Adventure Magazine Cover — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

170 with the other hand, and the mountaineer fell on top of him. “All right Woodruff,” he yelled at the top of his lungs, and then saved his breath. The gun had fallen from the other man’s hand; and in a struggling heap that raised clouds of.choking dust the two struggled. Hemingwood fought like a wildcat for a few seconds, wondering why the sergeant did not come to his assistance. Suddenly a kicking, clawing burden was added to the heap. For a moment. the choking, blinded, panting flier was relieved, and then his hand caught hold of long, silky hair. It was the girl, and she was of no mean assistance to her brother. In a few seconds Hemingwood was flat on his back. The girl, her wild beauty intensified by her flashing eyes, was perched on his recumbertt form, and two arms that seemed to have the strength of a man’s held him down while Mark secured the gun. Woodruff had not moved. For an instant Hemingwood’s face grew bleak and hard, as with tightened lips he glanced at the sergeant. “You , yellow coward!” he said slow- ly, and then his eyes met the girl’s. “T hope I didn’t mess you up any, sister,”’ he grinned, his brown eyes alight with admiration. “Git up, Liz,’”’ commanded the man. She clambered off, and Hemingwood arose to a sitting position. “Y’ll bet the young lady here that I can lick you and that spineless, chicken-livered nincompoop up there,” he said cheerfully. The young mountaineer’ s set face relaxed a trifle. “I guess mebbe ye could,”’ he admitted. “Liz, go up to the house and git that rope.” Woodruff, licking his dry lips, climbed down from the motor. the distributors and fixed the one which had fallen partially off. He did not dare look at Hemingwood. The girl was off toward the cabin, her. lithe young body covering the ground swift- ly in long, graceful strides. Her hair whipped behind her in a stream of glinting beauty. “Listen here, Mark—I heard the girl call you that—if you’ll dispense with tying us up [ll give you my word of honor that there’ll be no more funny business. That hookworm there couldn’t’ bother a lamb, and I won’t try to.” He had wiped off Adventure Mark shook his head, his eyes cold. “(Oh come on, be a sport,”’ urged Heming- wood, still sitting on the ground. “T told you we came down here by accident, and— near killed ourselves doing it, too. I don’t care whether you make moonshine enough to fill the river there—my business is flying, not spotting stills.” Again the Kentuckian shook his head. ‘See those things tied to the struts? . That’s sulfuric acid that we were bringing from Dayton. We needed it badly to take some pictures down at Camp Henry to- morrow. I guess they’ll have to do without 7em now. I was hoping to either get the ship out of here some way or else hit the pike for the railroad and carry it in that way. ‘“Why man alive, I’d give a lot for a drink of moonshine right now. ~Anyway, I’m not asking you to let us go, even although I can’t see why on earth you should hold us. All I’m asking is not to make me lay around tied until this uncle of yours get here.” Hemingwood was smiling, his eyes meet- ing his captor’s gaze steadily. The Ken- tuckian appeared to be considering the matter as the girl came out of the cabin with some clothes-line in her hands. Woodruff was silent, his eyes on the ground and his thin, melancholy face expressionless. Hemingwood, encouraged by the moun- taineer’s silence, tried a new tack. “If you were in the army you know that the army has nothing to do with revenue officers—that our business is totally dif- ferent. And you likewise know that an officer doesn’t give his word of honor lightly. What say?” “Word of honor?” inquired Mark unex- pectedly, his keen eyes resting unwaveringly on Hemingwoed’s face. “Word of honor,” returned the “That is, until your uncle comes.” “Don’t worry—ye kain’t git away from him,” was the reply. ‘‘Liz we hain’t goin’ t’ tie ’°em. They swore not to git away till Uncle Lafe gits hyar’” The girl threw down the rope and dropped to the’ ground, her eyes seeking the ship again. “That’s the stuff,” said the Duke heartily. flier. “Woodruff, if you try anything—which you haven’t got the guts to do, of course—but if you should go crazy and try something, I'll help the folks here to get you. Sabe?” Woodruff nodded. He was well enough satisfied. He thought with a pleasant sense DOOLK (©