Adventure Magazine Cover — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

Pards “What happens to the man holding the pipe?” asked the Rabbit. “He dies. Two will go away with you.” The Rabbit jumped to his feet and cried: “Then you will never see the stone-medicine again. You can not burn the hiding place out of him, for he does not know. The Walking Dead Man who never again will see the summer grass grow tall tells you this on pipes. The Walking Dead Man does not know where the lost medicine is, but his Brown Rock medicine will find it. “His medicine will not talk until three white men ride with him down to the valley of the Arkansas. Now, go ahead and burn a white man slowly and lose your stone- medicine forever, and have the Arapahos and the Kiowas and the Cheyennes come and carry off your women and ponies and leave these mountains filled with dead Un- compahgre warriors.” CHAPTER V FROM BAD TO BAD RED CROW and his men weighed the Rabbit’s warning in silence. Lomsom’s wild young braves felt the tug of ancient superstitions and were entirely under the influence of the chief. The medicine pipe had spoken. The circle remained motion- less, eyes staring at the ground, waiting for the chief to order the white man to the fire. The Rabbit’s dark face was expression- less although he knew the singing man was sentenced to be tortured. Not Untilthe Utes had pegged Ellis out in spread-eagle fashion and had lighted small fires on his chest and stomach would they be convinced the stone image could not be recovered by any knowl- edge possessed by the thief. Goss stepped to the Rabbit’s side and whispered— “Something must be done to help the Pilgrim.” The Rabbit frowned for him to be silent and cast a glance at the heavens. Red Crow brought his men to their feet, each filled with enthusiasm, by ordering— “Drive four lodge poles deep in the ground and bring rawhide.”’ Euclid hoarsely whispered to Lomsom: “Save him or you'll never get a smell of gold! Save him, you! At least you were born white!’ “They'd peg me out and burn me in a 135 second if they thought I knew anything about that ——- medicine!” growled Lom- som. “I can’t do anything. He'll have to roast!” Whooping and yelling the Utes ran for lodge poles. The Rabbit darted a glance at the western sky. Red Crow also discovered it was growing dark. He, too, swung his gaze to the west. Enormous masses of black clouds were crowding over the moun- tain wall, bringing an icy breeze from the top of the continent. “Light the fire near the poles. fast,’ he commanded. Two Indians filled an empty kettle with coals from a cooking fire, brought it forward and dumped it on the ground, and threw on fresh fuel of dead pine branches. A rain drop fell in the fire with a faint hiss. “Faster!” ordered Red Crow. Two men seized Ellis and began fastening rawhide thongs to his wrists and ankles. A heavy drop of rain splashed on the chief’s painted nose. Goss, who now realized the situation, shivered slightly and gritted— ‘+= What-a race!’ A loud hissing like a nest of serpents aroused to“anger rose from the fire. The Utes piled on more inflammable fuel, but the tongues. of flame were drowned out as fast as they appeared. Red Crow, much cast down and greatly worried that the Sky God in the west should blow up a storm and for the time render null the medicine of the pipe, once more consulted the heavens. The dull, hoarse rumble of thunder was shaking through the dark heavens. Cracks of white shattered the mighty, onrushing wall, as the Thunder God resumed the an- cient and endless strife with the Water and Earth Gods. A sheet of rain blurred the western ridge from view and fell on red and white men. Thinly at first came the drops, then thickly in a tremendous downpour, just as Ellis was thrown on his back and the gambler was reaching for his hidden gun and was edging to seize the chief as a hostage. The ambitious medicine-man, who had urged the test of the pipe, spoke to Red Crow. The chief gathered his blanket about his naked shoulders and loudly shouted: “The medicine-pipe says to put the white men in a lodge and watch them till morning. Then we will burn a man till his tongue talks straight. The pipe says the man may tell Work Gomichbooks.com