Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

6 Adventure one’s antecedents there were yet as a rule some scraps of gossip which revealed some- thing of the wanderer’s past. Not so in California Joe’s case. There was no penetrating his wom de prairie. He remained a mystery. He knew the country intimately from the Pacific to the Missouri. Possibly he was not surpassed as an all-round shot. He was deeply versed in knowledge of the red man and had encountered many tribes. From the name he wore it was obvious he was partial to California and had lived there for some time. Yet any other place- name would have fitted him as well; for he was thoroughly at home in the Oregon country, at the Three Forks of the Missouri or in the Taos Valley. One quality made him a prime favorite of all—his unfailing good-nature, which was based on a keen sense of humor. He loved to tell innumerable yarns, and he was as loquacious as Tom Reason was taciturn. The law of contrarieties attracted and held the two men together. They had traveled widely together. Sometimes they separated, with Joe lavishing advice on his silent friend, the latter saying farewell in a curt nod. They met by agreement in unfrequented places, and often with a bewildering lack of defmiteness as to locality. It was told of Joe that once he requested Reason to meet him in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the end of six months, this trysting-place including the larger portion of California. Their reunions were celebrated by Joe’s garrulous accounts of some new valley or mountain pass. Sometimes Reason would take the wind from his sails by informing him— “There a year ago.” Reason’s discoveries were ascertained by Joe only by long and exhaustive cross-ex- aminations, a process of elimination which was based on queries that could be answered by a nod or shake of the head. Now Joe was ready to risk his life simply because six months back Reason had “ ’lowed he’d be along that way ’bout th’ end of Sum- mer: Wh ic h had been a tremendously long speech for Reason to make and the strong- est evidence of his desire to have his old friend meet him. “Sawed-off little cuss would be home- sick as a buf’ler calf left on a Bosting farm if I didn’t show up,” chuckled the trapper. He was hoping the camp ahead was that of Comanche, Cheyenne, or Arapaho— of any tribe except the Kiowa. But if it must be the last he ardently hoped the big chief Dohasan was not present. Once he left Dohasan’s village on the Canadian in a great hurry, and the chief had vowed to make a feast of his ears to the tribal medi- cine before killing him in the Kiowa way. = AS THE trapper passed over the = hills and secured a wider view of the surrounding country and observed the poor grass he was surprized that the Indians should make a camp in that neigh- borhood. He covered several miles without sighting the camp, and he was wondering if he had been mistaken when he rounded a small sand-hill, anchored by scanty vegeta- tion, and came upon a Mexican. “Meester Joe! Senor Joe!” called out the Mexican. “Hold up yer head so’s I can see under that derned hat. Black Garcia!” cried Joe. ‘‘How’s trade?” - “Bad,” was the sullen reply. “No good. Everything upside down.” “T seen a smoke an’ am huntin’ for it.” “My smoke, sezor—Meester Joe.” “Good! alone? Where’s yer outfit?” “Tost a pony. Goods back in small village—five miles.” “What Injuns?” “Kiowa.” “Bully!” exclaimed Joe. is there.” Garcia eyed him sardonically and re- gretted: “Too bad. Up north after bufialo. Smoky Hill, or Republican.” ‘“‘Who’s head Injun while he’s away?” “Setangya.” ‘Call him Satank, or Sit- tin’ B’ar when ye talk English.”’ This famous chief and medicine man was well known to the trapper. He was leader of the Kaitsenko, the highest division of the Kiowa Dog Soldier society. It was his privilege and duty to carry the sacred medicine arrow when going into battle. California Joe had as little desire to meet him as he had to meet Dohasan. The Mexican misconstrued his silence, and advised: “Hope Dohasan On “Ride like——! Setangya has one gringo he’s keeping as medicine. He has no tent for more.” CORIICLOO© But what ye doin’ out here | (C@