Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures (91 page)

One of those things, I’m certain, would have been more quality historical stories. If his letters and accounts of conversations in the final months of his life are any judge, those historicals were likely to have been westerns, but Howard may have returned to other genres as well. Sadly, we can never know. We should take solace, though, in the excellence of the work Howard left us. It is my hope that this volume will help acquaint both Howard fans and curious newcomers with some of the finest work in his canon. It has been unfairly overshadowed by that featuring his more famous characters and perhaps at last will find the audience it has long deserved.

*
Weinberg, Robert, “The Long Journey of the Morning Star,” in
Swords from the West,
pp. xiii–xiv.

N
OTES ON THE
O
RIGINAL
H
OWARD
T
EXTS

The texts for this edition of
Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures
were prepared by Rusty Burke, with the assistance of Rob Roehm, Paul Herman, Glenn Lord, Patrice Louinet, and the Cross Plains (Texas) Public Library. The stories have been checked either against Howard’s original manuscripts and typescripts, copies of which were provided by Lord or the Cross Plains Public Library, or the first published appearance if a manuscript or typescript was unavailable. Every effort has been made to present the work of Robert E. Howard as faithfully as possible.

Deviations from the original sources are detailed in these textual notes. In the following notes, page, line, and word numbers are given as follows: 1.15.12, indicating page 1, fifteenth line, twelfth word. Story titles, chapter numbers and titles, breaks before after chapter headings, titles, and illustrations are not counted. The page/line/word number will be followed by the reading in the original source, or a statement indicating the type of change made. Punctuation changes may be indicated by giving the immediately preceding word followed by the original punctuation.

We have standardized chapter numbering and titling: Howard’s own practices varied, as did those of the publications in which these stories appeared. We have not noted those changes here.

French names in these stories have been given their correct forms (or as nearly correct as possible) by Patrice Louinet. Howard did not have even elementary French, and some of his names (for instance, “d’Valence”) are simply impossible. We have made a note of these changes at the beginning of the notes for the stories in which they occurred, but have not documented each occurrence throughout the story.

Throughout these stories, certain of Howard’s preferred spellings have been used even when editors of the magazines in which the stories appeared changed them. Hence we have used “scimitar” throughout, rather than “simitar,” “bazaar” rather than “bazar,” etc. Such changes are noted.

Please note that locations below refer to print ISBN 978-0-345-50546-0.

Spears of Clontarf

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, a copy of which was provided by Glenn Lord. 1.15.12: comma rather than period after “son”; 2.10.7: save that of; 2.12.7: no hyphen; 2.22.10: comma rather than period after “frankly”; 2.30.11: comma rather than period after “boldly”; 2.37.2: Do; 2.38.9: comma rather than period after “calmly”; 3.40.12: semicolon rather than comma after “began”; 4.9.5: “haste” not in original; 4.13.7: no hyphen; 4.16.3: comma rather than period after “threats”; 4.27.10: comma rather than period after “horseman”; 4.30.8: comma rather than period after “wanderer”; 5.2.6: conciousness; 5.4.1: no comma after “driftwood”; 5.7.11: comma rather than period after “kern”; 5.9.7: comma rather than period after “Dunlang”; 5.10.4: more weightier; 5.12.3: comma rather than period after “Conn”; 5.14.7: comma rather than period after “Dunlang”; 5.38.2: no comma after “Conn”; 5.38.3: unconciously; 6.1.13: comma rather than period after “angrily”; 6.13.7: comma rather than period after “Dunlang”; 6.21.9: comma rather than period after “his”; 6.25.6: statue; 6.31.10: period outside the quotation mark; 6.32.9: comma rather than period after “embrace”; 7.1.7: comma rather than period after “dully”; 7.6.3: “until” not in original; 7.11.11: comma rather than period after “sun”; 7.32.4: My; 7.36.1: comma rather than period after “passionately”; 7.39.6: comma rather than period after “Dunlang”; 8.1.10: comma rather than period after “answered”; 8.17.5: comma rather than period after “answered”; 8.18.12: comma rather than period after “gently”; 9.10.7: hyphen following colon; 9.17.9: statue; 10.8.5: Here; 10.14.3: comma rather than period after “said”; 10.16.6: comma rather than period after “stolidly”; 10.20.9: comma rather than period after “boldly”; 10.32.5: comma rather than period after “repeated”; 10.39.5: comma rather than period after “Conn”; 11.2.1: comma rather than period after “brusquely”; 11.5.3: comma rather than period after “grimly”; 11.8.8: comma rather than period after “Brian”; 11.13.5: It; 11.27.13: no comma after “priest”; 11.33.1: Your; 12.6.2: no hyphen; 12.31.11: comma rather than period after “moodily”; 13.3.8: comma rather than period after “sombrely”; 13.7.2: statue; 13.11.1: It; 13.17.14: comma rather than period after “grip”; 13.20.10: comma rather than period after “grasp”; 13.22.4: comma rather than period after “snarled”; 13.29.3: comma rather than period after “snarled”; 13.37.3: But; 14.2.3: dire; 14.3.6: comma rather than period after “her”; 14.5.6: comma rather than period after “bitterly”; 14.10.12: comma rather than period after “teeth”; 14.19.4: comma rather than period after “recoiling”; 14.27.11: comma rather than period after “girl”; 14.33.6: comma rather than period after “Eevin”; 15.5.11: comma rather than period after “disgust”; 15.10.11: no comma after “and”; 15.15: no section break; 15.20.8: comma rather than period after “provoked”; 15.29.2: comma rather than period after “wearily”; 16.13.11: comma rather than period after “tranquilly”; 16.22.12: no comma after “grinned”; 16.25.1: comma rather than period after “Dalcassian”; 17.16.7: comma after “Lennox”; 17.20.3: devision; 17.23.3: within in him; 17.25.8: devisions; 17.33.12: devisions; 18.8.14: comma rather than period after “call”; 18.18.12: comma rather than period after “Murrogh”; 18.41.5: no hyphen; 19.18.1: comma rather than period after “silver”; 19.20.12: no comma after “tall”; 19.23.4: no comma after “in”; 20.25.8: no hyphen; 21.9.1: comma after “Dubhgall”; 21.21.5: comma rather than period after “fiercely”; 21.34.11: cuiras; 21.35.6: comma after “armor”; 22.3.11: comma rather than period after “eyes”; 22.9.8: comma rather than period after “paw”; 22.11.6: comma rather than period after “strokes”; 22.23.6: My; 22.32.4: It; 23.3.7: comma rather than period after “Turlogh”; 24.7.3: comma rather than period after “Sigurd”; 24.8.5: comma rather than period after “Asmund”; 24.10.4: comma rather than period after “desperately”; 24.12.4: comma rather than period after “left”; 27.37.12: devided; 28.37.10: comma rather than period after “whispered”; 29.17.5: What; 29.18.8: comma rather than period after “Conn”; 29.21.3: comma rather than period after “cloud”; 30.8.4: no comma after “down”; 31.6.12: comma rather than period after “Dubh”; 31.13.9: comma rather than period after “arms”

