Adventure Magazine Cover — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

Gentlemen of the North ‘THE next day I received a call from Red Dear- ness’ “woman” and, to my surprize, discov- ered that this woman was the trader’s daughter and not a half-breed wife as had been rumored. Her fiery red hair had caused the Indians to give her the name “Medicine Hair” and credit her with supernatural powers. Her call was a matter of business. She urged me to stop trading rum with the Indians and to my amusement told me she had already discontinued the practise. She also revealed to me the mystery of the Voice. In her visit to the Pembina she had often sung along that lonely river, and the Indians, hearing this, had believed her voice to be that of the River That Calls, Before leaving she threatened to use her power over the superstitious Indians to force them to trade skins without rum. I laughed at her, well knowing the power of high wine. As the days passed, however, my trade fell off alarmingly. Crazy for rum, one of the X. Y. Indians stole a keg from the N. W. I started out after him, and my quest finally brought me to Miss Dearness. She forced the Indian to return the keg, and so quickly did he do her bidding that I then realized how great was her power over the savages. “God! But you’re a tearing beauty!” said a thick voice. Miss Dearness and I turned to find that Black Chabot had returned—drunk as usual. He leered at the woman and informed her that he had over- taken the X. Y. brigade down the river, and that her father had died during the trip. i As he reached at Miss Dearness, I knocked him own. CHAPTER VII THE SIOUX RECEIVE REINFORCEMENTS HIS encouraged us tremendously. Miss Dearness stuck more willow branches around our two forts, emmmamem while [ remained with the chief, who was curiously watching the Indians on the plains. All of the Sioux were now mounted, the horses the Pil- lager had captured being replaced by those whose owners had fallen. For some minutes the band milled about; then one man rode aside and began haranguing in a loud voice. The Pillager, who had traveled and lived on the Missouri, readily inter- preted the speech, which consisted of ex- hortations for the Sioux to remember they were brave men, that our scalps must go back to their village to wipe out their dis- grace in having lost warriors. The white woman was to be taken alive. I was glad Miss Dearness was busy with her willow wands, for the Pillager interpreted word for Ol The fight was one-sided, for Black Chabot was very drunk. I finally drove him down the river, ereenne that if he ever returned I would kill A few days later I learned that Miss Dearness had gone up the river in search of skins. To my surprize, too, I learned that she had played upon the superstitions of Flat Mouth to force him to ac- company her. Realizing the danger she ran in the Sioux coun- try, I finally resolved to follow. Packing some white buffalo robes, which are considered “big medi- cine” by all tribes except the Chippewas, I set out alone, leaving Probos in charge. On the way my worst fears were confirmed. I encountered a hostile Sioux scout. Fearing lest I was already too late, I hastened on up the Red Lake River. There I found more signs of the enemy. Then, suddenly, the undergrowth parted and I caught a glimpse of disheveled red hair. The friendly Pillager, Flat Mouth, was close be- hind. The three of us united and made our way to the river and crossed, only to find a dozen of the enemy awaiting us. Here, however, the white robes I had brought came into use. Miss Dearness wrapped one around both Flat Mouth and myself. The Sioux, seeing the powerful medicine, hesitated, and we succeeded in gaining shelter in the woods. There, surrounded by the Sioux, we decided to wait until night. I trusted to my double-barreled gun and their fear of the medicine robes to keep the Indians off till darkness could aid our escape. But there was only one chance in a thousand that we could win free and back-track safely through the long reaches of that wild country. word, and she understood the Chippewa tongue almost as well as she did English. When the speechmaker desisted the Sioux swung into a long line, a maneuver beautifully executed. In this formation they came towards us at a walk, tossing up their lances, waving their axes and sing- ing lustily. I made ready with my gun, picking the leader and a man on the left end as my two victims, but Flat Mouth folded his arms and did not even see to it that his bow was taut. “Make ready!” I nervously advised. He grunted in disgust. All but half a dozen of the horsemen began to pivot on the left end of their line and, almost before I could understand what they were up to, this huge segment was galloping madly along, parallel to the woods and away from us. “When night comes we shall ride very swift or very soft,” mumbled Flat Mouth, resuming the task of gathering arrows. In short, the Sioux were perfectly willing we should break from cover and ride south, Eomircbooks.co