensed t h e pre�ence o f a n alien fully contorting he r , digging into her
t h ing e\'en be fore s h e saw the two g reat , so ft flesh like t hick, torturous ropes.
g lari ng eyes looking out at h e r f rom a \V et , fingers raced owr
clammy her
stygian depth whose boundaries were body, leavi ng thei r hideous marks on

endless. her flesh.

T he y were no human eyes, o f that B l indly, En id fought to r e pul s e th::
,; ! w was certain. T hey were either the c reat ure . Its brutal claw ings had k i t
ryes of a be a st or the eyes of a mons­ her half-naked. H e r d ress was a t at ­
t rosity spawned i n the wom b of h el l . tered shred about h er bo dy . In her
T h e y g lowed like t w o balls o f white h ea rt she knew t h is was the end. Death
:; re : tw o balls of white fi re a l one in the would be sw eet by comparison .
r! arkness. " B ob ' B ob !"
The shock brought s peech to En i d ' s
;cy lips. " B ob ! ' ' she shrieked in sane l y , 1-JER s ta rk cry pierced the gray \' e i l
�n ring at her dress to pull it away from .a. o f ho r ro r . The echo o f it ca me
! 1 er c o nstr ic t e d throat. ' 'Bob !" back i n a faint whisper. Again a s h ril l ,
As t h ou gh in an s \\· e r to her f renzi e d high wail-her O\Vn ag o nize d \'Oice­
cry, there came the chant ing of the crone. t h readed through space quivering!�· . The
So ftly, so softly, now. A f lat , tonel ess sl i my lips of the t h ing were a g a i n ;; t
rh;·enody of horror. h e r m o u t h , fo rc i ng all soun d back into
her throat.
, ; Body is young an' f l e sh i s whit e , "Bob ! B o b ! " The plea was n o longer
.\ I t foh t h ' dcbbil on t h ' ha'ntin' n ig ht ! ' ' spoke n . It came from deep within the
t nmult o f her t ort u r e d soul, found no
An a goniz ed shriek, ripped from (oxpression. Enid opened her eye� for
Eni d ' s very soul, screamed like a mil­ one horrific instant. Then, b l i s s fu ll y .
l ion mad denizens o f hell's f u mace as dark ne ss swept i n to her b ra i n , shroud -
 River of Fire 87

''My p<1w madC' me d<' it." she ,aid. "He tole me to get yuh
intuh the wo<'cs:''

ing a l l the beastly ugli ne��. all tlw mad, " Come back � .. Bob shouted. ' ' Hey ! "
tragic horror. There ,,·as only the boom o f h i s m\·n
Yoice and the ru stling o f underbrush.

FOR t wenty mi u te B ah dogged Peg

n s Then, out o f the s i lence that fol lowe d ,
Cowi.Jer's footsteps as she led him came a of r. body
c r y of pa i n , t h e t h u d
through tl1e pine w oo d s . They had gone on the soft bed of dry pine needl es.
a• least a 1 1 1 i l e from the cabi n . taking Bob stumbled in the d i rection the girl
il dniou�, t"·isting route the girl �eemed had taken ; the direction f rom which the
to !mow unerringly. cry had come. He migh t j ust as ,,·ell
Sud denly, when they reached a t h ick­ ha\'e been blind, so com p l ete was the
set growth through wllich not a beam darkness. A faint, sobbing moan led
o( moonlight coulrl penetrate, the g ir l him t o the t wisted t r ttnk of a f<tllen tree.
darted off into the blackness. H is g r op ing hands told him the story.
88 S picy·A.dventur·e Stm·ies

Peg Cowber had caught her ankle i n OB w e n t col d . The horrible t ruth
t h e vise-like space where a thi ck branch B hit h i m in the pi t of the stomach.
j oined the trunk o f the tree. She was sickening him. He had been drawn
�pra wled out on the ground, her leg away from the cabin so that this girl's
twisted cruel ly, unable to pull it f ree. parents might wreak their vengeance 011

Bob fumbled for his tiny th roat Enid !

light, flashed it on. A twig had caught He shot to his feet. " Show me the
in the girl's dress bodice, ripped i t clown way back to the cabi n ! " he gasped .
the front. It had fallen from h e r shoul­ T h e g i r l cowered. " A h can't ! They'll
ders. Her youthfully f i rm breasts were ,,· h i p me ! ' '
bare, but more than that, the whiteness B o b j e rked h e r u p . Pain contort ed
of her shoulders and back was marred h e r face. The ankle that had Leen
by ghastly green and blue bruises. caught was swollen and u sel ess . She
She fainted as Bob \\'renched her coulrln 't wal k .

ankle out of its constricting prison. He Panic gripped B ob. Chill ing visil'ns
o pen ed his bag, brought out a bottle o f oi Enid at the mercy of these primi­
smelling salts. Crad l i ng her head in tive bayou settlers froze his heart. God
the cro o k o f h is arm he passed the open only knew what was happening to her !
bottle under her nostr i l s . Her eyc>l ids Torture, death-maybe worse !
fluttered, a moan e s cap ed her pale l i ps . He leaned over, l i fted the gi rl in
Bob directed h i s t i ny light o n her h i s arms. "I'll carry you ! " he panted.
body. The soft flesh had been struck " Tell me how to go ! "
again and again by some blunt object. Peg Cowher was n o ligh t weight. Her
The bm ises were not new, no result o f body was full and solid . Sweat s t ood
h e r fal l . Someone had beaten her. out on B ob's brow before he had gone
Slw opened her eyes. Te r ror lights hal f the distance.His arms a ch ed and

fl ickered i n the dilated pupils. "I ain' his legs were lead heavy. He f e l t the
th' one ! ' ' she gasped. "I ain', tnistuh ! ' ' g i r l s warm, plump breasts against his
'

chest but the voluptuous lure of them

She was f rightened t o death. Her
was lost on him. H e knew o n ly one
body qui vered spasmodically. Her l i ps
trembled.
th ing. He had to reach that cabi n be­
f o re-be fore i t was too late.
Bob t ouched his fingers to her d i s ­
c ol o r e d ski n. " W h o d i d this ? " X ow he remembered the warning he

' ' :\Iuh paw ! He's th' one . mi stuh ! had been giYen ; the \\·arning the:. t the
H:c made me ! " bayou country was n o place for a civi­

' ·Your father beat you ? " lized ·woman. H e cursed him sel ( for
''Yuh ! " being· a blind fool .

' ' Why ? " \Vhen it seemed as th o ugh he co uld

" A h dunno." no longer carry on, the woo d s o pe n e d up
"I thought you said your father was and there was the black bayou �uck i ng
sick. ' ' in the light from the moon cresc ent.
" He ain' ! H e made m e say ut ! Ah !he cabin on the bank.
'-Wear ah didn' d o u t muh sc l f , mi�tuh ! Dob dropped the girl to the g round .
I t 's muh pa,,· an ' maw ! T h ey say y u h From h i s bag, slung over his arm , he
ain' got no rig h t heah ! T h e y t o l ' me snatched a keen-edged scal p e l . He ran
tuh get yuh intuh t h ' woods I'' fon\·arcl . heart pound i ng. each drop o i
 Ri ver of Fire 89

cold sweat on h is face paradoxically T h e y looked at him strangely, as tho ngh

b u m ing like acid. her beaten mind refused to believe what
His hocly was a t w i s t e d bundle o f they c on veye d . He to uche d her lips with
tortured nerves when h e r ea c h e d the h is fingers.
cpen door. In the semi-darkness he " D ob !" s h e cried . '' It s yort ! ''
'

stumbled o Yer the knee li n g fi g u r e o f t he H is l ips were a gainst hers. " Ye .s , dar­
old hag . The scalpel slashed out, caught l ing. "

t h r crone across the back of he r wrinkled ' ' O h , God ! ' ' she murmured.
neck. She d ro p pe d like an empty >ack, His \·o i ce was low and soothing. "It's
J,j(lOci pouring f r om the d eep slash. all over, Enid . "
Bob nulted her b o dy . A ray o f
moonlight pe ne t rated the clark interior "[j' O O T S T E P S s o un d ed on t h e "·noden
of the hut. \V hat he saw i n i t s col d , .l.. fl o or of the front roo m . Bob leapecl
silYery light d ra gg ed him down . . . d,Jwn to h i s feet, wheeled. I t wa s the native
irto the deepe st pits of hellish ho no r . g i r l , P eg Cowher. Her eyes were fear
Enid, practical ly stripped of clothing, ! Jri;�·h t .
was s t retched out on the floor. Hovering " They re com i n' a f tuh yuh ,
' mistuh 1 "
over her was a h u ge , shapeless Thing she gasped . " Y u h bettuh go ! Thl:y'Il
with g reat gl ar ing eyes.
, k i ll yuh ! He got cut up a n ' he's dyin'."
Re<t :;on fled from Bob's mi nd. Th at She pointe d to t h e b ay o u . "I know
tk Thing w as inhuman failed to ch ec k whe r e theah ' s a boat. Yuh gottuh h urr y . ' '
h i ,; ;;IVage lunge. He closed w i th it Frantic mi nutes later, Peg shov e d the
feeling h i m sel f sucked i n t o a f ou l ne ss ro,,·boat bearing Boh a11d E n id out into
beyond l i f e . The T hing enclosed h i m, the d a r k water. Bob gripped the oa rs.
shut out eyery breath of air. T i me an d "Thanks," h e called to the girl on the
agai n he s truck at it with the sharp scal­ bank.
pel, but the deadly weapon wasted ibel f The echo of his voice had scarcely
on n ot h ingne s s ; on soft masses that died whe n a ch or us of mani acal shrieks
were without substance. d rown e d out e\·en the sombre croaking
Then, suddenly, a great f o rc e pushed of the frogs. In the l igh t of the moon
h i m back a gai n st the wall. There w a s Bob sa\\· a tatt e re d army of men an d

a S'i.('ish a nd a black shadow passed out women pouring o u t of the pine \\·oocl s .
c. [ the door. Then s i len ce- u tter and T h e y l ined t h e hank , screaming and cur5-
com pl e te s i lenoe. Bob looked at th e i ng at the departing hoat.
r!eacl ll'itch woman, her ha gga rd face S ud d enly a burst o f flame shot up
:; \r i m m ing in a crimson pool o f her o w n f rom the wate r It scu t ­
near the shore.
biood . He looked at Enid, pale, li f eless . tled out like a giant red bug. Another.
The power of movement re tu rned to h i s A noth e r . In a moment the �uriacc o f
muscl e s . He d r o pped on h i s knees be­ the bayou w as a roaring furnace. Bob
side Enid , li fted her, car ried her into knew what was h appening. The i i ends
the bed ro om . He p r essed his ch e ek to were sp rea d i ng oil on the sur face o f the
h er cruelly lace rated face, laid soothing wate r ! Igniting it .1 There would be no
care s s t s on the velvet s o f t ne ss of her escape ! They were trapp ed . like rat s ,
skin. w i t h a wall o f flames around them !
" Enid , ' ' he whi spe re d . " E n i d , dar­ Bob rowed feveri shly i t ! an ef-fort at
ling." escaping t he almost cert a ; n death that
She st i r red and her eyes 0pencd. (Con tin ttrrf Ol! {!ark 1 10 )
SKY
By
(;LIVE
THE�T

GODDESS

90
On the Tumbleweed's one
side s ta nds the barbaric
u.,lzite q u een of a savage
lend ; on the o t h e r the
ultra-sophisticated aviatrix
w h o k n o w s e -.; e r y t h i n g
a b o u t l o �; e , C h o o s e h e
m ust, but only after a bap-
tism in blood !

l i fe . in one o f i t o h i l a r ious moods, was

bei ng kind t o him. H e had a so f t j ob ,

Poised like a leop­

ancl a s weetheart. He was Act ing-Dep­
ard, Lady Di en­ uty-Commissioner at the lmwl of Alla­
tered the fight.
ha, the w h i t e queen of the Amatonga. in
that vast territory known as R hodesia,

EA�E.
extending between the Limpopo and
Zambesi riYers, in South Africa.
the /\merican, called him­

N sel t t h e Tumbleweed,
l ike the tumbleweeds of his na­
be c a u se ,
A white queen ? Yes. One o f the
granddaughters o f t h e famous Engi ish­
man, John Dunn, \rho became a t r i bal
� i ve \\'est . he was forever rolling. And
he d idn ' t want to roll . chie f in Zululan d , ancl had at lea�t a
B u t t h a t i s t h e tragedy o f a l l tumble­ hundred children, of all sharles and
wee d s . who dream of a home, a wife, colorings. But John Dunn had his
and ;.;id�. The giant h a n d o f des t in y moments when he remembered that he

grips :hem and sets t h e m clown in odd \\·as a \l·hite man ancl one of those
C•Jmer5 n f ::he earth, and there doesn't moments probably accounted for �-\ llaha.

