The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (84 page)

Dead Man’s Hate

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, January 1930. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Tavern

Text taken from
Singers in the Shadows
(Donald M. Grant, 1970). No changes have been made for this edition.

Rattle of Bones

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, June 1929. 54.8.10: “the” not in original.

The Fear That Follows

Text taken from
Singers in the Shadows
(Donald M. Grant, 1970). No changes have been made for this edition.

The Spirit of Tom Molyneaux

Text taken from a scan of Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E.

Howard Foundation. 58.1.8: “the” not in typescript; 58.1.9: no comma after “living” 58.6: no section break; 59.3.9: good natured; 59.21.9: no comma after “indeed” 59.26.2-3: art, which considering; 59.28.14: no period after “cost” 59.32.9: horrizon; 59.36.10: full blooded; 60.3.4: “him” not in typescript; 60.8.2: no comma after “Jessel” 60.8.9: challengers,; 60.9.12: no comma after “York”

60.12.8: large,; 60.22.5: good natured; 60.24.5: unlying; 60.33.3: aluring; 60.38.9: caint; 60.38.14: aint; 60.40.6: mine; 61.5.8: aint; 61.11.7: tableaux; 61.13.14: by gone; 61.20.3: age old; 61.22.7: Eternity,; 61.22.10: no comma after “flown” 61.24.5: obesience; 61.26.4: rediculous; 61.35.4: clean limbed; 62.4.8: no comma after “Ace” 62.4.11: no comma after “corner” 62.5.1: no comma after “crowd”

62.7.7: Gomez,— 62.12.14: no comma after “gorilla” 62.16.10: no comma after “Ace” 62.21.2: no comma after “wolf” 62.24.6: no comma after “back” 62.28.3: Gomez” 62.37.11-12: to the his; 62.38.8: vitallity; 63.4.1: straighted; 63.5.14: of; 63.7.2: Gomez” 63.19.7: Gomez” 63.21.13: no comma after

“and” 63.25.13: no comma after “before” 63.28.11: right hand; 63.30.5: left handers; 63.33.2: cant; 63.34.5: no comma after “try” 63.39.9: no comma after “Then” 64.7.2: no comma after “in” 64.24.2: my; 64.28.2: blood shot; 64.29.5: dont; 64.30.6: caint; 64.31.12: vitallity; 64.34.1: no paragraph break; 64.38.7: from,; 64.39.10: “Ace” repeated; 64.40.7: no comma after “cautiously” 67.1.17: comma rather than period after “canvas” 67.2.1: he; 67.2.5: no comma after “winning” 67.7.3: foe; 67.7.9-10: could only could not; 67.7.11: evert; 67.8.13: back pedalling; 67.12.13: no comma after “chin” 67.17.6: no comma after “corner” 67.25.15: aint; 67.28.1: no comma after “ring” 67.36.3: no comma after “left”

67.37.10: back pedalled; 68.2.13: “ribs” not in typescript; 68.18.7: unconciousness; 68.28.12: no comma after “eyes” 68.32.9: punishment,; 68.37.1: wind blown; 68.40.3: blood shot; 69.3.16-4.8: “the picture” through “violently” is in all capital letters; 69.4.8: period rather than exclamation point after

“violently” 69.7.9: wide eyed; 69.12.2: immobile faced; 69.12.5-13.2: “and to” through “that ring!” is in all capital letters; 69.14.5: no comma after “short” 69.14.9: barrel chested; 69.14.12: mighty limbed; 69.20.11: was; 69.23.2: come back; 69.31.5: Gomez” 69.31.8: back; 69.33.3: a; 69.33.5: tableaux; 69.35.10: no comma after “short” 69.36.14: no comma after “and” 69.38.4: comma rather than period after “shuddered” 70.2.5: vitallity; 70.6.10: conciousness; 70.10.12: life like; 70.17.10: steely nerved; 70.17.12: cold eyed; 70.22.2: period rather than comma after “did” 70.22.4: comma rather than period after “answered’

Casonetto’s Last Song

Text taken from
Etchings and Odysseys #1
, 1973. 71.14.5: bosom,; 73.14.4: comma rather than period after “Costigan’

The Touch of Death

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, February 1930. The only change made for this edition is the title.
Weird
Tales
published the story under the title “The Fearsome Touch of Death.” In two separate lists of his stories typed by Howard, one made before the story appeared in print and the other after, the title was given as “The Touch of Death.”

