Adventure Magazine Cover — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

ae. 76 a. a Ts = ees — Soi. el we SF ae lO ee eee! TT <<. ane ee ee) fa et) oe Se EO reg fe er 5 Aion ey, Cn Pn ENTE Ta ee ee % Silver Zone house, and make a break for the kitchen e : It occurred to him that they had all -“You’re under arrest, - that gun on the table.” The men outside waited breathlessly, wondering of what sort of stuff the rancher was made. Buta moment later they heard a rattle as if a gun were being thrown on the table. Hasbrouck—toss “You don’t need to hand-cuff me,” Has-. brouck whined. “Got to do it, Bil,” the sheriff replied. “There’s four boys with me outside, an’ we'll have to fix you so you can’t make trouble while we git Gurley. You're wanted for killin’ them sheepherders up at Showalter’s ranch last Fall.” “Well, let me git some clothes on then before you hand-cuff me,” Hasbrouck pleaded. , Dal smiled contemptuously. This was the man who had run him out of the eoun- try! There was a wait of several minutes in which they could hear Hasbrouck shuffling about, apparently getting ready for .the night ride. Then the door opened and Hasbroucksstepped outside, followed closely by the sheriff. - _ . The squat, heavy figure of. the PoP OS was bowed in humiliation. His big felt hat was pulled down over his face, and his hands were thrust under his coat to conceal the hand-cuffs. 3 “Stay here with Hasbrouck, Showalter, an’ we'll have theother one rounded up ina jiffy. This is sure workin’ smooth,” Wells chuckled. _ “Tl stay with Hasbrouck, all “ight,” Dal . said grimly. He? s hand-cuffed, an’ I got his you don’t need to worry about him,” the sheriff said. “He'll take care of him—let’s be goin’,” Bradley said impatiently. Without wasting more words they ad- vanced toward the bunk-house. Dal, watching them as well as Hasbrouck, saw Thad walk around to the rear of the bunk- house, and Brick go on around so that he could watch the window on the opposite side. Bradley took up a position where he could watch the closest side and the front, and the sheriff strode boldly toward the front door. Just then Dal heard a soft, swishing noise toward the rear of Hasbrouck’s dwelling. Glancing quickly around he was just in time to see a woman slip-from the shadow of a fence that ran from the house to the bunk- a Me oe Kg 3 door. bunched up around Hasbrouck when the sheriff had brought him out of the house, ay and Mrs. Hasbrouck had taken advantage of it to make a break for the bunk-house. “Watch out, boys, they’re warned,” ie : a | yelled loudly. The next instant Hasbrouck leaped upon 3S Dal was hurled tothe _— fingers tore him like a wild cat. ground, and powerful, muscular at his throat. At once Dal discovered that Hasbrouck was not hand-cuffed—had never been. His-voice was throttled so that he could not warn his friends that the sheriff had betrayed them. But he was deadly cool. He was not so strong, and consider- ably lighter than his opponent, but his. one hundred and eighty pounds of bone ——— and sinew were never to be trifled with As he fell both his arms shot up inside Hasbrouck’s and his fingers fastened into the huge throat like leeches. They began desperately choking the life out of each other. Hasbrouck had the greater strength but to offset this Dal had the advantage of position. His knees were drawn up under him so that Hasbrouck had difficulty get- ting his short legs planted firmly on the ground, and his arms were inside so that he could relieve the pressure on his own throat slightly by prying outward against Has- brouck’s arms without lessening his own grip. It became at once a question of sheer grit and endurance. Dal sensed, somehow, that there was a lot of shooting going on, but who was doing it, and who was getting the best of it he’ could form no idea. Things began to grow black, and the choking feeling became al- most unbearable. grew numb under the terrific strain until it seemed that he must loosen his grip on the hairy throat above him. Only the realiza- tion that Hasbrouck must be suffering fully as much, and undergoing the same feelings made him hold on until conscious- ness had all but departed. Then, suddenly, the fearful pressure was - released, and the pure, night air rushed into his lungs bringing infinite relief. With it came a sense of keen satisfaction. He had out-gamed Hasbrouck. Immediately Hasbrouck clutched his wrists in a frantic attempt to tear Dal’s hands from his throat. For sheer strength Hasbrouck easily had the edge and Dal His arms and hands_ ee 44 Comicbooks.conm