Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

south, West and North Dias lay upon his back there in the hot sand, and upon him the lean Indian half- sat, half-knelt. Dias had driven that long silver knife through and through El Ham- bre, from breast to back, and clutched the haft with both hands, powerless to draw it forth again—for the brown fingers of the Indian were in his throat. From El Ham- bre’s lips burst his harsh, mirthless laugh; then he slowly bowed forward, slowly sank down, until his dying body covered the figure of his victim, his scarlet serape more vivid than blood in the sunlight. The legs of Dias twitched slightly, then were quiet. ‘No use lookin’ at the Injun,”’ said Job Warlock. ‘Durned if Dias didn’t split his heart first crack! Well, that’s the end— give’s your fist, Dick Hampton! Who’s this in the dirt?” The tension broken, the others were around him now, Adam Johnson and other men of the Beverly company; shaking his hand, pounding his back, crying out glad words. Some drew Nelly Barnes to one side, others cut Eli’s bonds and shouted his name aloud as they recognized him; the hot, sun-smitten rock platform resounded to laughing, exulting words and eager cries, and the dead men who lay like blots in the white sunlight were forgotten. “But what does it mean?’ Hampton stared around helplessly at Nelly Barnes, who was being revived, at Eli, who was sit- ting up and grinning, at the men whom he knew so well who stood before him. “It’s incredible that you’re here, Job Warlock, and these others ie “Not a bit,” said Adam Johnson, and laughed happily. ‘‘Warlock and the Injun got ashore and told us what had happened. So we took a vote on it, and twenty of the company decided to come along to San Francisco; then we joined about fifteen New York men to our crowd.” ‘“‘But—how the did you get here?” demanded Hampton. The men around grinned delightedly. None of them paid any heed to the sounds that were coming up from the arroyo—the intermittent crack of rifles, the occasional lusty shout from Yankee throat, the stil] continuous howling of the slaves who were free. ““Get here?” Adam Johnson chuckled. “Warlock knew that Dias’ schooner, or rather his wife’s schooner, was due from the 73 south, so we all went out in the boats of some Injun fishermen and met her. That’s all there was to it. We piled aboard, chucked Dias’ men into the boats, and set sau for the north. Piracy? “Fut, tut! Who’s to lay a charge against us, eh? We got in late last night, took the other schooner lying in port, and E] Hambre explored. He came back this morning with word of the shooting here, so a few of us came this way to capture the trail-head, while the others marched around and up into the arroyo. And that’s all of it. From the sound of things down below—ah! Miss Nelly, a glad good morning to you!” Johnson swept off his hat. Nelly Barnes, staring around, came to Hampton’s side and stood in blank wonder. Job Warlock scraped and grinned delightedly, and shook his gold ear-hoops. A sudden cry broke from the girl. “Oh, it’s true, it’s true! after all a “‘Aye, Nelly,” and Hampton swept his arm around her, drawing her close to him. “‘Aye, it’s the mercy of God at work—ah, Eli! Here’s my brother, Adam Johnson! You remember him? Not hurt badly, Eli?” Really you “Nothing but a scrape over the ribs.” | Eli laughed, and then was engulfed by the eager men. Hampton was about to speak when Job Warlock turned to him suddenly. “Dick! Where’s that Dona Her- mana?”’ Hampton shook his head. Then he felt the gir] tremble against his side—her face lifted, and a sudden frightened cry burst from her. ‘“‘Look—look there! Quickly!’ The knot of men disintegrated, whirled. Turning, Hampton saw a number of figures leaping up the trail from below, queer frightened figures, whose wild panting cries reechoed from the rocky walls. Two or three of the white men fired, and at this the figures screamed and turned again. They were Chinamen. Now there swelled up a frightful and horrible sound which held the white men staring and spellbound. It was the mad screaming of men, the bestial howling of men mad with liquor, with hatred, with blood-lust. It mounted up along the trail, rising in a shrill crescendo of such unut- terable fury that those on the platform stood waiting for that unseen horror to appear, DOOL AMUG © inn