Adventure Magazine Cover — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

The Lucky Crash “Dave was there when Tex trimmed some of Fitzpatrick’s men at crooked poker.” ‘Thereby gainin’ emoluments from Dave to the extent of a couple o’ thousand iron men,” chuckled the grizzled old officer. “This fellow Fitzpatrick has been smuggling firearms into Mexico and opium and hootch into this country for twenty years. By every underhanded means a smart and _black-hearted man could figure out he’s gathered a bunch of spigs, half-breeds, chinks and bad-men around the Big Bend that jump when he cracks the whip. He’s bribed government men or anybody else he could use and if anybody made too much trouble for him he’s framed that man or else had him shot. ‘His influence carries as far as Washing- ton on this side and there isn’t a bandit chief in Mexico today that don’t eat out of his hand. He owns a lot of land in Mexico and the spigs that work it on shares are dependent on him and his general store to keep them alive. There’s many a good man that has been sent from government service in disgrace because o’ him and a good many more who’ve left the border for their health. “You understand that in actual proof we couldn’t show enough against him to stand in court. We’ve caught a hundred of his men and never a one talked yet. But any man that knows the border knows Fitz- patrick—and what he is.” “You don’t mean it! What sort of a man is he—old time bad-man stuff—quick on the draw and that sort of thing?”’ “No. He’s big and cold and smart and most o’ his men are the kind he’s got some- thing on and don’t dare break with him. The spigs are afraid of him, the bandits depend on him and the crooks at heart that he’s, bribed make up the rest. The actual smuggling, killin’ or crooked work he never does but he’s got specialists in every line. Sabe?”’ “Belongs to the old political boss type adapted to the circumstances, eh?”’ The sheriff nodded. Outside the voices of hurriedly aroused mechanics reached the men indoors as Sergeant Cary urged his crew to make haste. Mr. Brewster looked at MacDowell. “Apparently you are bucking a hard proposition, son,”’ he said. . Tex grinned. “P’m beginning to realize it,” he admit-— ted. —— you watch me try for the second one!” oe “4% LONG spurts of flame stabbed the 8 gloom as Sergeant Cary pushed the bide aS) throttle full on for the final warm-up. The sheriff, huge as a grizzly in his bulky flying coveralls, carefully placed one of his famous pearl-handled, long-barreled, single- action guns in each side pocket. He had been a passenger in McMullen ships before by special dispensation of Captain Kennard, but the hardy veteran of the border was pleasantly excited at the thought of a real trip cross-country. Tex, helmeted and goggled, a Colt .45 in its holster around his waist, climbed in ' the front cockpit as the sergeant got out. While Cary was seeing to it that the sheriff was securely strapped in the rear seat Tex surveyed the instruments. The ship was one of the sturdy training types, made more powerful by the installation of a famous French-American motor. I-xtra gas-tanks on the side of the fuselage and a large reserve tank on the upper center section gave it a four-hundred-mile cruising radius. He was taking this Jenny because it was smaller and lighter than a De Havi- land and much easier to land safely. It landed at fifty miles an hour where the huge poorly balanced De Haviland required seventy as a minimum. The Jenny was fully twenty miles an hour slower, though plenty fast enough for its mission. Tex frowned when he saw the oil pres- sure, which was sixty, then relaxed and grinned. ‘Liberty oil pressure should be only thirty and he had forgotten for the moment what motor he was sitting behind. He throttled down and turned to the sheriff. “Ready, sir?” An indistinguishable bellow came from: Trowbridge and he waved a long, puffy- looking arm gaily. Tex glanced toward the east—the sky was lightening. He nodded to Cary, and two mechanics crawled underneath the ship and pulled the blocks. With a man on each wing to help guide him around Tex turned his ship, pointed the nose up the field, and the ship disappeared from sight as he fed it the throttle. Only the spurts of fire apprized the on- lookers of the ship’s course until it left the ground and appeared shadow-like against the graying sky. COMMICOOOKS 49 “But I took the first trick, and by (F@