Adventure Magazine Cover — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

160 “Oui. I’m onderstan’, M’sieur. You bet- ter go now.” Without a word of farewell, Tad and Shorty rode toward camp. Frenchy dismounted and bent over Ribs who was groaning and moving his head as consciousness returned. Cursing softly, the breed looked down into the flabby, mottled face of his employer. He examined the wound with a look of dis- gust. “De nex’ time I’m shoot straight,” he muttered, then rose to his feet to beckon to the approaching riders. <e vate horses and leading their pack ==8 horse and the pinto, crossed the creek that marked the boundary of the Slash R range. “I’m kinda glad we’re shet uh that low- down outfit, Tad.” “Yeah. Metoo. Kinda throwed a crimp in the plan I had in mind, but we’ll figger out somethin’ better.” “Uh-huh.” Shorty twisted a Hioreth into shape and lighted it. He addressed his next remark to the blue sky overhead: “It shore does pay to go at things cau- tious. Yeah, you bet. Allers take ’er easy and play the game clost to yore belly. I’d tell a mau. Don’t never fly off the handle when a gent jumps yuh out fer a fight, sav- vy? It’s bad manners. Figger cautious so’s yuh git into a tight, then let yore pard- ner save yore wuthless pelt. Shore thing. I learned that offen a feller named Ladd. Big gent with a face like that brockle-faced cow yonder. He’s on changin’ brands, this big feller is. Grand idee. A few more uh them brain stampedes and him and his faithful pardner’ll be stakin’ out a two-by- six lot where some kind-feelin’ gent kin plant ’em.” Tad grinned tolerantly. “TY been watchin’ yuh millin’ that speech aroun’ in that thing yuh calls a head, runt. I been a waitin’ fer nigh an hour fer yuh to git a tail-holt on it and th’ow it outa yore feverish system. It must be shore to have one uh these low-withered, narrow- hipped, jug-headed brains that balks on a man thataway. And the faces yuh make! Some cold day yore face’ll freeze thataway and you’ll——” “Aw, let a man be, yuh ox. TAD and Shorty, riding their pri- That brand- Adventure in’ idee uh yourn has cut us loose from our grub supply. You claim to have the world’s supply uh brains corralled, where we gonna eat? Huh, elephant?” “We might hit a sheep camp fer tonight and “And git e’t up by fleas like we did across the river?” “Seems like there was fleas in that last sheep camp we hit,’ agreed Tad. “But it wasn’t what they e’t that bothered me. It was what the danged critters tromped down and sp’iled. Reckon we’ll make a dry camp in the hills tonight. Come mornin’, we'll mosey over to the Steve feller’s place and make medicine with him.” “Why not ride down there now?” They had topped a ridge and halted. Be- low them lay the Dunlap homestead. “Ribs Austin and his gang might foller us down there, Shorty. The Steve boy’s wife might be there and we don’t want to drag no gun fight in on her.”’ “Yo’re right, Tad. Looky yonder. See? To the left uh the hoss corral? Feller ona gray hoss, drivin’ eight er ten head uh cat- tle?” “T ain’t blind, runt. He’s A puff of white smoke, followed by the faint report of a rifle, cut Tad’s speech in two. The man on the gray horse swung to the ground,-the cattle scattered, and the man on the ground bent over a red-and- white blot that moved feebly. “Looks like the Steve gent was butcher- in’ a beef, Tad. He’ll be havin’ liver and bacon fer supper. I’m shore fond uh liver and bacon. Bet I could eat a bait uh that fresh liver like——”’ “Come on, pardner. I got a sack full uh jerky that the cook staked me to. Me’n you'll take on a mess uh dry jerky and crick water.” Tad swung back off the ridge, followed by the reluctant Shorty. ym ON A distant knoll, hidden by the ok grease-wood, F renchy watched the two cow-punchers turn back and ride out of sight. Then he turned his power- ful field-glasses to focus on Steve Dunlap who was busy skinning his beef. For some minutes the breed watched the young rancher at work. Then a wide grin spread across his swarthy face, and he chuckled softly as he put the glasses back in their case. “By gar, she’s lucky theeng I ride thees MICLOOOK C@©