10 Short Novels Magazine — page 115: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

out of her tent; but he dared not look directly at her. Somebody was moving about in the nearest tent. Abruptly, a light flared. This light grew quickly brighter. “Back!’’ came Lou Dillard’s voice. “Get back!” . Jinx Herbert didn’t understand. Brief- ly he faced the girl’s tent. That tent was in flames! She had set it with a brand from her fire! She was already backing toward the thicket. Tightly gripped in her right hand was the little pistol. And then in a breath Jinx Herbert understood. Pancoast and Mincher would rush out when they saw the fire. He start- ed backing away. But his movements ‘wal clumsy. His eyes played tricks on im. He heard a rumbling voice, a snarled oath. A rifle roared. His limp left arm flopped strangely and he was thrown off balance. He fired blindly at the flash even as he dropped on a knee. He saw the man with the gun now. Clumsily he worked the mechanism of his rifle. Fired again. Pug Mincher fired at almost the same instant. But the shot went wild. Just as he tugged at the trigger of his gun, Jinx Herbert’s bullet struck him. The heavy slug entered his right side just under the arm and went clear through his body, piercing his heart. As the fur bandit fell another bullet hit him. But he never knew it. Pug Min- cher was dead before he struck the ground. The startled dogs were making a bed- lam of sound. Half a dozen of them circled about the watchful policeman. He struck at them with his gun, scrambled to his feet. Lou Dillard had disappeared. One of Mincher’s bullets had been aimed at the girl. Was she hit? Jinx Herbert half turned, started to- ward the thicket where she had disap- peared. He saw her then, standing, little pistol in hand at the edge of the thicket in a strip of black shadow. As he started toward her she cried out. The squalling of the dogs drowned her voice. But there had been a warning note in that shrill call. Jinx Herbert stopped. A gun roared. The bullet passed so close to his whiskered cheek that he could feel its hot breath. He glimpsed the half- dressed figure of a man. There was no time to bring his rifle into play. He swung the heavy weapon over his head and hurled it with all his might at Harl Pancoast. The hurtling gun struck the blond giant across the chest. His rifle exploded drilling the white ground at his feet. He stumbled backward fighting for balance. The Frozen Empire * wow 113 He saw Jinx Herbert come charging to- - ward him head down like an angry bull. He struck out savagely. His clubbed fist hit the policeman alongside the jaw. That smashing blow did not even rock that red head. Within the next instant one hundred and ninety pounds of fighting madman bore Harl Pancoast to the ground. The bandit fought desperately. He did not know about that injured left arm. It would have done him little good if he had known. Jinx Herbert’s right fist lift- ed and fell. Lifted again and drove against the prostrate giant’s jaw. Harl Pancoast was no longer young ; but he was a powerful man, skilled in rough and tumble fighting. Summoning all of his strength he twisted sidewise. But Jinx Herbert refused to be thrown. His clamping legs did loosen about Pan- coast’s body, however. Pancoast came up on an elbow shielding his jaw with his free arm. Herbert’s knee bored into the pit of the big man’s stomach. That guarding arm dropped just for an instant. But that was quite long enough for Jinx Herbert’s pur- poses. His fist crashed a side of Pan- coast’s head with a crack like a pistol —_— The giant’s body twitched, then lay still. 6 as DAYS later three heavily loaded dog teams crept slowly down the frozen surface of Red River toward the Lacey River Post of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. Inspector Snell stood in the doorway drawing slowly on a fragrant cigar. He had been watching the approach of those three teams with his binoculars for some time. He had smiled when he recognized Jinx Herbert. He was still smiling when the weary dog teams came to a stop be- fore the barracks. A single glance told the alert police officer that those three sleds were indeed heavily laden. There was a fortune in furs evenly distributed on the three sleds. In addition to the furs, there were, on the first sled, three dead men—Pug Mincher, Johnny Boston and Tick Ellsworth. On the second sled rode two badly battered prisoners—Boot McQuillan and Harl Pancoast. On the third sled, warmly wrapped in many blankets, was a rosy- cheeked girl—Lou Dillard. Jinx Herbert, his left arm in a sling, approached the barracks, scowling. The big man looked as though he had been run through a rock crusher; but Inspec- tor Snell’s keen eyes detected a certain ‘jaunty confidence in Jinx Herbert’s bear- ing which at first amused, then pleased him. There was a new gleam in the ex- comicboo S-C