Adventure Magazine Cover — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

The Bushfighters blood, and now that Summer had nearly spent itself it was redoubled in its intensity. The scalp-yell frequently rose along the shores of George and Champlain. Montcalm vowed he would push the frontier back to Albany. Loudoun swore he would hew.a path down the Richelieu to Montreal. Montcalm’s “hair-dressers” stole like shadows through the vast forests of pitch-pine and lay in ambush on the edge of alder-filled swamps, seeking to kill or capture the rangers. Marquis de Vaudreuil, Governor of New France, developed a unique taste in bookkeep- ing, and lovingly added up his total of enemy scalps, and carefully listed and reported every coup of Caughnawaga or western warrior; for he was the frank champion of a system of terrorization. The lack of red allies did not handicap the English so much as might be expected; for while Montcalm’s savages captured or killed and sometimes ate rangers, also did they often refuse to obey orders. They spoiled many a pretty military maneuver by their greediness for blood-letting or by their lack of staying” qualities. EPHRAIM WILLIS, Connecticut born, lounged in the twilight before the town-house and softly cursed the August eat of the day and wished his superior would arrive and assign him to work. Ephraim had been sent to Albany from New York to serve under Captain Israel Putnam. He had been through the Lakes George and Champlain country much before the war. He had seen much service on the Pennsylvania frontier and gained more experience in the Ohio country. What was also important, Cap- tain Putnam knew his people; and neighbors preferred to fight and die by the side of neigh- bors in 1756. Ephraim’s branch of the service was obvious at a glance, for despite the heat he wore a fringed hunting-shirt of dressed deer- skin and a fur cap with a tail. In place of the usual smooth-bore gun carried by the majority of northern rangers he was armed with the Kentucky type of rifle, per- - fected ten years before, and an ideal weapon for bush work. Rogers’ rangers were less pic- turesque in garb, many of them wearing the rough, nondescript garments of the woodsman. To the men loafing before the town-house Ephraim was an object of much interest. He replied readily enough to their‘frank questions, but displayed no inclination to volunteer in- formation. “From Virginny way?” asked a tall, raw- boned scout, his voice suspietous, for Virginia like Pennsylvania was lukewarm in sending troops to the north. “Monongahela. Out with Colonel Washing- ton when Braddock was killed.” b) “Old Vaudreuil’s sending eight thousand more reg’lars to Ticonderoga,”’ a youthful soldier nervously informed the company. “How do you know that, lad?” asked Willis with a humorous smile. “Well, the whole army says it. And more’n three thousand wild Indians from beyond Michillimack’nac.”’ | ‘“Good! All the more for us to kill off,” mumbled Willis, his gray eyes sweeping up and down the dusky hill in search of some one. “Guess we're in for a dressing if we don’t git more men,”’ observed the tall scout. » “Don’t you get licked before you get into the woods,” advised Willis. “By Godfrey! I’ll raise as much hair as you will even if you do wear a pretty. quill shirt,” cried the tall scout. Willis grinned into his angry face good- naturedly, then resumed his search of the long street. et heard my colonel say the rum sai hold out more’n four weeks. Pretty bad. planning on somebody’s part,” complained a man from Otway’s regiment. “Too much meddling on the part of the colonies,” agreed Willis. ‘‘Five different com- mittees looking after ‘supplies in place of one strong committee.” There followed a few minutes of silence, the group apathetically waiting for something to spur on the conversation. Then Willis spoke up, asking— “Who’s seen Cap’n Putnam, of Rogers’ Rangers, in the last day or so?” “I see him here when Lord Loudoun come. He’s up in the bush somewheres now,” said the youthful soldier. “Old ‘Wolf’? Putnam,” chuckled the tall scout. “Lord, but I’d like to been there when he dug out that wolf! Guess every one knows Wolf Putnam. And ain’t he everlastingly giving them French and Indians their dressing! Prowls round Ticonderoga like he was a reg’lar wolf and it was his own chicken-coop. What do you want to see him for?” “Do you know, I’m thinking that that’s what he’s going to tell sme,” gravely answered Willis. “‘_____ poor planning when the rum will give out in four weeks,” bitterly persisted Otway’s regular. Willis turned a whimsical gaze on the lugu- brious countenance, and his eyes danced with mischief as he said: “T can tell you where you can git all the rum you want—enough to float a raft through —— Yes, sir! And it ain’t far from here either.” Instantly the group was at attention, al- though inclined to be skeptical. Otway’s man eagerly demanded— sae you ain’t making game of us, where is i OOK com (E@)