Hawks Over Egypt

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Cross Plains Public Library. The typescript has penciled editorial markings that do not appear to be in Howard’s hand. These have been disregarded in the preparation of this text. 33.8.1: “khalat” is not underlined (i.e., not italic); 34.9.4: eye-balls; 34.21.12: oponent’s; 37.39.2: Beber; 38.18.7: life-time; 38.36.10: started; 39.36.13: comma after “brand”; 40.6.1: langurous; 41.31.6: Beneficient; 41.33.2: withold; 43.19.6: trandscending; 50.7.1: no ending quotation marks; 51.3.9: muezzin (not underlined/italicized); 51.4.10:
mullah
(underlined); 51.16.4: colon after “of”; 55.5.7: filagreed; 56.13.15: erst-while; 58.24.11: “the” not in original; 61.2.14: “accompan-” at end of page, “-inied” on first line of next page; 61.12.3: near-by; 62.30.11: has; 65.2.8: awkening; 65.15.1: sheers; 66.1.5: warcry; 66.20.1: freized; 67.30.6: “the” not in original

The Outgoing of Sigurd the Jerusalem-Farer

Text taken from
Verses in Ebony
(George T. Hamilton and Dale Brown, 1975). No changes have been made for this edition.

The Road of Azrael

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Cross Plains Public Library. 71.18.8: “maker” has been typed in above the line, with a slash mark to indicate insertion after “tent,” but there is no hyphen; 73.26.10: two periods after “torch”; 74.9.10: We; 74.15.6: statue; 74.16.6: But; 74.17.4: We; 75.32.3: comma rather than period after “he”; 75.34.7: comma rather than period after “I”; 76.16.14: comma rather than period after “I”; 76.24.4: comma rather than period after “I”; 76.30.9: comma rather than period after “impatience”; 76.34.14: neice; 77.11.8: comma rather than period after “continued”; 77.27.1: comma rather than period after “answered”; 77.31.3: comma rather than period after “repeated”; 78.17.8: squalied; 79.25.6: comma rather than period after “I”; 79.29.9: comma rather than period after “I”; 79.33.10: Where-ever; 80.18.10: comma rather than period after “muttered”; 80.28.3: comma rather than period after “Eric”; 80.32.2: furtherest; 80.33.11: furtherest; 81.1.4: comma rather than period after “whispered”; 81.15.6: comma rather than period after “growled”; 81.21.10: comma rather than period after “impatiently”; 82.12.6: comma rather than period after “he”; 82.19.7: comma rather than period after “Eric”; 82.20.6: reenforcements; 83.1.14: reenforcements; 83.17.4: statue; 83.28.9: comma rather than period after “him”; 84.6.7: comma rather than period after “uneasily”; 84.19.5: comma rather than period after “one”; 84.20.5: Spies; 84.29.10: comma rather than period after “bitterly”; 84.33.5: comma rather than period after “snarled”; 85.19.5: We; 85.29.5: comma rather than period after “Yurzed”; 85.33.13: comma rather than period after “he”; 86.5.1: Light; 86.8.7: comma rather than period after “irony”; 86.13.1: comma rather than period after “dislike”; 86.15.7: To; 86.31.5: comma rather than period after “cursed”; 86.39.2: comma rather than period after “Eric”; 87.8.11: neice; 87.11.4: comma rather than period after “he”; 87.24.2: If; 87.27.7: But; 88.12.7: comma rather than period after “suggested”; 93.8.15: comma rather than period after “morning”; 93.11.12: You; 93.13.5: comma rather than period after “I”; 93.15.1: line begins with double quotation marks; 93.15.3: single rather than double quotation mark; 93.16.1: line begins with single quotation mark; 93.17.1: line begins with single quotation mark; 93.17.12: line ends with single quotation mark; 93.18.7: single rather than double quotation mark; 93.18.12: line ends