Out of the Deep

Text taken from a scan of a carbon copy of Howard’s original typescript, provided by the Robert E.

Howard Foundation. 80.13.5-7: the passage is smudged from erasure and typeover, the reading is probable; 80.15.1: no comma after “Strange” 80.15.8: “the” not in typescript; 80.16.2: ex-sea-man; 80.16.6: Town; 80.16.9: no comma after “deep” 80.17.10-12 and 15: the passage is smudged from erasure and typeover, the reading is probable; 80.20.9: period rather than comma after “him” 80.21.2: For; 80.21.3: t’is; 81.5.4: period rather than comma after “turned” 81.5.6: no comma after “whispered”

81.5.12: “corpse” not in typescript (‘lifted the” ends first page and “and bore” begins second page); 81.9.14: no comma after “trance” 81.22.9: comma rather than period after “Leary” 81.23.11: no comma after “Now” 81.25.5: no comma after “this” 81.25.13: no comma after “him” 81.26.6: back; 81.36.12: no comma after “sleep” 81.37.12: no comma after “and” 81.38.3: no comma after “sand” 81.40.6: cold eyed; 82.13.1: “slend” ends one line of typescript and “-der” begins next line; 82.15.9: no comma after

“leaped” 82.17.5: comma rather than period after “Leary” 82.20.5: comma rather than period after

“shrieked” 82.20.11: t’was; 82.21.11: T’is; 82.22.12: no comma after “sleep” 82.25.11: no comma after

“were” 82.27.10: comma rather than period after “him” 82.32.3: comma rather than dash after “then”

82.38.5: period rather than comma after “night” 82.40.2: period rather than comma after “lies” 82.40.8: comma rather than period after “beards” 83.6.4: no comma after “white” 83.11.8: period rather than comma after “us” 83.11.10: comma rather than period after “he” 83.20.4: lead; 83.22.5: no comma after

“Hansen” 83.27.4: “the” not in typescript; 83.29.7: period rather than comma after “stocks” 83.29.9: no comma after “they” 83.33.3: no comma after “breast” 83.33.13: no comma after “and” 83.37.10: no comma after “and” 83.39.11: flaming eyed; 84.22.12-13: comma after “and” rather than “when”

84.26.1: no comma after “life” 84.34.4: period rather than colon after “know” 84.37.16: no comma after

“not” 87.5.6: no comma after “will” 87.17.1: no comma after “spine” 87.18.10: no comma after “make”

87.20.12: no comma after “then” 87.22.8: no comma after “still’

A Legend of Faring Town

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

Restless Waters

Text taken from
Witchcraft & Sorcery,
No. 10, 1974. There is some evidence that the original title of this story may have been “The Horror at the Window.” 89.3.3: period rather than comma; 91.19.9: period rather than comma; 91.28.7: dammed; 93.2.7: Hanson; 93.29.3: period rather than comma
The Shadow of the Beast

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E. Howard Foundation. 95.7.16: comma after “shot” 95.8.12: pale faced; 95.9.3: horror struck; 95.9.4: comma after “struck” 95.10.4: grim faced; 95.12.4: comma after “hunted” 95.13.7: period rather than comma; 96.1.7: period rather than comma; 96.1.11: havent; 96.3.2: isnt; 96.3.5: period rather than comma; 96.3.8: comma rather than period; 96.5.4: no comma after “window” 96.7.12-14: text obscured by overtyping but reading seems probable; 96.13.1: no opening quotation mark; 96.14.1: period rather than comma; 96.17.5: period rather than comma; 96.17.8: no comma after “harshly” 96.17.9: comma after

