Adventure Magazine Cover — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

42 Helen’s mother shrieked. Another sharp report interrupted her. Then two figures scuffled out of the darkness and ran up- Tom and Pete reached for weapons. They tore around the corner of the tent. Tom stumbled over something soft. He tripped and fell. A fusillade from Pete’s weapon blazed over his head. The two strangers, Jeaping in zigzags, turned a eon and disappeared. Tom felt downward and touched the body of a prone man. “‘What’s this? Who is it?” Pete went onward, yelling something. The clatter of many running boots told of men arriving hastily. Helen darted from her tent, a flash of white, and rushed to comfort her mother. A teamster appeared, his’galluses flying behind him. Tennessee came up with a six-shooter and no shirt. Others were con- verging from-all quarters. “Strike a match,” ordered Tom. A light flickered in the palm of a hand. It disclosed the figure of a large man lying face downward, with his knees bent and an arm crossed under his body. His help- less hands lay open. In one of them was the butt of a pistol. Under his forehead the ground was wet with a sinister stain. Sq “JED HILL!” exclaimed Tennessee. Ko; “Oh!” came the muffled cry of Helen’s mother. Wentworth took a hand. “Lift him up. Get water, somebody. Feel under his shirt. His heart may be beating.” Tom felt and shook his head. There was nothing to be done. Markum arrived and joined the group. When the light of a second match flickered on Jed Hill’s forehead the promoter shivered and turned away, trembling. The shooting puzzled Tom. “What’s it all about? Who were those two men?” “They didn’t belong in this camp,”’ as- serted Tennessee. ‘‘Everybody’s accounted for.” “Then there’s only one answer. It’s Finley or his gang.” Tom arose. “Boys, watch those hills. Post guards. Tennessee, look after the store till I get back. They may try to raid the supplies. Adventure Jim, trail after Pete. He’s up the ridge.” The men departed and soon the camp began to collect itself. The outcry gradu- ally lessened. Hill was taken to a tent and the men not on guard went back to their beds. - Tom and Wentworth sought admittance to the tent of Helen’s mother and were finally allowed inside. Under the min- istrations of Helen her mother’s haughty calm was reasserting itself. Lying on an improvised bed, she fought for control of her startled nerves while her thin lips tightened in self-repression. “And Mr. Hill was—was shot?’’ she asked. : “Yes.” , She hesitated and looked at the ridge- pole. “He died protecting women! There was a real man!” It was too much for Tom. His nerves were also on edge and he wanted to get out. The mother had told the whole story anyhow. Two prowlers had walked into the wrong tent. That was all. They had killed Jed Hill while making their escape. Tom sped up the hill. “And the villain died a hero’s death!” he soliloquized. “Ye gods, what a country!” The silent rocks with their dark shadows left no trace of Pete, and Tom made way cautiously. It was an eery place on top of these hills, with rock-cairns scattered hither and yon. -A black blob might be a shadow or a cavern, so the trailer soon gave up the useless chase. He knew Pete was safe enough. He’d probably gone home, too. Tom looked down upon the little colony below, with the brilliant moonlight illumi- nating tents, rocks, gullies and the yellow salt-grass mound where the mine stood. Suddenly his mind was stricken with the helplessness of the camp. Higher hills sur- rounded it completely. East, west, north and south it was vulnerable to attack at any time. A lone raider with a rifle could do incalculable damage. “Why didn’t I notice it before?”’ gasped Tom: “Why didn’t Finley see it? Maybe he has!” Finley had to be dealt with. There was no alternative. He must seek and sup- press Finley if it took a month. The pres- ence of Helen and her mother made him almost sick with worry. They must not COmiclbook CO