Adventure Magazine Cover — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

Pay Gravel This defense was perfectly logical in the minds of the majority of the red men, and more than one hand closed on a skinning- knife in a lust to make a fitting sacrifice to the stone god. But Crazy Horse never lost sight of the main point. He spoke up sharply, saying: “These men speak with a straight tongue, and their medicine will help us—or else they are liars and their medicine will grow very weak. We must find out if the young man is a friend of High Wolf, our brother of the Cheyenne. If he is then Two Knives Talk- ing has talked with a straight tongue and his medicine will help us against Three Stars and his soldiers. “Let Little Big Man pick out two young braves who want new names, and tell them to ride swiftly to the Short Medicine Pole Hills and look for High Wolf. If High Wolf is not at the hills the two men will wait three sleeps, then one shall ride to Slim Butte to tell me. The other will wait three sleeps more and if High Wolf does not come, nor any soldiers are seen to be watched, then he will ride to my village. “This place is not good for camp. Little Big Man has been very brave in going to Mato tipi. Now let the camp move to Slim Butte; for they say we shall have a big fight with Three Stars before many sleeps. Watch these two men, but do not put cords on Two Knives Talking. He will not run away and leave his friend; nor has his medicine the strength to take the rawhide off his friend yet.”’ Dinsdale was much discouraged when this was repeated to him, but Scissors op- timistically declared: “Even if old High Wolf is among the hills, ‘as Crazy Horse seems to expect, the ride is more than a hundred miles from here. They’ll go through flying unless something happens to them, but we haven’t been skinned yet. So long as we can hope we’re allright. ’mwakan. I’m wakan witshasha. Don’t look downhearted. - Look jolly. That’s better. You’re a friend of High Wolf, remember. He'll vouch for you. You’re just hungry for him to show up.” . Dinsdale was taken back into the lodge and tied to the center pole. Scissors was left free but uncer sharp espionage. Either Crazy Horse had no fear of his trying to escape so long as his friend was a prisoner, or else he wished to tempt him to flight, and thereby prove all his words were so many 103 lies. Scissors refrained from even moving about the camp, and from his position in the opening of the lodge kept his com- panion informed of all that was going on outside. - Two ambitious young bucks were soon speeding north in search of High Wolf, who was believed to be somewhere in the neigh- borhood of the Short Medicine Pole-Hills. A few hours after their departure word was given to strike the lodges and pack them on travois poles. Dinsdale’s shelter was the last to be taken down. He was mounted on his own horse with his hands still fastened behind him. Scissors was commanded. to ride at the front of the band with Crazy Horsé on one side and Little Big Man on the other. Sorrel Horse loitered behind to have a private conference with his medicine, A monotonous ride of twenty-five miles, almost due north, brought Slave Butte abreast on the right. After the first few miles Crazy Horse had evidenced a willing- ness to talk with his prisoner and was ready to answer questions. He took much pleas sure in describing how some Snake captives were killed at Slave Butte by the Dakota in the old days, thereby originating the name, and added that much had been learned since then as to the-most painful method of putting prisoners to death. Scissors appeared greatly pleased by the gruesome fecital and refused to betray any concern over the veiled threat as to his own possible fate. Although the top of the butte was about the same height as that of Mato tipi its actual elevation above its base was less than three hundred feet owing to. the sharp upgrade from the Belle Fourche. The country along their route was not one to linger in. With the exception of weeds and sagebrush there was but little vegetation. The soil was hard and dry and cracked into hexagons and octagons of a surprizingly regular pattern. The prison- ers hoped they would go into camp when they reached a small branch of the Moreau, or Owl River, but Crazy Horse would have none of it, and they pushed on for another ten miles to camp on the main stream. The banks were alkaline and miry, and the water—consisting of standing pools—was bad. But there was an abundance of willow and cottonwood for fuel. It was necessary to lift Dinsdale from his horse, and when he was set on his feet and left to stand alone he <S EComichboo ~ — be (E(0)