Adventure Magazine Cover — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

Battle of a Thousand Hoofs Americans and go to organizing a defense? Then where would we be, and our burros?”’ Old Joash mopped the sweat from his ace. “Oh, I ain’t aimin’ to tell,” he said. “Gosh, but this is a sweat to be in, between hanging and hades! Sssst! Here’s Bud.” Bud Milroy, famous officer of the Big Bend country, grim-looking until his friend- ly eyes were near enough to break the illu- sion by showing twinkling half-amusement, stepped up. He wore fancily stitched boots, a neat gray flannel shirt with red tie, and a big hat. “Hello, Bud,” greeted Joash. tricks?” “‘Tricks are all to the ha-ha,”’ answered Bud. “But youre perpetrating a crime against humanity, starving those jack- asses up there. Why don’t you butcher them or turn them loose?”’ “Yes-sir, yes-sir,” hastily answered Joash. ‘““Yes-sir, what?” “Which?” “What? I say, butcher or turn ’em loose. Because whichever you do, I sug- gest you do pronto.” “Yes-sir.”’ “‘The sooner the quicker.” ‘Ves-sir.”’ The Ranger started on. Jim and Joash shot a look at each other. They were eager to know whether Bud knew about the Straddler. Joash cleared his throat. ‘“‘What’s the local news, Bud?” he asked. “IT been so busy lately. Whatever has become of the Straddler we was hearing so much about last week?”’ Bud laughed mirthlessly. ‘Three days ago,” said he, “that renegade was at Santa Clara, forty miles south of here, but since that time I can’t get hide nor hair of him. Plumb crimped for informa- tion. What do you know?” Joash laughed delightedly and jauntily slid his Panama across his head. ‘“‘Thanks for the compliment,” said he. “Tf what I don’t know was put in books they’d be enough to start a small library.” “Well, look after those mocking-birds,”’ admonished Bud and went on. “Borry a dollar from him!’ hissed Jim. ‘So’s we can eat.” Joash shook his head. ‘“‘We can’t let Bud Milroy—white folks— know we're financially strapped. Tighten up yo’ belt. You know, Jim, Bud not “‘How’s 133 knowing about the Straddler being over in the Mexican village makes the situation look awful bad. The Straddler has kept it secret. He means business. He’ll come like the thrust of a rattler’s head. Boy, we’re up against it. The populace is up against it. I feel like a dog, not giving the alarm.” They sat still a long time, mired in their thoughts; then the old man broke out with a summary of his complaint. “They say every trouble has got two sides; but this of mine has got several. If I keep the burros I’ve got to cut their throats.” Joash shuddered. “Tf I turn ’em out the people will call me chicken-hearted. If I don’t warn the town about the Straddler I’m a ccur. If I do I lose my donks and the four hun’rd bucks they cost me. I’d be willing to plank down five cents in cold cash if I had it to have this thing settled up all peaceful and right.” Joash’s face was wrinkled with worry until he looked to be in the bottomless pit of despair. “‘Aw, shut up!’ spat Jim. “Quit lookin’ thataway. What if you was plumb starved like I am? Come on, let’s go and drive them burros back into the hills so’s we can get some money out of them and eat now and then.” Jim pulled the old man to his feet and they set out. When they arrived at the corral the two hundred and fifty burros all faced their way and eyed the two men un- blinkingly, hungrily. Nobody was in sight. The sun was just setting. “‘Redder’n blood,” whispered Joash. “Let’s turn the donks out and head ’em for the hills, quick.” “And be curs,” said Jim, leaning against the fence and not making any move. The words made Joash cringe. He went and sat down on the brink of the table-land, to be soothed by the sunset. “Lordy,” he sighed, “I’d give a dollar to have this all settled.” The vast, far-reaching country that the buzzards had looked down upon throughout the day was shadowy now. The Mexican village lay dark save for one star-point of light. That was in the long adobe occupied by the Straddler and his crowd, or so Joash surmised from his knowledge of the location of the place. Joash, gazing, began to plot and dream, Co NOOK 1 @)