Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

34 behind the trunk, against which his rifle was leaning a moment before. While intently watching it, a faint puff of smoke seemed to be expelled from the bark, the spitting crack of a Win- chester broke the stillness, and Jake Auckland chuckled. He had succeed- ed in drawing his enemy’s fire, without harm to himself. Had this been the situation a half. century or more before, when repeat- ing rifles were unknown, that single shot would have sealed the doom of the man who fired it, for his enemy would have been upon him before he could reload; but Jake Auckland was too wise to attempt anything of the kind, knowing that he was certain to run against a bullet before hé could pass half the intervening distance. My own situation was now most pe- culiar. After firing, the stranger slight- ly shifted himself to the right. . While this did not bring him within range of Jake’s rifle, it did bring him within sight of me. I plainly saw his shoulder and the side of his face. Of course he knew nothing of my pres- ence in the vicinity, and I took care not to tempt him to send a shot toward me. The space was considerable, but I believed there was a good chance of reaching the man with my revolver, had I chosen to make the attempt, but it need hardly be said that nothing would have tempted me to do such a thing. | But what would Jake Auckland not have given for my chance? . With two men of equal skill and cunning thus confronting each other, everything pointed to several hours’ delay before one could gain any ad- vantage. It was this fact that caused Jake to attempt a trick shrewd of it- self, whose termination astounded no one more than himself. _ Jake suspected from my position that I had a partial sight of his foe. He knew further that I would make no effort to injure him, unless in self de- fense. His scheme was to let the lat- THE ARGOSY. ter know he was threatened by two men instead of one, and to impress him that tHe second person was one of the most dreaded of the mountaineers, who fought on the side of Jake Auckland. Calling across to me, he substituted the name of this mountaineer for my own: “Tsay, Vic Hawkins, are you watch- ing out?” Before I could make suitable reply, the stranger, hearing the voice, called back : “Ts that you, Jake Auckland ? ” “ T reckon; who are you? ” “Why, l’m Vic Hawkins!” was the astonishing reply, as the other stepped into full view and laughingly came for- ward. Remarkable as it may seem, Jake, in addressing me under an assumed name, had used the real name of the man whose life he was seeking. In other words, Mr. Hawkins, instead of being an enemy waiting to pick us off with a Winchester, as we came within range, was an ally of the Baker clan, ready and eager to do duty in its ser- vice. Jake again showed his shrewdness in introducing me as a gentleman who was looking up some coal and mineral lands, and giving no hint of my real business. As for Hawkins, Jake summed up the situation in the excla- mation: “ He’s one of us! ”’ I never saw a man with blacker eyes and hair, and he was little more than five feet in height, but with immense shoulders, chest and the sturdiest of arms and legs. He would have proven the toughest kind of a customer in a rough and tumble encounter. “Who be you lookin’ fer? ” asked Jake. “Bill Harbridge and Jim Sawyer; they’ve been due any time, but are a deuced long while in coming. Say, pardner,” and Hawkins suddenly turned toward me, “ what do you think of that?” and he pointed to the ar- COMICOOOKS. COM