3eem �'' 1 ! ': an yt hing that one can do At least, there was no eYi dence ot
otbnm it ::t� a l l . natiYe b l ood in her smooth 11 h i te skin
l'\ ea le, a � t h i rt y . 1vas a pretty thor­ ancl black, straight hair.
o aghly disillusi oned man. He had A white girl , hrou�ht up i 1 1 a savage
k ::t r n':' d t:' nke l i fe as he found it. And kraal, rememberin g 1w t h i n .� 0i her re�

91
92 Spicy-Adventure Stories

doubtable o ld grand father, and mar r ied kissed her, wouldn't have wanted to'
to a coal-black c hief of the Amatonga, eve n i f she had let him.
in Rho d esi a , at fi f teen, because her It was queer how N eale loved Allaha.
royal blood required a royal husband . Once, t he Tumbleweed had even thought
A c oai -Ll ack saYage, j ust learning to of taki n g her to America and m ar ry ­
w ea r shoes and tro u s e rs, and to hunt ing her. B u t he had quickly re al ized
with a rille imtead o f a spe a r . There that, white though she was, her home
,..-ere no children. A s to the reason f or could never be anywh e re but among her
that, per h aps A llaha coul u have ex­ o wn savage people. Sh e was quite
p lain e d ; perhaps it was some l i ngtring happy there.
remnant of race p r i de. Eve ry two weeks or so, )Jeale, in his

When the chi e f died, from b ei ug official capacity, vi sited Allaha's kraal to
mauled by a lion in a hunt, Allaha be­ hea r legal cases that went be yon d petty

ca m e queen of the Amatonga tribe. the f t , assault, a nd to i ssue the late s t

orders of the white government at Bulu­
She l i\'ed i n a t hree - r o o m f rame house
wayo.
in the m i ddl e of a vill age of lJr.chive­
He always spe n t two or three days in
shap ed ,,·attle- and-dauh h u t s . She d i s­
Allaha's frame house , v.·ith its real
pensed j u st ice seated on a chair w i t h a
E u ropea n bee!, and Allaha used to put
lo t of gildi ng , surrounded by her almo s t
on her second - ha n d frock and silk
nude head counsellors. Sometimes she
stocki ngs for him.
w or e a loin cloth an d a leopard-skin
She couldn't have been more th an
cloak , and at ot he r s she wore a second­
twenty-five, and ha d all the fiery nature
hand Eu ropean frock, with silk stock­
of the tropic races.
ings, and a perky li t t l e hat over her ear.
S o f t arms went aLout Neale's neck,
And she was w h i te- wh i t e all th r ough _
warm lJ reasts were pressed again st hi !ll.
Her hreath:ng quickened, a n d prescml y

N EALE st i rred w h e n the da\m wind

b<'gan to blow t h rough the bush,
l i t tle gasps began to co m e from
l i p s . Allaha's s l i m body qui v e r ed under
her

and opene d his ey e s . It was a l ways an

Neale's embrac<'.
adventure, this awak i ng at d a w n . One
.\n immense sat i s faction filled his
retra,·elled one's old life in dreams. and heart , and all the past had grown oh­
ont> 11("\'er l< n C \Y where , , n e "·ould find
scure. He was young, he was alive under
onesel f. to the love o f
t h e \\·arm s u n , t h r i ll i ng
H e d resse d �ncl went into :\ l l aha's thi� \\·oman o f his own race, a white
roum and stood l o oki ng down at her. \\"ODian who would never t roub l e him
She was still a sle e p . an arm th r o\\· n \\" i t h the problems of marriage-oi l fur­
above her b e � d . l i fting tlw fi rm cone o f naces and cook ing-stoves and grocers'
one breast hene2.t 1 1 t h e light cover. H ·� bills. And in t,,.o weeks' time he \\"otlld
bent over an([ l i f ted her tO\\·arcl h i m . sec :\1\ab aga i n .
He felt her stir in hi s ar m s , sigh He k i s s e d her very g rat e f ul l y, and
slightly, a n d then h e r lips \\"err glued felt her c l i n g to him in the ecstasy of
to his. the mome nt .
I t was Neale wh o had taugl ; t Allaha
hmY t o k i s O'. B lack savages don't kiss.
Her husband, the native chief, had never
HE w a s standing on the porch of the
th ree-room house. ·watchin g a file
 Sky Goddess 93

of graceful native girls returning from w e aving j ournev a m ong the yelling
the crocodile-pool, their gourds of water natives.
ba lanced on their heads, when he saw

T of
a trooper of the Police riding up HEY were dragging in the remams
throug h the scrub. the plane, and the savages had
In another moment he recognized gone crazy with superstitious awe. They
young Phil Roscoe. The boy j umped \Yere dancing about the three-room
from b i s saddle and saluted. frame house of Allaha, brandishing
"Orders, sir.'' he said, handing Neale spears , and what 1vas in their minds no
a pape r . ,,· h i te man could pos si h l y have cletcr­
Neale read i t a n d pursed his lips in minecl.
a 'Nh istle. ' ' Lady Diana Sutwell a n d Allaha herself, at Neal e's curt req u e s t ,
Fred Blake, flying from England to had taken up her quarters i n o n e of t h e
Capetown, " he read. ' ' Last seen over native huts.
Victoria Falls. Supposed to have ' ' I 'm all right," g r inned Freddy
crashed. Employ all available natives to I3!ake, from the bed. " \V e ran out o f
beat the bn s h for them. petrol and had to come down. The
''\Ve've got a troop of pol i ce out too. damned old plane crashed i'n t he thorn
scouring the country," said Roscoe. b u shes, and I feel as if I 've got a busted
" This Lady Diana is a duke's dau ghter. rib, that's all. S or ry we m i s s ed the
Frecldv Blake is her flying companion. record, but we'll try it ag a i n,"
They < e got to be found and brought in. "You're doing fine, old thing.'' said
if they're alive. �lust have crashed . or Lady Di.
-
they'cl haw been i n Buluwayo two day� Freddy Blake, t h e young Engl ishman ,
ago." w a s a m a n o f t he modern wo r ld , t h e
rt took Neale about three minutes to type that every virile nation is turn i nR
g:�t the orders issued-through All a ha . out today. Not more than twenty-two,
oi cm: r s e . I n three m inutes more, three u tterl y fearless and reckless, iacing l i fe
score of blacks, with spears and loin­ with a d efi a n t gr in .
clot h s , h ad departed, to scour the bush Ami the Tumbleweed , at t hi rty, !mel\·
and look for the white woman f rom the that, because of those eight years' di ffe r ­
skies. ence between their ages, he had j ust
Tbe kraal was empty now, except for slipped this modern generation. The
tbe chattering women and t)1e pot-bellied Tu mbleweed had never ridden in a

p ; c.:-annues . Neale was d iscuss i n g plans plane. He had the same desperate cour­
with Roscoe on the l ittle porch o f Alla­ age as Freddy Blake, j ust the same reck­
I n ' , three-room house. l ess nes s , but those eight years separated
"I think we'cl best strike north along him from the modern gen erat i on . The
the H u nters' Trail and see i f we can get poor Tumbleweed had certain queer, old­
an:· ne1.v s , ' ' :t\eaie was sayi n g . fashioned inst incts , Victorian instincts
Then t h e r e 1qs a n immense :<hou t i ng , about women, and l i f e in g e n e ral . that
anr! t h e black � . who had har d l y sta•·terl . e1·en A l laha couldn't wholly destroy.
IITr • com i ng hack, in their midst a 11·hite Lady Di as she t h anked
smiled
g i r l :md a 1\'hik man who stumbled , and l'\eale_ She wearing flying garb.
was
had an ann abom the g i r l ' s n ec k , and t rousers and a leath e r coat. U n der t f1e
wa • uphekl b_v hl"r while he m a de the leather coat was a soft shirt, stai ned
94 Spicy.Adventure Stories

with pe r spi rat i o n and travel. And under highly specialized life of yo u rs . I
the shirt were two little breasts that she wouldn't fit in."
was flaunting as if she didn't care a "What do you want, then ?" aske d
damn about them. Lady D i .
No brassiere restrained them. They " I want you," s a i d t h e Tumblew eed.
stood out, firm little mounds pressing " I s that frank ?"
aga i n st that shirt o f hers, as if she was '' Too frank," said Lady D i . "It j ust
saying, "Yes, I am a ,,·oman. Now happens that I get a tremendous kick out
what the hell are you going to do about of waiting for the man I shall some day
i t ?" marry. I may not be old-fashioned, but
Blonde hair, and a rounded figure that I 'm not promiscuous, Mr. Neale. Sorry,
the flying garb couldn't h i de . H i ps alone and thanks for the compliment."
that would drive a man crazy. She stood She went back to the reed mat in the
s m i li ng at Neale, as i f she was saying, living-room, and, without cl o sing the
"\Vell, what the hell ? I ' m a woman­ door, began to pull off the leather coat
yes. \Vhat does that mean to you ?" and the shirt. Two small, but plump
breasts tumbled out. Neale watched for
REDDY B LA K E was re s t in g in the
F bedroom.
an instant, then strode away into the
Roscoe had parked him­ night. He was looking for Roscoe. He
self some little d i s tance away. An found the trooper park e d on the ground,
ominous silence had fallen over the his saddle under his head .
kraal, and :\eale, who knew the natives, " I don't l ik e th i s quiet in t h e kraal,"
was a l i ttle uneasy. Also, Allaha hadn't he s a i d , with a vague instinct o f danger.
come to the house. Feeling h u rt, per­ "Camp on the porch, with your rifle
haps. A fter all, she was a queen , and handy. I'll squat at the back. These
had bee11 put out for the strangers. Amatonga have never seen a pla n e be­
" I don't exactly understand you, :M r . fore, and God knows how t he y' ll re­
Neale," s a i d Lady D i , as they squatted act."
on the porch together. ' 'You have been And he went among the beehive huts,
-tel ling me your life history, haven't looking for Allaha.
you ? You do seem to have had a tough They were all empty. Men, women
break, but why don't you go back to and piccaninies had taken to the bush.
your own country and marry this m yth i ­ It looked ugly to N eale. H e couldn't
cal woman \vhom you've made up in think, couldn't make h i s mind function
your own mind ?" properly. The sight of Lady Di's
" I 'm in love with you," said the breasts , something youthflll and gay
Tumbleweed. and free about her made her the most
" Plenty of men haYe told m e that," desirable w o ma n he had ever seen.
said La d y Di. "Any man i s d rawn ma d de ned him in the soft A frican night,
toward a presentable woman like me. with the moon rising over the thorn­
\Ve take that for granted. B u t \Yhat b u sh e s .
do you propose to do about it ? " He \Yanted Allaha, to hold her in his
' ' I 'm not such a fool as you think,'' a rms , and sink into blissful uncon­
sai d Neale. " I guess you're ri ch . I know sciousness, and forget. Too often be­
I c an ' t ask you to marry me. I couldn't fore, the Tumbleweed had been th ro ugh
take you to England and live up t o that that experience. Old-fashioned Vic-
 Sky Goddess 95
------------------------ �

torian lo v e . the search for that ideal

woman who no more exists than the
ideal man. And the cure-.'\ l b l w !
She \rasn't to be found.
Neale sat clown among the huts and
tried t o think the thing out. How was
lw going to get Freddy B l ake and Lt<ly
D i across two h un d red m i l e :; of hush t c'
B t! l uwayo . without horse;; ? I f he sent
1-: o ·,�coe hack for lw rses or a car t . and
the natin�s ,,·ent craz�·-n o . that wa� im­
po�sible !
. \ llaha would l 1ave advi sed h i m . btt:
A l l:tha \Yas n ' t t here. Slw had takl.'n to
the bush with the .-\maronga. She \\·a ,:
a wo1 n a n . and �he was obviously m:�d
clea r t h ro11gh. Neale remembered t h a t
Bitterness rose up in him ar wha
he had ordered h e r o u t of her house he saw.
96 Spicy-Adventure Stories

without the smallest ceremony. H e had moonlight played about her plump, small
treated her like a native when she was breasts, showed Neale the whole contour
a white woman, and a queen. of her lovely body.
An error, a bad error. God only "Very pretty,' ' said Neale, "but those
knew what was likely to happen now. were not the orders that I gave you,
He got his rifle from his saddle, and Roscoe, if you remember. Now get your
went back to the back of the house, mov­ rifle . and watch the front porch."
ing softly through the n ight . OutsiJe, Lady Di sprang back, confronting
he sat down. Through the tiny window Neale, maddeningly tempting in her ap­
he heard the sound of voices, La dy Di's parent unconsciousness of her deshabille
and a man 's. A t fi rst he thought the . . . o f the b r i e f and tenuous bandeau
man \Vas Freddy Blake. Then, w i th and step-ins . . . .

amazement, he recognized i t as Ros­ " You beast," she sai d " Snooping­
coe's. isn't that your American word ?­
He heard Lady D i laughing so ftly. snooping outstde my house. Telling me
you respected women, and I say you

W " Y o u r old- fashioned scruples re­

" HY, Phil, you're silly," she said . haven't hegun to unde rstand what
respecting them means. If you had ,
mind me of that fool, Neale. Of course you'd learn to leave them alone, with
Freddy and I were something more than their l i ttle falsehoods and inconsis­
flying-partners when we stopped over on tencies, and not go snooping around,
our flight. \Vhat do you think we were ? trying to trap them."
Flight over the j ungle, death staring us

G bleweed.
in the face, always the chance of crack­ " ET ready, Roscoe," said the Tum­
ing, of being tortured by savages i f we "And take u p your posi­
landed. Why shouldn't I have done tion on guard."
everything i n my power to make Freddy Phil Roscoe muttered a cur'''- A fter
happy ? all, an order from a supr r i · ) ., . 1·: as an
" Besides, I-I happen to like men . . . order.
Not men like that fool , Neale, who told The door opened, and Freddy Blake
me his l i f e-story and his dreams and came wea\·ing into the room. H e took
aspirations, but real men who live as in the situation with a glance.
if every day was their last, and don't "�Iy word, Di," he said, "what's
care a damn. I tell you Freddy wouldn't this ? e
Dec i v ing me when I had a
m ind, and it's not his business, any­ busted rib ?"
way. Now hold me tighter and kiss me Lady Di shrieked her laughter. "That
the way you did be fore . " fool," she said, pointing to Neale,
Appalled, the Tumbleweed listened. "thought he could win me by telling
B itterness rose up within h i m then. He me his life history and his d reams.
knew that he would never be quite the Hell, I love both you boys. You under­
same fool again, the fool who revered stand , Freddy."
women. H e hated Lady Di now, and " S ure, it's all right with me," said
he wanted Allaha. Freddy Blake, ''only I 'm sorry I 've got
Qui e tly he opened the door and a busted rib."
stepped into the room, to see Lady Di " B lake," said the Tumbleweed, " I 'm
in Phil Roscoe's arms . A shaft of rather worried about the attitude of the
 Sky Goddess 97

nat ives. They've ta ke n to th e bush. ancl wall of the frame house, and stuck
they p r oba b ly think you and thi s-are q u iver i n g in it. And the A m a to nga
gods from the skies." had p le n t y m o re .
Lady Di shrieked out d e ri s i o n a t t he " Don't shoot the w o m an ! " N eal e
ep i t h e t, which wasn ' t p r e tt y. sh o uted , as t he two rifles and the auto­
"Got a rifle or revolver ?" ?\ eale con­ m at ic b egan p u mpi ng l ead .
tin ue d . But another pistol was c om i ng i n t o
'Tve got a Lueger automatic and action too. Lady D i h a d o n e , a nd sbc
p le n t y o f car t ridge s, " said Freddy. was standing a mon g the three, her mag­
"You be r ead y to help de fend th i s ni ficent, lean body poi s e d like a leopard's,
shack, i f \\'e have t o . N o telling \\·hat her pl um p b reasts re sting on t he arch o f
th o s e w itch-doctors are telling the nig­ h e r chest, sublimely ancl magni ficently
gers in th e bush. Okay . " He p ic k e d up unconscious o f h e r fem in i n i t y .
Lady Di's clothes-t he coat and shirt, The l ea d i ng files of t he Am atonga
the trousers and little shoes. co l laps e d uncler that hail of lead f r o tn
" G oi ng into the s econ d h a nd c l o t h i ng- automatic ri fle s an d pi s to l s . A score o f
business ? " as k e d Lady D i cleri sin� ly . t h resh ing bodies l i ttered t h e ground in
" :t\ o , " answe rer! ?�Teale. " I 'l l give f ront o f the shack. The wi t c h d o ct o r
-

th e s e back to you before we l e a ve . Till was clown, but Allaha w a sn t d0\\'11. She '

th e n , you' re going to he j u s t a h um an was stan d i ng alone, s c r eaming, ancl

female creature, a nd yo u ' re going about urging on her men.
w i t h o u t clothes, like a femaie o f any There came another rush . Stabbing
animal species, the horse, or-the dog." spears 1\·erc now b rough t into use, th e
" I say , d a mn it. you can 't treat a larly k e e n po i nt ed
- assegai of the South A f ri­
l i ke t hat . j ust because she didn't l i ke can n a ti v e . That rush brc-ught t he Ama­
you," said Fre d dy Dlake. " .'\ f e ! l n \\· 's tonga \\·arriors up to the doorway .
go t to b e a gentlem;J.n, ?\ eale. The l a s t burst of lead drove them
back, i nto the bush, leaYi i l g the four
of
A S C D D E :\f outhur�t o f yells from to get he r , gasping from the exert ion
the bush punctuatec1 Freddy's th e fight. In front o f t h e shack \\'as a

word s . In the moonlight the four heap of mo an i n g , wri th ing bodies.

coul d see the Amat o n r.;a swarming Fr om time to time one would disen­
toward the h u t , b ra n i s h i n g their throw­ t a ngle itsel f a n d era 1Yi b ack into the
l n 7- s pears . I\ ea l e hea rc1 the shrieks, scru b . The f ou r recharged t he i r
'Bufa{a U111l11ngu," "Kill the white "·eapon 'l .
sorcerers !" " I say," gasped Freddy B lake, " t hi s
T\\·o figures were at t h e i r head. One \\'Ottld be r a t h e r fun i f I clir\n't h a Ye a
was A l l ah a . and she was screamit'g' l i ke busted rib, but won't you give Di back
no t h i n g human. The other \Yas the head her clothes ? ' '
tribal w itc h do ct o r. with cow-horns o n
- " N o , " a n s w e re d Neale.
his head , and h i s snuffbox t h r u s t through " H ell, I don't want them , " said Lady
the slit lobe of his ear. Di. ' ' I 'm not as ham ed of my figure.''

NEALE lo ke that
I n an instant Roscoe and N'eale had
th eir rifles i n their h an ds, while Freddy at her, standing there,
o d
Blake had darted back f o r his automat ic. and realized was she purposely
A shower of sp e ar s flew aga i nst the to rt u ri n g him.
 I-] e ;;1 1pp(c�ul he "d ha \"C tu l e t l 1 c r han: G n d , hlJ \'.· n:ar;;ni G c c n t �he '.Y a �- - ���-n-:i­
her d,·;th�s and j t;st i or��ct l;cr. Bu� ing- th�Te, hal f naked , u t t <.:rly fear]�·,;.; !
c�·(::·y t!lin .:� ·\r �t s h:tdl.r j t11nhlcd in :he
TF,;J>!C \''': c d ' s head. He'd been so h:tppy r{R EDDY 13LAK E pcinr ecl h i > auto­
v. ith .-\ l l : t h a . Lin t il ;;he st �gccl t h i � fan­ -'- 1 ; ; :c t i c at "\llaha and fi red . . \lh h�t
: - , -;, ; c fi: ;!":-. . a n cl he'd kc·u fuoh:d ab: .ut cl:-� ppccl . But no\'; the Am2 F:n g<1. w e n:
' .:: .:y Di, �s he was akays ;i l l
' h"ld i1,•:-,..,.
being ioolcd. about t h c t 11 . A saY<W �
._;, c
•A.
: r.� h�,c: ! J , ·..: n mad about h e r . and n o w he ;; ,:,�i n;:- br;m ci . flung the roof o f it at
c·n l y \l·antetl to heap i n s ul t and igni>miny the shack. It struck , d ropped, lay a t tlw
u n�m h cr. foot. a pithy bra n d o f li re. :\ not her
.\lh l:a ,_,·as screaming somewhere i n fl :: w , a n o t her brand. It l it u po n tlH' roo f
the bnsh. T h e Amatonga were n o t and rested there. A l i ttle Cllrl () r "!ll'•h
� }:ruu�h yet. lwg-�n to sprrad into the night sky.

::.: o, ior there came another rush, a n ­ The saYages had \l·ithclr:nm ag;t i u .

ul h · : �- sho\\'er o f spears. Phil R o scue i\ eale, Freddy, a n d La d y D i rccha rr�cr!

g:ts pccl and cloublecl up as an asscgai t h c· i r \Yeap()ns. B ut the \\·hole rcnf har\
� tood q u i n�ring i n h i s chest. A gu�h of J or, w c augh t fi re , and the s h ack \\'as
b!uod bur:-;t from h i s lips. He quivered 1 :hzing s tea d i l y do\\'n to its founda­

an.: lay sti l L Phil Roscoe h a d got hi s . t i n:1s.

