Classic Brundage Covers

Margaret Brundage did many wonderful covers for Weird Tales, here are a few of her pieces from the 1930's.

The Old Firm: A Steampunk Tale XIV

Rebecca swore as she and everyone else were knocked from their feet tumbling about as the airship collided with the landing strip, the scream of metal and the explosion of gas bags joining the symphony noise as the airship raced across the granite landing strip, throwing up twin rows of sparks as it slid along its turrets continuing to belch fire as the Alba pods clanked forward their boilers throttled wide opened as their gears whirled and legs rose and fell as they tried to reorganize.

Stefania cried out as she slammed into John her head cracking against his chin. "OOOOF!" her breath shot from her lungs as a fire canister crashed onto her torn free from its restraints. Maureen reached down grabbing a torn strip of Rebecca's skirt as the corridor twisted the steel floor buckling and warping. 

Master M watched the fuzzy viewer the gray images distorted. "Prepare the troops," he said his voice sounding younger, firmer, no wavering in it. "Now General," he said smiling coldly, "Who was going to double cross who again?" he chuckled as the forward hanger doors opened the giant gears grinding and his troops raced forward firing glass bulbs of gas before them.

"Bloody hell!" Rebecca swore as she tore the strip Maureen had grabbed from her skirt revealing the lighter, thinner layer beneath. "I got this on the Royal Mile! Cost me a fortune!" her voice was sharp as she shifted about. 

Maureen lowered herself from the girder she had latched onto and looked around. " Looks lie someone doesn't want us ot leave," she joked looking around. The corridor had crumpled on either end of them leaving extremely narrow gaps, most to small even for a nimble child to crawl through.

"John?" Stefania asked softly as she sat up ignoring the vomit her skirts had picked up. She reached out and touched his scalp her delicate fingers coming away wet and red. She gasped and reached for her handkerchief. "John?" can you hear me?" she asked.

Rebecca and Maureen knelt at his side and looked at each other. "Bloody typical," growled Rebecca and Stefania jerked back shocked by her words.

"How dare you!' Stefania snapped only to have Maureen break out laughing. 

"You're new," Maureen grinned. "John here, has a bad habit of not paying attention and getting hurt. Watch and learn." She winked at Stefania as she reached into John's sporran. removing her hand she held it out to show Stefania small metal tubes with caps on the end before handing them over to Rebecca.

"What are you doing?" Stefania asked puzzled. 

"Getting us out of here," Rebecca grinned as she placed the tubes and removed the end caps take cover she said ducking behind a steel girder.

The explosion filled the corridor with with smoke and light followed by a woosh as the outside air rushed in. "Help me carry him," Rebecca ordered Stefania as fresh air filled the corridor.

To be continued........

Yo ho yo ho, A Pirates Life For Me

The Wisdom of Conan

The Old Firm: A Steampunk Tale XIII

     John gasped and wiped his mouth. "Goodness, " he said his breath ragged in his lungs as he wobbled unsteadily on two legs as Rebecca and Maureen held him up. "That take away lunch disagreed with me something fierce." 

     Stefania turned from the hatch her face was pale. "They have torch's," she said as she lifted her skirts and hurried over to John and the lass'. The hiss of a cutting torch could be heard as sparks began to shower into the corridor. 

     Rebecca shoved John forward as the airship suddenly tipped sending loose bits and pieces sliding around. "We're going down," Rebecca growled her face set with a determination that would of made a weaker man flinch away.

     "I didn't feel any explosions," Maureen said looking around puzzled. 

     "No time to worry about that now," Rebecca gestured at Stefania. "We need to get off this airship now. Keep John moving, if he slows up, kick him in the arse hard." Stefania flinched at Rebecca's words as Maureen placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

     "It's ok," Maureen said to Stefania. "You can do it."

     John looked back to the hatch the wash of sparks growing in intensity. "Let's move," he growled as he pulled himself unsteadily along the corridor's wall. 

     Rebecca moved past him her skirts swirling about her solid boots barely glimpsed among the layers as she peered out the hatch at the end of the corridor. "Hurry up," she hissed, 'the way is clear."

*************************************************************************************

     "General, the pods are online and prepped." The General saluted and turned his gaze back to the low cloud cover. The roar of an airships engines were growing louder though it could not be seen. "Blasted Aberdeen weather," the General growled.

     'Sir! Contact!" came the cry just as the pods lined up at the far end of the runway exploded sending large jagged bits of riveted iron and clouds of burning steam skyward.

     "Damnit! Bring them down!" roared the General as a few pods responded their guns belching gouts of flame as they hurled explosives into the cloudy skies. "Where are they blast it!" the General bellowed as he scanned the sky swinging his glasses left and right rapidly.

     "They're coming in behind us!"came the cry. The General whirled about and his cigar fell to the cold granite ground as the airship loomed large out of the clouds its engines throttled wide coming in low its cannons belching gouts of explosives as it clipped the tower sending wooden shards raining down. 

     "Sir, we need to get you out of here!" hands tugged at the General's arms as he stared at the massive airship bearing down on him.

     To Be Continued.......

Lord help me I can't resist

The Old Firm: A SteamPunk Tale XII

     Rebecca cut loose with a string of curses causing Master M to tut tut over the the comm system. "Such language form such a refined lady of breeding,' he said over the crackle and hiss.

     

     "Oh shut it," she growled crossing her arms and moving behind John. 

     A cackling laugh filtered over the comm channel, sending shivers up the spine of his crew members. Maureen rolled her eyes and looked to John, then Stefania, and finally Rebecca. 

     "None of that now," a crewman said poking his air rifle at Maureen.

     "I wouldn't do that If  I were you," John warned.

     "Shove it old man," the business end of the air rifle swung towards John and poked at his waist.

    "Careful now," John said taking his finger and moving the air rifle away from him, "that's no toy there, someone could get hurt!"

    "Look you, shut up now or..!" the man's voice was cut off instantly as Rebecca garroted him crushing his windpipe with a knotted cord as Maureen disarmed her guard his shock still showing as he slid to his knee's his hands grasping his belly. Stefania had wrestled away her guards air pistol and she aimed it down the corridor squeezing off round after round until the hammer clicked on empty cartridges. John looked to her as he lowered the last guard his hand red with blood.

   

     "We need to get off this airship now," John hissed ignoring the long red wound running up his thigh and vanishing beneath his kilt. Stefania pointed to the ceiling and gasped. A loud hissing and a blue glass was venting into the corridor.

     "Through the hatch now!" John grabbed Stefani and manhandled through the hatch as the blue gas thickened and filled the corridor. He coughed and covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief as Maureen and Rebecca followed after Stefania. John lurched forward striking his knee against the hatch's seal his body swaying. Delicate hands reached out and grabbed his jacket pulling him through the hatch and shutting it behind him. 

     "Grab his shirt, I'll get his arms,' voices said as he looked about his vision blurry.

     "I'm gonna be sick," John mumbled and promptly threw up.

***********************************************************************************

     The General paced back and forth the North Sea winds whipping lightly about his legs the pleats of his kilt swaying gently back and forth. He looked to the south but the low lying cloud cover obscured even nearby buildings, the grey clouds blending with the local granite. An aide stopped and saluted, waiting.

     "Out with it," growled the General.

     "Sir! Our advance listening posts report the approach of a Airship of War from the south!" 

     The General nodded and bit off the end of a cigar and held a match to it. He puffed it into life and stood there smoking in silence. "Have the pods brought online," he said finally.

To Be Continued.......

Some election fun