The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume 1 (77 page)

Howard planned for his death very carefully. He made arrangements with his agent, Otis Kline, for the handling of his stories in the event of his death. He carefully put together the manuscripts he had not yet submitted to
Weird Tales
or the Kline agency, with instructions on where they were to be sent. He borrowed a gun, a .380 Colt automatic, from a friend who was unaware of his plans. Dr. Howard may have hidden Bob’s own guns, aware of what he might be contemplating. He said that he had seen his son make preparations on earlier occasions when it appeared Mrs. Howard might die. He said that he was trying to keep an eye on his son, but that he did not expect him to act before his mother died.

Hester Howard sank into her final coma about the 8th of June, 1936. Bob asked Dr. J. W. Dill, who had come to be with Dr. Howard during his wife’s final illness, whether anyone had been known to live after being shot through the brain. Unaware of Bob’s plan, the doctor told him that such an injury meant certain death.

Dr. Howard related that Robert had disarmed him of his intentions the night before, assuming “an almost cheerful attitude”: “He came to me in the night, put his arm around me and said, buck up, you are equal to it, you will go through it all right.” He did not know, he said, that on the morning of the 11th, Robert asked the nurse attending Mrs. Howard if she thought his mother would ever regain consciousness, and that the nurse had told him she would not.

He then left the room, and was next seen leaving the house and getting into his car. The cook he and his father had hired said later that, looking through the kitchen window, she saw him raise his hands in prayer, though what looked to her like prayer may have been holding up the gun. She heard a shot, and saw Robert slump over the steering wheel. She screamed. Dr. Howard and Dr. Dill ran out to the car and carried Bob back into the house. Both were country doctors, and they knew that no one could live with the kind of injury Bob had sustained. He had shot himself above the right ear, the bullet emerging on the left side.

Robert Howard’s robust health allowed him to survive this terrible wound for almost eight hours. He died at about 4:00 in the afternoon, Thursday, June 11, 1936, without ever regaining consciousness. His mother died the following day, also without regaining consciousness. A double funeral was held on June 14, and the mother and son were transported to Brownwood for burial.

A four-line stanza was found and said to be the last thing Robert E. Howard wrote on his old Underwood:

All fled, all done

So lift me on the pyre.

The feast is over

And the lamps expire.

N
OTES ON THE
O
RIGINAL
H
OWARD
T
EXTS

The texts for this edition were prepared by Rusty Burke, with the assistance of Lee Breakiron, Frank Coffman, David Gentzel, Paul Herman, Glenn Lord, Patrice Louinet, Saturnino Lucio, and the Cross Plains Public Library. The stories have been checked either against Howard’s original manuscripts and typescripts 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: 11.20.2, indicating page 1, twentieth line, second word. Story titles, chapter numbers and titles, and breaks before and after chapter headings, titles, and illustrations are not counted; in poems, only text lines are counted. The page/line number will be followed by the reading in the original source, or a statement indicating the type of change made.

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

The Shadow Kingdom

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, August 1929. 10.19.4: hall; 25.8.1: wounded.

The Ghost Kings

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, December 1938. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Curse of the Golden Skull

Text taken from Howard’s untitled carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. The title comes from a listing of Howard’s stories made by his agent after his death. The carbon runs four pages, while the agent’s list indicates the original was five pages. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 29.7.12: which; 29.13.1: Accolyte; 30.28.11: invokation; 30.32.8: trandscending; 31.5.11: highst; 32.13.7: “to” repeated.

Red Shadows

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, August 1928. 37.17.2: mephistophelean; 39.8.7: comma after “idly” 43.17.11: “hog-like” hyphenated at line break, similar constructions elsewhere in the story (e.g., “catlike”) not hyphenated; 45.8.14: rôle; 45.9.8: omits closing quotation marks; 45.12.14: omits closing quotation marks; 47.33.10: “is” not capitalized; 48.21.1: swaying; 57.12.1: “man-like” hyphenated at line break, similar constructions elsewhere in the story (e.g., “catlike”) not hyphenated.

The One Black Stain

Text taken from
The Howard Collector
, Spring 1962. 59.14.5: sombre; 59.30.3: sombrely; 60.34.3: sombre. The typescript from which
The Howard Collector
version was taken was not available; three other drafts of the poem exist and all three conform to the American spelling of “somber.” We have accordingly used this spelling. Otherwise the text is identical with that in
The Howard Collector
.