He ,,·as clcad. ''\ V ell, \\'r've got to n:.akc a break fo1

S h :-iekin� w ith fury, the 1\matonga
i t , ' ' said X calc.
'' Where ?' ' asked Freddy.
nl:'!ocd again, and again th e two auto­
Neale hadn't any an:;wer for tln:.
mar:cs and N'eale's rille mowed down
For the Amatonga 1\'Cre al l around
t i l e !eadiag files. 13 ut the r a n k s bd1 i n d
them, and the thro,1· ing spear:; were.�
,,·ere c o m i n g on, and, a t their hea d , Al­
s t i ll s t r i k in g into the smoking i ranh:
l:l h a . screami n g l i k e a demented woman .
\\' all of the house. One grazed i\ cah• ' s
I< i lks and pi s to l s \Ycre empty. It
�honltler and pa ss ed by , quivering in a
\I'J.:i ri fl e-butt and pistol-butts against
clapboard.
+ ·;trs. ,'\ hu g e savage leaped at ::\ cale,
Suddenly Freddy Blake's face tu n v d
and .l\ cale spl i t l 1 i � head op e n as i f it
gray. He turnecl to :\'tale. ' 'They\·�
hacl b·� en an egg. Then it was Allaha ,
got me, the damn deYi ls," he said. ).' c;dc
\Yith a l ittie s pear in her hand, dra\1'11
sa\\' an assrrJai \\·ith a head almost as
b::ck to thrust.
big as a sh o ve L standi n g out six iuclh·�
K calc caught the gi r l ' s arm and
b.:l l i n d h i m . It had p ie r ced him through
t '.l· i � t c d i t , tore the s pear from it and the bocly.
l e f t her d i sarme d .
Fr,·dch· B lab� supported J t : l l l ,:·:l f
"I-!a mba gachle," he said. "Go slow­ again:-:t t he sl1loking \\' a l l a n d grin n61 .
ly. ' '
•·so-tlnt', tLc encl.'' h·� m ulilbkd.
He saw h e r torture-twisted face. He .\ w1 \'," l'l!t clU\Yil . d y : n g . Twcnty -t\l·o.
sa\Y Lady Di aiming h e r automatic at Th:· t :- l l� o f young m:udl<!Od t h at c n·rY
Allaha's head , a n d he struck up her c i ':il�z,_ .- l cc, : : n tT Y in t h e '"' � !'1 d n n <luces .
IE�nd. T he slug passed harmlessly r,boYc J'•. · > g 11:'> '\. '' 11-; . ; j rl ·l',. c� ,- , . 'I ,;·:mil . l.Jc-
i:�l(·l - ':!��tl� :�:\�l:i.l: �;�-�
· .
tLe girl. c:��:��: li f�· �:.tne
''Oae of your dreams ? Your i d. e a l grand advent ure.
woman ?'' sneered Lady Di. But Larly Di wa� do\Yll upo n h er
 Sky Goddess 99

kn e es, heedless o f the flying spears, and

her lips were upon Freddy Blake's. Her
}over-one of he r lovers. Had h e me<mt
any t h ing at all to her, or was that j ust

a gesture, a salute to a l i f e that was

passing.
The Tumbleweed couldn't knO\v. He
j ust stood there, \\"ith the throwing­
spears flying about him, while Lady
Di rece ived the last breath o f Ji fe fro!n
Freddy B lake with her l i ps.

HE w e n t back into the house

'"Here. put these
h e r clothes.
a nd got
on,"
said the Tumblem�ecl rnughly.
There \Yasn't much time, for the
whole h0u<;e \\"as becoming a fiery fur­
Neale tore the spear from the
nacc, but Lady Di caimly put on her
l(irl's hands and left her disarmed. shoes, then the trousers, then buttoned
1 00 Spiq·-AdlJenture Stories
------------���--------------------------------

h"r plump brc� sts into t h e shirt, t hen rf'I-1 E t roorer" were con�rega : i 1' ::;
;;.,:_� c ; -; ted the leather jacket. about ::\,:· ;J i e . "Glad "· ;: c: ; ; :.: in
· · . \ nd u n ,,· ? . . s!1c a:;kcd o f l\ calc. time, sir," said the s<:rg(·ant in co1 11•
'Ji ;e,� s�Yage yells f rom the bush i n d i­ nnnd.
C: ' · . 1. thatthe A m <:�. ton ga real i z tll that .'\ eale looked at t h e dead g i rl . at the
t11c d e iendcrs h a d reached t h e i r end. t11·o dcacl men w hose corp�cs had been
But of a s u d d en there sounde(l t h e d ragged f ro m the blazing shack. ' ' Y es .
crackle o f ri fles from another quarter, i n t i me , ' ' h e ans,n::red bi t\erly.
the y d l s redoubled , and suddenly the " \Ve \\'ere sent out to l o ok for Lach·
shCJ\rer oi ;, p ea r s ceased to fly. Diana Sutl\-cll. Too bad those n i .� gu:,
Thro 11gh th e bush came a troop o f got Freddy I3lak e and Phil. But we

hard-bitted Rhodesian p o l i ce troopers. saved her anpYay.

firing \Yith ca rbi n e s from their sa<.lclles, ''Yes." sa i d N e al e .
and driving t h e natives i n t o the depths " O rders are to b r i n g Lady Diana
of the scrub, tramping them cluwn, back to B uluwa y o . I'd s ug ge s t you come
i m po � in g on th e m the terror that t he "·i t h us, Mr. :�eale, and the Commis­
white man exercises on the natiYe, sioner w ill no doubt send a troop to clear
e \·ery where i n the w or l d . up t h i s d i strict later . "
The fight was ended. and two dozen " I don't t h i n k t h i s d i strict w i l l
need
t r o oper s S\\'ttng up to the bl a z i n g hut, clearing up," said ::\cale. · ' That plane
j ust as Xeale and Lady Di emerged. scared th e natives, And A ll a h a here"­
::\ ea l e wasn't quite sane at th a t h e pointed to the body o f t h e girl
n:omt•nt. He ,,·as bending over Allah a , --·"\\·ell, sh e was a \Yhite wom::1n , and
crumpled on the ground. All ah a h a d she resented Lady Diaua butt i ng in
been s h o t through t h e lungs, and wa� and occupying her house. I don't
gasping out her l i f e -b l oo d , but she "·as think there "·ill be any m o r e trouble
still \\'hat :; h e had ah,·ays bee n , a woman. \Yith the natives."
She s m i le d up a t � e ale as he kneeled ''I see, s i r , " said t h e sergeant.
beside her. ' ' I die," she sa id . "Detail some men to dig a gra ,·e, . .
The Tumbleweed s a i d n othing. Just � a i d Neale. And t h en h e l oo ked a t .-\lla·
hdcl the dying girl in h i s arms. A w h i te ha. It was incred ible t h at all the
girl, "'hom de st i ny had c a st among beauty and the passion of her had
sanges. l\eale had b een \Yise not to mouldered into this i n sensate clay. Th:�t
have taken her hack to America. Their he would never a ga i n feel h er arms
l i ves hadn't been meant to run that t\\·ine them selves about h i s neck. and
\\'ay. he r lips \\'arm and moist upon his own.
" I was angry," \\'hispered All aha, in He'd taught h e r to kiss, X rale ,ra>
the :\matonga tongue. I \vas j ealous be­ thinking, and .-\ llaha had proved an apt
cause of her. Do you love her, my pupil .
ma n r " '' I 'll do that, s i r . \\'e'll fix a shel te r
" i\o," an s w ere d :'\eale. "I th i n k I for Lad y Diana, and toa1orro ,,. "·e ' l l
hate her mor e than any human b e i n g start for B u luwayo. · ·
in the w or l d . I lo,·e yo u , :\llaha." "Okay," s a id ?\eale. But he follo\\·e d
r\ l l aha, put her a rm s around Xe a l e ' s w h a t had been Allaha she \Y:l5 until
neck, and died very happily, Yery peace­ cast into the And th e n
co m m o n grave.
fully with her cheek against h i s . t h e heart o f the Tumbleweed wa s bro k-
 Sky Goddess 101

<n . No, Allaha had n t been m uch t o h i m .

' ans\Yered Lady Di, pu l l i n g the shirt
Just a wh i t e girl whom he had fondled down about her hips. "Those t\\-o poor
when he w ent to the kraal. H e hadn't boys \Yho died !"
re ally loved Allaha. But a queer i clta " :\' ot my fault," said the Tumble­
was en t e r i n g into the brain o f the Twn­ \Yeed.
ble weecl . It was that al l women \W :··c: "Perhaps not. Oh, Xeale, you fought
one and the same person. \V ith tl.e so gallantly, a n d I ha d thought you were
death o f Allaha, s o m e t h i ng had hap­ just a weakling. I co ul dn t love you
'

pe n e d to the Tumbleweed that had when you came to me w i th your life his­
changed his en t i re d es ti n y . tory instead of just dominating me."
He would never have those Victorian, "No, I guess n o t said Neale.
,"

ro m a n t i c ideas of women a g ai n and h i s

, Lady Di began crying. "I never wa n t
whole outlook on life ,,-as altered. Sud­ to see yo ur face again," she said.
denly he felt that he \Ya« a ma n whose , ' ' You'll never need to, after we get
f un c t i on it was to .dominate wo m e n in­ , to Duluwayn. Dut you'll have t o n o ,,­,

ttead of worshiping t he m . -because I still feel the same way about

So that was how he went to the shel­ you.''
ter that the troopers h a d i l \ lprovised for · "You d a r e t o--to- ?"
Lacly Di ana that night, \\-hen the tr oop­ "Yes. Because hate and love are the
er;;-ex.:cpt for the sentrie�-were snor­ same thing."
ing some little distance away.
ATER, eal was holding Lady Di,
N
L and
e
HE was awake. In the hot A frican
S night, she had tossed off her about Allaha, whom he
thinking
would never see any more, ami \Yomlr- r­
blankets. She \Yas wearing the o i l ecl s ing \Y h et h e r all \\'Omen really w e r e the
shirt that came almost t o her k n ee s . same.
And i t had been rumpled u p . so that t h e He \\·as still \\·onderin g when t h e
sl ee k columns o f h e r t h i g h s g leame d dawn bugle ble w and he detached hitn­
,

smooth and white. sel f from Lady D i 's arms, a n d m a d r

"Hello ! " Lady Di greeted the Tum­
bl e w eed.
Neale squatted dom1 beside he r o n
his haunches, in the way o f Euro p eans
in South Africa.
hi s way back to the house.
He was ri d ing into Dul uwayo v;i t h
, La d y Di, and a f t e r that he never \Yanted
to see her aga i n . He was thinking n f
Allaha, lost to him forever. He was :1.

"How do you feel about me ?" he m u ch \Yiser Tumble\\·eed, when he

asked. placed his lips in a farewell gesture
··I hate you like nothing human," upon hers.

Lew 1Uerril1, Robert Leslie Bellem, Stewart G ates,

and others-next month !

 \:'.

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.

A SIIIP
By JOHN BARD
 I took careful aim and let her have it!

On tirefla�ship ore t h e ruler·" of t:et•en teen 1wtious.

Betu·een them and tbPir d o a m ore only Sangre
Brou•n and t h e seductire Rosa-who isn't Rosa fll all !

