Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

The Silent Captain and his friends were on the northern hill, but most of their men were massed above the single outlet. The trap was perfect except that the op- posite hill was bare. Suddenly a bit of color moved toward the yellowish top of the other hill. - The ranch- men stared. Then they arose with one ac- cord and stood astonished. It was the red- and-white guerdon of a cavalry troop! Then came another, and another, and still another, floating above a solid line of blue figures and brown horses! “Well, I’ll be darned,” said Bennett, rub- bing his eyes. The blue-clad figures crowded to the top of the hill, a solid phalanx. An officer held up his arm. A bugle sounded. The horses stopped and the troops dismounted while the sun flashed on the steel of their sabers. Curry and the men in the valley heard the bugle. They looked up and saw the ranchmen massed above them. There was an instant of hesitation and then the valley was seething with action. Some of the men dashed for their horses. Some whipped out their six-shooters and fired up at the ranchmen. They had not yet seen the cavalry because of the hill-slope, but they saw the ranchers. Bullets began to whip into the rocks. “Start it!’ commanded Wilcox. THERE was a crash of rifles. a Flashes of flame spat from the hill and a cloud of powder-smoke arose. Figures in the valley dropped. Others spurred their horses in a mad ride toward the gap that led to the plains and freedom. That was what Wilcox had expected. Nearly half his men were stationed above that exit. Their rifles and pistols could throw a veritable barrier of lead across the gap, through which no living thing could pass. With a signal Wilcox closed the gate. There was a sheet of flame and a crackle of gunfire from the hill. The leading horse- man galloped into the path of lead and hur- tled to the ground with his horse. Those behind him spurred onward. They met the deadly barrier of bullets from the hillside. The charging horses and riders melted into a writhing, clutching, kicking, sprawling mass and others slammed into them. One animal turned a complete somersault. “Tt’s murder!’ gasped Steve Adams. 47 “Better than having them murder us,” grunted the boss. The riders in the valley could not meet the terrific punishment. They turned back. ' It did them no good. Lead spat at them from behind every rock. They fired back desperately, but they were soon milling around in frantic circles. Some got behind horses. ‘“‘They’re weakening,’ said Bennett. Wilcox was thinking of John Hastings, George Minden and all the bloody history of the range. ‘“‘Let them surrender, then!” But the men below did not surrender easily. Many of them saw the bars of the penitentiary looming before their eyes. Others saw the gallows. They kept fight- ing stubbornly. Wilcox kept smoking and watched the smoky battle from his vantage-point on top of a boulder. The editor rushed up with a smoking pistol in his hand. He was tasting sweet revenge and his eyes were alight. ‘“‘What’s the matter with those fool sol- diers?’”? he demanded. ‘“They’re not doing anything. When do they start?” ‘“‘They are not going to start. Not un- less they are fired upon. They are spectators.” ‘“Wha-what?”’ “They came for a ride.” The editor looked as if his brain were reeling. ‘““You—you mean to say they’re not going to do anything?” ; “No. They have no authority.” “Then what are they here for? Curry ‘can walk right through them!” “He can, but he will never know it.” *‘He’ll soon learn!” “T doubt it. Curry is an outlaw. He has a bad conscience. He will hardly walk up to a troop of federal cavalry. Watch!” It was true. Some of the stubborn men in the valley began climbing the opposite hill, targets for every rifle borne by the ranchmen. The latter slackened fire and let them go. The hunted men toiled up the slope and came to a point where they saw the line of troopers. They halted and put up their hands. Down at the end of the valley a horse- man still tried to rush the pass, but a quick volley ended it. The crowd dropped weapons and surrendered. They were trapped and crushed. The round-up was . complete. DOOLK C@