The Dark Man

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, December 1931. 64 footnote: period after “AUTHOR” 65.38.2: “wrist-strap” hyphenated at line break; 67.12.13: “wolf-skin” hyphenated at line break; 69.1.7: comma after “muttered” 69.24.5: “beast-like” hyphenated at line break; 79.14.7: drunken.

The Marching Song of Connacht

Text taken from Glenn Lord’s transcription of Howard’s typescript. No changes have been made for this edition.

Kings of the Night

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, November 1930. 91.9.12: Cæsar; 91.27.3: Cæsar; 91.31.5: Cæsar; 92.16.13: Cæsar; 93.10.11: stedfast; 97.38.13: “will-power” hyphenated at line break; 98.1.12: “lion-like” hypenated at line break; 107.26.15: “half-way” hyphenated at line break; 110.10.9-10: way possible; 111.21.3: “side-long” hyphenated at line break.

Recompense

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, November 1938. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Black Stone

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, November 1931. 122.26.3: “Midsummer’s Night” not capitalized here, though it is capitalized elsewhere in the story; 123.13.6: gleam (“glean” in Howard’s earlier draft of the story); 124.5.11: no comma after “and” 124.15.8: black-eddy (“back-eddy” in Howard’s earlier draft); 125.6.7: Goeffrey; 125.9.2: “mine” not capitalized; 126.24.7: aboriginies; 130.24.5: rythmically; 131.19.5: ecstacy.

The Song of a Mad Minstrel

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, February-March 1931. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Fightin’est Pair

Text taken from
Action Stories
, November 1931 (as
Breed of Battle
). 139.21.1: “low-down” hyphenated at line break; 140.11.1: “wharf-side” hyphenated at line break; 140.12.2: no closing quotation marks after “this” 140.28.13: “steel-trap” hyphenated at line break; 141.3.4: repeatedly; 141.6.3: no comma after “him” 142.2.8: water front; 143.19.9: yards; 143.28.14: period after “shape” 144.18.2: “lamp-post” hyphenated at line break; 146.18.6: comma after “said” 146.19.6: no closing quotation marks; 149.2.6: “green-tinted” hyphenated at line break; 149.24.1: “shop-keepers” hyphenated at line break; 150.20.1: no comma after “low” 150.38.1: “death-grip” hyphenated at line break; 151.41.1: “square-shooter” hyphenated at line break; 152.15.7: open quotation marks before “But.”

The Grey God Passes

Text taken from
Dark Mind, Dark Heart
(Arkham House, 1962). 160.38.5: “and” not capitalized; 162.25.1: grisley; 162.37.14: ma; 164.30.8: Skalli; 173.10.2: gallaghlachs.

The Song of the Last Briton

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.

Worms of the Earth

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, November 1932. In a letter to H. P. Lovecraft, circa December 1932, Howard noted several errors in the magazine appearance of the story: “Concerning ‘Worms of the Earth’–I must have been unusually careless when I wrote that, considering the errors–such as ‘her’ for ‘his’, ‘him’ for ‘himself ’, ‘loathsome’ for ‘loathing’, etc. I’m at a loss to say why I spelled Eboracum as Ebbracum. I must investigate the matter. I know I saw it spelled that way, somewhere; it’s not likely I would make such a mistake entirely of my own volition, though I do frequently make errors. Somehow, in my mind, I have a vague idea that it’s connected in some way with the Gaelic ‘Ebroch’–York.” 185.8.3: Ebbracum; 188.15.6: him; 189.1.6: Ebbracum; 193.27.1: Ebbracum; 193.29.11: Ebbracum; 194.33.9: Ebbracum; 196.18.2: Ebbracum; 196.24.14: Ebbracum; 198.10.3: laugh; 198.19.7: her; 198.20.1: loathsome; 199.6.6: there is a dash rather than a hyphen in “night-things” 203.22.3: comma after ‘cast’ 205.40.1: Ebbracum; 210.10.1: Ebbracum’s; 210.13.6:
Cæsar.

An Echo from the Iron Harp

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. Howard typed his lines across an entire sheet; we have broken these into two lines each. Lines with initial capital letters begin one of Howard’s long lines, while those which begin with lowercase letters continue the line before. The only exception is “Marius” at 216.12.1, capitalized as a proper name but part of a continuing line.

