Action-Packed Western Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 2 — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

Fo cle with his knife into the fat of the scalp, He rose, wiping the knife. “Don’t feel guilty about it, Jeb.” Conrad cor- raled the white mare and led the ani- mal back to his solitary camp. MEAN WHILE, Captain John Keel -Y4 was staring down at the frozen remains of Jeb Riley. The wagon was halted at the Fort Kearney gate. Cap- tain Keel hoisted a policed boot from the mud, softened by the sentry’s tramping and lifted his tall frame over the wagon boards to draw back the frozen army blanket. The body of Conrad Bard’s partner was sodden with blood and stiffened by frost. Wind flailed snow gathered on the dead face. | “How far out?” Keel turned to the teamster. “Found him on the fourth ridge be- yond the wood lot,” the teamstér an- swered. “God! Can’t them Arapaho dé a job?” “Anything out there,” the captain lowered the blanket and smoothed its stiff folds, “of Conrad Bard?” “Fresh blood on the snow showed that he’d been plugged; I don’t fig- lire he got away.” The teamster was working a chew around his jaws and spat. “After we found Riley’s corpse, we come across four scalped braves. Ever’ one with one ear gone with th scalp.” . “Conrad Bard’s mark,” nodded Cap- tain Keel. “Then, he got away.” “Tf he got away, why hasn’t he come in?” “He will. the captain. “A damned Injun killer!” inter- rupted the teamster. “You can lay Riley’s death to his partner; ain’t an Arapaho from here to Powder River Conrad’s a. 2 began ain’t out to get Bard. T’ain’t saie to- -. walk across the compound with Ain.” _ “Maybe so,” concurred the cap- tain. “We'd better get Riley buried.” He dropped down off the wagon and = turned back to the man on the seat. “Vm telling you right now,” he added ‘slowly, “that if Conrad Bard’s still Glive out there, the whole damned _trtbe’d better hunt a deep hole and pull the hole over them!” : Keel nodded to the sentry at head- quarter’s door, pushed it cpen and entered the hot room. : ~ Rar “They find him?” Colonel Ralph looked up. “Tust Riley. oo “Think Bard got away?” oe “He got away—but he’s on a killing spree...” began the captain. “Damn it man! He can’t be. If he doesn’t get word to Fetterman about our condition here ...” The colonel rose to his feet and faced the stove. “Sagsawan ig sitting out there with three thousand warriors! Fetterman hasn't any idea that our supplies were destroyed. How long can men live on magepty hardtack ?” _ “Maybe Bleeding Arm can_ hold down Sagsawan.” The captain’s words were halting, but carried hope. “Bleed- ing Arm hasn’t got over his lesson at Péwder River.” “Sagsawan’s smart enough fo use Bard’s spree to work up his braves for an attack on Kearney!” - “Can’t we send another messenger?” the captain asked. “With seven dead, and Riley num-. ber eight, I can’t ask ...” ‘Let me arrange a meeting with Bleeding Arm.” The captain was in- sistent. ““He’ll talk ...” “You and that damned Bleeding | Arm!” The colonel, raising his stub- by arms and lifting one booted foot onto the stove railing, looked like a pink cheeked, performing bear. “Tt’s a bad winter,” Captain Keel continued to insist, “and Indians, starving Indians, need time to hunt. Bleeding Arm can give us a respite.” — “Ff he can control that hatchet-kill- ing Sagsawan ...” the colonel’s face lighted ... “If the micboo so bad -= = = Comichooks.com