Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

124 you,” panted the murderer. ‘Hi! Whoa!”’ This as Ike’s horse shied close to our hiding-place and turned to bolt back to the camp. Bill’s mount was sent across the road and the rider was reaching out to grasp the bridle when the captain leaped from cover and dragged him from the saddle. I followed to lend a hand. Posby grunted for me to keep off. I persisted in my good intentions for the situation was too critical to be nice in deportment. They whirled about so rapidly, however, and the gathering dusk was so confusing that the captain’s love for “fair play” in a scrimmage was satisfied. As I danced from side to side in my helplessness they fell with a crash. Only one regained his feet. It was Posby. “Is he dead?” I whispered. “Got him with his own knife,” puffed the captain. “Strong devil, but a trifle weak on wrestling as we do it in old England. What now?” wy POSBY had killed him without pay gaining possession of the knife for the handle was still clutched in the dead man’s hand. ‘Leave him here. Take the knife and throw it into the brush. Let his horse go free. Catch the other horse and take him into the woods. Then help me lug Ike’s body into the woods s “Let the blasted beggars stay here,” growled the captain. “They'll ride down here to investigate that shot. Bill was Ganner’s tool. He must be found dead. Ike is missing. The gang will think Ike did for him. That is why we must keep Ike’s horse from bolting. If*Bill killed Ike he would hide the body and ‘make back to camp and tell Ganner about the gang’s suspicions. So Bill must be found dead and Ike gone with his own horse.”’ - “You got a head on you, young fellow,” admired the captain as he led Ike’s horse into the brush and secured him. Then the two of us picked up the dead man and car- ried him a few rods into the woods and piled brush over the body. The captain recov- ered the horse and, securing our own ani- mals, we pushed ahead. whe third horse would do for the girl if we could rescue her. In advancing we drew closer to the road as it was rapidly growing dark in the growth. As we expected a squad of men galloped by us to learn the reason for the Adventure single pistol-shot. The promptness with which they showed up proved the camp was even nearer than I had imagined. Eight of the bandits had died the death since the raid on the Macson cabin. There were at least tenin the squad now tearing down the road to investigate the shooting. If poor Dick Macson had cor- rectly counted the bandits there would be scarcely a score at the camp. I mentioned this result of my figuring to Posby, who enthusiastically vowed: “Cursedly good sportsmanship on your part, Jim! Ten to one. Gad! We’ll take the trick or Ill eat my legs.” It was quite useless to attempt explaining I had no thought of offering open battle to the bandits in camp. Time enough to dis- appoint him when we found them. Our de- sire to reach the camp before the squad re- turned made us quite reckless and we only hoped that if our progress through the dark- ening woods attracted attenticn it would be attributed to some of the scouts. Now that the sun had gone we had no way of knowing when we were near the end of the woods, and I, at least, was disagree- ably startled to burst from cover and find ourselves in a small clearing and within two hundred feet of a log. cabin. To add to my alarm a dark object moved from the shad- ows at one end of the low structure and ad- vanced a few steps toward us and called out— ‘“‘Some of the boys?”’ “It’s Ike,” I growled. “Keep my horse here till I come for him.” And with that I slapped the dead man’s animal and sent him trotting toward the figure. The cap- tain had taken his cue instantly and held our horses in the edge of the cover. The man caught the nag by the bridle and as I was retreating squealed after me: ‘“‘What’s this on the saddle? It’s wet and sticky! It’s blood, Ike!” ‘Welk; it ain’t mine,” I gruffly assured him. ‘‘Keep the nag close and keep your mouth shut or you'll be paying a visit to Cap’n Ganner.”’ “‘Gawd save me that!” he exclaimed in a half-whisper. ‘“I’d ruther have a knife, at my throat then to hear him laff like he does tonight. Wish I didn’t have to stand guard here: I'll take good care of the hoss. I’m a friend to all you boys. Friend to the cap’n, too. Allers remember that, Ike.” I grunted unintelligibly and joined Posby. He softly protested: COmicloo oN Uf) C©