. se e a woman go i ng- t hrough omi­

I
SEE t h e lights of the taxi as i t I can
swings down the ramp tO\\·ard t h e nous moti ons .
entrance to th e p i er . That will be She is i
re m oY u g her clothing one piece
''Ra mon & R o s a " . I strike three sharp at a time. A l ight flimsy S\\·eater comes

blm\·s with my heel aga i n s t the weather­ off owr her heacl li fting a ' it ci n e s the
beaten planking and, \Y ith the brisk sea round lm!Lh of her breast:: t h::t quiver
wind biO\v ing i n my face, start for the and dance l ike �ih·er bubbles. F b t tening
pier encl . her stomach, she s\ray s h er graceful
Ahead of me, silhouetted against the th ighs slightly t o one side ami her sk i rt
moonlight-spangled waters o f the bay, slides down around her ankles. A thin
103
\�n .. : 1 J 01 -; i l i,: r l i : 1.:�:-. LJ \·i n g-ly �·. :·f)und 1�-:r a n : :.u�ri_ �:��r � ;.u·,_·:o.' . _T _ h·: :1(: hqt � I h ·;r
h i p �·.; .f;ll;1rci i -: 1. :� \'- i '�h �.-c:;_ � : 1 t t �..- � H � -� ·rth:' �:.; s t b e \I.T ! S t :-: ; J ; > J l : �-; r_l : 1 -".:r
. :_� ! i - � t � '-' L c� r h a : v 1 � �:r ..

l r""':l� iy c u r ,·c� (1-/ h e r br_:!"_� y . She t·a i �-t:; b. e r g c t h r · t· \-.· ! : i 1 "l h t·_- etJ c! � . , , -�� � : h· sc�rf. 1
;:r,ns in a gc:1ture o f tlc,;vt i r . I can see a!J:'J t h e r l!liJtn. � q t I L �_-_\· ·-� l .:t id 1-� � .J:-.:a. :,: 1

si:e's g u i ils· to t hrow hcrse] [ i n to the h e r hacl� ur� t!1c \-\'C(lt h :: t··_· r l plau \.: i � l _;� .: t:l<
cold d e p t h s below. buu ncl :wr t(: C L \\·ith : ;, pi,�cc c, i u,;·rl _

I run. 13chinr1 me I hr.'ar the t<:xi By tl1i,; time R :un6:: kLs rea ! i :-,·d th; ,
�tnp, then drive on :J.ga i n . Over my _, ,,nwthin�� i� r o tt e n Dc�nmark. H .
i:�
choul dl'r I can sec t hat a nnn and 1\"!Jlll ­ makes a run for the �iivr (:r!g-'' �t:lggr· < : :1 :;
an have dismmmtcd. I r eac h the naked w;der hi-; i rwely hwmm burdeil . I h�'�' �
�-:i rl j ust as she leap'. I have t o b:-ace h e r fai n t cry, ; , Sangre ! ' ' I heal h i m c 'J

tn::�c· l f to resi st thC' weight of her l FJcly t ! ; t' edge by an instan t . I h a te to hi t a

as I loc k my a rm s around her slender tliJ.n who can't protect him:;el i hut I
''· aist. S tr ug gl i n g silently, she i s clcs­ h a v e to. One :;wi ft blow on t h e buct1 111
pcTate in her e!Iorts to h ur l her:ie1 i away does the trick. He goes drmn lnci;­
i:·om me into the water. Her lovel y full ward w i t h a sigh, the girl relea,; i n g him
b i- ,'ast� s w ay back and forth to the as he falls.
r hyth m of her writhing m u scles . ...\ faitH " Oh , Sangre , ' ' she breathn a sigh uf
pc:rfume t i n gle s at my n o s t r il s . I grow rel ief. ''I'm so glad that's owr. I w;ts

suddenly str o n ge r . I carry her hack a\\"ay afra i d I'd bungle it."
from th e edge. ' ' You pulled the w h o l e act swel l , ' ' I
congratulate her as I tie and gag the
A � I conscious of running fed and pro n e fi gnre.
J excited voices behind me . I turn \\·ith I see
"Get your things on q tti c k '
t h e blue l ight oi the launch this
t he s tr ugg ling gi r l in my ar m s . It i s side of the breakwater."
H amon ami Rosa wh o d i smounted from " \Vhat a bo u t these two ?" �he says,
th e taxi . rais i ng her bare arms to slip into her
"\Vhat's u p ? " says Ramon . S \\Tate r.
" Hold her a minute," I say, tossing I suck in my breath at the .:; erlttcti\·e
the near-naked gi r l into hi s arm�. l i f t of her rounded breasts. " B lackic \\'ill
He catches her \\' ith the competence he along to take care of them when l ie's
of a pro fessional dancer. T hen , as i f pnt the snoop rJ ll their hang-ont. Snap
she h ad planned i t b e f orehand, she locks i n to it, L o v i ta , \\·e 've got t o mak e the
her arms aro und his shoulders with her landing platform before that launc h ar·
' "
hands gripped together beh i n d so that nves .
he cannot mo\'e h i s arms. She clamps .. Sangre , t h e s e people are r ,;pe rate.
k
her legs around his body, crossing her It's a n a\dul chance . ' '
feet so that he cannot d i s lod ge her, and '· I didn't come a l l the 11·ay from \���ca·
places her mouth leech-like o ,· e r his so ta n to Ensefiada to !Jack our n o 1c
!! n ize
that he cannot cry out. "Are you sure t1 lCY won ' t r··c
- o �

W i th a l i tt l e sound of dismay R o sa u:;. ? ' '

<- e en
attacks \\· i t h c la w i n g hands. From my ''Boll' can t I1e\· .: Th ev , \'t n -o\·et·
. , the •

pocket I j erk a hem·y silk scarf, anrl ' R amon ;tnd Rosa' e xcept ac ros··

""
st e ppi n g up behind her, clap it acrns:o­ inotlig hh. Th e y booke d t h e act thro!l,. 1
·Pmell
her mouth , tying it q u i c k l y behind her an agent . " 1 \\·atclt the S\'e I te nt�' ; hd ;
head. Then , with one ann crooked of lwr whit(' t h i g h s a' ;he ,J ; p < tn-0 j
 J. 0 5

:..; k : r t . J i ' : � -: m y l i p s . "Ci l l l le un �-· dr;, ,,. s �\l , , J !:,� :' i d c . fli pping the pa inter
a h:t rd 1-. ood c!c<� L .\ hr·<1rl
J�·:
<tr, >::nd
.. tart tllr the end oi the ] •i.:r "·here ) '� i r :t'� C�tp p; !k·..:s C;ttt of the
VV a
t l q·,pt.'<! hy
t h e gang·,·.-ay L ead:: c\,J\\ n nmo t l t <:' clr.• < • ncy of tl:1: r h n - l ; t Cc'.hn . .\ gtt�tur­
l;n / : n g fhmt . l<rom a cla rk n:ce:� !:' at :1. 1 \' ( J i c ·�· \\· i t h a l�t:�·. :�ian 2. L��cnt ���uut��
tb·: �; ide o f the ga:1 gway I grab a s J n ::t l l abrwc tlw rrr<l.r o [ the 1� 1<.',�(!1'.
_, uit•·ase. " O u r C'J�\ u m c s . c u t e r >lH:," I and Rr>sa ?"
' · R amr'>l t
grnl. ' ' Caugbt in the act . " I " � .�·. tak i n g
" ( i h , " s h e says bre<Jthlcssly. p:Ls � i n g Lm· i t a ' s arm <1ncl t1HI\' i n g fon'.·ilrcl .
gan.:\\'ay ahead of m e . " j f only
d G \ 1 11 the " I>i]c i n . T he floor sh u,,· goes on at
we don't b a ve to danre ! ., i c n sharp. Your act bcttrr be goo d . All
\Ve reach the float which ri ses and ri ;�ht . Loshka ; let 'cr go.''
ialls to each :�entle swell. Straight ahead l lau g h . " Don't ,,·orry about th at .
I see the hluc light of the n i ght club · H ; �m6n and R osa' w t> re held on:r for
ships lau nch . I hea r the m u ffled roar 0 f a t h i rcJ \\'eck at the P::t l ace i n �� · w 'r"nrk.

i t s po\\'erful motor. Y rr,t ha vc to be goocl to clo th:tt. :\ o,

' · Lovita," I s;-.y, s l i ppi ng an arm con­ t h anks, pilot, we'il stay ou t here i n t h e
sol illg l y aro u n d her. " Faint heart never air. . . . j u st in case . . . . \\'ell. I 'm
saved a presiden t. " not a very good sai lor."
' ' You can't hdie1·e that report, San­ The man c a l le d Loshka le<1ps (Into
gre. They wonldn't dare.'' tl:e prow i t h the pai nt e r in his h and
w
.
' ' Listen . Ol d Hardhead beJieyes t h at all(! the launch roars a \\' a y in a seaw:crd
night cluh ;;h i p clidn 't hit that �ancl bar ci rcle. A s we pass the hr.:akw<1ter. the
by acciclent . " gu t t u ral voice says, " \\' hat k i nd o f a
" B ut maybe business was poor off act you t wo got , . ,
Fri:;co anrl t h e y came sonth f,Jr a new "I re al ly could n ' t say," I answ er
stan d." truthfully. " Com e ancl see. YrJu ' l l he
' ' Then w h y don ' t they tlum,· out t h e �ur p rised. · •
<Cachnr ? B u t no, they \\·ant a firm fo n n ­ l lO h , " ''" h ispers LoYita, sinking
chtion for somcfhinr;. so th e y run her against me, "i f only they are sur p ri �ed . ' '
on J. ,and bar. vV hy , t h ey struck head
on in
t rance
broad
to t h e
dayl i ght ri ght
narrows !
at the en­
Don't you think T HEddthin dblacled
su k en ar n e s s
spotlight
c a n· i n g
slits
otll
the
the
th a t ' s odd ?" briskly moving figure of the girl. She
"But, Sangre. what can we do i n such is w<Clking toe-and-heel, heel-and-toe,
a short time ? The fleet's due t o begin toe -and-heel -ancl-toe in a s ma rt , cocky
pass i n g a r oun d one o'el ock . " "get out of my way, I'm somehody ' '
' ' \V e'vc got t o fi n d nutif there's an:•­ prance t o t h e sharp r h yt h m o i t h e mn­
thin� to do. . . . Shhh. . . . tie on SlC. Her l i ttle black-vel\·et cut<C\\·ay
your best personality. H e re ' s the launc h . j acket is fa s t e n e d \\'ith a \Y h i t e pe<Crl
I f y o n value you r l ife, r e m e mbe r y o ur button over h er full breast;;. :\ very
n ilm e i s R o sa . :!\f i n e ' s Ramc'm . ' ' � hor t black wrap-around skirt fl i ck s u p
The lau nch bears down upon th e plal ­ and dmn1, u p a n d dmvn at c:rch step
ionn. A searchlight lick; a wh ite tongue re,Taling· enough of her pak 1 highs to
nt:! of th e sharlows to blind us. A dark make m y muscles tighten.
fon;l leaps t0 tht' fl oa t . as thP launch Gun i n hand r leap into the bright
1 06 Spicy-Adventure Stories

circle of l i ght . The girl stops suddenly qucttishly she draws something from the
on her t oe s , aghast . I see the flat ,·;hite top of her stocking. I see a s i l very
stomach suck inward. Her coral lips twinkle i n the g lare of the spot. This
open i n a ga sp . A hand raises to her will b e the payoff. \V caving up to me
mouth to suppress a scream. Her round w it h a sed uc t iw grape v i ne walk that
breasts pe ek trembling aboYe the low sways her t h ighs cl e l i ci m:s ly she t h r ow s
cun·ed la pe ls of the jacket. I hold out her arms arou n d my neck and hold:> me
my hand and snap my fi n gers as if to close. I can feel the soft quivering pres­
say, ' " Come across with the jack ! " sure o f her body ag ai ns t m y chest.
S h e puts one hand over t h e little hol­
low be twe e n her breasts as i f t o protect UDDEXLY her right hand snaps up
her Yalua bl es and st eps backward three S and backward l i ke the j aw of a trap.
short qu ick steps. I follow. I snap my In i t I see a bri g h t sli ver of a dagge r .
finge r s in a s eco n d demand. She shakes But I am too late. The dagge r descen d;;,
her head in determination. I step for­ sinks to the hilt, r a i ses again, but be­
ward sud den l y , grasp the white pearl fore it d es ce nd s a se cond time I have
button and y a nk . The jacket fl ips open placed one hand agai nst her throat, gi v­
revealing the ent ranc i ng glo bules of her en a v iolent shove and s e nt her back­
breasts. From ten feet off, you couldn't ward across the flo o r where she stan d s ,
see the t h i n net that co ve rs them. She blood-lust i n her e y e s , dagger in hanJ.
smothers a little cry o f di sm ay . Bolster­ T w it c hing my shoulder against the
ing my g u n I reach out, take the j acket pain of the wound I d r a w m y "38'', ra i s e
in both h and s , and push it backward o ff it. take car efu l aim b e tween her breasts
her shou l ders . For a moment h e r breasts and l et her have it. T hose six rap i d
stand boldly forward, th e i r finn round­ shots shatter the silence like a revolu­
ness straining at their scant protection. tion. She pauses a moment motionles�.
Then, she spins away from me, leav­ then h egin s s w ay ing slightly from side
ing the j acket in my h an ds . I t o s s it to side. In three strides I am beside
away i nt o the darkness and weaYe after her. I ca t ch her a s she f a l l s. She lies,
h e r to the momen tum of the m u s i c . "-bite and s til l . i n my a rm s as I walk
\Y hi rl i ng suddenly in her t racks she slowly out o f the spotl i g ht into the dark­
slaps me a terrific smack on the cheek. ness.
For a m ome n t I am nonpl u�sed . She
stands there defiantly, h ands on h i ps,
practically naked to the wai st. tapping
THE applause
s i stent
thund
con siderin g that
is erou s and in·
t here can' t
one tiny hig-h - heeled sl ippe r omi nously be more than a hundred per�ons on
a g ai nst the floor. hoard th e n ight c l ub ship. J \Ya l k klck
\\'ith m y right hand I suclclenl:· grip into the spot l i ght and drop h e r to hrr
the loose fold o f the w ra p - a ro u n d skirt, feet . Out of the s i d e of my mouth I sa y .
jerk i t v iolently and spi nni ng her around ' ' \Ve got away w i t h it. Loy i t a . The_,· ·re
like a top unwind the skirt and leave her lapring i t up. D i e! you pump :myi l . i ng
standing, doll-like in a skin t i gh t tri­ out of that _<\mrrican steward ? " '
angle o f pink silk, rolled silk sto ckin g s She DOIYS to t h e applaus<> a n d �ay�
and sl i ppers. hu ski l y , "I d i dn ' t get much time . I
She poi ses for a moment q u iv ering a sk ed h i m how they happe n e d to hit
with a kind of rage. Then bc�nding co- the sand bar. He laughed and sa id the
 Blood JFi!! Sin h a Sftjf! 107
--- --- --�---·-- .
-----� �_,�----...--... , ----------

