Adventure Magazine Cover, December 10, 1922 — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

The Wreck of the Brig Commerce was following and lost along of darkness was made by a small scouting party, so there ain’t no rush to chase after it. Me ’n’ ‘Solid Comfort’—”’ and he patted his rifle to indicate he was referring to it—‘‘are going to make camp right here. Reckon the vermin will be s’prized if they come back to try some new rinktum and find they’ve stubbed their toes ag’in’ Old Mis’ry. There’d be a bounty on their hair if it wa’n’t so mangy.”’ “Pll be glad of your company, but you mustn’t get into any trouble on my ac- count,” said Beach earnestly. Old Misery’s mouth became cavernous as he gaped over this speech. Then he made queer noises in his throat as he man- aged to say: ““T see you mean well by the old man. If any trouble drifts down in here I prob’ly’ll have time to duck and run. No trouble. No, no.” “With that understanding Ill be glad to have you stay,” stiffly said Beach. ‘You see this is my pack of trouble, and I must IAI carry it without any help. But I’m free to say it’s been sort of lonely at times and grows sort of ticklish now the gang knows where I am.” “You can bank on having my comp’ny so long as the beans and bacon hold out and times don’t git too ticklish. Good Lordy! Every crick m the Rockies knows I’ve had my share of trouble already.”’ “Of course you have. More than your share,” agreed Beach. ‘‘But you shan’t run into any trouble on account of me. I'll see you have a chance to clear out be- fore it begins.” “Thanky, younker; thanky kindly.” ‘‘And it would help me just as much as anything you can do if you’d ride on to Vir- ginia City and tell John Beidler all I’ve told you,” suggested Beach, thinking to open a graceful avenue of escape for the old man. “No, no. If I done that I’d prob’ly run into some of the lawless critters, and they’d take my pipe and terbaccer away from me. Pll feel safer down in this hole then up on the divide.” TO BE CONTINUED. =—= of the Brig Commerce by B.N. Wall Author of “The Seven Diamond Rings,” “The Passing of Gorilla George,”’ ecc. if ~ THE sixth day of May, in the year 1815, the brig Commerce, with a small cargo and brick in 4’ SF ballast, cleared from Saybrook, Connecticut, for New Orleans. The voyage was from the beginning unfortunate. East of the Florida coast the ship struck upon Carysfort Reef and was floated off only by desperate efforts. At New Orleans her cargo of New En- gland wares was discharged and the brig loaded anew with flour and tobacco. Thence she sailed for Gibraltar which was reached after a long and stormy passage. In that Gomichbooks (EO)