Adventure Magazine Cover — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

I20 mistaking the man, although I had never seen him before. This fellow frantically secured a passage through the group by roughly using elbows and arms. Standing before the Snake, he cried: “The Delaware will buy this man! He killed my son on the Muskingum. I will give twice what the trader will give. I will take him away now.”’ “The man is sold to the trader,’’ the Snake informed him, uneasy under the in- sane glare of the Delaware’s eyes. “White Tom, by the ’Tarnal!”’ yelled old Podge. | And a wonderful thing happened. All fear seemed to leave him, a full score of years dropped from his face, and he grinned broadly. His voice was calm and softly pitched as he said in Shawnee: ‘A long trail comes to an end on the bank of the Maumee. I have walked and run through many snows and under many hot suns. My feet are tired. I did kill the Dela- ware’s son. My medicine has told me we should meet like this some time. It is good. Sellme to him and tell him to take me away.” It was a scene to delight the red heart. Lips were tightly compressed. Small eyes gleamed to take in every detail of the prom- ised tragedy as the onlookers began smell- ing blood. There was not a man present who had not long known how the Dela- ware father was ever seeking the white man who killed his son on the Muskingum. White Tom turned to Spotted Snake and stretched out his hands as one begging a gift. With genuine regret Spotted Snake said: ‘‘The man has been sold to the trader. Had the Snake known this was the killer of your son he would have sent him across the river to the Delaware village. But the man belongs to the trader. The Spotted Snake has shaken the last word from his bag of talk.” White Tom wheeled on James Girty and said: “You are the brother of the man * who has a Delaware wife, who lives with the Delawares and is called brother by them. The Delaware wants that man. We have eaten and smoked together many times. You have always found a mat and a kettle in the Delaware’s cabin. You know the *George Girty. Adventure Delaware can not wear his name until he has killed the white man who killed the Delaware’s son. ‘The Delaware wants that man!’’ And he pointed dramatically at Old Podge. “My village will pay what you say.” James Girty’s trade was not confined to the Shawnees. Being temperate and his brother being given to drink, he picked up much trade from the Delawares. He promptly replied: “T sell him to you, man of the Turkey Clan, so that you may wear your name again. He is yours for the price I agreed to pay—twenty shoots of powder, a knife and an ax. I will take pelts in place of the pow- der, knife and ax. I take no profit on my trade. I will find my profit in- watching how you use him. He is yours; take him from that cabin.” If Spotted Snake intended to deliver the prisoner across the river he had no time to announce any such plan. For with an exul- tant yell White Tom brushed by him and began warily approaching the erect figure of Old Podge. But if my friend had en- countered the inevitable he did not purpose to be carried away to the torture without a struggle. He backed to the doorway, his gaze cool and observant. I leaped forward, striving to think of some makeshift to save my friend. Simon Girty hurled me back, and the Shawnees crowded close to me until I could not even lift my arms from my sides. Durgin re- mained seated near the door and did not offer to rise. Warriors were swarming in from all directions to watch the sport; and there were women and children among the spectators. White Tom, of the Turkey Clan of the Delawares, grandfathers of the Shawnees, was proud of the réle he was playing, and loudly called out: “The Delaware man will soon be wearing his old name. He takes the man who killed his son. Let all see how it is done to the white man who killed the young Delaware!” Standing in the doorway, Old Podge loudly taunted him in the Shawnee tongue: “Your feet are slow and lame. You have been a long time catching up with the white man. He had to come to this Shawnee vil- lage, close by your village, for you to see him. Even then you could not catch him oO Comicloooks CO