Adventure Magazine Cover — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

106 his eyes whether to go ahead or draw back,” ““He’s telling you now to shut off that talk about train robbers being in town,” Dinsdale sternly warned him. ‘That talk is poor medicine.” As he walked away he could hear Scis- sors chuckling and mumbling. Once he thought the fellow was following him and looked back. He fancied he could see the fiery eyes of the owl. ‘There was a never- ending variety in Deadwood in the Summer of Seventy-six. CHAPTER V A BAD BREAK FOR DINSDALE N A dark room at the back of a Chinese wash-house several men sat in silence, waiting. Ten minutes had passed since the last man entered the room from the dark hall and, beyond an exchange of one or two words between each newcomer and the man who seemed to have the mysterious conference in charge, none had spoken. Then the Mongolian stationed outside the door raised a sing-song voice and was an- swered briefly in Chinese. The group in the room straightened to attention. Three sharp raps, then two, then one, sounded on the door and the outside bolt was drawn. Some one crossed the room and drew the inside bolt. The door opened, but even had there been a light the inmates of the room would have beheld a figure so heavily muffled as to defy recognition. Asit was no man could see his neighbor. “Who comes?” softly demanded the man who had admitted the other men. “The one who always comes last. Num- ber One.”’ “We are ready for your talk,” announced the first speaker, returning to his chair. “How are you known?” asked Number One. “The one who always comes first to the meeting place. Number Two.” “Whom have you admitted?” “Three, Four and Six.” “Fiver” “Unreliable tonight. Drink.” “Unreliable this night from drink, he will be unreliable on other and more important nights,’ said Number One. ‘He should be dropped from the rolls even as we have threatened to drop him twice before this. Adventure He might send us all to the noose. How do you vote?” There was a slight pause, then in se- quence the different voices called out: be best done? He must have no chance to talk.” “Tf it can be left for me, Number Two, to arrange.” “Tt is left for you to arrange within forty-eight hours,’ ruled Number One. “Now let us finish quickly. None of us are satisfied with the results. Only fifteen thousand taken from the stages within the last six weeks. Passengers have been warned at Cheyenne and Sidney to bring but little money in on their persons. The horse-ranch, even, is better paying. There is but one job in the hills that is worth while —one of the treasure coaches. One coach captured means at least two hundred thou- sand dollars, perhaps two hundred and fifty thousand. And the time soon comes when it will be useless to try for such a prize.” “Then let’s get the next one to go out. It’s been held over and will carry a full load,” eagerly said Number Two. “First we’ve got to have more men,” croaked a harsh voice. ‘‘We ain’t strong enough to handle twelve guards and get away with the bullion.” “Number Three, you speak only a half truth,” corrected the leader. ‘“‘We have enough men. It’s too late to take in new hands. But we can’t handle a dozen until we plan to place our men to the best advan- tage. Then it will be simple. We must have at least two of our men among the guards, thus cutting their number down to ten. In the past we have planned to work from the outside. Now we will work from the inside. “Two of the regular guards will get through just before the coach makes the trip. Two of our men must at once ask for jobs as guards. When the vacancies occur—and they shall occur—the time will be too short for the management to hesi- tate.. Number Three will be one of the men. Number Four shall be the other man. In brief the plan is this: “The day and spot being known, Number Three must ride ahead with the advance COMMICLMOOokKs (C@)