Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

22 | THEY camped at the lake shore and | next morning they traveled a long, <=) dry mesa under snow-capped hills. Toward mid-afternoon they crossed a series of gullies and ravines. At the fourth gully they halted and looked at each other. The ground was pounded into dust by the hoofs of countless cattle. ~ “Sufferin’ tomcats!”’ exploded Shay. “It’s the trail of the lost stock!’ ‘“‘Where does it lead to?” asked the boss. “Som’res inland.” “Then we will follow it.” The old frontiersman looked dubious. Steve Adams made sure that his six-shooter drew easily and the silent boss lit another cigar. He was the least concerned of the three. Shay wondered if he had sense enough to be scared. “We're li’ble to bust into somethin’ onpleasant if we go clatterin’ into any robber’s roost this-a-way,”’ cautioned Shay. ‘“‘We’re right in the middle of a cafiyon!”’ “Where does it go?” “IT dunno. Never been here. She’s li’ble to hit another county if she keeps goin’. ) “Cattle could be sold there?” *““Yep—or took through to another State!”’ Steve Adams had scanned the ground. He discovered something. “Cattle went through in both directions!” “Shore ’nuff!’” agreed Shay. “Look!” said Steve. +“*The hoof-prints goin’ back toward the range are smaller than the others. See?” Wilcox looked to Shay for the explana- tion. Shay bit off a chew of tobacco and squinted wisely in both directions. “Them animiles all came up here in a bunch. The calves was picked out and sent back to the ranges with somebody’s brand on ’em. ‘They was branded up here. Sav- vy? The grown animiles kept goin’ on into the back country.”’ “Where did the calves go?” “Y dunno. Look. These yere hills has changed direction. The cafions is_ all runnin’ more north instead of east. This yere trail don’t lead downhill to your ranch or even George Minden’s. She hits the range ’way north of both o’ you. Them rustlers slip around to-the north’ard of all the big ranches and slide in here when nobody ain’t lookin’.” ‘We are looking. We will keep going.” “Which way?” Adventure “Into the mountains further.” “Got any idee who might be in there?” “T am going alone. On foot. We will hide the horses. Shay, you climb those hills to the right. the left. You walk up the ridge while I travel along the floor of the cafion. I do not expect speed, but this is the only safe way. Keep in touch with me.” Old Man Shay showed a reluctant ad- miration. His esteem for the drunkard from the city began tomount. Strategically the move was perfect. : After the parting, Wilcox plodded along the dusty trail and kept in general touch with his flankers. Progress was slow but sure. valley flanked by frowning hills and then narrowed into a gorge. Time went by. Sunset was approaching. Wilcox was about Adams, go up above to. The gully first widened into a small ° to signal his companions in for the night when he came to a fork in the cajfion. Curiosity made him plod onward. The cattle had taken the left turn. So did he. - The gorge became darker and darker, with the late sunlight just touching the tops of the giant cliffs, but Wilcox ambled onward. The crunch of his footsteps echoed against gloomy walls. The gorge darkened even more. Then suddenly it turned. A “blaze of sunlight flared against the dull granite. Grant Wilcox stopped and blinked with astonishment. He felt as if a curtain had lifted on some enchanting piece of stage- craft. . Before him spread a great floor of golden yellow sand, reaching to terraced buttes and pinnacles whose soft colors changed with every tiny shifting of the sun’s posi- tion. Each hill was a jewel, a glowing rain- bow done in pale pink, orange, yellow, brown and emerald, with the lower parts gleaming like copper and the upper parts purple-blue against the sky. It was not exactly a valley. It was an amphitheater, a mystic place of witchery painted by the gods in a land of eerie silences. » Wilcox was no artist, but the place held him spellbound. He felt like a man in a strange dream, alone in a world that held him in the spell of a marvelous enchant- ment. Suddenly the overpowering quie- tude of the place was disturbed. There was . a quick whisper as if a bee had flown past to warn the gods against this intruder. COnmiclboooks Cc C@