with single and double quotation marks; 93.35.13: marvellously; 94.7.4: comma rather than period after “muttered”; 94.9.5: comma rather than period after “answer”; 94.16.9: None; 94.19.2: comma after “too”; 94.20.10: comma rather than period after “wearily”; 95.26.8: edge; 96.16.3: horrizons; 96.28.2: comma rather than period after “Eric’s”; 96.28.6: Thorwald’sson; 96.30.8: comma rather than period after “Eric”; 96.32.12: comma rather than period after “wearily”; 96.39.12: comma rather than period after “slowly”; 97.1.4: comma rather than period after “Eric”; 97.3.5: comma rather than period after “son”; 97.6.12: comma rather than period after “he”; 97.18.13: comma rather than period after “trumpet”; 97.24.1: comma rather than period after “spleen”; 97.28.7: comma rather than period after “stammered”; 97.32.7: comma rather than period after “snarled”; 97.40.1: no hyphen; 97.41.1: comma rather than period after “rasped”; 98.5.4: Under; 98.8.6: comma rather than period after “Eric”; 98.10.10: comma rather than period after “Saxon”; 98.19.8: comma rather than period after “son”; 98.24.1: comma rather than period after “Hrothgar”; 98.25.9: comma rather than period after “Eric”; 98.27.9: comma after “him”; 98.28.7: comma rather than period after “Hrothgar”; 98.33.1: comma rather than period after “bell”; 98.40.7: comma rather than period after “softly”; 99.3.6: comma rather than period after “Hrothgar”; 99.5.5: comma rather than period after “ancient”; 99.6.11: comma rather than period after “eyes”; 99.9.9: comma rather than period after “Harold”; 99.24.11: league; 100.10.8: comma rather than period after “dream”; 100.18.5: Thorwald’sson; 100.28.9: comma rather than period after “he”; 100.30.4: comma rather than period after “I”; 101.21.6: That; 101.34.6: no comma after “Hrothgar”; 102.6.6: comma after “of”; 103.7.10: was; 103.18.6: But; 103.21.7: And; 104.40.10: comma rather than period after “said”; 105.8.7: You; 105.19.3: comma rather than period after “I”

The Lion of Tiberias

Text taken from
The Magic Carpet Magazine,
July 1933. 107.2.8: Calif; 109.5.5: simitar; 110.3.5: simitar; 111.25.4: Calif; 112.18.5: simitar; 112.29.11: for ever; 114.7.12: simitar; 115.13.5: Calif; 117.9.6: simitar; 122.8.4: simitar; 125.22.7: comma rather than colon after “him”; 125.39.7: practise; 127.20.12: Calif; 127.30.3: hell; 128.3.4: simitars; 130.18.10: comma after “fear”; 130.22.13: angel

Gates of Empire

Text taken from
Golden Fleece,
January 1939. 141.20.5: no opening quotation mark before “I”; 145.7.8: mêlée; 147.25.11: ending quotation mark after “pass”; 147.38.7: mêlée; 156.6.3: Cæsarea; 156.17.5: Cæsarea; 156.22.1: Cæsarea; 160.15.3: Some one; 160.38.1: Some one; 160.41.7: Some one; 163.2.14: Skirkuh; 166.26.6: mêlée

Hawks of Outremer

Text taken from
Oriental Stories,
Spring 1931. 169.1.1: line begins with opening double quotation marks; 169.8.7: line ends with closing double quotation marks; 169.10.2: the; 174.26.3: sheihk’s; 174.27.5: Von; 175.2.8: sheihk; 175.31.7: Von; 176.21.2: Von; 176.25.2: Von; 176.34.10: Von; 176.40.5: Von; 177.3.6: Von; 177.13.6: sheihk; 177.17.2: Von; 178.5.16: bazar; 179.17.17: Von; 179.25.7: plateaus; 180.18.11: simitar; 181.40.7: Christian’s; 183.4.4: Von; 183.23.3: simitar; 186.19.11: near by; 186.26.3: simitar; 187.1.11: vertebræ; 188.9.7: simitar; 188.17.10: semicolon rather than comma after “eyes”; 188.21.1: sheihk; 188.23.10: Von; 188.33.11: simitar; 189.1.13: simitar; 189.22.1: comma after “slender”; 190.41.5: sheihk; 193.9.2: sheihk’s; 193.13.3: comma after “Crusaders”; 195.14.12: practised; 195.27.1: Califs