c�.j - L :� i -� ·i \Y .'l ...� t�:l\ i ; i .�.� p l l ut.ug-ra1·,lJ � a : Hl

Ji,! : ·, ,:<:·(' it. \\ h . . t de you think the
ca p -. ::. � , � ·-"' n�n 1 2 i s ? ' ' ;_.
·
\\ ._, \�3!..'ape uncL� :uorc fron1 the dance
I1oc�r i ; H o the clark n � - s � and start fer G Lt r
d ! · c::::!� �r� rout n s. .

' T l l bite," I say, ' " \ \.hat i s his name :'"'

• · ,\ polinar K u s ] ,Jv . ' '
" \\.hat ! \\' d l . I 'm a son-of- <t-gun­
mall !"' \Yc pat:;;c i n the do(,n,·ay of
;:;o ] , : n 3 1 , her d re.:;si n.� room. " So Cap­
u: : n Koslm· ,,-a� taking photographs
1d :(·n he ran his n ight club on a SJnd
bar. I ' d gin· my left leg to see the cam­
era the captain \\·as u�ing."

It's clo�e shooting, if I'm t o miss

the girl, but I ·have to chance it.
 1 08 Spicy-A.dve ntnre Stories

Lovita smiles. "I couldn't use your hear t h e music for the act that follo wed
Itft leg but I sa w the camera. " "Ramon and Rosa" i n " The Ladv and
I push her through the doonnty and th e Bandit". Over the ship's rail to the
step quickly a fte r her, closing t h e door. ri gh t I see the dark blur of T i ge r Island.
" Pardon the intrusion, Rosa, you in­ O n its h i gh est peak a fire is burniwr
te r e st m e. " Th ere are goat herders on Tiger I sland:
She stands there open eyed, s m i li n g The fi re ' s bright blaze blinks at me as
at me, " I t ' s n o i n t rusion , R amon, y ou if a goatherd were pas s i ng back a n d
in terest me, too," she w h ispers the last forth in front of i t .
word . . . " Sangre," as sh e sways cl o se ,
I go forward once m o re t i l l I 'm oppo­
holds up her lips and bre at h e s her hot
site the b ri d ge . Above me, clampe d to
f ra grant breath into my fac e. I'm sud­
the poli shed brass rail I sec a large,
denly conscious of the rise an d fall of
square, white enamel b ox . From i t a
beautiful b rea st s as they brush
thin cab l e extends downward.
her
I i th;, t's
a gai n st my s hi r t . I fight d ow n the de­
a camera, I'll eat m y h a t . I look aro· · n d
l icious ecstasy t hat creeps over me.
for Lovita. S h e i s not here. I n s i de r h e
" Sk i p t hat," I growl . " T i l l after of­
glas se d - i n pilot house I see a l i ght hut
fice ho u rs . \\'hat ab out that camera ?"
Koslov i s not in evidence. There j , a
l\J i ffed, s h e turns sharply o n her heel sort of om i n ous absence of p('rson s . C:m
and begins p u t t i n g on her cl o th i n g. " It's i t be that posts haYe h<'en deserted to
a b i g square box cl a mp e d to the rail o f watch th e floor show ? This is too crlll­

th e bridge. Take off that ban d i t re­ venient.

galia anrl I'll take you on dec k and show I c li m b the m etal gangway an d ex­
it t o you " . am i n e the white enamel hox at c l n oer
" Done," I say, b e at i ng it for the ca­ quarters. I grunt w i t h �a t i s fact inn . I
bin next door. I remove the empty ra i se my eyes once more to Tiger I � h n d .
blanks f ro m t h e . 38 and refi l l it \r i t b Th e fire is !': t i l l blinking:. One. .
steel jackets. I change my clothes ra p­ One, t wo , th ree. . . . I am won(k r i 'l g
id ly , and in ten m i nut e s I ' m tapping on i f there could he a n o t h e r met;�] h o :\ ! ' kc
LoYita 's door. I \Y ait . There is no t h i s on Ti g e r I sland . . . one , two
answer. I kn oc k m o r e l o u d l y . T h e r e i s one, tw o . . . . one . . . . I dn not
s t i l l no ans\rer. I cal l " Lovita" and p u s h l i ke the regularity of that reel hlin1:;!1 g
open the door. T h e room i s empty. eye. I look at my wrist\\·atch. It is t l' n
m i n u tes to t\\·el ve.
and ten
J FIGCRE she's got tired of waiting
and gone u p to p -side, so I h i ke for
In one hour m in u te� t he flc·ct
\Yilt begin pa s s i n g th r0ur-h t h e nz!rru\YS
the end o f the hall where a �hort st a i r ­ bet\reen Tiger I � h n d at�<1 C;1 ptain Kos­
case leads up to " A " d eck . The f resh lm·'s n igh t club ship. I fe e l certain that
sea b reez e st rikes my face as I step out K o sloY kno\\· s that on the fl a c:- ship at
o n the cl e an polished deck. There i s a the hr2.d oi the proce,�ion will b e the
h ri t;ht moon and the first t h i n g I notice pres i d c n h . d i ctators, and di\' i n e rulfrs
is the absolute motionlessness of the of scn•ntccn n ;� t i n n s come together to
sbi p . It is unnatural . C:pt a i n Koslov settle the destin ies oi the \\"Orl d . I ice!
mmt have had full speed ah ea d to \\·edge certain th a t KosloY knm\·s hi,; count ry
the ship so fi rmly on that sand bar. is not r e p re se n ted on the flag sh i p . I
Faintly, as I walk forward, I can ice! c ertai n that he knows why . . . ·
 I hear a st::p l:c:hind me. T hat \Y i ll be I hr k l' : • . t i l e I nti ! uf t h e s h i p i., a !Jkch:
T_r- \ ' i L;� . Soructh!ng harcl Sii.J.G shcs ag<·t i u :�� ,,·:dl s i l h o u et l c cl �l[.', a i n s t th.: �k,·. S · l ri ­
the lJ:-iCk oi iil}" s k u l l . The: mo�m t u rn s dcn1y a rut� !ld ohj eL·t �;ruj<"c:.�' c � ·er tl":.��t
rc: cl . 'i'he fi re on Tiger bland goes out. ,... � 1 1 . It is a ] J ,_,ad . I c::n fcc! r ,· , , s h, , ;·i : : � ·
I {d:l mysel f fa l l i n g . S rm1c:thing c o l d i n uj n1e. .\ hJnd foJ J o ,\· ::: .:.,\· i Lt·h· h;Jld �r, �-:�
. · ..-.
...
a n d wet slaps me i n t h e b e e . � I y mouth an <! u l r; ! ll:l.tic. I l ie Hat aga i n 't L ! : e c: ::t i n .
is iull of salt. I come to t he snrb ce t:: kc: q u i c k <l i m a n d fi re. I h ea r a ]; i n r !
gaspmg. d ��·urgle a n d t h e � pl :l" h o f the :\ U trl­
mat;c as it hits the ..
,·ater. The k·:ul
H E .'\R the crack o i a gat and a bul­ a : ' ri arm d rop ion1·arcl and Sll'ing l imply
J
-
let smacks the \Ya te r so close it stings <t:;t ride the rai l in g. I iecl sonw t h i n:�
my face. I cl i ve and swim u n d e r wat e r ,,.,·arm and �t icky dripping on my iace .
u nt i l I touch t h e c o l d metal of the s h i p ' s [ t has the s m e l l of blood.
hull, t he n I come: up very slo�Yly. Zow i e . Cau t ion will scr\'e me no longer .
but n1y head aches ! I a m h i rldcn from Someone may ha\'C hc:<1rd the shot. Su
above by the cu n·e of the sh i p ' s prO\v I oc!·a mhle u p the chain like a f ri g h t ­
but I am so weigh ted down by my cloth­ ene d monkey. As 1 1 1 _'.' head comes l evel
ing and my gat t hat I find it \\·ork to \l· i t h the deck , I see that the body h:tng­
keep afloat. ::..; evertheless I breathe a ing over the ra i l i� the man cal led
sigh o f thanks as I tread water. ' · ] _,.,�hka ' ' . Then I hear Lovita's nmftkd
O ff to my right are the great black ,;c re a m .

l i nks of the anchor chai n . Just abo v e I look upll'arcl . T c a n sec her t h n, t • g h
me I see the large roun d ori fice of a the glass o f t he pikot h o u s e . H e r cloth ­
porthole and reaching up I grab the i:lg is torn and d i sarran g ed, so tlJ<Lt
edge of its riveted steel f rame. The ti ps pl e n ty of her is exposed and �he is
of my fingers strike something metal l ic pounding tlv� red-hearclcd face o i a great
that curves outll·ard an d u p. I raise h n l k of a m an . I reco g 11 i ze :\ pr>l i n a�
my other hand to the frame and cl r::t\1· K os l ov . He is l au gh ing at her ami pul l ­
mysel f upward. I almost lose my grip ing her dose ag·<linst hi m. The eahar<'t
with surprise. b: md is sti l l goi u g full bl as t but I cluu ' t
I am not looking at a porthole. I am da re r i sk another s hot . Some o f t l h'
looking i nto the ominous month of a cre 11· is s u re to come running.
to rpedo tube !
I swea r softly. Could that expl ain Q \\.IFTLY I look at my \H i s t 1\· a te l L
\\·hy the sh i p \\'as run on the san d bar u I t has been st o ppe d by the ,,·atto r
instead of j u st an ch or e d ? But a tor­ b!1l I real ize al l of a sucldm t hat t ht·
pedo can be shot from a moYi ng s h i p . lla!;· ship i s due i n less than <1n hour.
Hija .11 aria San tissima 1 I have it. The Something has to be clone q n i ckl y . I
ship has to be stat i onary to use the clamber up to t he bridge. Pceri P.�·
1•: hi te enamel box ! thrcugh the ?lass, I see t ha t Lo,·ita lla�
Feel ing my gat to be certain it's se­ fa i : � t ecl and Kosl o1· i s cru.; hing h er l i u 1 1 1
cure, I sl i de softly hack i nt o t h e ''.' accr bod;.· i n his arms, k i 3sin� l � tT hunr;rily.
and make for t he anchor chain. The I �mash my pi stol barr , · ! t h rnu.g h t h ':
metal Jinks are so cold they n u m b my gla�s and bark, ''Cm it, [, . ,,; l o v 1 "
hands . I pull the . 3 8 and, with each link Swift a s light, Kosl o v s\Y i l i_t;� IYith
a step. I begin cautiousl y to ascend. As (Co11 ti111tNI 0 1 1 payc 114)
1 10 Spicy-Adventure Stories

