Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

The Road to El Dorado oblivious to his presence. ~The spectacle of the Indian feverishly cutting notches and slicing them off made Natchez forget for a moment the purpose of his visit. “If you’re only sight-seeing please step aside so the gentlemen can get their money down,” murmured the dealer without lifting his blue eyes. As he spoke he shuffled the cards, cut them and held them in his palm. “T’ll be cussed!” exploded Natchez. “Dealing out of his hand instead of using a box!”’ : “You don’t admire my game?’’ politely asked Oakes, resting his hands in his lap and on a level with the concealed shelf containing the two revolvers. “Sure I do! So much so I’m going to break it!” boastfully cried Natchez, pulling off his money-belt and stacking up some gold coins. The crowd drew nearer, eager to see if he were to prove another Denham or if he was to have a fool’s run of luck. They would either keep off jhis bets or duplicate them. Oakes gave him a sharp glance, his super- stitions alive to the danger of reckless wagers made by a man unbalanced by Taos lightning. He had small liking for the plunger who would bet his all on a turn of the card. The bank’s chances were so overwhelming that he preferred the leisurely extermination of an adversary. This less spectacular course was much better for the game. For although the persistent player was bound to lose there would be times when he would be ahead. This was good advertising. More than one cautious fellow had watched Oakes’ game and had refused to play until he had seen a man idiotically refusing to cash in while a goodly sum ahead. Then to demon- strate to the weak-minded how simple it was to beat the game if one would only stop when ahead the cautious man would take his first stack of chips and play—with the usual result, And luck does sometimes perch on the shoulder of the fool, and freak wagers sometimes do sweep the board. In such contingencies Oakes depended on legerde- main to shape the finish to his liking and profit. Thus to meddle with the pranks of fortune was dangerous, and he never resorted to it except as a last defense. 99 Indian did not seem to understand, although this ceremony was gone through every time the cards were run off. Oakes thrust the cards under the man’s nose and hissed a word. ‘The red man stared blank- ly, then understood and cut them. Natchez watched the performance with an insolent grin on his daredevil face, and reached out for his cut. Oakes unhesi- tatingly placed them before him. Natchez cut with a flourish. The gambler picked them up and with one hand shifted the cut so dexterously that no human eye could follow the movement. Natchez bet twenty dollars twice and lost; then wagered fifty and won. ‘Luck’s with me!”’ he cried, pushing forward all his gold. The card came up; the gambler nonchal- antly reached out to rake in the stake, and Natchez went for his two guns, shouting— “Cheat!” Oakes fell forward under the counter, gathering up his weapons as he fell, and began shooting upward through the slabs while Natchez danced back and wasted lead on thg front of logs. The crowd with the exception of two men who stood at the side of the shack rushed frantically into the out- side darkness. These two pulled their guns, but Natchez swung his right and brought one down with a hole in his hip, and almost simultaneously fired with his left, hitting the second man in the sheulder and twirling him about. Oaths and raucous calls from the mob outside, howls and curses from the two wounded ‘men, suggested to Natchez that it was well for him to withdraw from the lantern-light. Before he could gain what went by the name of a street a piercing whistle sounded beneath the counter and four men tore through the brush back of the shelter, firing as they came. Natchez dropped behind the breast- work of logs at the first sign of this new danger; but he would have been done for had not Kitts rushed on the scene, his guns half-raised, his eyes blazing through the acrid powder-smoke. The four men ceased firing and gave ground. Natchez leaped to his feet and made to shoot, but Kitts yanked him about until he faced the opening and then ran a long arm inside his two arms and across the small of ° COMICLOOOKS @ OAKES extended the cards for the ¢, Pit River Indian to cut. The (C@)