Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-11-23
uees, waist 61gn.> afforded little >"shel-

tees, waist h1gn;> afforded little >-shel-
ter and less hiding. Just as be emerged.
stepping out pace. a rife cracked to
his right, and. though he did not hear
the bullet In passing. the thud Of it
came to his ears when it struck palm
trunk farther on.
He sprang back into the protection Of
the larger trees. Twice he had ex-
posed himself and been fired at. while
he had failed to catch single glimpse
Of his antagonist. A slow anger be-
gan to burn in him. It was deucedly
unpleasant. he decided. this being pep
pered Mt, and. nonsensical as it really
was, it was none the less deadly seri
Gus. There was no avoiding tue Is
sue, no firing In the air and getting
over with it. as in the old fashioned
duel. This mutual man hunt must
keep up until one got the other. And
IL one neglected a chance to get the
other that increased the others chance
to get him. There could be no false
sentiment about it. Tudor had been a
cunning devil when he proposed this
sort of duel. Sheldon concluded, as he
began to work along cautiously in the
direction of the last shot.
When he arrived at the spot Tudor
was gone. and only his footprints re-
manned, pointing out the course he had
taken into the depths Of the planta'
ton. Once, ten minutes later, he
caught a glimpse Of Tudor. hundred
yards away, crossing the same avenue
as himself, but going in the opposite
direction. His rife half leaped to his
shoulder. but the other was gone.
More in whim than in hope of result.
grinning to himself as he did so, Shell
don raised his automatic pistol and
in two seconds sent eight shots scat.
tering through the trees in the direc-
ton in which Tudor had disappeared.
Wishing he had shotgun. Sheldon
dropped to the ground behind a tree.
slipped fresh clip up the hollow butt
Of the pistol. threw q cartridge into
the chamber. showed the safety catch
into place and reloaded the empty clip.
It was but a short time after that
that Tudor tried the same trick on
him, the bullets pattering about him
like spiteful rain, thudding into the
palm trunks or glancing OF in whining
ric0chets. The last bullet Of all, MAX
ing a double ricochet from two Diff
ferent trees and losing most of its mo-
mentum, struck Sheldon sharp blow
on the forehead and dropped at his
feet. He was partly stunned for the
moment, but on investigation found no
greater harm than a nasty lump that
soon rose to the size Of pigeons egg.
firing OF the endless circling. Shell
don tried once more to advance direct
~ on his foe, but the latter was too
crafty. taking advantage of bis bold
ness to fire a couple OF shots at him
and slipping away on some changed
and continually changing course. For
an hour they lodged and turned and
twisted back and forth and around and
hunted each other among the orderly
palms. They caught deeting glimpses
Of each other and CHANGED flying shots
which were without result. On a
grassy shelter behind a tree Sheldon
came upon where Tudor had rested
and smoked a cigarette. The pressed
grass showed where be, had sat. At
one side LAY the cigarette stump ana
the charred match which had lighted
It. In front lay 4 scattering Of bright
metallic fragments. Sheldon recog-
nized their significance. Tudor was
notching his steel jacketed bullets or
cutting them blunt, 80 that they would
spread on striking-in short, he was
making them into the vicious dumdum
prohibited in modern warfare. Shell.
dou knew now what would happen to
him If a bullet struck bis body. 1t
would leave q tiny hole where it en-
tered, but the hole where it emerged
would be the size of a saucer.
He decided to give up the pursuit
and lay down in the grass, protected
right and left by the row Of palms,
with, on either hand. the long avenue
extending. This be could watch. IT,
dor would have to come to him or else
there would be no Termination Of the
affair. He wiped the sweat from his
face and tied the handkerchief around
his neck to keep OF the singing gnats
that lurked In the grass. Never had
he felt 10 great disgust for the thing
called adventure" Joan had been
bad enough with her Baden-P Powell and
long barreled Colts, but here was this
newcomer, also looking for adventure
and finding It In no other way than BY
Juggling a peace loving planter into an
absurd and preposterous bushwhack-
ing duel. II ever adventure was well
damned it was by Sheldon. sweating
In the MINDLESS grass and lighting
gnats. the while be kept close watch
uD and down the avenue.