Adventure Magazine Cover — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

_ knife. | 82 Twenty feet out and below him Molly Dale and her struggling horse were sliding downward. ff the horse had remained quiet—but the horse was not remaining quiet and Molly’s wrist was tangled in the bridle reins. 3 In the beginning the movement was slow, but as Racey reached the edge of the slide an extra strong plunge of the horse drove both girl and animal downward two yards in a breath. Molly turned a white face upward. “So long, Racey,” she called bravely, and waved her free hand. But Racey was going down to her with his rope in one hand. With the other hand and his teeth he was opening his pocket- The Joose stones skittered round his ankles and turned under his boot-soles. He took tremendous steps, and, with that white face uplifted below him, lived an age between each step. “Grab the rope above my hand,” he yelled although by now she was not a yard from him. Racey was closer to the end of his rope than he realized. At the instant that her free hand clutched at the rope it tight- ened with a jerk as the cow-pony at the other end, feeling the stram and knowing . his. business, braced his legs and swayed backward. Moliy’s fingers brushed the back of Racey’s hand and swept down his arm. Well it was for him that he had taken two turns.round his wrist, for her fore- arm went round his neck and the almost whole downward pull of girl and horse ex- erted itself against the strength of Racey Dawson’s arm and shoulder muscles. Molly’s face and chin were pressed tightly. against Racey’s neck. Small blame to her if her eyes were closed. The arm held fast by the bridle was cruelly stretched and twisted. And. where the rein was tight across the back of her wrist, for he could reach no lower, Racey set the blade of his pocket-knife and sawed desperately. Tt was not a sharp knife and the leather was tough. ‘The steel did not bite well. Racey sawed all the harder. His left arm felt as if it were beg wrenched out of its socket. The sweat was pouring down his face. His hat jumped from his head. He did-not even wonder why. He must cut cago ise 7 rein in two. He must; he must. ine. we cut, the leather, 0 i Moliy’s left arm and Racey’s right Adventure fell limply. Mbolly’s horse went down the slide alone. Neither of them saw it go. Molly had fainted, and Racey was too spent to do more than catch her round the waist and hold her to him in time to prevent her following the horse. Smack! something small and hot sprinkled Racey’s cheek. He looked to the left. On a rock face close by was a splash of lead. Smack! Zung-g-g diminuendo, as a bullet struck the side of a rock and buzzed off at an angle. 3 ' Racey- turned his head abruptly. At a ‘ place where trees grew thinly on the oppo- site side of the slide and at a considerably lower altitude than the spot where he and Molly hung at the end of their rope shreds of gray smoke were dissolving into the atmosphere. The range was possibly seven hundred yards. The hidden marksman was a good shot to drive his bullets as close as he had at that distance. Straight out from the place of gray smoke four men and four horses were making their way across the slide. They were half-way &CrOss. rush of Molly’s horse had apparently given them pause. Now two men started ahead. One stood irresolute and one started to re- trace his steps. IT IS a true saying that he who hesitates is lost. Straight over the irresolute man and his horse rolled esr the dust-cloud whose center was Molly’s horse. When the dust-cloud passed on it was much larger, and both the man and his horse had disappeared. The man who had started to retreat con- tinued to retreat, and more rapidly. The _two who had held on did not cease to ad- vance, but they proceeded very slowly. “Tf that feller with the Winchester don’t get us we're all right for a spell,” Racey muttered. He knew that on their side of the slide for a distance of ‘several hundred yards up and down the side of the mountain and for sev- eral miles athwart it the underbrush was im- penetrable for horses and wicked traveling for men. There had been a forest fire four years before, and every one knows what happens after that. In but one place, where arock-ridge reared through the soil, was it possible to cross the stretch of burned-over ground. Naturally Racey had picked this one spot. Gomichbooks But they had stopped. The down- (E(0)