Complete Chronicles of Conan (25). The Snout In The Dark.

We are now in the last part of the book of the Complete Chronicles of Conan. This story is not only a draft but an incomplete fragment, with some unfinished sentences and some missing dots, but it is a great way to see how the talent of Howard was developing an story into a depurated form.

Conan travels to Shumballa to seek fortune after being a corsair and being knew as Amra the Lion. There, Queen Tananda, sister of the King of Kush is having a bad time becouse some rebels and their leaders are being fighting her with amazing strengh. 

But that's not the problem. When Tananda's army arrest her adversaries, everyone of them appears dead in their confinement. A demon is killing them. But that's not known by the people of the city that considers her Queen to be bad to her prisoners, thus gaining more sympathies for the rebels.

Fact is a Chagas wizard named Tuthmes, influenced by Stygian religion and magic has invoqued this demon that has a pig-like head (thus the Snout) and is infiltrating servant girls into the court of Tananda to gain more and more influence and become the ruler.

Here the fragment ends. There is nothing of the Sprague de Camp or Roy Thomas continuation with the interest shown by Conan in Diana and Tananda.

More about Wolves Beyond the Border.

• Sorry, I couldn't find it to read it Online.
• Wikipedia
  

Image taken from gwthomas.org. Take your time to read this page, it sure worth it!