Adventure Magazine Cover — page 127: what you’re looking at

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

The Long Knives but had to buy him of a dog of a trader, who had bought him of the brave Spotted Snake. You ask the Shawnee to watch you take away the white man. So come and take him, Slow-Foot.”’ With a devil’s scream White Tom pulled his ax and knife, and with a weapon in each hand gathered his muscles to spring upon his victim. Durgin leaned to one side and sent his whittling-knife spinning through the doorway. Old Podge vanished to pounce upon it. Almost at the same mo- ment the Delaware leaped inside the cabin. White men would have crowded to the door and small window, and only a few would have seen the struggle inside. The Indians held back, eagerly waiting for the fight to come into the open. Through the doorway and window glimpses could be caught of the whirling figures clutched in a death struggle. That the combat should last beyond a few seconds amazed the sav- ages; for they knew the four-inch blade of Durgin’s knife was a sorry weapon to use against the long blade and ax of the infu- niated Delaware. ‘Then again Podge was much older than his enemy. The Delaware’s yell of triumph rang out, made me sick at heart and filled me with nausea. Like a rat in a trap the old man was being done to death and in a hideous manner; and the savage audience heard the triumphant scream with ghoulish relish. But there was no sound of groaning from Old Podge. Again the Delaware shouted his victory cry, only this time what was in- tended to be a long-drawn-out yell was sud- denly terminated and was succeeded by a gurgling, choking sound. There came the clump of a heavy body striking the hard earthen floor. Warrior glared at warrior. The two Girtys made to enter the cabin, but the Spotted Snake commanded: “‘Keep back. The trade is made. one will come out.” As he finished Old Podge appeared in the doorway and drew himself erect like a young man. He was drenched with blood and was bleeding furiously from two awful wounds, one through the chest and one in the side. The whittling-knife, short of blade but all- sufficient for the mortal thrust, was clinched in the gnarled right hand. His emaciated frame would soon be a bloodless shell. And the marvel of it! He kept his feet long enough to lift up his knife and hoarsely shout: Some I2I “The white man dies! He sends a Dela- ware warrior on ahead of him to smooth his path. Take this to the Delaware village!” And his left hand rose and hurled White Tom’s black-and-white scalp-lock at the feet of the gaping Delawares. Then his legs buckled, and he lurched against the side of the door. With his last bit of strength he hurled the knife at James Girty. The rene- gade ducked and caught the point in his shoulder. While he was plucking it forth and cursing most terribly my old friend col- lapsed, slid to a sitting posture and toppled across the threshold. One of the Delawares jumped forward with his scalping-knife drawn, but the Snake barred his advance and coldly warned him: _ “The white man takes his hair with him. He was a very brave man.” I was so overcome by the tragedy that I did not sense the meaning of the hand thrust into mine; and had it not been for the spectacle of the dead man holding the at- tention of each pair of eyes the string of road-wampum, mechanically clutched in my hand, would have been quickly no- ticed. I recovered my wits enough to thrust it inside my legging, and from the corner of my eye saw the Pleiss woman working her way through the crowd. Shaw- nee Betsy was at her husband’s side, busy dressing his hurt. ‘He stung like a —— rattler to the last!” exclaimed Simon Girty. “Pll cut the heart out of that man for giv- ing him the knife,” screamed James, now fairly beside himself with rage as he shook his fist at Durgin. The New Englander had not moved from his original position. He drew a handker- chief from his pocket and spread it over the dead man’s head. James would have done Durgin mortal mischief had not Spotted Snake stepped before his prisoner and an- nounced: i ‘“‘There are only a few words left in my bag of talk. The white medicine man’s knife is very strong. He shall not be struck because he gave it to his friend. It is a little knife, but 1t hunts down life and kills. The old white man was a very brave man. He fought well. He has done us honor to fight and die as he did. The Delawares shall not cover their heads with shame because a Delaware has been killed. He killed the COmiclboolks (©