Adventure Magazine Cover — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

2 * They spend the night in a hotel, in the same room, hand-cuffed together. Before they left the room in the morning Bradley took off the hand-cuffs.~ Bradley informed Dal that his horses had been left in Hog-up, so they rode on the stage to that place. The next night they spent in Tom Cut- ler’s hotel in Hog-up. The town was seeth- ing with excitement over the arrest of Cutler, and the death of Jim Hasbrouck. Undoubtedly the men still had many friends out of jail, but they were too stunned by the _ disaster that-had overtaken their leaders to start anything. * All of them believed Dal and Bradley shrewd enough to take full advantage of the fact by treating Dal with marked respect and friendliness in public. In the morning they were allowed to depart in peace. Spot and Sport were in-the livery stable where they had been left by Bradley. Old Spot greeted Dal with an eager, welcoming whinny, and a moment later Sport joined in like a bashful boy, Silver Zone were both detectives, and Bradley’ was q “T see you’re a regular horse lover,’ - Bradley remarked. “It’s darn few men can make-.a horse think enough of-’em to say hello.” “T sure think a lot of this pair,’ Dal admitted. Bradley dropped ‘the subject, but he stored it away methodically in the well organized store-house of his memory. With- out making any request or acknowledg- ment he threw Nevada’s saddle on Sport and calmly appropriated him. He hada pack outfit on another horse and as was their only equipment. “You take lead—an’ don’t make nary a false step whatever or I'll drill you,” Brad- ley warned as they swung onto their horses. In the afternoon they stopped at Silver Zone long enough to water their horses and eat their dinner. All that remained of the cabin was a heap of ashes. Close beside it were three small mounds which testified that some one had done all that was possible for Samuel Bently and the two murdered sheepherders. - Not a word had passed between the two men ‘all day except such as related strictly to business. But now Dal could restrain himself no longer. Silver Zone had meant too much to him for him to ride away from it forever without some speculation as to its future. 3 place now?” he asked.. “I judge that Kutch’s contest will goby default now, so Sawyer will have no trouble — holdin’ the place till Spring. If the girl is wise she’ll sell her rights to the Sheepgrow- ers’ Association. They can have some old, broken-down shep’ prove up on it for a song, then it can always be used as a water-hole for sheep. I offered the girl a thousand a | dollars for her rights, which was plumb liberal considerin’ that it can be contested an’ taken away from her,” Bradley said somewhat argumentatively. “Wouldn’t she take your offer,” Dal queried. “Turned it down cold,” Bradley said resentfully. “It’ud look like she would have had enough of it by this time.’”” : ‘ Dal was delighted at the detective’s dis- gust. It meant that in one respect at least Bradley was not going to have his way. The man had no idea whatever that a silver mine had been discovered in the vicinity, and Vincie had wisely said nothing to him about it. Whoever the girl got to promote the mine would promptly see that the Sheepgrowers did not get a title to it, for the place was the one natural base from which to work the mine. They rode on, and were well into the | mountains when they stopped to make camp for the night. Dal was now constantly on the alert. He knew that it was in the hills, _ if ever, that he must make his escape. . Bradley sensed his prisoner’s feelings and reacted accordingly. He kept Dal covered with his gun until they were off their horses, and then at once linked himself to his prisoner with the hand-cuffs. It was awkward, tedious work for the detec- tive to'attend to the camp duties with one hand, and at the same time keep an eye upon Dal; but he went about it uncom- plainingly. Bradley was on his mettle. © Dal watched his enemy’s efforts for a time, making no attempt to either help or hinder, but after a few minutes he good na- turedly cooperated and they got along with - the camp work very well. It was part of Dal’s nature to be agreeable if he possibly could, and he felt that there was nothing to be gained by being stubbornor sulky. If . he was to get the best of Bradley he knew he must take the man by surprize, and the more dangerous the situation the more watchful his man would be. “What do you suppose will become of this = ‘ Eomicbooks.com