Adventure Magazine Cover — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

Silver Zone | Ree “Meno savvy.’ the camp-mover shrugged. “Youre a —— liar,” Dal remarked candidly. z The Basque glé 2, and his hand ‘moved furtively toward 1 e six-shooter that hung at his hip, but as the end of the Winchester was pointed negligently, but accurately at his waist-line he brought the hand back where it belonged. “You understood that all right, didn’t you,” Dal commented. ‘Now look here. I was in Topaz the other day an’ heard you use good English, so that “no savvy” stuff don’t work no more. enough you ain’t got any business in here so if your herd ain’t out of my field in fifteen - minutes, an’ your camp off of this bench in two hours you’re goin’ to stop some lead.” The visiting camp-mover muttered a few: words in Spanish to his friends, and hur- riedly took his departure. ‘Well, what do you say?” Dal demanded impatiently. - ‘““My boss he say you no right to closa the Dish-a-pan Basin. He Nell us go through you fiel’,” the camp-mover mut- tered. “Who the —— is your boss?” Dal, de- manded. The men glanced at each other ques- tioningly, then the ean Bee sie shrugged. “Beel Hasbrouck.” The real'surprize. Hasbrouck had fought him by every foul means since he had filed on the home- stead, but he had not anticipated that Hasbrouck would. risk his standing as a cattleman by owning sheep. The Basque, evidently believing he had Dal scared, remarked: “Beel, one ver’ bada man. wit’ heem he keel you.” Dal had no personal animus toward the herders. He was of big enough caliber, mentally, to realize that the herders were mere puppets carrying out the orders of the big men behind. The trouble was that it was generally next to impossible to find out just who was the man who pulled the strings. He counted himself lucky that he knew who owned these sheep. Never- theless, he had no intention of letting Has- brouck’s sheep graze in his ripened wheat. “T will monkey with Bill Hasbrouck in a way he won’t like, but®first you git them sheep out of my field, an’ —— quick.” |)? you say!” Dal exclaimed in ,vou monk You know well s He raised the rifle in one hand and pointed. ee = “Pronto,” he ordered. 7 The Basques cast one glance at the tall, wiry figure of the young rancher, and Pre. 2 fled after the sheep. When Showalter’s a good-natured face became grim, men usu- — ‘ally took notice. The Basquessoonhad the — sheep outside the fence, though the bottom — wire was jerked loose for a distance of a. quarter of a mile—another item for which | Dal meant to make Hasbrouck pay. Once the sheep were outside the fence — eles Dal could do without actual violence, and he disliked dealing with hired men when their em- ~— But it was getting too late to hunt Hasbrouck up that day; — besides he was getting hungry. Ithadbeen four o’clock when he got back from Topaz, _ and the trespassing sheep had stopped him — He deaded to there was nothing f ployer was available. from getting his dinner. call on Hasbrouck the next morning. As he was opening the gate again he — chanced to look back in timé to see twomen — riding up to the camp. He grunted with © satisfaction, wheeled his pony and ees ; back. Themen were Bill Hasbrouck and his jones’ man, ‘Slim’? Gurley. Common prudence should have warned him that it was unwise . to face four armed men, but though Dal tried to avoid trouble when he could, when ~ Fa : a, Os —~ at = Poth he knew that it was unavoidable he pre- = ferred to meet it head-on. In reality he © had little fear of them starting anything — ce in the open. Hasbrouck was quite igre 3 of shooting a man from behind, and he was a giant in a personal encounter, but he had © little stomach for a face-to-face conflict with | hot lead. Dal was sure Hasbrouck had seen him, but the cattleman rode straight to the Paes. camp door and bellowed for the Basques . to come out. The men came out, smiling — ingratiatingly; but the smiles became frozen as as Hasbrouck and Gurley each pulled down — se on them with their rifles. Without a word =, Ss re "ian a 4 ~~ + oa Es as =< — 7 oe ae A of warning each man sent a bullet into a — Basque. bullets each thudded into the fallen hee herders. For an instant Dal was paralyzed with “ horrof at the cold-blooded murder. Been he could jerk up his own rifle Hasbrouck — and Gurley had disappeared over the crest — of the knoll with a taunting laa Dal — Gom To make sure of the job two more ; ss er a bes aL)