Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

134 near Tepee Mountain ’round sun-up, an’ from Tepee to Johnson’s Peak ain’t more’n twenty-mile—less, if anythin’.”’ In the keen light of dawn the pyramidal bulk of Tepee Mountain loomed not six miles ahead. When the sun rose the posse had skirted its base and was riding along the bank of Hatchet Creek. And now the dusty man began to display signs of a great nervousness. He fidgeted in his saddle, examined and tried the lever action of his ride, and gloomily repeated many times that he believed the posse would arrive too late. As they passed above a cut bank, the dusty man, riding near the edge, dropped his Winchester. The piece slipped over the edge and splashed into the water fifteen feet below. Swearing, the dusty man rode back to where the bank was lower and dismounted. “Don’t wait for me!’’ he shouted, wading up-stream. “‘I’ll catch up.” The posse rode onward. Some of the horses were staggering with fatigue. All of them were jaded and dripping with sweat. Suddenly Telescope Laguerre rode from the line and vaulted out of his saddle. He land- ed on his hands and knees and remained in that position, his head thrust forward, his eyes blazing with excitement. ‘‘What’s eatin’ Telescope?’ demanded Doubleday. “Tom! Tom! Come here! Queeck!’’ shouted the half-breed. “Say!” snorted Doubleday. ‘“‘What is this, anyway? Do you fellers know there’s some Injuns up here a piece?”’ But Loudon had joined Telescope and neither of the two gave the slightest heed to the outraged Doubleday. ‘“‘Look!”’ exclaimed Laguerre, as the tail of the column passed. ‘‘Look! Yore hoss she come out o’ de wood here! See!” “My hoss! You mean Ranger?” Lou- don stared thunderstruck at the hoofmarks of two horses. ‘“‘Yore hoss, Ranger! Ah, once I see the hoss-track I know heem again! Las’ tam you shoe de hoss you shoe heem all ’roun’. Dees ees hees track. No man was ride heem. She was de led hoss. Feller ride odder hoss. See! Dey come out de wood un go dees way.” Telescope waved a hand over the way they had come. “How old are the tracks?” queried Lou- don breathlessly. Adventure ‘““Mabbeso four day. No use follow dem. We lose ’em on de hard groun’.”’ “‘Telescope, I got an idea somethin’s wrong. I dunno what, but these tracks comin’ in here this-a-way, an’ that fellah with the Injun story—I guess now they hitch somehow. I tell ye I dunno how”’— as Telescope opened his mouth to speak— “‘an’ I may be wrong, but I’m goin’ back after that party from Hatchet Creek.” Loudon swung into his saddle and spur- red his mount. The animal responded gamely, but a pitifully slow lope was the best speed it could shake out of its weary legs. Laguerre’s pony was in worse case. The short halt had stiffened his knees slight- ly and he stumbled at every other step. The two men lolloped jerkily down-stream. Rounding a sharp bend, they came in sight of the cut bank where the dusty stranger had dropped his gun. Neither man nor horse was visible. “By gar!” exclaimed Laguerre. “By gar!”’ Just then his horse stumbled for the last time, fell on its knees and rolled over on its side. Laguerre flung himself clear and bounced to his feet. The pony struggled up, but Laguerre did not remount. He dragged his rifle from the scabbard and ran forward on foot to rejoin his comrade. Lou- don was leaning over the saddlehorn ex- amining the spot where the dusty man had left his horse. “‘“Ground’s kind o’ hard,” said Loudon, *“but it looks like he’d headed for that flat.” “He go dere all right!’ exclaimed La- guerre excitedly. ‘“‘Come on, Tom!” Running awkwardly, for cow - country boots are not fashioned for rapid locomo- tion, Laguerre led the way toward a broad meadow fifty yards away. Once in the meadow the trail was easier to follow. The meadow was at least a quarter-mile wide, and woods bordered it on three sides. The trail led straight across it, and on into the forest. The trees did not grow thickly, and Laguerre, his eyes on the ground, threaded his way in and out be- tween the trunks at an ankle-straining trot. He had excellent wind, had Telescope La- guerre. Loudon was forced to employ spurs and quirt in order to keep up with him. Four: hundred yards deep in the forest they saw ahead an opening in the trees. A minute later they charged into a large CoOMmichoooks CO