The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction Megapack Read online

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. Cover art © Aleksandra Smirnova / Fotolia.

  * * * *

  “The Miraculous Buddha” originally appeared in Short Stories, April 10, 1944.

  “The House of Skulls” originally appeared in All-Story, January 25, 1919.

  “Written In Red” originally appeared in Short Stories, August 10, 1922.

  “Yellow Intrigue” originally appeared in Short Stories, March 1921.

  “Down the Coast of Barbary” originally appeared in All-Story, October 21, 1922.

  “Skulls” originally appeared in Short Stories, February 1921.

  The Opium Ship originally appeared as a four-part serial in the legendary pulp magazine The Thrill Book in the July 1, 1919; July 15, 1919; August 1, 1919; and August 15, 1919 issues.

  “Pirates Gold” originally appeared in Adventure magazine, December 20, 1922.

  The Second Life of Monsieur originally appeared in the November 1920 issue of Blue Book magazine, copyright © 1920 by The Story-Press Corporation, Inc.

  Nuala O’Malley originally appeared in All-Story Weekly magazine as a four-part serial, running from October 5, 1918, to October 26, 1918.

  “Mustered Out” originally appeared in Argosy and Railroad Man’s Magazine, April 5, 1919.

  “Irregular Brethren” originally appeared in the Blue Book magazine, August 1919.

  “Clancy, Detective” originally appeared in The Blue Book Magazine, April 1926.

  “The Thrust of a Finger” originally appeared in Complete Stories, March 1, 1932.

  “Three Smart Silks” originally appeared in Detective Dragnet, December 1930.

  “The Blue Beetle” originally appeared in Short Stories, April 25, 1932.

  “Rendezvous” originally appeared in Short Stories, April 10, 1933.

  “Test Pilot Number One” originally appeared in Short Stories, January 10, 1940.

  “The Curious Luck of the Earl Of Pugwash” originally appeared inShort Stories, February 10, 1942.

  D’Artagnan originally appeared in 1928.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  H. Bedford-Jones (1889-1949) was, at one point in the 1920s, among the highest paid, most read, and most popular authors in the English language. If you’ve never heard of him, it’s because he wrote primarily for magazines—Adventure, Argosy, Blue Book, The Thrill Book, Weird Tales, and many, many more. He turned out thousands of short stories and more than 100 novels (so many and in such diverse markets that no one has been able to complile a complete list). He was a fast writer—exceptionally so—and wrote with great style and vigor. In many ways, he was the Stephen King or Charles Dickens of his day.

  But because he published in ephemeral markets, his work came out each month—and then disappeared, to be replaced by next month’s stories in next month’s magazines. It’s not a great way to build an enduring audience. If you stop publishing in magazines, the editors replace your work with someone else’s…and the readership rapidly forgets you, which ultimately became Bedford-Jones’s fate.

  Still, pulp magazine collectors today seek out and relish his work. If you like a great adventure story well told, you can’t go wrong with anything by Henry James O’Brien Bedford-Jones!

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  ABOUT THE MEGAPACKS

  Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has grown to be among our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)

  A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS

  The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  MYSTERY

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Charlie Chan Megapack*

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Detective Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Girl Detective Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack

  The First Mystery Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Philo Vance Megapack*

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Raffles Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  GENERAL INTEREST

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Baseball Megapack

  The Cat Story Megapack

  The Second Cat Story Megapack

  The Third Cat Story Megapack

  The Third Cat Story Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.

  The Classic Humor Megapack

  The Dog Story Megapack

  The Doll Story Megapack

  The Horse Story Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  The Sea-Story Megapack

  SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Fredric Brown Megapack

  The Ray Cummings Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Edmond Hamilton Megapack

  The C.J. Henderson Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack

  The Science-Fantasy Megapack

  The First Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack

 
; The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  The Steampunk Megapack

  The Time Travel Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  HORROR

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Second Ghost Story Megapack

  The Third Ghost Story Megapack

  The Haunts & Horrors Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Second Macabre Megapack

  The Arthur Machen Megapack**

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Occult Detective Megapack

  The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Werewolf Megapack

  WESTERNS

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The Buffalo Bill Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Second Western Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  YOUNG ADULT

  The Boys’ Adventure Megapack

  The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack

  The Doll Story Megapack

  The G.A. Henty Megapack

  The Girl Detectives Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The Rover Boys Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The H. Bedford-Jones Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Fredric Brown Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  The Ray Cummings Megapack

  The Guy de Maupassant Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Edmond Hamilton Megapack

  The Dashiell Hammett Megapack

  The C.J. Henderson Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Selma Lagerlof Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Arthur Machen Megapack**

  The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack

  The Talbot Mundy Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  The Saki Megapack

  The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  * Not available in the United States

  ** Not available in the European Union

  OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY

  The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)

  The Wildside Book of Fantasy

  The Wildside Book of Science Fiction

  Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries

  THE MIRACULOUS BUDDHA

  Duane had never heard of Korla; the name meant absolutely nothing to him. Yet he was one of Stratolines’ most active and far-traveled trouble shooters. Ever since the war ended, he had been rushing from corner to corner of the globe—yes, the new air-age geography did square the world’s circle—on business for Stratolines. But Korla struck no echo in his memory.

  He scowled at the brief memorandum he had found on his desk:

  Captain James Duane: Headquarters Office:

  Report to me at 10:40 if willing to accept detail to handle situation at Korla.

