Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

142 E TALKED no more but hurried back to the guest-hut, for I was foolish enough to think my _ presence might protect her. The door was open, which surprized me, as Miss Dearness was quick to close it when we went out. We entered and I called her name. Our two guns and ammunition stood where we had left them, but the girl was gone. That she: should attempt to walk about the village was unthinkable. I snatched up the gun, made sure it was loaded, and - would have dashed out, had not Flat Mouth seized me by the arm and cautioned: “Walk softly. Wait for me.” He slipped on his robe, slung his bow and arrows over his shoulder and picked up his gun. Then he circled the hut and spent some moments at the skin couch before the fire-hole.. “We kill much time,” I impatiently warned. “Ts this medicine talk for you?” he called back. \ I joined him and he pointed to some words scrawled with a charred stick on the rocks forming the rim of the fire-hole. The message read: They take me to another hut, they say. Find me, American. I read it to Flat Mouth, who was highly pleased with this proof of the girl’s power to communicate with me. But when I would have commenced a precipitate search he restrained me, saying: “We shall get an ax stuck in our heads. The white woman will be left with her medi- cine to fight alone. It is no time to run like a badger after game. We must be the fox. Le Borgne will kill us if we hurry.” . He stood before me, his powerful fo blocking my path until I had regained an appearance of composure. Then, nodding in approval, he stepped aside for me to pass. As we reached the door I paused and filled and lighted my pipe to show my lack of concern. This was well played, as Flat Mouth quietly informed me two men, spies, were watching us from the porch of the next hut. By an effort I forced myself to laugh, and the grim features of the Pillager took on a smile. We sauntered carelessly from the hut, the Pillager murmuring: “She is still in the village. Le Borgne | «4 \ - a Adventure would place her in his brother’s hut, I think.” : This was logical, and in a roundabout way we finally arrived at Choke-Cherry’s abode. ‘The old villain was seated on the porch, puffing mightily to make his Mis- sourl weed burn in his long pipe. Several of his women were removing ‘some earthen pots and copper kettles to the next hut. I expressed concern for his difficulty, in getting a smoke ahd generously gave him an inch of tobacco and waited for him to fill and light up. Flat Mouth touched my elbow. I turned and, under a pretext of addressing him, observed the direction of his staring gaze. He was looking in- tently at the wall of the hut. Taking my time, I discovered a piece of bark hanging on the wall. On it was writing. To Choke-Cherry, through the Pillager, I said— “Where did you get the medicine that drives evil spirits away?” And I stepped closer to the writing. Between puffs the old reprobate proudly said: “Tt is very big medicine. It will bring me many ponies. It will keep the spotted sickness (small-pox) from my hut.” I scarcely heard the Pillager’s trans- lation, for I was reading: I know the\worst. It shall never happen. The woman tells me in the sign Janguage there is to be a big feast in two days. Don’t run any risks for me. You have done too much already. I am very brave. It will not be hard. “A very good medicine,” I said, stepping back and feeling the cold sweat standing on my-forehead. “But it is the woman part of the medicine. There is a man part that makes it whole. I will give you the man part because you are the brother of the mighty chief and will open his ears to what I say about a trading post here.’’ While the Pillager told him this, I picked up a bit of charcoal from a dead fire and rapidly wrote: It shall not happen. Be ready tonight. We can do’nothing in the daytime. If not tonight, then to- morrow night. Remember, it shall not happen. Then to the deeply interested Choke- Cherry I explained: “The medicine is now whole. When the sun is overhead take it inside and hang it over the place for medicine.” As it was near noon I knew the girl would EOPNIG OOO “S t i lee 4 z oe a _ —_ . es (E@) ete ae a Se