Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

106 Windy Lake Dog-Ribs who had another. So man Sharpley has four black foxes that should be mine!” “It is true,” the Indian admitted, almost in a groan. Merne cocked a finger of scorn at his host. “You have the tongue of a jay bird and the heart of a carcajou,” he rasped. “I have the eye of a mole, or I would have seen eRe \ ASNT AN v x WY \\\ QUIN AY WRG: NOS NOAA AY \ a" AYIA \ \ Wan \ \ \ a \ \ WX \\ \\ \ VY \ EP Oo \ any Eine C ay Wan “ \\\\ \ : “oy . w \ \ } gee iy ee gs h) f \ Wy \ \ A | SCALE A : fe "feo 200 ‘3oo Pte I \\ this in the ten years you have traded with me. But there is one thing which I have seen and you have been blind to.”’ Mug-wa looked up without speaking, impassive under the other’s tirade. “Tt is,’ continued Merne, ‘that a man may grow a face full of long whiskers and have a head of different colored hair and change his voice till it sounds like a ptarmi- gan bleat, but he is still the same man.” “How!” uttered Mug-wa, mystified. “Listen!’’ Merne bent forward. ‘Almost every summer you have gone beyond the Fort down the river to the cities of the white man. ‘Two summers ago, when you went, you had money with you from the sale of a good fur year. You came back with noth- ing. I heard about that, though you were ashamed to tell me. Why was it?” “T learned to play a thing called poker,” said Mug-wa with another groan. “True, you learned the game called poker,” said Merne, with a short laugh. ‘And the man who taught you the game is 9 Mug-wa glanced up quickly. A look of amazement seemed to spread over his face. He grunted. Adventure “Wh-h-at? Do I hear straight talk?” ‘“Straighter than your promises,’ Merne retorted. ‘Il make no mistake. I know. The man who taught you in the city is Sharpley!”’ The Indian stared at his visitor for a short minute. He seemed unable to be- lieve what he heard. Merne looked him out of countenance. With a gesture of infinite self-contempt, Mug-wa drew his skin cape over his head. “Ti I should tell others,’’ Merne con- tinued in somewhat softer tone, ‘‘that the man who tricked Mug-wa in the city, fol- lowed him almost to his hunting-grounds and tricked him again out of four black foxes for a canoe load of child things, with maybe a rifle or two, the squaws would set you to making babische.”’ From beneath the skin cape came a groan. ‘“‘Because you have been to the Outside, you have boasted that you can match trick for trick with the white men,” said Merne. “There is excuse for your learning to play poker; but here beside your hunting-grounds you should be the fox and man Sharpley the fool. You area babe, still pink!”’ Another groan. “You have traded those foxes and they are lost. You can not get them back, though they would have paid your debt to me and left you enough to buy food for a winter. You have twice been tricked by one man, who does not know a fisher skin from a dog hide. And you have lost your honor when you broke your promise to me.” Merne rose to his feet and stood silent till the sub-chief ceased groaning. “T have wasted a day to come and tell you that you are a fool, Mug-wa,’’ he con- cluded. ‘I have always dealt honestly with you, and before this you have dealt honestly with me. I will give you a chance. Next winter you will easily catch furs enough to fulfill your promise. After this lesson you will bring them to me. Iam going to make you send me four warriors and two canoes, to take my furs to the Fort before you go back to your lodges in the north hills. Send them to-morrow.” “They will come,” said the muffled and meek voice of Mug-wa. “My almost- brother may not now believe my words, but I had intended to send four men to him, and word of my trading with man Sharpley.” COmiclbooks C© inn