Action-Packed Western Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 2 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

2§ They headed back down the river with the furs on board, racing now to get to Sioux Crossing before the river — fell any more. Days passed and there was still no sign of the Texas Star. “Do you sup- pose they gave up and went back to the Mississippi?” Mike O’Shean asked one afternoon, coming up to the texas deck for a breath of air. : “Not Howard Martin,” Lucy said. “If I know him, he’ll not give up until I have the furs home, safely.” “More than likely,” Steve predicted, they’re laying for us somewhere down the river. Rolf was smart enough to know he’d never beat us to that fur trapping post once we got a strong lead on him in this part of the river. So, he’s let us go on and he’s waiting to jump. us somewhere on the way home.” O’Shean bit off a fresh chew savage- ly. “Thin, we’d best get ourselves ready, eh, lad?” “Just what I was thinking,” Steve agreed. “I’m going to have the mate arm the crew with Colt side arms and Sharps rifles. We'll pile some of the cordwood around the bow of the low- er deck for a breastwork. We'll let them know they tackled something when they try to stop us!” From that moment on, Steve kept an armed watch out twenty four hours _ a day. They proceeded as fast as the low river would permit. Then, when they came around a bend and up against the worst barrier, the bar across Sioux Crossing, they found the Texas Star waiting on the-other side of :the bar. ‘Steve was in the pilot-house with ‘his first mate. He swore softly when he saw the other boat. “Well, they picked a good spot for it. They know we'll have trouble getting across that sand bar. They’re hoping to keep us on this side until the river drops a few more feet. Then they’ll have us bottled up here for the rest of the winter and they can take their time, ACTION-PACKED WESTERN picking us off one by one until they get the furs.” The mate grunted. “They been keepin’ steam up, just waiting there...” “Get your men on the main deck behind that cordwood. Give them plenty of ammunition and tell them there'll be a ten dollar bonus for every man they can pick off the Texas Star. — And if there’s anybody on this boat that hasn’t the stomach for a fight, tell ’em the left bank is the closest and _ to start swimming now!” “Aye, sir,’ the mate grinned and left the pilot-house. Steve asked O’Shean to get up a full head of steam. “What’ll I do with these two old pill rollers?” O’Shean wanted to know. “They’re hidin’ behind the boiler again!” Steve grinned tightly. “Tell ’em that’s a good place; they can hear the noise fine there if the boilers blow up. Now cram all the wood you can get in and sit on the safety valve, O’Shean. We're going across that bar!” Steve looked up at the twin chim- neys towering high above him. Sun glinted off the giltwork on the spreader bars between the stacks. Then white cordwood smoke poured out like a coiton streamer against the blue -sky. Steve pulled the whistle, signaled for full speed ahead. The Lucy Fur- man shuddered and drove for the sand bar. steve heard someone come into the pilot-house. He glanced out of the cor- ner of his eye and saw Lucy with a Sharps rifle in her hand. 2 “Get below,” he ordered. “They’re going to be shooting at this pilot- house.” | “T know,” she said calmly, “and youll be too busy to shoot back.” ‘She took her station beside a window, “IT know hew to use one of these things, you know,” she said, gripping the rifle. Eomicbooks (<()