Adventure Magazine Cover — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

Ajax, for Example ay I SEEN Magpie walk out about SY) fifty feet, throw his hat on the == ground and hop up and down on it. This Ovius is getting under his hide. “‘T will persevere,” says Ajax determined- like. ‘I must persevere.” “All right, Percy,” says I. ‘‘Don’t let us stop you.”’ Me and Magpie talked things over, but we can’t figure it out. “*That’s the of it, Ike,” says Magpie. “Tf Ajax was a human being he could tell us what he’s after, but education has plumb ruined him for conversation. . I reckon we’ve got to give him plenty of rope, and he’ll hang up some place.”’ “He’s used up enough rope to hang all the rustlers in Montana,” says I. ‘He had one specimen, Magpie, but somebody shot at him——” “Rotten shooting!’ snorts Magpie. “There is such things as mob law, and if he don’t give us a chance to see what he’s after I’m going to turn myself into a mob and make him talk something we can sabe. “What in —— is a Ovius? As far as I can remember there ain’t never been one seen here. None of the old-timers has ever spoke of any such a thing, Ike. There ain’t nothing in the Injun language that sounds like it.” “Well,” says I, “what is astragalas splendens?”’ _ “There you are!” Magpie waves his arms and walks in a circle. “There you are, Ike. Both of us holds a blank hand, so we just splits the pot. I reckon I’ll likely kill Ajax tomorrow.”’ ‘And never find out what he’s after?”’ “There are things better left unknown, Ike. Let’s go to bed before we mention something that we can’t explain.” Ajax is writing in his little book by the light of a candle, and when we come in he stops. ‘Pardon me,” says he to Magpie. ‘Has anything ever been written regarding the hipwiggler?”’ “‘Nun-not that I knows about. what you’d call popular.” He thinks it over for a while, and then he sort of says to himself: “Tt could be named after me. What an honor!’ ‘““Yes’m,” admits Magpie. “You can be a father to it if you want to.” It ain’t 143 * “Tf I could only secure a specimen!” he wails. “I must! I will!” He hops off his seat and walks up and ~ down the cabin. “You spoke of something about securing one by making a noise like a—a——” ‘“‘Loofmad?” asks Magpie. “Exactly. A loofmad. difficult sound to make?’’ “Nope. Easy for lots of folks.” ‘“‘Would you mind giving me a demon- stration?” Is it a—er— “Not me. I did once, and I almost got killed.” ‘Ah! Is it dangerous?” “Tt is and it ain’t. You’d be safe, Ajax.” “Will you teach me?” Ajax stops in front of Magpie and holds out his hands like Magpie had something to give him. “Teach your Man, you’re born to it. No, I can’t tell you how to do it, but the proper note is in your voice every little while, only you don’t know it.” “Ts it a gift?” asks Ajax. ‘Merry Christmas!’’ explodes Magpie. “If it is 1 hope nobody knows ‘when my birthday is, and that Sandy Claws goes blind.” “Interesting but vague,” says Ajax, and goes back to his book. Yes, Ajax slept with his feet in the air again. Me and Magpie talks over the events of the day, but we can’t figure it out. We can’t figure why Mighty wishes to hold us up, and why he sends Scenery up there with blood in his eye. We asks Ajax the next morning if he’s done anything wrong, but he shakes his head. “I never have done anything wrong,” says he. “This is a great little country to establish a precedent,’ says Magpie. ‘A herder of goats comes here yesterday and shoots a bean-pot out of my hands. Later on the sheriff comes up—but you know that. Do you know why they comes here?”’ “T haven’t an idea.”’ “I know you ain’t, but I thought maybe you had a hunch.” Ajax got himself a rope this time. He hunted around until he found an old sack, and then he sets down to look in his little book. “Today,” says he, “I am going to make a supreme effort to secure valuable data, COMIC oOo Cc S (C@