“rising” 96.19.2: Dont; 96.24.3: aint; 96.24.7: period rather than comma; 96.25.8: no comma after

“camp” 96.26.5: Dont; 96.33.7: aint; 96.36.9: see; 96.38.2: aint; 96.38.3: nowhere’s; 96.40.1: Aint; 97.1.15: foun; 97.3.10: comma after “night” 97.5.5: didnt; 97.7.11: drawn out; 97.8.1: what-ever; 97.8.11: locallity; 97.8.14: south; 97.15.1: Dont; 97.15.7: comma rather than period; 97.28.4: animal like; 97.40.1: comma after “then” 98.6.10: sure footed; 98.13.8-10: hand to hand; 98.18.10: moons; 98.19.6: some where; 98.31.4: comma after “mansion” 98.40.14: comma after “suddenly,” “and” not in original; 99.20.11: comma after “decades” 99.21.3: bat’s; 99.23.1: stair ways; 99.25.10: has; 99.36.1: winced; 99.40.2: pow; 100.16.5: no comma after “halted” 100.26.7: comma after “was” 100.29.1: no comma after “nothing” 100.29.5: soul freezing; 101.7.10: “some” repeated; 101.23.7: proceded; 101.24.3-8: “on an” ends first line of page; beginning of next line is overtyped; it appears, based on clarity of letters and spacing in relation to the continuation of the line, that “a discharged shell and I hurled” was typed over “empty chamber and I hurled” 101.26.2: back flung; 102.8.2: no comma after

“corridor” 102.11.5: concious; 102.16.6: conciousness; 102.17.12: no comma after “closed” 102.22.4: no comma after “insane” 102.23.10: no comma after “tears” 102.27.15: no comma after “time”

102.28.13: horrizon; 102.30.10: couldnt; 102.32.3: no comma after “posse” 102.32.14: wasnt; 102.34.6: forelorn; 102.36.8: What; 102.37.8: unconcious; 102.40.3: comma rather than period; 103.3.4: dont; 103.3.13: comma after “war” 103.8.1: “him” not in original; 103.11.7: comma rather than period; 103.14.5: comma rather than period; 103.15.1: Dont; 103.15.3: period rather than comma; 103.15.10: Dont; 103.16.5: didnt; 103.18.2: earth bound; 103.21.10: no comma after “then” 103.23.11: no comma after “mounted” 103.27.2: But; 103.30.1: no comma after “looked’

The Dead Slaver’s Tale

Text taken from
Weirdbook Eight
, 1973. 104.1.7: no comma after “sea’

Dermod’s Bane

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E. Howard Foundation. 105.5.7: no comma after “Tribes” 105.18.4: ancestor; 106.9.9: an ellipsis(…) follows the closing quotation mark, with no paragraph break before “I went to Galway.” 106.11.11: familes; 106.13.1: familes; 106.13.6: familes; 106.24.14: devided; 106.27.1: MacMurraughs; 106.29.4: no comma after “Pembroke” 107.1.14: no comma after “last” 107.2.1: comma after “band” 107.4.10: farmer’s; 107.5.1: shepherd’s; 107.5.12: “a” not in original; 107.14.2: country side; 107.19.10: The; 107.24.2: no comma after “so” 107.26.9: you; 107.29.7: Demod’s; 107.31.4: no comma after “know”

108.2.7: “soul” not in original; 108.3.17: eye lids; 108.19.1: silkly; 108.19.6: moonmist; 108.21.9: mist like; 108.26.5: my; 108.26.12: comma rather than semi-colon; 108.28.2: wither; 108.31.1: no comma after “vision” 108.31.9: tusk like; 108.33.1: pent house; 108.35.7: comma rather than period; 108.36.1: no closing quotation mark (the dash is at the extreme right edge of the paper); 108.39.2: irresistably; 108.40.6: keen edged; 109.6.13: soul easing; 109.9.9: no comma after “Did” 109.9.16: long dead; 109.10.3: “me” not in original

