Adventure Magazine Cover — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

- Bradley slept so lightly that the slightest _move on Dal’s part brought him instantly erect. He kept one gun in his hand while he Sept and the other one well beyond his _ prisoner’s reach. Morning dawned at last, and Dal was convinced that he would never he able to take Bradley by surprize in the night. The next day they rode with scarcely a word, Dal ahead, and Bradley crowding et, Poe a e, S,- om = Ms Lge << * a - a ay Gre close behind. That morning Dal noticed ; a very carefully the. shape of the key that unlocked the manacles, and all the next Eight he lay awake furtively to make _ some contrivance that would unlock the one on his hand while Bradley slept. His knife blade failed to do the work, nor could he —— anything else that offered more promise. _ Another hope went glimmering. “lope you didn’t rum your knife las’ - night tryin’ to unlock the bracelets,’ Brad- ey grinned as they were eating breakfast ; oof that he had been aware of what was going on. Dal flushed and said nothing. _ He was slowly beginning to realize that the 7 cabs Association’s picked man was _ not so highly overrated as he had-thought. _ As they neared the summit of the timber- covered mountains the trail gradually be- E 2 came rougher until it degenerated into a 3 a must make his escape. * = >. feo we ay Tx <a Ss o- aaa ~ way . $ ag i Ze a 3g ate Sz ; by = << As — a ws 9 tm - .o— ee oe oe ei neq = viet a> Sp >; sane ae a ret 3 mere . pack-trail Ahat wound around, through, and over almost inaccessible “aseee Now or never Dal knew that he As they were riding ~ along = narrow rim of a ridge above al- rpendicular sides he began to nee a urge old Spot to a faster walk. “Hold on there—not so fast,” Bradley ordered promptly. ‘+ we want to git off of this ridge : 4 Siches night,” Dal threw back carelessly. “Tl do the crowdin’ if any needs to be _ done,” Bradley stated curtly. But Dal got off the ridge quicker than the detective expected. Just below him was a icular drop of about ten feet, ~ and below that a slightly less steep incline covered by a tangled growth of underbrush. . Without in the least checking speed he fur- e ® icky slipped his toes out of the stirrups, and with a tremendous effort vaulted clear of the saddle and disappeared over the drop ~ below. he 7 =. When he struck the ground he was below or the detective’s range of vision, and Bradley Sed ack sd Gens bo fide a. shot But Dal 2 failed to keep his balance on the steep ~~ 2) ao ee oe oN ae S. get SEPA a eee ee: So eee ee ee oe ; = wre ge a, = - v- =< 7 wat & Sy . 22 ve ! i Adventure | ground, and tumbled head over heels into the underbrush. At the first break tei hd fall oe Gexesabied to his hands and knees and dived into thicker brush like a rabbit. He smiled joyously at the way he had fooled Bradley. — The one thing Bradley had not expected was for him to abandon his beloved horses and try to get away on foot. Dal was aware that it would mean a lot of hardships to get out of the mountains without a horse, but he was,used to hardships. He lay still, awaiting developments, wondering why: Bradley did not at least try a few chance shots. “Oh, Showalter,” Bradley called sud- denly, without a trace of disappointment or Dal hugged the ground closer and waited. ‘Showalter; you’d better listen,” Bradley | called loudly. “If you think much of that old pinto horse of yours you'll stop an’ pay attention.”’ The unemotional, inflexible tones of the ioe caused a chill feeling to creep over Da “Tf you're not in sight with your hands sup by the time I count ten I’m shore goin’ to shoot your old pet hoss,’”’ Bradley said evenly. He began to count slowly: “One— two——” Dal’s thoughts had never been more bit- ter. He knew that he could escape, but that cold, implacable counting told him that it would be at the price of old Spot’s life. “Tt’s a horse’s life against my life, an’ in a case of that kind who would hesitate,” the thought ran through his mind. But, old Spot was more than a horse. He was friend, pal. For ten years he had been the sole-confidant of all his troubles. To deliberately sentence him to death with- out fault on his part was nothing less than cold-blooded murder. “I’m comin’ back,” Dal suddenly yelled: A few minutes later he scrambled back to the trail and silently mounted old Spot. ment to ever be a successful outlaw,”’ Bradley commented dryly. lodged in the jail at Topaz. “Thought you’d be driftin’ in here purty soon; sourly. ‘““You’ve got too —— much fool senti- FE TWO days later Dal found iciselé | >’? Matt Wells greeted him Dal mustered a grin. (EO) IOOKS: Eom