"Black Wind Blowing" was one of the first Robert E. Howard stories that I read which did not fall into the broader category of sword and sorcery. I had not yet at that point in time (circa 2007) discovered his horror/weird menace, detective, boxing and other tales. Of course, this was kind of a gateway for me to explore these other tales. From there I went on to read "Pigeons From Hell", which is a far better known story. Perhaps part of this is due to it having been adapted into as an episode for the early '60s TV show, Boris Karloff’s Thriller. "Graveyard Rats" is another of his horror/weird menace yarns that seems to be far better known than "Black Wind Blowing".

"Black Wind Blowing" first appeared in Thrilling Mystery magazine, issue June 1936. Sad to think of, as it was in fact around the time of Howard’s death on June the eleventh of that year. I’m not entirely sure how much the cover date and the real world dates correlated. At a guess I’d say it would be some time before that, but I’d say it’s a reasonable assumption that "Black Wind Blowing" would be among the last of Howard’s stories actually published in his lifetime.

The plot of "Black Wind Blowing" (some spoilers ahead if you have not read the story!) takes place at a time and place Howard would have been very familiar with, Depression-era Texas of the 1930s. Emmett Glanton is a tough farmer now facing financial ruin and the loss of his land. Like many other Howard protagonists he is a proficient boxer and tough guy.

One dark and stormy night Glanton is summoned to the ranch of John Bruckman, the local patriarch and land baron of the town of Spurlock, Texas (I've not Google-earthed it but I’m guessing it is likely a fictional name, but resembling many a town Howard may have been familiar with). Bruckman holds the mortgage to Glanton’s land so it is an invitation he cannot ignore.

On the way there in his rickety yet trusty Model-T, he is confronted by Joshua, who works for Bruckman. Joshua has something of a reputation in those parts of not being too smart:

“It was Joshua, the lumbering halfwit who worked for old John Bruckman; but Joshua in such a mood as Glanton had never seen him before. In the white glare of the lights, the fellow’s broad brutish face convulsed; foam flecked his lips and his eyes were as red as those of a rabid wolf. He brandished his arms and croaked incoherently...On his feet he [Glanton] was inches taller than Joshua, but his rangy, broad shouldered frame did not look impressive compared to the stooped, apish bulk of the halfwit.’’

Joshua then goes on to confront Glanton, accusing him of attempting to steal a woman that he has desires for. Glanton does not know to whom he is referring and a fight ensues. It is a close thing, Joshua having the brute force, Glanton the boxing skills, but gradually Glanton feels himself tiring under the assault. At that moment, a section of the road verge beneath Joshua’s feet subsides under the erosive effects of the storm. Joshua tumbles into a seemingly bottomless and pitch-dark ditch by the roadside. Glanton assumes Joshua has perished in the fall and continues on his travels to John Bruckman’s sprawling ranch.

Upon arrival at Bruckman’s ranch, Glanton is surprised to find the Spurlock justice of the peace is already in attendance, along with a beautiful girl whom Glanton does not recognise. Bruckman informs Glanton that payment on the mortgage on his land is due and he will permit no further delay before he forecloses on the mortgage and removes Glanton from his land.

Glanton finds himself in a seemingly insoluble predicament, but Bruckman offers him a solution: his dues totally forgiven plus a thousand dollars cash (quite a wad of dough back then) upon the proviso that he marry the beautiful girl, one Joan Zukor, who happens to be John Bruckman’s niece and only living relative, hence the justice of the peace being present. The nuptials are to be conducted straight away. Joan is rather easy on the eye and Glanton swiftly agrees to marry her as he feels this will likely solve the dilemma he finds himself in.

The terrifying reason that Bruckman was so keen to marry off his niece soon becomes apparent as it turns out that he is on the run from a murderous occult sect dedicated to the worship of Ahriman. The cultists hail from his ancestral country in Europe and seek to kill Bruckman and all his kindred. Now Emmett Glanton finds himself thrust into this web of murderous intrigue with he and his new bride now also being targets of the relentless Ahriman cultists.

Here is where there is a tie-in with The Hour of the Dragon, the Heart of Ahriman being the McGuffin in that tale. I won’t spoil the climax of the story for you, but it’s a great one. If you thought you’d seen the last of Joshua in the fight by the roadside, well, you would be mistaken.

Having read many of Howard’s more exotic tales in the more fantastical realms of his imaginings, this one makes for quite a difference in setting and style, the locale being his home state during the Depression era that he knew so very well.

Glen M. Usher has been active in fandom for a number of years. He is the author and co-author of a number of fantasy books including Kiss of the Spider Goddess (2014)- A tale in the tradition of Sax Rohmer. Varla of Valkarth (2016), The Moon the World Forgot (2018) and Doctor Orloch: Overlord of the Occult (2020) were co-authored with the late Steve Lines of Rainfall Records and Books. All are available to order from Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.