Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

One Against Many reconnoitering, an overeager brave took a pot-shot at him. The bullet missed, as most Apache bul- lets had a habit of doing. Next to the courage of the old-timers the utter in- ability of the North American Indian to grasp the necessity of pulling down his front sight was perhaps the largest factor that helped the white man to win the coun- try west of the Mississippi River. Uncle Billy Rhodes whirled his pony and started back in the direction he had come from. But the ponies of the Apaches were fresh from the rest they had enjoyed while their masters were prolonging the death agonies of Uncle Billy’s partner. It took but a short time for the Indians to catch them up and within a minute or two something like fifty warriors, turbaned, naked from the waist up, were crowding their frenzied mounts in the wake of the fugitive. The chase, as might have been expected, was a short one. Before he had gone a half- mile Uncle Billy saw that he was going to be overtaken. Already the savages were spreading out, and he could hear the yells of those who were drawing up on either side. It was the proper time for a man to despair; but Uncle Billy was too busy look- ing about him for a point of vantage to indulge in any such emotion as that. He had an old-fashioned cap-and-ball revolver, all of whose chambers were loaded; and it was his intention to make those six bullets, if possible, account for six Apaches before he resigned himself to unkind fate. The river-bed was close at hand; im places the road skirted the willow thickets which lined the stream. Before the fugitive a particularly thick clump of the green shrubs showed; all about it the ground was open. Uncle Billy hardly bothered to check his pony’s lame gallop before casting himself bodily into the midst of this shelter. And thereafter the affair took on a different complexion. The Apache was never toolhardy. Pos- sessed of marvelous patience, he was willing to wait when waiting was the more prudent course of action. And in the beginning the pursuers, who had encircled the willow thicket, contented themselves with shooting from a distance where they could keep to cover. But evening was growing on, and these savages were imbued with more supersti- 45 tious fears of the dark than the members of most Indian tribes. It became evident that they must rush matters if they would go to camp before the night enwrapped them. So the forty-odd came wrigglmg down the surrounding slopes toward the willow thicket, keeping as close to the earth as possible, striving to close in before they made their open charge. Uncle Billy waited until he got a good-shot, and “‘turned loose” for the first time. A spattering of bullets answered his, but he had the satis- faction of seeing one naked form lying motionless on the hillside. There came a yell, and now the Apaches showed themselves as they ran forward. The old revolver spoke again and then the third time. The charge broke in tts incep- tion; and the retreating enemy left three of their number behind them when they went back to cover. There followed an.imterval of silence. It was succeeded by another rush. Uncle Billy fired, twice from the depths of his thicket, and both shots scored. The Apa- ches sought the rocks once more; but the old-timer lay among the willows with a broken elbow ‘from one of their bullets. There was no time, nor were there means for dressing the wound. He gritted his teeth and dug the ‘elbow into the soft sand to stanch the flow of blood, and waited for the next onset. | It came within a few minutes, and Uncle Billy fired his last shot. The good luck which sometimes helps out a brave man in of trouble saw to it that the ball from his revolver found the chief of the party. When they saw him fall the Indians retired in bad order. And now, where force had failed them, the Apaches resorted to diplomacy. All they -wanted was to get their hands on the white man, and a little lying might be the means to help them to it. In Spanish one of them called from his cover, bidding Uncle Billy give himself up asa prisoner. He had, the herald said, been so brave that they would observe the amenities df the white man’s warfare; they would not*harm a hair of his head. But if he refused they surely would come on this time and kill him. To which Uncle Billy Rhodes replied profanely, inviting them to make the charge. ‘“‘Because,”’ he ended, “I’m plumb anxious to get some more of you.” And then he sat back biding their coming Clo@@ ZA UM) (© (©