Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 172: what you’re looking at

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

170 in a nest of log buildings, like Rivers’ gang was.” 4 He caHed two of his men. “You fellows: go back to town and get a lot of dynamite, fifteen or twenty boxes anyway, and caps and plenty of fuse. Hurry al you want to going in, but get a spring rig and drive back easy, and be careful of the caps; we need that powder a whole lot more than we need a hole in the ground and a couple of missing punchers. When you get back we’ll blow in the gate for a starter.” “And you better bring all the rifle car- tridges there are in town. We're liable to throw a lot of lead before we get through,” he added. - “But,” objected the young fellow who had” questioned their ability to take the ranch- house, ‘“‘how in blazes is any one going to get close enough to blow in the gate?” ~ “It’s two hundred yards from the nearest _ cover and they’ll have a man at every win- dow and fill anybody that tries it so full of holes that they’ll look like a tin sieve. And we can’t get at them; you can’t shoot through a stone wall.” Buck Ewing also put in an oar. “Here,” he said, “you mustn’t blow up the house; Kitty’s in there.” _ “Kid,” said Gorham to the first speaker, “keep your eyes open and you'll learn something. If we can’t shoot through a stone wall neither can they. “Buck, we all know you’re in love and therefore more loco than usual, but your girl isn’t going to get hurt. There’s plenty . safe places, and her father’ll look out for er. “And unless I miss my guess, no matter what Newton wants, that gang isn’t going to stick it out to a finish on account of the two we want, after they see we’re in earnest. That kind doesn’t hang together that well. Now we'll get ready to start things as soon as the powder gets here. “Some of you fellows go around back and get a dozen or so logs, tear down a stable or corral if you have too, and cut ’em to about ten feet; that gate’s twelve across. ~ Load "em on to a wagon and bring ’em around. Take it easy and keep out of sight in the brush; we’ve got plenty of time.” He studied a moment. “Make it fifteen logs, about a oot through,” he said, “and bring two wagons. Might as well hitch up a couple of teams— ~“ Adventure | make Newton’s horses help to smoke him out.” After the men had gone he had all his remaining men except the pickets gather in front. ~ “Now listen, everybody,” he said. “This’ll be the play, and you all want to know what you're doing, because when it starts we want to keep going without any break. Make that gang inside think the lid has blown off of —— and the boiling brimstone is right behind. <2 ‘“What.we want is the men that killed Dick, and the one that ordered the job, and if we throw a big enough scare into the bunch they’re going to give ’em up to save their own hides. “Everybody, except just enough to cover the other three sides, line up here in front. About four men take each window. The rest bunch in front of the gate. Take good cover, behind trees, or pile up rocks, and keep out of sight, though I don’t think that they’re anxious to start the little ball rolling. “When we’re ready, start slinging lead through the windows, so some of ’em won’t get curious and go to looking out. “Then we'll blow in the gate. When that’s done, you fellows in front of it start pumping lead through good and lively, so’s to keep ’em down. That’s going to be the hard part, because they can see out and we can’t see, on account of the smoke there’ll be in the court. “Now I want a dozen volunteers, because we re going into a hot place, and if anybody should happen to land a bullet in the giant dynamite before we get it ready we'll all climb the golden stair so fast we'll melt the steps. No married men; just some of you crazy kids. “There’s a little window in the archway, just inside the gate, on the left hand side; and there’s where we'll get into the house. “And everybody get this, and get it good: When we're in, after we’ve blown the gate, shoot high; there’ll be plenty shooting low from the other side. Keep your eyes open, and when one of us waves a hat send every- thing you’ve got through in a hurry. Keep your magazines full for that, and when they’re empty every one stop. Maybe that’ll make those guys inside duck for a minute and give us a bétter chance.” He called for his storming party and picked the smallest men from those crowd- ing forward. (COME KOO):