Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

128 and light steps glided toward the prostrate man. “Elsie!’”’ I softly called as I made for the hole which served as a window. “Jim!” she sighed, and that ended our greetings. For now a mass of men was at the door. I discharged both pistols from the window and stepped aside to allow Posby to take my place. He fired with more deliberation, emptying his four weapons. Screams of pain followed our six shots and with the men jammed together it was impossible to miss. They ran back in disorder to where they had left their horses. “The place is full of ’em!’’ howled one of the bandits. “Then —— will be full of them!” screamed Ganner, his voice taking on a whine that reminded me of a singing rifle- bullet. “Reload, Jim!’ snapped Posby, now as cool and collected as if on parade. “It’s going to be sportsman-like for us.” ey2@q ALREADY I had reloaded one pis- = @ tol in the darkness and soon had its mate ready. But I think he had his four done almost as soon. ‘“‘Get the old man’s rifle,’ he sharply or- dered. “His pistol, if he hasany. Left my ifle in the woods; curse it! See if there’s any other window in this coop.” ‘“‘There’s only the one window,” spoke up Elsie. “Here is the rifle, loaded. I'll have the two pistols ready in a half a minute.” “My 4riend is Captain Posby, of his Majesty’s forces,” I told her through the opaque blackness. “Elsie Macson, my cousin, Captain Posby.”’ I knew he was bowing low and sweeping the dirt floor with his hat. “I make you my compliments, Mistress Elsie Macson. No wonder you Americans can fight when you have such women!” he said. Then to me, “What are they at now, Jim?” “That whining voice is Ganner’s. insane, I take it. Now he’s telling “He’s telling them what? I didn’t catch it,’ Posby innocently prompted as I caught my tongue. “He’s telling them to set the cabin on fire,’ quietly supplied the girl. ‘“‘Jim, don’t be afraid for me. I’ve seen my father killed by our own burning cabin. Fire is clean. Death is clean. I shall never be He’s 99 Adventure afraid again. I think poor Shonts is done for.” “Gawdfry! It was a whang-doodle worth dyin’ for,’ gasped Shonts from the floor. ‘“‘An’ mebbe the old man’s got one more fight left in him yet—once he gits his wind back.” ‘Help me get him out of range of the window, Jim,” she ordered. I felt my way to the two of them and for a second my hands touched hers and grasped them tightly. As gently as possible we moved the wounded man into a corner. Elsie asked me to make a light so she could see to dress his wounds, but Shonts vehemently protested: “If you make a light they’ll bag you like coons in a holler log. No hurry ’bout me. One of you keep close to the winder an’ well to one side. ’Tother stand by the door. Oughter be a hole in the door somewheres.”’ ‘Here they come,” warned the captain from the window. ‘Here are the pistols,’’ whispered the girl, finding my hands and placing the weapons in them. I sprang to the door and made sure the prop was secure and then took my place beside the captain. The unison of their tramping feet told us they were keeping step, but it was not until they were within a few yards of the door that we learned the reason for their precise advance. ‘Two files of men were carrying a long log. Posby fired a pistol into the mid- dle of the mass and I let go with the rifle at the leading couple. Down went two men for the others to stumble over and down went the log. The two lines began to disintegrate and fade out in the darkness, leaving a trail of groans and curses as we scored with further shots. From somewhere in the backgreund came the whining voice of Ganner. He had been in a terrible rage the night I escaped his clutches, but this peculiar quality of voice was new to me. I heard him cursing the men for cowards and one of his follow- ers, anonymous because of the darkness, ad- vised him to prove his own mettle. With a thin snarl he ran for the cabin. We could glimpse him indistinctly as he bounded along and the captain fired and missed. Before either of us could try an- other shot Ganner was at the window and had burned my cheek with the discharge of a pistol, and had clawed the hat from Posby’s head and was racing back to his COmiclboo CN Vp) CO