Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

20 replaced his knife and the gambler restored his weapons to his belt. “You come to kill the white-hair,” ac- cused Sitting Bear. The trapper knew the chief believed nothing of the sort. He strongly suspected that the chief’s presence near the tent was no accident, but was planned to witness the killing of one white man by another. The promptness with which his men re- sponded to his call indicated that the homi- cide had been thoroughly rehearsed. Point- ing to the arrow and touching the insignifi- cant puncture in the shield, Joe replied: “He shot at me while I was standing with my back to his tent. If it had not been for this shield over my shoulders I would be a dead man. “Let your warriors be careful how they handle that arrow. The head has been dipped in the venom of a rattlesnake.” “How is this?” asked Sitting Bear, the lines about his mouth deepening as he glared at Oakes. “You have shot an arrow at my white brother?” “He lies!”’ cried Oakes. Reaching behind him, he dragged the Pit River indian forward and announced: “This man shot the arrow. He was making his medicine. The Cornucoya (American) stood before the tent and tried to work magic against my medicine brother. That made this man very angry. His medi- cine told him to kill the white man. “Tf he did wrong he will answer to the Great Spirit who has placed a hand on his head. He will not answer to the Kiowa.” Sitting Bear stared at the blank visage of the Pit River man and gave ground. The unfortunate creature was several stages below the Kiowa in advancement, but his mental plight made him an asso- ciate with spirits. . “Tt is well. He can do no- wrong. The white man should not cast a shadow on his tent when he makes medicine,” ruled the chief. “The white man lies, Setangya!” wrath- fully cried California Joe. “He will go away and tell other white men how he made a fool of you, how like a little child you were. Look at that spot on the shield. If the Indian fired that arrow would it make only a scratch on the hide and then fall to the ground? Ho, you boy!” And, stepping aside, he seized by the Adventure shoulder the boy who had threatened him with the hunting-arrow. Taking the Pit River arrow from a warrior’s hand, he sprang to the opening of the tent and before Oakes could interfere snatched a strung bow from the nerveless grasp of the crazy Indian. This was three feet in length, of soft wood reinforced with deer-sinew. The string, also, was of sinew. Handing the bow to the startled boy, he set the shield up at twice the distance he had stood when fired upon. Then he gave the arrow to the youngster, warning him not to scratch himself on the barb, and directed him to show he was a warrior by hitting the shield. Oakes would have in- terfered, and even Sitting Bear was not wholly pleased. But the Kiowas, ever loving an exhibition, cried loudly for the boy to shoot. The trapper raised a hand for silence and said: “This boy will shoot at the shield. He has never handled a bow and arrow like these. Yet he will make the shield sick. Tuquois—shoot!” Proud of the opportunity to figure in such a spectacle and in a great measure redeem himself in the eyes of his young companions, the boy exerted his strength to the utmost and pulled the string nearly to his ear before releasing the arrow. ‘The arrow sped true and the obsidian head sank well into the tough hide. “Tusenow (good)! Did the Indian, who has always used this bow, or the clumsy white man shoot the arrow at me?” de- manded the trapper. Mee THERE was not a Kiowa present wists who did not believe the trapper’s ems accusation. There was none there who did not admire the trapper’s cunning in using the boy to demonstrate the truth oi his charges. And yet what did the Kiowas care if two white men, both prisoners, should fall out and try to kill each other? This sentiment was mockingly expressed by the aged Walking Wolf and heartily indorsed by - all the braves. Another spoke up and declared that the white-hair did right in trying to kill the man who was making the Pit River Indian’s medicine weak. If white-hair fired the arrow it was at the request of his red companion. Therefore in effect it was the COPMICLOOOKS (C@