Lord of the Dead

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, copy provided by the Cross Plains Public Library. 219.11.3: “to” inserted in pencil by unknown hand; 220.3.1: basketfull; 221.7.11: impetuous; 221.27.10: colon rather than semicolon after “Brent,” “A” capitalized; 222.2.1: street, comma after; 222.5.9: “of” not in typescript; 222.17.14: street; 223.29.6: street; 223.41.5: street; 224.4.7: no comma after “dark” 224.8.12: lislessly: 227.7.15: street; 227.23.10 impells; 227.34.12: any; 228.16.10: no comma after “apprehension” 228.28.2: street; 228.30.2: unobtrusedly; 228.30.5: street; 228.34.3: street; 228.35.7: street; 229.2.3: street; 229.9.14: Alley; 229.19.11: Alley; 229.20.4: street; 230.15.6: “if” not in typescript; 231.34.7: shown; 233.25.4-5: other one end; 233.35.4: broad edged; 235.17.5: street; 235.19.12: street; 235.27.4: Confucious; 237.31.8: street; 238.15.4: paroxism; 240.7.12: word obliterated between “his” and “fury,” possibly “berserk” 240.31.10: street; 240.36.2: street; 241.11.15: riection; 241.30.5: comma after “Khan.”

Untitled

Text taken from a letter from Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, dated May 9, 1936, copy obtained from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. No changes have been made for this edition.

“For the Love of Barbara Allen”

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, copy provided by Glenn Lord. The story was originally untitled; the title is Lord’s. 249.1.1: T’was; 249.10.8: John; 249.12.7: Joel; 250.5.2: petulent; 250.26.7: saddles; 251.33.8: Alleghanies; 252.29.3: comma after “wagons” 253.23.14: dizzingly; 253.25.8: stable-floor; 253.39.12: “lack-lustre” hyphenated at line break; 254.3.10: times’ 254.4.13: no closing quotation marks; 254.8.1: frowsy headed; 254.29.13: John; 254.34.4: John; 255.11.6: hand; 255.15.4: semicolon after “else,” “that’s” not capitalized; 255.16.12: no closing quotation marks.

The Tide

Text taken from
Night Images
(Morning Star Press, 1976). No changes have been made for this edition.

The Valley of the Worm

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, February 1934. 260.29.7: “Worm’s-bane” hyphenated at line break; 265.14.7: “pow-wow” hyphenated at line break; 275.15.9: heiroglyphics; 278.5.10: “tree-tops” hyphenated at line break.

The Dust Dance: Selections, Version II

Text taken from
The Howard Collector
, Spring 1968. 279.23.7: steal.

The People of the Black Circle

Text taken from Howard’s carbon copy, provided by Glenn Lord, supplemented by the text in
Weird Tales
, September, October, and November 1934. The surviving carbon copy is incomplete, lacking pages 1–9 and 92 of a 98 page typescript; the missing text (from the beginning to “she asked” (289.18) and from “so willingly” (346.25) to “repeated helplessly” (347.10) are taken from the
Weird Tales
appearance. Howard’s chapters are untitled on the carbon copy; it is not known whether the titles are Howard’s or
Weird Tales
editor Farnsworth Wright’s. Changes from the
Weird Tales
text: 286.3.9: sap; 287.4.2: Hills; 288.5.2: Majesty; 288.37.14: Skalos; 289.1.5: Majesty; 289.8.1: “a” omitted. Changes from Howard’s carbon copy: 289.36.15: b; 290.38.1: Eastern; 291.41.1: country-side; 292.5.11: Then; 292.31.10: sent led; 295.7.6: train; 295.10.8: unwanted; 295.20.12: of; 296.7.14: not of one of; 297.7.3: between; 298.37.5: excercise; 298.38.9: excercises; 300.10.9: “the” absent from typescript; 300.15.7: “star-light” hyphenated at line break; 300.18.1: no comma after “carelessly” 300.37.1: quiesence; 301.11.4: when; 301.38.5: gripped; 302.32.1: hillsmen; 303.10.6: irrelevent; 303.12.9: liad; 304.32.12: into; 304.33.4: seem; 306.8.5: Irakzai; 308.10.12: fore-finger; 309.12.11: asonished; 309.13.3: distended; 309.30.4: “as” absent from typescript; 311.5.9: no comma after “through” 313.27.12: profferred; 313.34.10: hit; 313.35.3: supply; 314.22.1: comma after “flight” 315.9.7: north west; 316.13.3: “in” absent from typescript; 316.14.7: what ever; 316.38.6: hypnostism; 318.34.4: hundred; 318.40.4: neophism; 318.41.12: excercise; 319.20.2: Raksha; 320.32.12f: the top-left corner of the carbon paper is torn; “He shook” and the “l” of “loose” are missing; the missing words appear in the
Weird Tales
version and in the first draft of the story; 321.7.7: river bed; 321.40.6: traffick; 322.6.1: “chief” not in original; 323.34.8: tough; 324.37.7: comma after “than” 325.13.11: gald; 325.20.3: herslf; 325.20.4: in; 325.26.3: scrutinised; 325.32.7: every; 326.20.7: “to” not in original; 326.36.11: loosly; 327.2.5: onlique; 327.13.4: on; 328.7.5: comma instead of semicolon after “fingers” 329.13.6: no comma after “first” 329.25.11: no comma after “suddenly” 329.35.11: “stems” not in original; the word appears in the
Weird Tales
version and in the first draft; 330.13.8: “in” not in original; 331.22.11: wide braced; 332.2.13: infest; 332.20.3: “did” not in original; 333.7.4: half blinded; 333.12.13: thunder storm; 333.13.7: nightning; 334.14.3: green robed; 334.16.4: “as” not in original; 334.32.1: sheer walled; 335.40.1: “in a” in original; 337.22.4: unprecendented; 338.15.14: black robed; 338.18.13: black robed; 339.22.10: no comma after “mid-stride” 339.40.10: reinacted; 340.12.13: suddeness; 340.15.13: “if” not in original; 340.30.11: “whether” not in original; 340.40.7: black robed; 340.40.12: no comma after “convulsions” (typed to right edge of paper); 341.27.9: “the” not in original; 341.40.10: his; 342.7.7: stars; 342.9.7: left hand; 342.39.2: half way; 343.3.4: sandal-wood; 344.6.1: He (there is no chapter transition at this point in Howard’s carbon copy); 344.14.6: hair; 344.36.2: dociley; 345.7.5: to; 345.34.1: His; 345.38.1: semicolon instead of comma after “Yes” 349.15.6: left hand; 349.30.12: “was” repeated; 349.37.7: van-guard; 350.23.1: accepting.

