Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

78 killed him had he been sitting erect. The sound of the shot was an excellent tonic for Joe, who forgot everything ex- cept the chance for action. Almost be- fore the echo had answered the assassin’s attempt the trapper was firing into a clump of conifers, where he had detected the black — smoke of a high-power rifle. “The snake saved me!” gurgled Reason, regaining his balance and charging reck- lessly toward the ambush. Joe followed. As they were forced to halt by the trees a faint crackling sound advertised the retreat of the would-be murderer. Dismounting and bending low, the two dashed into the cover. The small area covered by the evergreens was empty of any enemy. Bursting clear of it, they glimpsed a horseman spurring madly across a tiny opening and all but within the shelter of the pines. The man wheeled to gaze back, and both suppressed a yell of triumph on beholding that the face was half-concealed by a black mask which began just above the eyes and ended at the tip of the nose. Reason, who was ready to fire, for ence lacked precision, and missed. With another plunge the outlaw’s mount disappeared, but not before a branch swept off the black felt hat and allowed the pursuers to note a shock of white hair. . “Old Oakes!’ howled California Joe, be- ginning to empty his revolvers in the direc- tion taken by the fugitive. “T was expectin’ him. Rather, I was hopin’ to see him. Then when I did see him I lost my nerve,” bitterly complained Reason. “He give me a start worse’n if he was th’ whole Ute nation,” babbled Joe. “No more peace tobacker between him an’ me if ever I git back to Denver an’ git him in front of a gun-barrel.”’ “On sight, like a dog!” gritted Reason. They entered the bush at a mad gallop, shooting ahead as they rode, and met with no opposition. They forced their horses through barriers of low-hanging branches and came upon signs of the man’s flight. Blurred hoof-prints in the scanty soil and broken branches pointed the way for some rods. ‘Then the evergreens were succeeded by a rocky slope, where boulders were piled in fantastic forms as if some child- giant had amused himself and had neg- lected to pick up his toys. Adventure No longer was it possible to follow a trail; and, fearing that Half-Mask might be hiding at any point in a position to pick them off with his high-power rifle, both dis- mounted and found shelter in a half-circle of rocks, where they took counsel. They finally decided to leave their horses in this cover, separate andscout to the foot of the slope where the stunted growth began again. They did their work thor- oughly and satisfied themselves that the outlaw had not lingered to contest their pursuit. Recovering their horses, they returned to the growth and searched for signs along its edge. Failing to find a trail, they admitted defeat and swung back to the course which would take them to the spring. q DURING this part of the journey ¥ nothing was seen or heard of the outlaw. Both were now convinced that the Arapho medicine man had been fired upon just as he was leaving the medic- ine spring, or after he had traveled a short distance from it. Believing that the game was reversed and that Half-Mask might now be stalking them, they refrained from mounting and used all their craft in keeping on the alert. Although suspecting that the outlaw might be watching them from some high point beyond rifle range, they took care to conceal their trail. Seams of naked rock were taken advantage of. They came to a narrow strip of grass, like a nbbon thrown on a rock heap, and beyond this a spring overflowed its basin of living stone. The horses impatiently trotted down the grassy way, passing the spring and halting only when they came to another, from which they drank eagerly and then fell to grazing. Joe wondered aloud how the animals could so readily distinguish between the sweet and the mineral springs. Reason drank and then suggested that they rest on the grass while the horses fed. But Joe was filled with the original plan of visiting the medicine spring, and refused to listen. Driving the horses before him, he returned to the first rock basin, his friend grumbling and following him reluctantly. With the exception of the spot where the bitter waters found an outlet over the rim of the rock facing the narrow lane of grass ground, the spring was surrounded COmicloookKks (C@