Astounding Science Fiction, February 1952 (British Edition) — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

42 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION girl with you, and Joe let her go. Didn’t you, Joe?” - “You didn’t say nothing about a girl,” - responded Joe sturdily. The Chief leaned back and was whis- pered to some more. Then, “That was Johnson’s daughter. You didn’t know that, did you? The hell you didn’t. You let her get away to stir up these fool farmers.” I said, “He didn’t know it was Johnson’s daughter. I knew, but I told him it wasn’t.” I was standing before his desk. The Chief is a big man, but he moved faster than I have ever seen anyone move. In a single motion he rose from his chair, plucked his gun from his belt, and hit me across the face with the barrel. I didn’t even have time to duck. I landed on the floor, blood streaming from a face still puffy since my encounter with Billy Garth near the Ruins. Even with the pain, I couldn’t help noticing Norma’s malicious smile. I climbed to my feet and let the blood drip. “You shouldn’t have done that,’ I said. “Now, watch out for me.” “You!” said the Chief. “Watch out for you! You renegade!” He was white with Tage. “You let the girl go, and now every blasted farmer in the Valley has ridden into > town yelling for Johnson!” Norma grabbed his arm, as though to stop him from saying too much. He shook her off.- “Thirty Bodyguards dead!” he bellowed. “I shouldn’t ha™ done that to you, hey? Spying for this red-headed book- worm, and you tell me to watch out for you!” Johnson spoke up. “This man found me for you, but he found me too late. Whether or not you kill me now doesn’t matter. The date for this action was set a month ago. You’re through, Chief.” The Chief sat down and looked at him coldly. Norma perched on the arm of the chair again, and put her hand on his shoulder. She bent and whispered to him. “Since you think you know so much about it,” said the Chief, “Til tell you something you don’t know. We’re going to wipe out your whole lousy crew. I’m going to fix you up right now, both of you, just as pretty as I can make you. Then Pll hang what’s left of you outside the window, for your friends to see.” It got very quiet in there. I began to under- stand what was happening. Some kind of _Tevolt had started, all right, and the Chief ‘was hard-pressed. He might yet even be beaten. I felt a little hope. There could be a way out. I looked around the room, at the Chief, at Billy, at Joe Wentworth, at the two guards standing by the door. Joe had my gun at his belt, and only the Chief had another. “Well, Joe,” I said, “seems to me you got something you promised to return to me.” The Chief leaned forward. “We'll start now,” he said. I felt my elbows clamped from behind by one of the guards. Johnson was held the same way. “All right, Billy,” said the Chief. “You can start in on your friend Hunter. Joe, I want you to muss up Johnson.” I heard noises outside, and shouting. I figured that if I could stay alive for a few minutes more; I might have a chance. Billy approached me, grinning all over. He was going to like this. 1 kicked back hard and twisted forward at the same time, feeling my broken ribs stab me like knives. I got one arm Joose’ just in time to deflect Billy’s first punch, which glanced off the side of my head but hurt me anyhow. I got my other arm loose and shook off the guard just in - time to receive another blow full in the-face. It knocked me sprawling into the corner. I saw Billy coming at me, and tried to get up in time to avoid his feet, I wasn’t sure _ I’d manage. Then something flew through the air and landed against my chest with a thump. It was my gun! “J near forgot to return it,” said Joe calmly. With a cry of fear, Billy Garth snatched at his hatchet. He didn’t draw it. I shot him through the head, and he fell in a heap before me. Too much happened, too fast. The Chief missed with his first shot, and never had a chance to try again. Joe Wentworth and I, together, beat him to death. I put a bullet through Norma myself, while she ran screaming for the door. I forgot about the two guards until I noticed that Johnson was holding them off, very nicely, with the Chief's own gun. Then, when it was over, when my head cleared and I could see the blood and bodies, I was sick, while big Joe Wentworth watched me solemnly. So that was the end of the big revolt. There was no one fighting after Joe and I dragged the bodies downstairs, out in the front of the Fort, and nailed them to the door. That was Johnson’s idea; he said ‘it would give notice, and it did. The Chief was dead, and so the Body- guards had no leader; but Johnson was alive, oO Eomichbooks.co