Adventure Magazine Cover — page 194: what you’re looking at

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

758 toward the struggler, shouting as he went: “Your cripple is coming, Don Felipe! Your cripple is coming, Don Felipe!” Don Felipe heard and struggled the harder, tearing free and striking out for the ridge below the gate as the nearest dry Jand. Close after him came the little red demon of vengeance, and as the haciendado found a footing and turned to face his erst- while peon, Juan struck with his henequen blade, and the heavy steel sank deep in the neck of Calderon y Ortegas. Now they clinched in a death-struggle and rolled over and over together into deeper and deeper water, and neither reappeared. The crip- ple's debt was paid. From far inland came several long blasts as if from a horn and then a burst of shots. “The Itzchen-Maya! The Itzchen- Maya” cried Encarnacion and the men with him, and in a few minutes, with a roar of hoofs, the crackle of rifles and yells of victory, they came into view. In every direction the hacienda men were in flight, and by moonrise the battle was over. As the tide receded the joyous defenders flocked to the canal to catch the hats by the dozen that came floating out, evidences of the completeness of the rout. AT DAWN Haskell put his men to work to assemble the wounded and transport them to the village. He found pleasure in the small loss of life, and turned away with a shudder when the men brought in two bodies—that of a massive bearded man locked tight in the arms of a little withered one, the latter with his thin lips drawn back in a fixed smile. “Look, sefior, look!’ cried ’Nacion, pointing up the shore. Haskell turned and beheld a steamer fly- ing a signal and steaming swiftly down the shore. At her peak floated the flag of the syndicate’s shipping lines, and when she dropped anchor and a boat put off from her he was overcome with surprise to see standing in the bow, scanning the shore Adventure and the signs of battle through binoculars —John J. Peters, Sr.! An hour later, as they sat over their camp breakfast and Haskell had finished his rela- tion of events, with Jack Peters now and then interposing credit where credit was due, Peters, Sr., said: ‘Haskell, you remember that I told you I was banking on you personally. Well, I guess I win. I knew when I got your re- ‘quisitions that I would, and I made a bet with the president. I bet ten per cent. of the costs against ten per cent. of the net on this deal and, since I win, I turn it over to you. Clean this up right now, and you will be ahead close to two million. _ Stay right here on the job.” ““T want a day or two to attend to a little | 2) personal matter “Uncle John, don’t you understand that there is a wedding due?” ‘“‘Oh, yes, of course, of course, and while I am about it I may as well tell you this land properly belongs to the Ortegas heirs anyhow—the Calderon brothers flim-flam- med them when Ortegas died, and the future Mrs. Haskell, being the last of the family, why, I shall want to make a new contract with her as soon as she comes to camp. You had better send for her at once.” ig rode down with Emalia and the sis- ter of Encarnacion, and that eve- ning John J. Peters, Sr., strolled over to the spot where the two stood looking out at the steamer swinging at anchor. ‘Miss Ortegas,” he said “‘it just struck me that sea captains have power to perform marriage ceremonies. How would you like to go aboard to-morrow morning and have it over with and then spend your honey- moon on the Colleen Bawn while she lies out there this month? You see, I need Haskell here every day now. What do you say?” IT WAS dusk when Nufiez Paola She blushed rose-red and turned her face away to hide it against Haskell’s arm. DOOLK (C@