MARRIAGE for �lUBBER

{Continued from page 27}

"I cl i cl n 't th ink he d have ' the g-uts to "Go easy on t he l\'Ianhood Moss," he
" "
face arrest and trial," h e rema rked . I warned as he bade them farewell, bu t
l e ft the gun there so he cou l d �ake the use p lenty of the C ro e su s Shinbone and
easi es t way out i f he wished. Now I 'l l Solomon's whiskers. Don't ke ep any
go hack a n d p ut h i s con f e ,sion o n the st ilettos in the house, don t cheat on ea ch
'

desk for the p o l i ce to find. Th ey ' l l never other-and don't forget what to name
(jUC'st ion i t . " the first baby ! " He took the Good Luck
\\'hen he had d o :1e that he \\·alked a d i sc from b en e a th his s h ir t and hung it
little cl i stauce w i th t h e couple bel!"�ath aroun d ::\'b.ria's slender neck. ""Wedding
t he pul s i ng s ta rs . H e \\·as going to h i s presen t," he sa i d . " I can vouch for it ! "
office, where he meant to spend t h e \Vhen he looked back they w e re
n i gl 1 t \H i t i n g a story of t r o pi c romance clasped in an ar de nt embrace. He was
and s ud de n death to cab le to New Y ork. j ust a little bit j ealou s remembering . . .
,

oi IF IRE
[Continued from page 89}

faced t h e m .I3m it \\·as W' t l c s , . The pered h im , but h e kn ew that i f he failed

viscou�, flaming !li! seemed to haw feet t he r e \\·a s only the roar i n g in ferno above
as i t spread. Now, to make t he .:nd them ; t h e roari ng i n f erno and hideous
more cert a i n , t he madmen on the hank cremat ion.
were hurling f u l l c�ms of oil far out A nother foot . . . another foot ! H is
into the \\·at e r. .-\ s it bubbled to the lungs were b ms t i n g for lack of air. H e
placid s u r f ace i t c::n1�ht li re. felt En i d ' s arms l o o s en from about his
::\ow there was o nly a sma l l area t h roa t . T\\ isti ng·, he g rabbed her hai r

around the boat that was, a s yet, tm­ in h i s finge r s , paddled f u r i ous l y \\" i t h his
tou checl. Ir \\" <l S on l y a matter o f min ures f ree h a n d .

bef ore the s e e r i n g flames w oul d catch the \Vhen i t seemed that his chest would
d ry \\·o o d . Bob helped En i d t o her feet .
burst apart, \YhC'n he could n o l onge r
The boat rocked, mo':ing nearer to the stand t h e pressure, his feet scra p ed
hell o i heat. aga i n st the mud bottom of t h e bayou
" Take a de e p breath ! " he gasped . H e r ea c he d a hand up. The wat e r en

"Hold it in as l on g as you can ! Dive t he sur iacc was warm, but th e r e \\·as
\\· i t h me ! Keep your ar ms around my no fi re . I t had burned out close to
neck ! " shore, \Yas ragi ng in the center o f the
A spl i t seco nd before the l i cking bayou, feeding glt:ttonou s l y at the
flames enewloped the boat, Bob and En i d wooden boat.
\\·ent O\'cr. Do\\'n . . . clown i n t o the He s h o t his head up. l i f ted Enid . She
murky depths. B l i nd l y , Bob struck out was limp i n his arms. He sucked air
for shore . Eni d ' s dead weight ham- i n to his tortured lungs, all they could
 River nf Fire l l ':.
- ......__ _ .,._ _..__._..._ _ _ ___._ ___________,.,_..,_,_,_ ..._._,__ ,_._ .....
_ __
_�_... ,�- -.---""'----- ---

s � tutd . · r ; ; rpug-h a ±:�ti:c he s a \\' t!�c Le�r n tc S::·:�N .C !Z ��� � n.i&:: OAYS
g;• j J : ns- nai i n:� on t h e uail:.;. They \\"Cfe : • • • cr no cost !

<h\nJ on thei r J.nees, chanting. Horrur A SH O RT T I M E E A C H DA Y

gr! pptd him u n ! l he re;-: l i zed they 11·ere IS ALL YOU NEED
i!O l<:;n�;er mad, i n hm 1an beas t s . For
some unkno1Yn reason t he)· \\" ere wur­
sh iping him.
The truth clamwcl on him.They had,
,,· i t h their own eyes, him come
s een

tm�cathecl through a river of fi r e ! It

\\·as a m i racle ! They cons i d ered him '
t lie po:;sessor of mag-tc powers.

'· Help me ! " he called.

W i ll ing han d s li fted Enid to the bank. :

r! rng-gtcl h im up. Then, the tumult and
t h e ra g in g within him snapped all rea-
son.

" E n id ! ' ' he screamed. "Enid ! "

T h e rest 11·as shrouded in the black ·

•1 i uight.

I-f.OCR S later they

.!l
both stood at
cabin door,
gazing at the refl('c-
the .

! i cn of fl a me aga i n st t h e black sky.

U:N'T be an unwan ted wall·flowcr just because you
D hav� ne:: ver learned the grace, the swi '1�; of dancing I
·1 i1e people who get i n vited to the club aiini1·s. to the big
<lances, to tbe house·Ptll'ties, are the one� who can dance
well.

IT'S EASY THE MODERN WAY!

It's st) 5imole to learn at bomo--) nu don't n:�t·d :1 Jl;J.rt l:l·:· nt'r 'l
teacher. 'Vbt·n you learn r"rom a book rour �( ::: t ·:wr i� •liu·r!yll :.�t h:tlul.
Clear. clt'I :J i l c•d Lh�···ril); iron,.; a ll. : illus­
uat('d br gra; ·llic di:J :.:: nuu.;. Hc:ul 1 1 1 1 �
hook-pr:u:ti('e a few l;••ur� :n _,·:\ur own
room-lht'D step out f.•ll tt.c i!;1nce floor
nnd asroni:;b lOUr fri('ndiJ h�· '''''ll'! the
uewest dllnces with !'<F.t' :md 8)0...:uranee.
1 12 Spicy-Adventure Stories

rubbed the phosphorescence of their hovered over h e r mouth.

bodies on the hood he wore." "\Ve won , " he whispered, "you and
He drew her into the cabin, closed the I. That's all that counts. "
door. His arms tightened about the They embraced w i t h only t h e night
pl iant softness o f her body. His l i ps and the moon to bear witness.

LOG JAM
[Continued from page 77]
They gained the far bank j ust as t h e staggered, swayed a n d w e n t down . Went
jam broke loose and went thundering cl own-and stayed down.
past the booms .
Steve Conlan leaned over his ex­
" Steve-Steve darling ! You saved the
hausted a dv er sa ry . " �\'ow, you rat ! Con­
j etties ! Saved everything . . . !" the yel­ fess that you dynamited the boom to­
l ow-haired girl whispered.
night ! Confess that you h i red that girl to
I3ut b e fore the boss logger could an­
fall in the water so t h at I'd rescue her
swer, L'Ableu sprang. "I3y gar, he ees and take her to my ca b i n ! Admit that it
n ot save hees own life. Me, Hectoire
was a trick to keep me out o f action for
L' Ableu, I keel thees peeg ! " And he
a while ! Confess th::tt you yanked out the
leaped at Conlan's throat.
key-log of that deck a while ago, when
Steve Conlan side-stepped ; but his
l\I i�s Thayer and I were on top of i t !
enemy must have sensed the move. for
Admit everything or I ' l l give you the
he S\verved i n mid -stride and bashed full
boots ! "
force into the boss logger. Flesh met
"Eet-eet e e s true. I admeet ever'­
flesh ; brawn smashed into bra\vn. Con­
theeng you say . . . "
lan felt iron-hard knuckles impact on h i s
j a w , and a n u m b h a z e d r o pp ed before Conbn turned contemptuously away ;

his eyes for a single i n s tant. He shook and then he saw Beth Thayer standing
hi� head to clear it ; then, with balled t here, her blue eyes sh i n i n g in the semi­

fi £ts and fhiling arm s , h e sailed i n . gloom. He noticed that her blouse had
The thu d d i n g explosion of h i s punch been torn in her fall from t h e deck ; he
sent lightnings of pain up t o his elbow could see the glories of her firm breasts
as his fists pl ou g hed i nt o L'Ableu ' s beneath a filmy brassiere. He could
mouth. T h e Canuck g rn aned spat blood
,
see-

and cmses. Conlan struck again-heavy, As a matter of fact, he couldn't see

V I Cious, ha m m e r hard
- blows to the anything. Because she was in h i s arms,
decker's midriff and j a w . No man could and his l i p s \Yere '"elcled t o her mouth ,
stand up under that savage maelstrom of and h i s eyes were c l os ed in sudden,
i n fu riated, ragi n g punches. L' Ablcu i n t oxi cated rapture.

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I
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in ''adous
s. I L L USTRATED JAPAN ESE SEX RELAT I O N S d e Lu."<tt

epochs. and as an element of health Bnd ThouaandPl of ataogerl n g u n f o l d m e n h n o t f o u n d I n a n y oth lll' work
H i d den aourcea in life a n d letten I'Hwe been ransacked by the foremost n a tive ana
European authoritie& a n d eyewitnesses of the i n credible practises i n Japan
pleasure for the individual and for th� gcn·
erations has appealed to me a1 a great
and v.·orthy undertaking.
14\Vhctht'r the Anthropologist descriLes the­ A n t h r o p o l o g i cal Studies o n the
besti a l i ties ;uul saYagedcs of A f rican tribe's
or the supersensitiYe sensualities of the most 6. SEXUAL RELATIONS OF M A N K I N D
aesthetic races, he should use the frankest I nc l u d i n g O r i c n l a ! , Occic.lflnt:-!1 a n d S < H':tge Arts. Rltu. Custo•ns o f Love
and simi,Jlest language. I saw early that in· bewildHing discoveries a!:lJ lJiaclosuru tlerived from h i s Yast travers a n d practice
in stranue l a n ds, a n ti his i n [J i.' !l ious l i fe � l o n o rcscarcll11S
s
terc t in g scien t i fi c works vr·t're possiblt only
By Prof. Paolo h; anteg :J.zza-Great Alltlnooologilt- F ou n d f'A of
u
by employing bold o tl ines and by eschew·
I a l i a n M usi u m of Ar.tllro�olo��
ing all technical, and usually wcari�ome, t
analyses and descriptions . • • • A wealth of
hithc:·to unknown esotf'ric documents and Prof. Paolo M n !1 t�ga.zz<�'S C u ltural Anthropological StuJies i n the
manuscript� '':ere there t o be unearthed lift­
7. SAVAGE ARTS OF LOVE I L L USTRATED
d
ing the curtain on myslei"ious an wise pro·
cedure i n strange lands_. that can increase
the happiness o f Occidental races. . . . ..

u�o P§ e r i o u s adult can afford t o (!o n· i t h o u t the ,· u i u.nhle

r ·
F n ls t u lf P i , n t c l'ublic:.tion.s or 'I'he F a l s l n il' l'a i v a l t: S e r l-'ice,
n n htue in A tu e r h•n," H a y s n huuous Atnet·i(_· a n i a "·�·er.
IF YOU A R E A SERI O U S ADt:LT and w
a n t FREE I L J . L S iRATEIJ
LITEi�A T L R E fully dt:!scribing the ahoYc and othea· erotic masterpieces
- - - - - - Pic ;- o;-
;J ·IT. i �llit
t t -;- � p;; ;;-
n7'"()7.;'; - - - ---
o r use �our own su r i c·nen· , g.ivin,; :y o ur agt', aml ruci11ion n�·pt. N:Z�B
!S

lf y o u � e n d in this couro11, � e \ � i l l iutorm :-ou h o w 1 0 b�- : . A B S O L U T E LY

i
:FREE fr�to�N �Jd0 f\!�o t a 1 '\�� J; �� 7 �� �
t od
t
�f 2��rt�110d�X���g,�s ��ru�t����j:
�FF l' R E !; S , 1 :\ L'., llet>t. :!-1:.1-11
::30 Fifth A..-e., New York City
Pleas� s�11d me m;nk"'d "Persoual" and ln o. sealed i.>Drelope your F H E � Illu;;;� rated
Literaturtl on Bouk-3 on tbe- .Sex and Lnve Hei.nious by A.UtllOritlt"::i v!' \\ or1J Ue�-oute.
and bow to get F HEE tbe above memion�d bool>.s.

