Here we have the third volume of the adventures of Jimmie Cordie and his fellow crew of soldiers of fortune. Written by Wirt Winchester Young (1876-1950), who was credited as just “W. Wirt” with most of his stories, and active only in the 1920s and ’30s in the pulps for about 10 years. This series started in other magazines before moving to The Argosy for almost the rest of its run.
It’s another series that may be an inspiration for Doc Savage‘s adventures. In reading these stories, what I saw as a possible inspiration is the interaction with the main characters. You have a group of experienced soldiers, all wanting action, who often bicker amoung themselves. But when the chips are down, they come together as a tough fighting force, their individual strengths working together. Similar to how you see Doc’s aides interact.
Jimmie and his friends, Red Dolan and George Grisby, are all former soldiers, former Legionnaires, former American Expeditionary Forces, and the like. Arthur Putney was also part of the group but was killed in the final story in the previous volume. We are told in one early story that they have been fighting together for 10 years. The stories are set in exotic locations, like the Far East.
They are again joined by two other soldiers of fortune: The Boston Bean (John Cabot Winthrop) and The Fighting Yid (Abraham Cohen), who actually appear in all the stories in this volume. The Boston Bean is also married, having met his wife in a story in the last volume.
In Steeger Books‘ Jade and Afghans: The Complete Adventures of Cordie, Soldier of Fortune, Volume 2 from Steeger Books, we get the next three stories, including the title story. Only the first and third story were cover featured. So cover artwork for the third story was used on the cover, and the artwork from the first is shown on the back cover.
This time we get “He’s My Meat!” (Dec. 20, 27, 1930, and Jan. 3, 1931), a long serial that has them go up against pirates in the China Sea. The trio are invited by the Bean to join him and his wife, as well as the Yid, on his new yacht. But they deal with a typhoon on its first voyage and are run aground on an island. Sadly, the island is the headquarters for a well-organized band of pirates. A renegade English nobleman, whom the Bean’s wife knew when she was younger, has organized them into a decent force, and he’s been joined by a Soviet agent. So they attempt to take the ship, though they didn’t expect to deal with men of the calibre of Jimmie and his associates.
We’ll get a lot of fighting, see Jimmie and his friend make gunpowder from the resources around them, and also contend with bombers before it’s all over with.
Once again, Jimmie’s connection with the T’aip’ing secret society comes in handy, as we’ve seen in prior stories. They are also soon joined by English fighter pilot John Cecil Carewe, who had appeared in a previous story. Thanks to that society, is able to get a fighter plane to come looking for them, and is able to take care of the bombers. He is made an official part of the group with this story, even being given Putney’s Colt. And as for the strange title, read through to the end to find out its meaning.
In “Jades and Afghans” (March 28, 1931), they go after the treasure of Genghis Khan, again alongside the T’aip’ing society. The story actually starts in the middle of the action, as they are under attack by Afghans. We then find out what is behind it all. An explorer found a cache of Genghis’ treasure, with three small jade statues. He brings one back, but was wounded. Jimmie and friends help him before he dies, learning where the treasure is. They also find out that the three statues are important to the T’aip’ing, and so an expedition is mounted to get them.
But there will be lots of fighting with the Afghans, complicated by a force from a Chinese warlord, as well. They will go through a lot of dangers to get those statues.
Don’t think all the stories are set in Asia. We are back in the Americas as Jimmie and the boys go after “Aztec Treasure” (Dec. 5, 1931). The Bean’s wife is in British Honduras (Belize) visiting relatives, when she summonds him. He thus picks up everyone in his yacht and sails for Belize to address things. Off the coast of Honduras, they find a white man swept out to sea. Before he dies, he tells of a story of a hidden Aztec pyramid with gold.
The pyramid was where some of the Aztec priests fled with their gold when the Spanish arrived, and they were assisted by a cadre of Aztec warriors. Will Jimmie and friends succeed when the priests have set traps, including flooding waters, and a contingent of local troops arrive?
As pulp adventure stores set in exotic lands go, I enjoyed these stories. While I prefer stories with a fantastical element, such as lost cities, races, etc., the fast action of these tales are what makes them good. These are the sorts of characters and stories that makes pulp what it is.
There are 10 more stories to go, which I think can be completed in two more paperback collections. Or, if you can’t wait, get the two-volume complete collection in hardback that also includes the connected John Norcross series.
I always wondered who “W. Wirt” really was, and Matt Moring of Steeger Books was able to figure it out. This is covered in an article in the recent Blood ‘n’ Thunder Annual, as well as in that aforementioned complete collection. As I had expected, he had exagerrated about himself a bit. But I do enjoy his writing and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
