Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 98: what you’re looking at

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

' 92 Four besides myself will be ’nough. They must ride mighty good hosses. I'll take Durgin an’ leave it to him to pick three others.” “Then I'll pick Rogers, Bandy Benton and Mason,” the New Englander promptly decided. “Kitts an’ me won’t want more’n four men,” said Reason. ‘‘I’ll leave it to him to name ’em.” Kitts quickly made his choice, and as the four men rode to one side he advised: “The rest of you had better scour the country between the Platte and Clear Crick. If you come on any of Half-Mask’s gang and they offer to swap the girl for a chance to get away, make the bargain and stick to it. What we want is Miss La Blanche. Now their leader is gone——”’ “How gone? Gone where?’ exclaimed Durgin. Kitts pointed to the wagons, explaining how Old Oakes had met his death. In si- lence the men dismounted, filed through the opening and gazed in horror at the loathsome spectacle. Under California Joe’s directions a single grave was dug out- side the wagons, and there the red man and the white man were buried together. As they took to horse Bandy Benton complained— “We could worry along without th’ In- jun, but we sartainly will miss Oakes’ faro game.” Durgin held back long enough to look through the wagons for some of the dead man’s loot, but found nothing except the ordinary belongings of the miners. With a wave of the hand Joe led his men toward the cafion. After issuing a few final orders to the men who were to work the country between the two cafions, Kitts and Reason struck out for Clear Creek. Fifteen miles were covered before dark- ness forced California Joe and his men to halt. He had retraced as nearly as possible his and Reason’s route from the medicine spring. They dismounted and cared for their horses while Rogers and Benton col- lected fuel. The last named had been at his task for only a few minutes when he raised a shout. Joe sternly commanded him to be silent. But while he stilled the man’s tongue he could not suppress his exultation; for Rogers had made an important discovery, the first since the search was commenced. Adventure It was a red ribbon, just like the one Miss June had worn on her hair. Rogers had found it hanging on a bush. ‘She left it there to give us a hint,” de- clared Rogers. After turning it over in his mind Joe nodded his head, agreeing: ‘They stole her on th’ edge o’ evenin’. They had time to push through this far before light, seein’ as how they knew th’ trail. Yep; th’ time fits in all right. If they’d took her in th’ daytime they’d passed this place before night, an’ I’d look cross- eyed at any such signs, bein’ afraid it was a game to fool us. She never could leave a bright-colored piece o’ ribbon on a bush in daylight without bein’ caught at it; for men ‘was ridin’ on each side of her an’ be- hind her.” Rogers’ find threw the camp into a flut- ter of excitement. The men believed that they were on fhe right trail and were con- sequently in high spirits. They were in- clined to make derisive remarks about their unfortunate friends wasting time on the Clear Creek route. But grim tragedy, like the night, was de- scending on the: camp to erase all exulta- tion. If the ribbon was not sufficient token of the outlaws’ presence California Joe was to secure absolute evidence when he laid aside his pipe and wandered from the small fire to see what had startled the horses. The animals were picketed at one end of the glade containing the camp, and had dis- played much uneasiness. Joe supposed that the cause of their alarm was nothing more serious than a cowardly mountain lion. On reaching the horses he soothed them with a few words but failed to dis- cover anything. The stars shone _bril- liantly, and although there was no moon it was possible to make out shapes distinctly against the sky-line. He knew that a mountain lion would re- treat on catching the scent of a man; and yet the horses continued to display uneasi- ness even when he stroked their heads and whispered to them. What puzzled him was the fact that they were not aroused to the point where they would try to pull up their picket-pins and stampede. Yet they were troubled over something. After quieting them a bit the trapper ob- served that they had drawn back from the cottonwoods the full length of their ropes “~ COMMICLOOOKS (C@