Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

South, West.and North brought a dozen bullets. Hoskins, how- ever, was more at home in this sort of work, and his rifle was deadly; while Eli and Frenchy manifested a reckless abandon which dropped more than one Yaqui. Meantime, the spears of dawn had ripped asunder the gray veil of the eastern sky, and the sun was up, a red ball of fire mounting the brazen heavens. Hampton looked toward the harbor trail, but could see nothing more of the schooner’s crew— they had taken warning and were advanc- ing under cover, no doubt. Suddenly Hampton, who was on the right of the rocky crown, was startled by a yell from Eli. “Look out, Dick—feller creepin’ up on you! By that ocotillo bush = Hampton twisted about, peered forth at the clump of long, slender cactus spires, and presently caught a movement to one side of it. He fired. A Yaqui leaped into the air like a stricken deer, and fell motionless. Bullets stormed in — one of them raked across Hampton’s head, sending the blood dripping into his eyes. ‘“‘Come on yere an’ take Frenchy’s place, Hampton!” yelled Pap Hoskins. smart!” Hampton scrambled across the crown of rocks, bullets spattering all around, to where Frenchy lay sprawled out with two bullets through his brain; the enemy were close in on this side, so close that Hampton could hear the rattle of displaced stones as the men scrambled. He caught up a revolver, leaped to his feet, and emptied the weapon. Two Yaquis lay quiet, and Hampton ducked to shelter unhurt as bullets flailed the air above him. “Good work!” shouted Eli, from the left. “Hurray! I got one——” The shout was cut short. Hampton, glancing around, saw Eli’s figure leap up, whirl, and crumple out of sight. A shrill cry came from Nelly Barnes. “Eli’s shot, Dick!” Hampton made no response. Pap Hos- kins uttered a fierce yell; his red whiskers were blackened with powder and sweat, and his eyes glared wildly. ‘Tt’s all over!” he shouted, and then sent a laugh roaring up. He leaped to his feet, swinging a revolver in each hand, and dis- daining all cover, began to fire at the brush around. As he did so, his voice leaped out in a shrill rendition of the golden song: “Move - 71 “Oh! California, That’s the land for me! I’m gwine to Sacramento With my wash bowl on my knee——’”’ His knees gave way suddenly, he flung out his arms, and with a last effort he fired a shot even as he fell; then he lay across the boulder in the hot sunlight, while bullets still thudded into his poor body. Pap Hoskins had found his golden land. Hampton fired to right and left. The others were all gone now—he was conscious that Nelly Barnes was just behind him, re- loading his revolvers. Then, from some- where out ahead he heard the voice of Dias lifting sharply. He could not get the words, which were in the Yaqui patois, but the firing ceased. The bullets no longer came buzzing and whining, to spatter in bursts of lead on the hot rocks. He wiped the blood from his eyes and looked around. ‘Hurt, Nelly?” “No, Dick.” She looked up at him, smiled bravely. ‘Eli isn’t dead —I couldn’t do anything for him though ‘‘No matter. It’ll be over in a minute now,” said Hampton. ‘The main thing is not to let ’em get us alive. Goodby, dear girl Something flickered through the high air like a falling snake; another followed, and another. Hampton leaped to his feet, lunging in every direction, crying frantic oaths, firing in blind desperation at men he could not see. The nooses had settled about him, the thin, harsh ropes of maguey fiber drew taut; beside him Nelly Barnes writhed and twisted in another noose. Dark shapes appeared—Yaquis, laughing, who flung themselves in upon the two. Hampton emptied his revolver as he was jerked back and forth, knew that one and another of the Indians had fallen, heard another shot beside him as Nelly Barnes fired pointblank at an assailant. The ropes dragged him down, brown men leaped on him, held him helpless; he was bound hand and foot and jerked out from among the boulders, out from the mass of rocks crown- ing the eminence, to where Dias stood in the sunlight, on the wide platform above the trail. Here in this empty space Hamp- ton was propped upright to stand as best he could on bound feet; here Nelly Barnes, bound, likewise, was dragged to stand beside him; and here Eli, ragged shirt covered micloool C© inn