Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

8 Adventure “Bueno. Mucho bueno.” Nor was this all; for next he passed his right arm through the trapper’s right up to the elbow, so that they stood side by side and facing in opposite directions, and re- peated his welcome. The maneuver was repeated with the other arm, and the cere- mony was finished. California Joe, more perturbed by this wealth of courtesy than he would have been by a scowling face and few words, expressed his good wishes in Kiowa and explained that he came to arrange for a trading-venture. Sitting Bear was interested and said shee must smoke. He ordered some women to unroll the robes in a large tent. Before this, the medicine tent, stood a pole and from it hung four scalps, all from the heads of white men. These were ‘green’ and must have been contributed by the friends of the man now playing with a deck of cards in the near-by tent. The trophies were guarded by an old woman, who was very proud of her office and very active in wielding a lance-staff when any women or children drew close to the pole. Between this tent and the one containing the strange white man was tethered a cinnamon bear, nearly full grown. The Indian youths, to show off before the white man, began baiting the animal and en- deavored to count coup by darting in and hitting the creature with the bare hand. The first youngster to make the attempt was ripped down the arm by the nimble claws. He drew himself up proudly, stalked toone side and stared off toward the horizon while a woman bound up his hurt. To him the trapper remarked: “Bill is big medicine. Next time he’ll take your scalp.” The boy scowled venomously at the white man, then remembered he was a warrior in the making and assumed the stoical indifference of his elders. “Beel?” queried Sitting Bear. “The white man’s name for a medicine bear,”’ was the grave reply. “The bear is medicine,” readily agreed Sitting Bear. ‘‘The white man with white hair has a big medicine he spreads on a robe. His medicine savs the Kiowa will be very big among all the tribes. “You come to trade. The robes are spread. Thepipe isready. We will enter.” The trapper was loath to part with his rifle, but showed no hesitancy in leaving it at the opening. The chiefs placed their bows of bois-d’arc beside it. These like their pony-trappings were ornamented with brass tacks, pieces of silver and beads. From the discarded wolfskin quivers pro- truded steel-tipped arrows, which at short range were as deadly as a rifle-bullet. Joe had more respect for them than for the few flintlock smooth-bores stacked beside his own gun. HE ENTERED first, followed by | the Mexican, and seated himself on z a robe opposite the entrance. As the chiefs did not come in for several min- utes he became suspicious. “Renewing their paint,’ murmured the Mexican. ‘“War-paint?”’ “No, no. They are interested in your trade goods. My friend, there is not room for two traders here.”’ “A th’ goods I’ve got ye can stick in yer eye an’ not make it ache, ” assured Joe. “My partner’ll be comin’ along any day now. If ye see him first git to him an’ tell him the lie I told the Bear. Sade?” “Si, senor. It is what you call a game. The blankets they got when they killed the devil-man’s friends spoiled my trade. If you brought goods “But I ain’t. Where'd this white skunk come from?” “California. Over the old Spanish trail. He has an Indian with him who is queer here.”” And he touched his head. ‘The Indian is big medicine. “The white man does magic with cards. He got his four friends to surrender to the Kiowas on promise their lives should be spared. Because he did that and does magic and because of the mad Indian travel- ing with him they let him live. Each day they believe his magic grows stronger. -I am afraid he’ll tell them to kill me and take my goods. He will go if he gets a chance. I will help him.” “Not very promising for me,’ trapper. “Very black unless goods coming.”’ The flap of the tent was pulled aside and the four chiefs filed in, Sitting Bear in the lead. They had painted their faces a bright yellow and had marked the parting of their ’ mused the they believe you have Comichboo Ss (C@