Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

84 Adventure and held her to it most of the time while they zigzagged up to the top of the divide. . The black mule led easily, but both were blowing hard when they reached the top of the di- vide. Alex paused just a moment to look back for any sign of his pursuers but, seeing none, rode on. They now had steep down-going for seven or eight miles; then the road led through a cafion a. distance of ten miles to where it widened out into a valley some twenty miles long and ten or twelve wide. They encountered a light sift of snow on top of the divide, and it grew deeper rather than less as they advanced down the cafion. If the bandits came to the top of the divide Alex knew that his endeavor to throw them eff the trail would be wasted. He allowed Lisbeth to take her rapid walk down the steeper part of the trail, but when: he struck the cafion he again put her ence more into a lope. Then the valley opened up before him and he paused for a moment of deliberation while his mules blowed. The valley was smooth save for a growth of scrubby sage. The wagon road, such as it was, traversed the entire length of the valley to the upper end, a distance ef twenty miles. There was grave danger that the bandits would sight him before he reached: the other end. There was no snow on the floor of the val- ley, but he could see where it began at the upper end, and from there the trail led up and up into higher and higher mountains. Hf, imstead of following the road, he should dash straight across the valley he would probably be able to reach the protection of the fringe of timber that skirted it from end to: end. _ He could hide there until he made sure that he was really being followed and, when the bandits discovered that he had not gone eut of the valley, they might return to where he now stood to hunt for him or his tracks. At any rate he would have them guessing. On the other hand, if it was to be a straightaway race he would do better to take the shortest route possible. It was Lisbeth who decided him to try to eut-guess his enemies. She was cheerful as ever. Her big ears were wagging eagerly as they always did when she was ready to go ahead, but he noticed that the muscles of her shoulders were quivering involuntarily from the hard ride he had given her. Also, she was breathing harder than Bec’, the other mule. He feared that if he loped her for twenty. miles across the floor of the val- ley she would not be able to stand the strain of holding her own. The ground was frozen hard and covered with thick, dry bunch grass. His mules, for all that they were shod, left not a trace of their tracks. The valley, for all that it looked smooth from a general view, proved to be uneven and chopped up into tiny hills and ravines ‘that made remarkably hard going for the mules. But Lisbeth did not falter, nor did she once break her steady, mile-eating lope. She was covered with sweat and lather and puffing hard when they finally reached the shelter of the timber on the other side, her shoulders were quivering violently, but she had not tried to lag, and the big black mule had. They had struck the timber exactly where a tiny stream meandered out of the hills. Alex swung off, stripped the saddles from the mules, and while they drank brushed Lisbeth’s lathery back with a handful of dry grass. “Ole girl, yore a brick,” he told her. “Now yuh rest up an’- load up with bunch grass while I see what I can see.”’ HE CLIMBED up to the top of a “1 pinnacle several hundred yards above. where he had unsaddled, . “@ which commanded a fairly good view “- the entire valley. Naturally his eyes turned first to the mouth of the cafion which he had recently quitted—and he saw three horsemen congregated at the spot where he had paused to deliberate. Slowly he dropped his spy-glass, and a grim look settled over his face. At least the uncertainty was past. He knew now what to expect—death if he was overtaken. The men following him could not afford to take chances on letting their victim live. Raising his glass again he saw two of the men gallop along the road, while the third man fell in behind, driving five ex- tra horses. Besides their mounts and pack animals they had brought along extra saddle horses. At the pace they were setting Alex knew that it would have been next to im- possible for him to have kept ahead of them. He waited until the men ahead were half- way across the valley and then he returned to his mules. When he called Lisbeth came eagerly to him, dragging the pack mule with COMIGDIOOKSEEO