Adventure Magazine Cover — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

head off. I figured shat the horse kept on going, and they thought I was aboard and gave chase. Next thing I knew the Mexican was bending over me and yell- ing to Big Knife. They fetched me here and the Quail did the rest.” “Boy, I was never so took back in my life as when I heard you yell out and saw them toting you by the shack!” cried Uncle Dick. ‘I was plumb flabbergasted. Wonder you wasn’t hit by some of our lead, seeing how the man leading your nag kept crowding you toward us. How’n sin did you ever fall into their hands?” “After I came back to the toll-road and found you and your horse gone, I went back and prowled around them trails up there. Must have followed the same one you did, for it led me to the cafion.” “T swung ’way off beyond the cajfion, by taking the left-hand trail,” broke in Uncle Dick. “And I followed the other till it started to descend into the cafion. I saw the shack and the gang, so I drew aside from the trail and worked along the top of the eastern wall. About sundown I came to a likely looking spot and decided I could make it. It was near the mouth of the : cafion and too near the guard they kept posted there, but,’ once it was dark, I » decided to chance it. “Say, the minute I got well under way — all —— was let loose. Shooting, bugles playing, Injuns howling and white “men cussing. I finished by going down in a rush. I supposed there were soldiers sit- ting into the game, and my idea was to join them, but the Injun cries bothered me. Then some Injuns nearly rode over me and tried to brain me. I couldn’t see anything but I could smell them, and I reckon any- thing on foot was their meat. “Next I met up with some loud-swearing white men and danged if one of them didn’t sight me by the flare of a gun and take a ‘whack at me. Every one seemed to be against me, so I dug back under the cliff,. thinking to make a dash for the shack. ' The road-agents put up a game fight, every one shooting by guess and the whole bunch milling around. Then come more agents and more Injuns. First thing I knew some of them had passed in between me and the cliff and they was fighting all around me. Now I wanted to side in with ths: Eapuins, but I knew if I offered to help they’d pot me for an agent. No soldiers showed up, yet, every once in a while, I heard that bugle play. “I couldn’t go ahead or sneak back. Then a gun went off over my head and I had a glimpse of a tall cuss with a black mask over his phiz. He cracked me over the head with the barrel of his gun, and then some one pulled me on to a horse, me dreaming what I would do in another min- ute. The minute up, and they had taken my guns, tied my arms, roped my hoofs under the horse’s belly and we was travel- ing somewhere lickety-cut. I had a no- tion we was out of the cafion. Reckon . my senses didn’t all clear up till we got close to the fire, and there was you, stand- ing out in front of that little cabin and working your guns, and the agent that had my horse by the bit was trying to crowd me in to catch all the lead! That’s the first clear thought I can remember— they was using me to catch lead. Next I knew my mouth was open and I was calling to you.” Wy “LORDY! LORDY!”’ . gasped x3) Uncle Dick. . “And they fetched you through the hind end of the cafion and over one of their back-trails to the pass. Which way did your horse go when you took to the ground?” “Don’t know anything about that— just guesswork. ‘They didn’t pick me up or finish me off, so they must have chased the nag. But I know we was near the gate.” “The Mexican will know if any horse- men passed through. You yelled some- thing about Keene—for me to look out for him.” The whimsical expression which had accompanied Peace’s description of his adventures vanished. “Keene is‘one of them,” he growled. “And his pelt, I’m going to nail him!”’ “Was he in the cafion last night? I saw quite a lot of them with their masks off. He wasn’t among them, but I didn’t get a good look at the ones who went out to relieve the guard.” “T didn’t see his face, but I’m sure he was in the cajfion last night,” said Peace. “‘There’s a tiny shack near the mouth where the guard _ take shelter in bad weather. It’s on the same side where I came down - -) Le ye am = - _ ey a fe f wit” 00 ~~ vem | | . So bs =. Al A SS ae ie * - ae * . ks the cliff. Two or three times I was axept stad ; S.COl el a