Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

The Road to El Dorado bring up his knee with murderous force. But the trapper became as light as a moun- tain cat and was out of reach of the terrible knee, and his hands darted in and clutched the two wrists. With a mighty wrench he yanked Shirley forward and all but threw him on his face. But Shirley managed to keep his feet under him and slow up his forward plunge until he could exert his great strength and twist his wrists free. He surged backward, his wrists instantly were released, but before he could raise an arm he received a terrific clout on the side of his flaming red head. The blow seemed powerful enough to drop a buffalo, but Shirley only staggered a bit to one side, shook his head and hissed: “Now I know th’ worst ye can do. Tl break both yer legs for that.” With the crow of a cock that has cleared the walk the trapper repeated his high jump, flapping his arms against his sides and giving an air of burlesque to the whole affair. Red Shirley shifted his tactics and approached more gingerly, yet determin- edly. He was beginning to believe that there was a difference between the average post brawlers and this product of the mountains and plains. Yet he must believe the evi- dence of his eyesight. There was no man living of the trapper’s build who could with- stand him once he got his arms around him, he told himself. There would be strange tricks and Indian dodges to guard against, but these would avail nothing once they came to grips. California Joe suddenly lost his braggadocio and began edging away. Shirley grinned murderously. “T’m goin’ to fill yer whiskers full o’ white feathers,”’. he promised as he followed the trapper around the circle. “What’s the matter with your friend, Laramie?” wailed Natchez. “Oh, won’t somebody let me fight!” “M’sieu Joe will fight, I am ver’ sure,” soothed Laramie. Reason turned his head aside that none might see him smile expansively. “No more foot-racin’, ye ” jeered Shirley, finishing with the unprintable. The circle was first stunned, then left gasping in bewilderment. It was as if the trapper’s tall form were filled with a mighty spring tightly coiled, and that Shirley’s taunt had released the coil, sending the trapper flying upward and then downward ~ 47 upon the wagon-boss like a gigantic frog. As he lighted on Shirley his legs and arms moved so swiftly as to defy eyesight. He had become a fearful mechanism, cheating the vision by his celerity of action. The two men became blurs, fragmentary pic- tures that suggested vibrations. Then for a moment Shirley’s astounded visage was seen as he sought to brace him- self and obtain a fulcrum from which to ex- ploit his great strength. Next the trapper was standing alone, smiling broadly, and the wagon-boss was reclining on the ground, staring foolishly at the sky. Reason laughed in a deep bass. Laramie smoothed out his features. Young Natchez flushed red as he remembered his anxiety, and sought to cover his embarrassment by calling Shirley a red pig and offering to fight any of his followers. Reason had no relish for this abuse, and picking him up he carried him, kicking and screaming wild threats, to the girl’s wagon and threw him inside. On returning to the circle he found Joe explaining: “Jest ordinary plains style with moun- tain trimmin’s. I ain’t hurt him bad. Eyes ’n’ teeth all there. No bones busted, not even a finger. Throw a pail o’ water over him an’ he’ll be ready for grub. He ain’t used to our: wild-cat style o’ endin’ trouble. He’s a good man at Fort Laramie or Kearney, but he mustn’t mix up with’ mountain men that lick grizzlies with their bare hands. Wal, that’s ’bout th’ way it seems to be, Laramie.”’ The men silently picked Shirley up, car- ried him to the bank of the creek and threw cold water on him. In twenty minutes he was on his feet and giving orders, no worse for his battle with the exception of a black eye and various knobs and bunches on his head, which his red hair concealed. Inside the wagon Natchez’ wrathful declarations of war against Reason persisted for half a minute, then died down. When he came back to the fire his handsome face was very sheepish. “Girl says I mustn't, plained to "Reason. “Mighty bright gal,” abaet ed Reason. = he laconically ex- gaze THE episode seemed to be closed. asi The men attended to their duties Bane quietly, but their leader kept aloof from Laramie and his friends. California Joe expressed it as his opinion that the men COmMicloookKks (©