Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-01-18
Author Of Whispering Smith :. 900.


man-pretty much all over the coun-
try north of Medicine Bend. lie is as
full of tricks as Il nuts full of meat.
Henry de Spain can hide out like an
Indian, and doctor himself. Then,
again, | know something about the
way he fights; up here they don't. If
those four fellows had ever seen him
in action. they never would have ex-
pected to get out Of Il room alive, after
II showdown with Henry de Spain. AS
near as | can make out from all the
talk that's floating around. what fooled
them WAS seeing him shoot ut a mark
here one day in Sleepy Cat"
Jeffries didn't interrupt, but he
slapped his knee sharply.
"You might just as we'll try to stand
on box of dynamite, and shoot into
1t, and expect to live to tell it, con.
tnued Scott mildly, "us to shoot into
that fellow in room with closed doors
and expect to get away with it. The
only way the bunch can ever kill that
man, without getting killed themselves,
Is to get him from behind; and at that.
John, the man that fires the gun" muir
INJURED the scout, fought to be behind u
tree.
"You say he is hit. | grant it, he
concluded. "But I knew him once,
when he was hit, to lie out in the bush
for a week. lie got cut or once from
Whispering Smith and Kennedy after
scrlmmage outside Williams Cache
two years ago.
"You don't believe, then, he's dead,
Bob? demanded JelTrics impatiently.
mot till see him dead" persisted
Scott unmoycd.
| De Spain, when he climbed into Sas-
soons saddle, was losing sight and
/ consciousness. He knew he could no
longer defend himself, and was so
faint that only the determination of
putting distance between him and any
pursuers held him to the horse after
he spurred away. With the Instinct Of
+ the hunted. he fumbled with his right
hand for his means of defense, and
was relieved to find his revolver, after
his panicky dash for safety, safe in its
place. He put his hand to his belt for
fresh cartridges The belt was gone.
The discovery sent Il shock through
his failing faculties. He could not
rocollect why he had no belt. Belicv.
ing his senses tricked him, he felt
again and again for it before he Would
about him. But it was gone and hf
stick back in his waistband his useless
revolver. One hope remained-Hight
and he spurred his horse cruelty.
Blood running continually into his
eyes from the wound in his head mad,
him think his eyes were gone, and iii
rection was thing quite beyond hi'
power of compass. He made little eff
fort to guide, and his Infatuated horse
ueW alOHS us ii WlllSeu.
A warm, sticky feeling in his RICH
boot warned him, when he tried t.
make some mental inventory of hi
. condition, Of at least one other wound
He could not see twenty feet ahead o
behind. Even when he hurriedly wipet
the cloud from his eyes his vision
seemed to have failed, and he coui'
only cling to his horse to put the mile
as fast as possible between himsel
and more of the Morgans.
A perceptlble weakness PRESENT.
forced him to realize he must look Z
, his wounded foot. Before he slackene
speed he tried to looli behind to recon
hotter. With relief he perceived hi
sight to be Il trille better and in scat
ming the horizon he could discover n
> pursuors. Choosing a secluded spo
i, he dismounted cut open his boot, an
/, found that q bullet, passing dow
ward, had torn an artery under tn
. arch of the foot. Making a rude tou
4. h'IuN'' NV SuCCttutl III NliN'hihS Pi'''
well the squirting flow that was sal
ping his strength. After he had NJ
justed the bandage he stood up an
;. looked ut it.
;. Then he drew his revolver again an
broke 1t. He found five cmoty shell
=. in the chambers and threw them ava
The last cartridge had not been fire.
He could not even figure out how !
had happened to have six cartridges
the cylinder, for he rarely loaded MOI
- tllan five. Indeed, it was his flxc
= labit-to avoid accidcnts--never
!, carry a cartridge under the halnm'
y Of his gun--yet now there had bet