Adventure Magazine Cover — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

98 I knew our supreme effort could not be long delayed. The surface of the water became a black waste, and I thought I heard a faint splash opposite my position. Now voices began calling loudly farther down the river. The newcomers had gone to find a crossing. I could see no reason why I should not put after the chief and the girl; then the soft splashing was repeated, this time nearer. Quitting the bushes, I crawled through the mud to the edge of the bank and heard a rippling sound that was not made by the lap-lap of the water on the narrow beach. Suddenly a vague shape stood before me, within twenty feet, and I fired. He did not have time to utter his death cry before ‘slumping back into the current. Trailing my gun,I ducked into the woods and fol- lowed up the rivulet. The Pillager and Miss Dearness were about half-way to the end of the timber when I overtook them. It seems she had refused to go further until I joined them. “Take her and go on,” viciously directed Flat Mouth, thrusting the bridles of the three horses into my hands. “No time for you to count a coup,” I warned as he turned back. “Very soon I shall be at your heels,’’ he promised. Our progress was slow because of the difficulty in avoiding the frequent clumps of willows. From the plain on the north came the sound of much singing. From the south the Indians were racing their horses impudently near the woods and yelling derisively. I gave the girl the bridles to hold while I recharged my gun. We had nearly reached the end of our cover, and the underbrush was thinning out, when the girl caught my hand and whispered— “They’re trying to burn us out!” I sniffed and detected smoke, a thin reek of burning grass. I wet my finger and tested the faint breeze. It still held from the south, Creeping to the edge of the plain I could make out moving shapes as the Indians rode up and down the front of the timber. But there were no fires burning on this side, and a blaze lighted on the north would sweep away from us. Returning to Miss Dearness, I reassured her. “Then there is only one other explana- tion,” she said. ‘Flat Mouth has set the grass afire on the north side of us.” Adventure “Tt will burn to the Turtle, perhaps to the Park.” ‘“‘Some one is coming!” she warned, and again her hand instinctively closed over mine. I cocked the gun and rested it over a saddle, not bothering to release my hand. “Tt is Eshkebugecoshe,”’ softly called a voice. The girl dropped my hand hurriedly. Without pausing, Flat Mouth took charge of the horses and pressed ahead while I guarded the rear. Now the smoke was very noticeable and our animals showed a tendency to bolt. “You fired the grass?”’ I whispered. “In many places,” he grunted. ‘‘The Sioux are spreading out and watching for us to ride through under cover of the smoke. The warriors on the other side will think we’re escaping and will ride into the woods.” We were at the end of the timber, and the girl mounted her pony and adjusted her white robe. Dead ahead.sounded the pounding of hoofs and an Indian screamed something. Flat Mouth interpreted: ‘‘He says for the men to ride through the woods, some to go to the river, some to come up here, some to follow the fire and see if we are there, some to keep in front of it. Wait for me here and do not fire the gun unless you have to.” Before we could restrain him he was galloping toward the messenger, his white robe making him resemble a Sioux warrior whose skins were white with clay. I heard him salute the Sioux in that tongue. The other asked something in a sharp, insistent voice. The next moment there was the blurr of a struggle, then the clump of a falling body. A horseman was riding toward me. I cocked my piece, but Flat Mouth softly commanded: “Hurry! Hurry!” Then he took the girl’s pony by the halter and led the way out into the plain. CHAPTER VIII WE MEET BLACK CAT’S PEOPLE | QO OUR left the warriors were entering the woods. On our right they were riding their ponies through the fire to find us behind the smoke. Had it been Autumn there would have been no passing the Gomichbooks. co nm