Beyond the Black River

Text taken from Howard’s carbon copy, provided by Glenn Lord. Pages 1 and 65 of the carbon were in such bad shape that they had to be retyped by Lord, respecting Howard’s layout and errors. The chapters are untitled in the carbon copy, except for the first one. A blank line below the heading for each new chapter suggests that Howard intended to add titles later; these may have been present in the typescript sent to
Weird Tales
or may have been added by editor Farnsworth Wright. 353.8.3: and a; 353.14.8: settlers’ 355.3.8: “been” not in original; 356.13.3: “and” absent from original; 360.34.4: the words “straying” and “strayed” appear on the carbon, one typed over the other, but it is not clear which was Howard’s final choice; 360.41.3: accomodate; 361.4.12: “of” absent from original; 361.15.10: blunder; 364.19.7: pythong; 367.8.7: breek; 367.9.8: sword; 368.19.3: touched; 369.9.8: coifures; 370.3.7: “four of” in original; 370.14.1: accomodated; 370.19.8: of; 372.1.12: that; 372.11.9: beast; 372.26.9: thew; 373.6.6: futiley; 373.17.13: “in” unreadable due to crease in carbon copy; 373.27.8: ancient; 377.30.2: avoiding; 377.36.1: cubs (
Weird Tales
has “bloodhounds,” Howard’s first draft “blood-hounds”); 377.39.7: “and” absent from original; 379.22.13: carnivora; 379.40.12f: “looking for us” unreadable due to crease in carbon copy, taken from
Weird Tales
text; 380.2.6: “to” absent from original; 380.13.10: doesn’ (typed to right edge of paper); 381.9.9: villave; 382.2.11: “with” after “trade” in original; 382.40.2: laying; 383.11.8: “the” absent from original; 384.6.7: “a” absent from original; 387.9.12: “yards” absent from original, taken from
Weird Tales
text; 387.20.7: furious; 387.23.5: no comma after “Cimmerian” 388.12.8: accrosst; 388.19.1: broast; 389.24.4: glancing; 391.37.13: “and” unreadable due to crease in carbon; 392.20.3: hideous; 392.20.4: slashdd; 392.29.1: “was” instead of “no” 392.31.4: growl; 393.21.11: pleasur (typed to right edge of paper); 395.16.8: “shoulders” absent from original, taken from
Weird Tales
text; 396.25.5: “blood” instead of “wound” in original; 396.31.7: boths; 398.34.12: slepp; 398.39.12: comma after “blazed” 400.25.2: settlers’ 402.21.1f: the carbon is torn here and the first two words (“No; Conajohara”) are unreadable; text taken from
Weird Tales.