Page:Weird Tales Volume 12 Issue 05 (1928-11).djvu/36

hole in his pocket—both quite natural for the Warbler—came up out of nowheres to take charge of th' Golden Gate Shows.

"This here circus what I'm tellin' you about ain't nothin' more than a few wild animals pacin' back and forth in gaudily painted cat-wagons, a pile of blue trunks and a lot of dirty canvas, with performers driftin' in from th' four quarters of th' globe to start south with her.

"We came, rags and patches, silks and satins, spangles and cheesecloth, and dumped our baggage at th' Warbler's feet. We found him on th' lot with his high, patent-leather boots covered with Toledo mud. His big hat was pulled down even with th' range of his eyes. Th' wind whipped th' crimson scarf which was knotted loosely about his neck, and, jerking his brass-knot-studded belt a bit higher, he smiled—smiled in the face of a hard, hard world. That's why they called him Warbler; for his lips puckered up and he started to whistle away his troubles.

"'Carry your outfit in a bag, eh?' he said to Professor Ellowell Williams—th' Lord only knows why he called himself professor, or where he ever found such a peculiar name; for, listen, he was an Indian. I know, for the same blood runs in my veins.

"'Yes,' answered th' professor. His voice was not bad to listen to. He had learned much in th' white man's school. 'Yes, the best-paying bet on the lot,' replied the professor, suddenly dumping the bag's contents on the ground.

"'Gosh!' exclaimed Dan Hack, eyeing the terrible objects. He was th' only person there who did not step back and grimace at th' horrible things. He seemed fascinated. 'Where did they come from?'

"'Ah, my friend, dried heads, they came from the jungles of Ecuador. The Indian head-hunters bring down their game, human game, with blow-guns, pouf! Just so!' Th' professor guy makes a circle with his fingers, puckers up his lips and illustrates his meaning 'pouf!' just like that. 'Interesting, eh?'

"'Humph,' grunted Hack. He stood there for a long while looking at the heads. 'Little, ain't they?'

"'Yes, shrunken. Hot sand and pebbles are placed inside the head after the nape of the neck has been slit and the skull removed. Then—ah! then it is turned over and over, for days. Patiently, lovingly the Jivaro does his work, slowly, until it has been—what you call it in English?—cured?'

"Hack moved from one foot to th' other, raised his cap, scratched his head with his little finger, and allowed his eyes to travel over th' little company of performers who had collected. He noted Asia Amerilla with her knees pulled almost to her chin so's to be as far away as possible from th' gruesome objects. Asia was—well, you know she’s a beauty; you've seen her.

"Right then and there trouble started. At first sight of Asia Amerilla three men decided they could not live under th' same big top without owning her—now, skipper, you knows as well as Beef Mullins that they ain't never one woman made so's she could be divided 'twixt three men—ain't nowise possible. Me, I just watched what happened.

"Th' Golden Gate entrained immediately. We were billed through th' South with our objective at Tampa, Florida, where th' Warbler intended goin' into winter quarters. Everything went lovely until we reached Asheville, North Carolina. Money rolled into th' box office and th' sun seemed bent on lighting up our path. Never saw so many days without rain in all my life. We