Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924 — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

110 the reins. On either side of him, fastened with loops of leather to the seat, were the huge horse pistols, and slung in a leather case over the side of the seat there was a huge-muzzled, short-barreled blunderbuss, which cast a handful of lead and broken iron at a discharge and might sweep a whole width of a road clean of enemies. So prepared, he waved his hand to his captain and then sent the grays gingerly down the hill, using his brakes to keep the carriage from running down too heavily upon them. Clovelly, in the meantime, roved on ahead, gathering White Harry beneath him for an emergency. What a horse it was! It seemed to read the mind of its master, signaled down the taut reins and to the iron bit between its teeth, and now White Harry became a bundle of half coiled watch springs waiting for a word or a touch of the heel to loosen them all togther. He danced into the heart of the hollow and Clovelly, glancing back, had barely time to-note that the carriage had not yet come to the forking of the roads when there was a considerable rustling on either side of the road and two tall men rode out from shelter with pistol leveled not at him, but at White Harry. All that they wished to do was to dismount him, counting upon other means to handle the rider. Those other means were not hard to guess, for there was still a whispering among the shrubs on each side of the road, and the keen eye of Clovelly caught the glinting of sharp bits of light upon gun barrels here and there. They had come out in force, in- deed, to stop him. He dropped the reins into the crook of his left elbow and so was able to put up both his hands. At the same time he checked White Harry to a slow trot, but all the while the stallion could be controlled by the pressure of knees and heels rather than of the reins. “You have me, gentlemen,” said Clov- elly, his hands high above his head. And then, as he came closer, he saw that it was the least dangerous of all his enemies who had been able to set such a trap for him. It was young Theale, Lord Pennistone, who had brought these men together and blocked his way. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. There might be thirty men in the am- bush. It had been cunningly planned, too, keeping them all in the background, saving two leaders, who, when they blocked the road, gave the signal which caused the others to close in from the sides. At the same time, he saw Pennistone and his companion elevate the aims of their pis- tols to his own breast. He was completely helpless, but with the reins dangling from one elbow and with the supple little whip hanging from his other wrist, he came on toward them, his hands hopelessly high. For that position was his only way of dis- arming them and their attention for even an instant. Lord Pennistone began to give or- ders like a soldier, amd indeed, he had served abroad and under the ablest cap- tains. “Herbert and Matthew!” he called, “bring out half a dozen and close the road behind him, Joe, block the road ahead. The rest of you lie fast and take your aim at him. We must make sure that he doesn’t break through the bag now that we have him in it—” ‘“ Hello!” called some one, ‘‘ the carriage has taken the other road.” And indeed, faithful Dunbar had swung the coach to the left-hand fork of the road and now the wheels were making a dis- tant thundering behind ‘the trees. “Let that fool driver go!” cried Penni- stone. ‘We want the fox, and here we have him. Never mind the rest. They'll be bagged in due time. Clovelly, halt your horse.” “Very good, sir,” said Clovelly, check- ing White Harry to a slower trot and then to a fast walk, as,if he intended to stop the Stallion just before them. “I find myself hopelessly outnumbered, and there is no shame, I believe, in OGG to a great- ly superior enemy?” ‘In France it is so considered,” Penni- stone agreed, bowing. “I regret that I must ask you for your pistols and your sword, sir.” “You are entirely welcome,” Clovelly declared, but instead of reaching for his sword, to bring it out for surrender, being now full upon them, he twisted his hand suddenly so that his fingers caught the han- COMMICLOOokKs (C@