NA.c\IE •· •••. • ··•· ••••,•• • • •. , , . . . • • • . .••••••••.• • ···••••• •••••

\\"rHit.!l !:iigJ.l.<Hure

ill D HLSS •.••.•• ••••••••••••••• ..•••••.....•.. .••••••• •••••••• .••. ••••••••••••

��iJ. P1��S6" iXJ NOT 'i1':4.ii: i� fiii ' in ·�\GE" a�AJliiNATURE' aa· -;� F:,\LST:\FU
· · E
PuhHca.tlon 1s ever sent to any ooe whose age (ovljr 21 or married) and wrllt.un
s1gnature hao,•e not been registered on OW' special tues.
1 14 Spicy-Adventure Stories

M A N LY POWER Blood Will

I nc reased in a Few Hours
with PROSTORIES
----T he Sex-Stimulating Suppooitorie·a----­ Sink a Ship
AN AMAZING NEW MEDICAL DISCOVERY
rf P.ESE Suppositori"" attoen�then and stimulate the
PROSTATE GLAND (which is the base of all manly (Continued from page 109}
powt•r) hy m(:d : c a t i ng the gland D!RECT-a natul'al
anu lo�;ical methou. J\sk your own doctor. No drugs
are taken into the nystem. Prostories contain no nar-
coticli, yet a1·e H(J efTecti ve that they need to be usecl
only a few hour5to bef01·e the stimulation i!:J wanted.

0r0,�����!i�Y ;,1,·��:�:�...:,��,:.����'\.�1;� f.�.'.� ��·�v:3·��� ..����'i�

.
Lovita in front oi him and reaches for
n , ��c�eab�,�. ;••""1 oower to nO<maJ men ' h i s gat . I t i s close shootin g b ut I
�"o���rf� .�:·�n1 "f�� u�
have
Thl•re b uothlu� l'l9c flU 1 hP m�trht'! lik� Prosl()l'lfl�. Don't t
«mf"'" them wi:h the barmfllJ, t<·mpot·au rtt·\los tbar must be
tAken constantlr IQ t::el resu:::�. Mai!ed tn platn '�ravper. ,,
t o do i t . I let hin1 have it. Just above
lrial Box ol l tl--$ LOO; 24 lor $2.oo i the left eye :\ ))]>ears a round hole. black
Sold on A�solut. MONEY-BACK G U ARANTEE -
NA'fiONAL sco£NTIFIC PRODUCTS co.
G44 OIYOroey Boulevard, Dout. F -2. C.� lcago, Ill.
· i T he shot bring::; Lovita to . She stands
0 · for an inst a n t dazed as Koslov crumples
Ongmal Reproductions ot Photographs i to the fluor. I shove my head through
Made Ia Pari•
' th
1 ·• <r]ass o
hole in t he b
As o speci al aucl to conwi.nce �ou. we offer on F��. CLEAR !
nd ciea• l.·o � ,,.,1 ·

��� ���·��l'�"f'�b'"4 ���115�•<1• a

t .....
" S nap ont o f i t , Lovita !" I say sharp-
ic'?"��"•b
No. 1 Orou� con'is< it-. or H Plcrure Comblnatloo
I-!O. � llroup u:n�;i � r�n.g o� 8 Pi�tUre Ct::lliJi�::t i(:n i J y, , B reaI..: b1e 1 .
g] n�:"i . [ I L cJ
It O il l 0 f t ] l a - • 0
, Group r•m"'htm:.; ol 12 l'ir!,ne l.IJI• •hmnt JOr, .
, .
'
No. 4 Grouo consiMiu" of 12 l'ioOiute CotolJa>�tiOh I'
1'\o. .
!Jr , :;_ ())] t h e \'>a l l alld pttll tiJe braSS rin£;· .
,

· ·
All Fl•llr GlOU i.1.o; iiH::udc JJnoto.<t of men o.u() Wl�m,:u. tl"' . a.l!
,

��;:�o$�'�\��••10�r''';•n�ii��r I'{IPt'i:·TJ\""'���r';•.'bi�/"'iru��:�:J
.

S h e ul;r:-y � mechanically. !\ li re s i re n
u\'����."';.i,h tbo nbO\·e 4 comiJitte a ., . ...,'. we :nc1u<1e · be·· i s o n i\ low n ote and gradua l ! \·
cou11Jina;h·t� of 12 wini;Hure Jlh::ure�. :.!1 ot \Thiel: a•·� of cvu;Jit>s. :
"""' ,, ,,, •
:-:... n "'

�\s1�.0 "�:ft�·�t }�<.?�!· o;�l·��l>j;�t!iu��!Ju�e ��i!Ih�tak�0�11;n��-; ��u�·o� zO(JI1lS to a sc rean1ing, hysteriC'al \\·ail.
lar�e ))hclto&:ra :•hi<' rPurotJuction 1n aD.)· :ti:::e a. t W'lde ate cost •
h•1111 oriJ!iHaJ ncg11th6& �
•· He;o�t it," I comman d . ' ' :\ever mind
..

F U E E -\'\'ith ) OUt Jlrst o�der, n·e al3o send �l.i!l ab :..f)lutely

fref'. U htlfniJruu:> letters, re&tl two wnyR, a.l!o some &marth
Tlu..�:>e wiJl h(' f ee along n.;:.u every­ '·
, · o m clothes. l\lake for that l ife boat
Jnll· �e�;tin;.: shurt swrios.
r 1 . d 'II
tbiu� lh!eol in tlll9 advntiseu:ont. Get rour order in now and
�et :o<·�otaluled.
]'
: •xeryuO )' b e h eacr mg f· or t I Je gan,.,- a

Remember, Everything for $ .00

1
Send C•<h, �Ioney Order or Stato>ps. lmme<li&le bhiprneot.o \":1\' on t h e far s i d e OY th e launches. Hel l
-
A R E X C O M PA N Y , f>48 Melrose Avo. , Dept. &. D ., N ew York Ctty :
.
'
• -

FACTORY SALE- - i w il l break loose herr any minute 00

BELOW COST
I
i i ron steps.
Lea p i n g down t he we

· .�··p:�kTeOIM�T�� ss.9 S haven't more than hit the deck \\'hell

cioor-
.-:U��� : 0��i·�I�.;h��i �;<'�le?.'u...fe,����t :o•·��: p eople start pourin g· fron1 every
����/��. ·
··-�7 . !.1:';.
; :3�'\.':.��-��- ::;,��t���.1.;5;9�il ��o�·a�i� 1����:\
Holsters-Opi:'D '!'lm--7�c ; tihuullt('r-lil .75;
�· · · out onto the dec k . I "veil at
'""v the t(lp
Cortrt;lgoo : �'· <•lL-<iSc; :;2 cal. 75c ,,., bo• of 2�.
$� Der:osit required on C.O. D.'&. Sfond )f.O. in ruu aD4 U.Vf' :i of JTI\'
"'
Jun!!;.,
' I
'·Gangll'a)'' on ! he po rtf

(:���:�.�:- R�l'i:: c:�t��0n�ftir��1�(f n un•� dr.. SCllf� 3c tlamv. � side ' Launches on the port side ! Don t
LEE SALES CO. .,
ss w. 32��·g�·., FXJ. Y. c;u room for c,· cryhody ,
--- .
D on 't Ta ke D angerous 0-rugs
' c rowd ! Plentv of
! I pray that n�bocly gets hnrt but r h;l\'e

to get th es e people off the ship .

' .
lw rc 5
A �te\\'<!rd ru�hes up t o nw . \\
·
to regain your PEP and V I TALITY,
but try and uso our Freocb VlTAJ.lTY CREA.lol, o.n o:rtel1141 rom- ] fi ,,
•<11' �ivW£ immediate t w . re '
'
results. ·

. 0 I I1 e

IL Es
Tho tube u.oo. lnforma.tlon FRE&
,, In the engine room ! "
I scrt a111 - 0
LUC PROUVESKI, Abonne Bo.ta U fo r e ;he
Uvry- Ga.-gao <S-et-Ol. F R A N C E. iuel tanks. Get every· I.lO d �, O ff b e
, fl to
.

ak
BE CUT · exp lode s ! " The stew ard leav es lllC

P
DO N'T til l' de C
Until You Try This Tlw first officer speeds ;don g
Wonde rf'ul Treatmeni:
; a nd ke , fu. r the bricl«e '
.
_
for pile euf!'ering. If you have piles in a:ly lila ' ' one 0
"'

t'�rm write for a _,.RE_E sample o{ Pago'o th underI at him, "The captaJII ' g I"
I' lie �ablcts and you Wlll hies• the day tb<>&
yo . • reao.l thte.
4 7.,·H:<
W rite today. E- a. Pa�re Co..
i Pu.�c Bldg., Marshail, Mich.
I' below · R u sh all extllJCYUJ
. . I
;:... S J e l �
. hc]oiV _ •

\\'hen an�w<:ring :td,•t>rt i ,emen<� please mention SPicv .. A n\'f:�Tt'Hr. ST'>RI E S

 Pa�t.·
'I iss in�
 Lust to Ki!l

--j ust like the Baghdad bus-get her face o f the man who raised a revolt tO
:h�re-dump me over the si de-when-" save a friend.

Ardis choked a sob , and for a moment "Dr i ve on, Ott o , " she said, very soft·
blood l y. '
the.•: clung toget her in a drenched " I know you l l make it. You n : ust
k i -; ; . T l : e n in the desert moon l i ght she be a goorl man, o r he'd never have gone
:;a\\ the sudden smile that brightened the back a ft e r yo u . "

LUST to
[Continued from page 39}

The plane hit the ground be fore s l�e th re w the dispa tclws i n t o the sea what
awakened. She sat up straight. fumbled ,,· i l l I tell my supenors at San Sebas­
for the t i n box o f pape rs, glared at the tian ? ' '
�nn as thl" plane came to a halt in a H e drew her c l o s e agai n . " San Sebas­
<:lea ·eel field. tian ? l\ I i les a \\'ay, rlc;ll·. \'ou wnn ' t t d l
them :myt h i u g . \Ve'vc cro"scd t h r P:v re­
nees now. \Ve're on tht> out,· kirt.; of
Calmly he forced her o ut d�spite her
Henday c, in French t e rritory. The only
her in hi:; arms.
p:·ote::.i -;; , calmly he took
orders you'll take fr0111 1 1 0 1\. on a.re
H ! .; woun d th rohbe<l . her \\Ottnd mine . ' '
thrnbhed. but both pains were fo rgot ten t rC'mh!('d henC'ath h i �
She shuddered,
in the heat of the i r embrace. Bodirs
care<ses. A g a i n h r �;,ng h t her m o u t h .
nw!tcr l , l i ps flanwd and \\'ere one.
a long wh i k l)(' { o re tl w v caught
I t was
.E\·rmually she moaned , " B ut if you a ride i nto H r nrla)'e.
 Pa�t.·
'I iss in