Adventure Magazine Cover — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

The Long Knives Tarhe, of the Wyandots, won’t like it. My runner gits through to Tarhe and is safe. Quain’s runner, with Tarhe’s belt, comes here and is killed! Blue Jacket wouldn’t ’a’ had it happen for anything. Tarhe will be mighty put out till Ogden’s bones are covered. The minute my man gets in with Blue Jacket’s road-belt the Wyandot begins to think of the difference. He’ll feel ashamed. He’ll feel he’s been put on. A Wyandot belt can’t save a runner from a Wyandot village! But a Shawnee belt saves a runner from this village! Chiefs have held their men back from the fighting for less’n that.” - “It’s unfortunate,’ I agreed. who killed him must be found.” “Found and punished,” firmly added Durgin as he secured a half-cooked piece of imeat and began devouring it. “Oh, he’ll be punished!” said Girty with a short laugh and a flicker of a glance at the composed face of the Northerner. ‘And it won’t be a white man’s punishment. Captain Crawford died hard, but the man who killed Ogden will be kept alive till he believes Crawford didn’t suffer any.” ‘‘S’pose they’ve got to catch their rabbit before they can cook him,” ill-advisedly said Durgin. “They'll be satisfied if they think they’ve caught the right one,’ snarled Girty. “By ——! He’ll wish he’d never been born when they build a slow fire on his stomach and the squaws empty shoots of powder into his legs and arms and make him chew his own fingers.”’ ‘See here, Girty,”’ I complained; ‘“‘you’re talking now about a white man being punished. And there are only three white men in the village besides yourself. I don’t like it. You know we couldn’t have done it if we had wanted to. You knowan Irdian did it. And you know Blue Jacket will not burn one of his Indians no matter how many white runners he might kill. If the fellow would step forward now and con- fess killing Ogden nothing would be done to him. Why don’t you advise Blue Jacket to call on the guilty man to step forward and tell the truth? Then Tarhe can be smoothed down with gifts. But this talk about roasting white men is foolish talk.” I pretended to eat, although the effort was revolting. Girty remained silent for some minutes, regaining control of himself. Then he said: “The man 113 “The chief won’t roast one of his own men or any man of a friendly tribe. That’s true. I got my mad up and talked more’n T should.” We accepted this for what it was worth, and Durgin asked about the council. Girty seemed glad to change the subject, and he proceeded to boast how he was the only white man the Indians would permit to be present. ‘“‘There’ll be a general war, of course?” I asked. ‘“‘There will be just that! Dll raise —— along the Ohio until it has to come.” He ate a few mouthfuls of the meat; then he rose to leave us. Catching a glimpse of Old Podge’s head being withdrawn from the door he curiously asked: “Why don’t that Simpson show himself? Don’t he ever eat?”’ “He isn’t well. Can’t bear the sun. Eyes hurt him,” I explained. “The guards say he wasn’t out the cabin while they was on duty.” ‘“T know he hasn’t been farther than the door since the guards left us.” Girty nodded and walked away a few steps; then suddenly he wheeled and announced: “T was forgetting one thing. I said there wa’n’t no signs found behind the trees. That was true. I forgot to say there don’t seem to be any doubt that the arrer that killed Ogden came from Blue Jack- et’s lodge.” Durgin gaped like a zany on hearing this, and I only hoped my own countenance was as lacking in expression. While I was trying to think of some natural reply Durgin excitedly bleated: “Gosh all hemlock! You don’t mean to say the chief or one of his boys went to work and killed that poor ? If he done that what’s to stop him from killing us on the sly 99 “Shut your mouth!” roared Girty. “He knows so little about Tdianis re: broke in as if defending my friend. “He’s either the biggest fool that ever come north the Ohio or He checked himself and glared at the New Englander for a few moments and found only simplicity in the man’s face. Finally he explained— “Blue Jacket says Ogden was killed with a war-arrer taken from his lodge, unless he’s mightily mistook.” 99 COmiclboook (©