2-Gun Western, November 1955 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

AS FAST AS THEY CAME by HARRY HARRISON KROLL 66 AS-SIR, BUB, I toted that thar shootin’ arn through four year of trouble,” the old man said reminiscently. “I done looked through them sights at many a damyank.” Long Sam, his boy, leaned on the musket in question, nodding absently, for he’d heard the tale a good many times. His squinted eyes had caught a solitary wagon through the cotton- woods on the far bank of the river. “No-sir, that thar ain’t no ordinary musket, bub,’ Pappy Dodds went on. “Totes a slug the size of a buck- eye “You said it. Hit’s rifle air bored and hit are twelve inches longer’n the} average.” “And if you p’int} it in the right di-} rection and let fly,} it’ll- knock a Dam-} yank out of a tree! a mile away.” “Bub, you know it by heart. Or a| dam’ Injun.” | “Wagon edging] in on the fur} ~ bank,” “Let ’er edge and§ be hanged. I’m af weary man.” “Yo was pert so, Pappy, though-I own you was a good soldier. They’s neuen for the ferry: “Let ’em holler. Mebby if we wait a spell two wagons will come along and we’ll make two dollars instead of just one.” The ferry lay tied to a willow. The water lapped at its crude sides pleas- antly. The air was slumbrous. The sun hung low, round and red through the afternoon haze and-dust. The mule that operated the treadmill which in turn navigated the primitive ferry stirred and stamped to get the horse- The old man was a crack shot! 18 flies off its rump. Except for the shouting wagoner across the river there was hardly a sound. “Well, Pappy, let’s set the boat over. No need of the feller ripping out the roots of his tongue. Traveling by hisself, he might be in a hurry.” “He’s likely some polecat from that wagon train we sot over yesterday, likely got too big for his-~ britches and decided he'd go alone. Well, them Pawnees will make a good angel out of him.” Languidly father and son manned the ferry. One took one side oar, the other the other, and the mule began his grind. They turned the boat and : ) 2 @ @ To the raiding In- dians it looked like two old men, an Si old woman, a spooked girl. They didn't see Pappy's shootin’ arn 8 2 headed across the river. At the tran- quil rate of a mile in two hours they arrived at the land- ing. : : Long Sam _in- eecea the offerings. There was a big lumbering wagon pulled by a span of fleabitten mules, and a spare team led behind. A milk cow with dry bag was attached by a lead-rope. A tired calf bawled at the cow’s tail. The freight on the wagon consisted of some battered pieces of furniture rolls of bedding, a large wood box of provisions, and at the hind end a big crate with a sow and pigs, the sow be- ing old and the pigs new. And higher up, a crate of chickens, mostly two hens and a rooster and maybe a duck. And still higher on the load was a big MUICLOOOKS (G green kid and a (CO CO