Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

South, West and North 69 other schooner arriving tonight,’’ he con- cluded, but Eli dissented. ‘‘No—listen! Shots fromupabove. The Injuns up there will spread out and hold us. I know a first-rate place to make our stand if you say so—unless you want to run for it” ‘“‘No use running,” said Hampton. ‘Go ahead and secure the position. We'll wait up above.” He held Nelly against him in the dark- ness, and her hand crept into his. Eli was gone up the trail. ‘We can’t escape, Dick,” she said quietly. ‘We'll not try the impossible, dear,’’ he responded. ‘All we can do is to go down fighting.”’ ‘Then I'll do my share, and be thankful when the evi] dream is all over! Nothing ahead can be any worse than what is be- hind.” A laugh broke out ahead of them, and the bearded Frenchy came into sight, exul- tantly waving a rifle. “Hola, mes amis!” he cried jovially. ‘They have us in check up above, but El Bobo and the two Mexicans have gone on to take up a position. I came to meet you. What is the bonfire down below, eh?’’ Hampton told him, then got rid of his revolvers and ammunition. Frenchy was delighted, and cheerfully assumed the load. Presently all three gained the open plat- form at the head of the trail, and Frenchy pointed out the situation. A hundred yards, or less, along the brink of the cajion, was a crown of loose boulders rising from the cactus thickets; this was the position which Eli had gone to seize, and a glance showed Hampton its value, as it commanded the head of the trail from below, that approach- ing from the sea, and the surrounding desert. Slight as was this eminence of a few feet, it was a natural fort ready for defense. From the cactus, rifles spat fire, and again, in a sudden burst of sound. Frenchy slid softly away into the darkness, and Hampton pulled the girl into shelter of a boulder. ‘‘Wait here and see what happens,” he said. “The fire’s dying down—Dias has brought water from the creek. Hello! Some one coming up the trail = Puffing breaths and hasty footsteps drew his attention, and the newcomer proved to be Pap Hoskins, who had come up to see 7] what was going on. At the same moment Eli came cautiously back from the edge of the platform, two bullets burning after him. “All mght!” he exclaimed guardedly. “Make a break for it with Nelly, Dick— we'll bring the loads. Frenchy! Where are you?” Frenchy cursed from the darkness, and bullets began to whine all around from the Yaquis who were flung out in the cactus. Hampton, seizing Nelly’s hand, rushed her across the open platform to the rocks be- yond; stumbling among the boulders, torn by the thorns on every side, they ap- proached the crown of jutting fragments, where the two Mexicans awaited them. A cry broke from the girl as she stumbled over the body of a Yaqui—then they were in shelter of the high rocks, and one of the Mexicans pressed a rifle on Hampton. What came next was sharp and vicious— Eli, Frenchy and Hoskins staggering under heavy loads toward the crown of rocks, while Yaqui yells arose piercingly and rifles stabbed crimson in the darkness. There were only three or four of the enemy scattered around, and on them Hampton and the two Mexicans fired; before the rifles could be reloaded, Eli and his com- panions came in, unhurt, and dropped their loads of ammunition and food. Now, divining the purpose of the white men, the two Mexicans protested vividly that they desired to take their chance in the desert. Despite the curses of the others, accordingly, Hampton told them to take food and ammunition and go—water there was none. They made up loads and slunk away, having no stomach for what lay ahead in this place. : “Four of us,’ observed Pap Hoskins, “and we got extry guns, and revolvers all around—I don’t guess we-all are beat yet!” “Five of us,” added Nelly Barnes. “I'll attend to the reloading, and maybe I can use a pistol if I have to! Dick, spread out that big serape of yours and bring those guns here, and show me how to load those Colt revolvers S Taking up a strategic position between two of the central boulders, Nelly Barnes was soon hard at work, the four men spread- ‘Ing out to answer the desultory fire from the few Yaquis around. Since no alarm was heard, it seemed that the two Mexicans had managed to sneak through undiscovered; none the less, their fate was certain. comiclbooks.c© inn