Adventure Magazine Cover — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

ee oe ee SSE on Mh Sa ing ON, agen eae RE 0 tn GE ea a Sedge aes Silver Zone - “Mist? Showaltah,”’ ‘ive exclaimed. “Allee A little more than half way there ie time you flighten me—just likee on the wished he had not been so precipitate, for = seben Hell. What the ——!” Hop Sing again came to the door and beat “Careful, Hop Sing,” Dal-cautioned. “I upon his tin pan. = ain’t pinin’ to be made no guest of honor Dal knew that it was not the way of here.” cooks to give a second warning to come to ~The Chinaman glanced at him shrewdly, a meal. If a cowboy failed to come it was — and ‘the corner of one slant eye lowered just his own fault. So it was a certainty that the — perceptibly. old Chinaman was only giving him a warn- — : : ““Mebbe you fella what-stay along Slilvah ing that the men were not allin yet. Butit ‘Zone spling?” was too late to go back. Ifthere were other “Y’m the hick,” Dal confessed. ‘Now men in the corrals they would surely pee). 3 what are you going to do, Hop Sing, raise him before he could get back to the spring- the outfit?” - house. He must go on and take his. ee “You my flind—Hasblook my boss; ” the chances, a ‘Chinaman-distinguished with a shrug which He jumped the first fence he came to and oe made his meaning clear; though Dal was dodged behind a stable on his way to the = perfectly sure of the Chinaman’s attitude, horse corral. For a moment he was out ~ or ‘he would not have dropped. Hop Sing of sight of the house, but too late to turn had been the’cook of the old 7H. L. inthe back he-saw a man not twenty feet in front _ days when Dal was serving his cowboy of him. oa apprenticeship, and Thad Thompson was The man was rubbing down a handsome — ae acting as foreman. ‘The ‘Chinaman had _ black horse which he had evidently just — beén treated as one’of the outfit—a kind of caught out of the cavy.. At the sound of treatment he was not likely to get fromthe Dal’s approach he looked up swiftly. it average cow outfit. was Nevada Brown. Amazed recognition “Where is Hasbrouck?” Dal asked. showed in the man’s eyes a moment, then “He no tell. Mebbe Kutch know—mebbe his hand shot toward his belt. He was Nevada—nobedy-else. Mebbehuntslilvah- taking no more chances on the man who mine.” * had-once humiliated him. “All right, Hop Sing. Now listen: this Dal had the advantage of the second he outfit stolea horse from me down in Hog-up had seen Nevada first. A short period of - night before last, an’ I’ye come after him. time for most purposes, but a long time ~They’re runnin’ the cavy in now, so when’ when a life hangs on the slight pressure of ~. you call ’em in to breakfast I’m goin’ to a trigger. The instant he had seen Nevada sneak out to the corral an’ git my horse. Hi T have time I’m goin’ to stampede the rest. So if you’re a friend of mine don’t give me away, but ring that breakfast gong good an’ loud.” The Chinaman grinned understandingly. “You sma’t boy, Dal,” heapproved kindly. There was a roar from the house from some cowboy who had finished his chores and wanted breakfast. How many others were already in Dal could not tell. This left him ‘to guess when they were all in, though cowboys ‘were not likely to linger long at the corrals when the breakfast gong was sounded. A few minutes after Hop Sing had-re- turned to his kitchen he appeared in the door and beat loudly upon a tin pan. _In- stantly the cowboys came running fromthe corral. As soon as the cook-shack door closed behind them, Dal started for the corrals on-a run. he had anticipated what ‘the man would do, and his right hand had clutched his own gun—not in the least to force an issue but to be ready for action if Nevada was in a killing mood, He read Nevada’s intentions at the first glance of the man’s opaque eyes, and he began to draw his gun while Nevada’s ~~ = hand ‘was ten inches from his. The guns roared almost at the same time, but that second which had given Dal ten ~~ inches the start had counted heavily. He had beaten Nevada by a split second, and his shot had gone home while his opponent missed by a hair’s breadth. Dal heard the bullet whistle uncomfortably close to his ear = . Se as Nevada pitched forward on his face. He knew the shots would bring the cow- boys on the run. There was now no time aS = to look for Sport, or to let down the cumber- some bars and stampede the cavy.. He — leaped to the back of Nevada’s black and urged the horse at the nearest outside gate, KS JOO KOLAAVICE