  Upshott, President Stratolines.

  Looking up, Duane glanced about the headquarters office used by the Strata-shooters, as the corps termed itself when not on field duty. Blount sat working at the corner desk, and Duane called to him.

  “Hey, Blount! Where’s a place called Korla?”

  Blount gave him a grin. “Same location it was two thousand years ago, maybe three. Turkestan, or Sinkiang as the Chinese call it. It’s the capital of the province now, and going great guns since the peace was signed.”

  “Thanks.” Duane scowled again at the memorandum. “Turkestan or the South Pole, I don’t care which. Why in hell doesn’t the Chief quit calling me Captain? That went out when the war ended.”

  Duane was just in bad humor, that was all, and looking for trouble. This corps of picked men were treated with deference by Stratolines. Even that enormous air-freight network covering most of the earth, handled its trouble shooters cautiously. They were all former war pilots. Further, they were sworn officers of the International Air Control, which gave them wide powers. They had to have exceptional ability in a dozen ways, for there was no telling what they might run up against. Stratolines had become practically a world power. It handled long-haul freight exclusively, but handled it everywhere, and ran into some queer things that needed fixing. Men like Duane did the fixing, and some of them were not particular how they did it, either.

  Duane, for example. He had started out married; his wife died in childbirth while he was bombing Tokio. He went to work for Stratolines a hard-boiled, unhappy man. Now, three years after the war, he had been in love again, only to be turned down rather cruelly. It hurt. It left him, as on this particular morning, looking for trouble and not giving a damn where it might turn up.

  He walked into Upshott’s office promptly at 10:40. The Stratolines president, who looked not unlike a bulldog, gave him a cigar and a barked greeting.

  “Hiya, Jim. Know anything about Turkestan or Sinkiang?”

  “Not a solitary thing, Chief.”

  “Good. You got a lot to learn; but ignorance is one advantage. Only an outsider can help us here. Carter and Browne have been there and know it well, and they step around the subject like a cat around a pool of water.

  “Why?” demanded Duane, to the point as usual.

  “Why? Because it’s devilish unhealthy, that’s why.” Upshott chewed a cigar, unlit. “We’ve got a special run going—Korla, Urga, Yakutsk—as a feeder to our main Siberian lines; it’s doing a tremendous business, and we’re dickering now with the Soviet people, who want to take it over.”

  “So what?” asked Duane, biting at his cigar.

  “So trouble at Korla, or somewhere near there. The trouble is named Ming Shui, which means Clear Water. She is a woman. She is the abbot of a monastery at the back door of nowhere—”

  “Wait a minute,” said Duane. “You’re getting off the track. An abbot is a man; a monastery holds monks.”

  “Shut up,” snapped Upshott. “This is a Buddhist monastery. Of course it doe
sn’t make sense! If it did, the trouble would have been adjusted before this. It’s all cockeyed; that’s why I’m sending you. Any arrangement is impossible; our Siberian headquarters say so flatly. Here’s their report. Read it and you’ll go crazy like I did. Go to Yakutsk and hop one of our ships down to Korla and do anything possible.”

  “When?”

  “Now.”

  “Okay.” Duane took the typed report and stood up.

  “Wait, dammit.” Upshott blinked up at him. “Don’t get yourself killed. We need you other places.”

  “Thanks. I’ll not. Any particular instructions?”

  “Nope. The sky’s the limit. Stratolines backs any play you make.”

  Duane said goodby and walked out. He knew nothing about the trouble or what he was to find or do. He knew this would be in the report, and that it was probably something so utterly insane that everyone had flung up their hands and quit. So it was, too.

  That evening found him snugly berthed seven miles high aboard the giant six-engined Planetoid that made only one stop, at Edmonton, before Irkutsk in the heart of the booming Siberia…a hurtling 26-hour flight.

  The post-war world, arising on the wings of invention and science and progress from the destruction and ashes of global conflict, had reached almost fantastic heights. Siberia, once a barren frozen waste, was now pouring forth wealth in metals and oil; China and central Asia were close behind. Even during the war, Russia had withdrawn from Turkestan, restoring this desert province to China by one of those great-hearted gestures which the Soviets made in so many directions.

  Turkestan, under the wise guidance of the new China, was waxing rich and great. Swept bare for centuries by jangling armies, now she enjoyed all the blessings that had come to a world where war was done forever. Great water and power systems, a flood of new population, an outpouring of economic wealth, marked her advent in this air-age. Korla, once a miserable huddle of mud houses, was now a city of half a million. Within her borders, however, the new still elbowed the old; Tibet, across her southern frontier, still blocked progress.

  * * * *

  The ancient Buddhist monasteries that had studded the wastes of the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts were still existent, although the deserts were becoming fertile gardens. Duane, poring over the typed report in his snug berth, was quick to perceive the astonishing situation which he—and Stratolines—now faced.

  Bounding the great Tarim Basin, formerly all desert, were the Tien Shan or Celestial Mountains. In their heart, still almost unknown territory, was the Eternal Peace Monastery, of which Ming Shui was the abbot or ruler. She was a woman. She was also an incarnation of the Living Buddha. She had enormous influence, and the monastery controlled mineral deposits being opened up by the new government—deposits of such incalculable wealth that she was a personage of real importance.