Adventure Magazine Cover — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

118 “Must ’a’ been drunk,”’ insisted Pyrites as he dished out some beans and bacon and poured a dipper of strong coffee. ‘After the way you cuffed French Curly’s gun around any man might ’a’ known you was poor medicine to go against.”’ “His mind may have been drunk, but his nerves were steady,” sighed Dinsdale. ‘He shot mighty straight and nifty— No satis- faction in killing him. Felt all the time as if he was going through with something he ~ feigis) simply had to do.” Pyrites lowered the coffee-pot slowly and stared in amazement at his companion. “Partner,” he solicitously inquired, “you feel all right?” Dinsdale laughed and dried his feet on the short grass. “Top high, Pyrites. doesn’t trouble me a bit. Bandy Allen was a bad one. Better off dead. If he had been an Injun I’d say he’d made a vow to his medicine and had to tackle me. Being low down scum I can’t get rid of the feeling he was doing something he wouldn’t have tried unless he felt obliged to try it.”’ Pyrites stared at him sympathetically, and declared: “Your talk doesn’t assay out even one teeny color. Not even a trace. Of course it’s barely possible French Curly and some of his pals might have it against you for what happened in Keno Frank’s place; yet it don’t have the right indications. Those fellers would want you to live till they could get you down at a table again, you’d think.”’ “Curly! Never thought of him,” ex- claimed Dinsdale. “Well, I’m through mulling it over. From now on I’m going to be a wolf at prospecting.” “That’s the kind of talk that makes me feel good,” approved Pyrites. “Now you pitch into that grub, have a short smoke and turn in. We want to hit one of the heads of Rapid in good season tomorrow and take a squint at the placers before pass- ing on to the divide. And don’t let Bandy Allen bother your dreams any. San Juan has stopped all talk against you by this time. Ain’t no doubt in my mind but what Bandy was one of the hoss-thieves that have been doing as regular a business in these hills as the miners have. Made it richer than lots of miners, too. Miners stay in Deadwood gulch. Hoss-thieves ramble around and pick up nags from ranches and freight-trains. My conscience Adventure “Tf aman could have as much nerve in being honest as he’ll show when he goes crooked no amount of Injuns could keep , these gulches empty of prospectors.” With this bit of wisdom he crawled into the tent to escape the heavy dews .and rolled in his blankets. Dinsdale smoked a pipe and then followed his friend’s example. } THE Thunder Birds were flapping 4, their wings and the hills were filled eat} ~with deep rumblings. The southern ranks were shut off by a wall of slate, through which flashed white zigzags as the birds opened and closed their terrible eyes. Pyrites, crawling from his blankets to pre- pare the breakfast, studied the heavens for a minute and then went about his work. “We'll run into it if we break camp,” dubiously remarked Dinsdale from the tent. “Tt’s lambasting sin out of the pines down there,” grunted Pyrites. “It’s moving southeast. We won’t get any of it. Thun- der-storms don’t depend on the east wind when they want to act cussed. Thoroughly local, with the wind shifting to every quar- ter inside of thirty minutes. When it comes from the north it’ll turn the rain in winnows of hail and make your blood almost freeze. Then before you know it the sun will begin poking through the clouds and the wind will be from the southeast and balmy. We'll eat and poke along.” Dinsdale took the hint and turned out. The breakfast was soon eaten and the bur- ros packed. Their course was southerly COMMICLOOOKS vf fyei%) eh a | faa ; Py (C@