The Hills of the Dead

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, August 1930. 121.25.2: he; 124.12.8: easy; 130.10.5: blood brother
Dig Me No Grave

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, February 1937. 136.24.5: oriental; 139.7.6: oriental; 139.36.9: Phenician; 139.39.9: oriental; 140.15.7: oriental; 140.27.6: oriental; 141.20.8: oriental
The Song of a Mad Minstrel

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

The Children of the Night

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, April–May 1931. 148.1: a line of asterisks marks the section break; 148.8.2: “deer-skin” hyphenated at line break; 153.38: a line of asterisks marks the section break; 156.32.2: mediæval

Musings

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E. Howard Foundation. 158.1.7: semicolon rather than colon; 158.7.3: no comma after “that” 158.9.7: colon rather than semicolon

The Black Stone

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, November 1931. 160.26.3-4: “Midsummer’s Night” not capitalized here, though it is capitalized elsewhere in the story; 161.13.6: gleam (‘glean” in Howard’s earlier draft of the story); 162.4.16: no comma after “and” 162.15.8: black-eddy (‘back-eddy” in Howard’s earlier draft); 162.23.7: Goeffrey; 162.26.2: mine; 163.41.7: aboriginies; 170.1.5: rythmically; 170.37.3: ecstacy
The Thing on the Roof

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, February 1932. 179.7.14: the period is placed outside the quotation mark
The Dweller in Dark Valley

Text taken from
Magazine of Horror
, November 1965

The Horror from the Mound

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E. Howard Foundation. 185.8.9: “farm-land” hyphenated at line break; 186.7.9: comma after “creek” 186.21.10: thes; 186.34.5: hemself; 187.14.1: “Senor” not underlined to indicate italics; 187.16.9: every; 187.17.8-9: hear-tell; 188.9.8: “Senor” not underlined to indicate italics; 188.35.10: grunned; 188.38.7: no comma after “decided” 189.11.9: cam; 189.17.4: befool; 189.18.10: refained; 189.38.7-8: treasure-trove; 190.4.4: no comma after “halted” 190.5.4: undeiable; 190.13.8: no comma after “stone”

190.30.11: “the” not in original; 191.2.9: tp; 191.8.10: forebidden; 191.34.12: Greaser; 191.35.6: trued; 192.1.9: cruse; 192.3.15: Spigs; 192.29.11: any one; 193.20.4: thre; 194.5.4: jjust; 195.1.7: Some one; 195.11.7: any one; 195.16.14: glassy eyed; 195.17.8: no comma after “creek” 196.41.14: long dead; 197.10.2: “Senor” not underlined to indicate italics; 197.22.4: light; 198.21.13: fear crazed
A Dull Sound as of Knocking

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

People of the Dark

Text taken from
Strange Tales
, June 1932. 203.10.9: comma after “hills” 203.35.1: loin cloth; 203.41.4: no comma after “reavers” 206.6.4: no comma after “where” 206.14.5: serpent like; 206.34.12: in it; 212.24.6: a wash; 214.5.6–7: little people

Delenda Est

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E. Howard Foundation. The typescript is untitled; the title is Glenn Lord’s. 217.13.7: aborbed; 217.19.9: semicolon rather than comma; 218.14.1: semicolon rather than comma; 218.17.2: semicolon rather than comma; 218.26.9: horrizons; 218.34.3: no comma after “rival” 218.35.7: semicolon rather than comma; 219.3.3: with; 219.4.10: “westward” is typed above “before” with no indication of the intended insertion point; 219.8.6: “of” is typed above the space between “much” and “physical” with no indication of the intended insertion point; 219.9.3: vigour; 220.24.6: “not” not in original; 220.33.1: semicolon rather than comma; 221.40.2: rhyhmic; 222.34.6: no comma after “hand’