Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

f-xcTianging a giauce with Hackett and Bragg, he hastened forth into his sale-room. BrafTg and Hackett £ollow€)d him hesitantly, and were joined by the clerk who was in Morgan's employ and confidence. A few seconds later the scoundrelly quartet were posted at the street doorway, and, peering through it cautiously, they saw groups of citizens running in all dii'ections as if animated by the wildest alarm. The reason for the consternation of the tot, 119 ft>nj was visible to Morgan and his associates on the trail west of the town. For the Mason column had crossed a rise in the terrain there and was charging down towards Clearwater with the Shoshoncs in full cry. The punchers in control of the cattle belong- ing to the tiain were driving the steers south- ward to avoid the settlement, and were still being pursued by a detachment of the Indians. As for the teamsters who occupied the prairie schooners, they were making straight for the town, and soon wagon after wagon was racket- ing through the main street. At the tail-end of the procession of "schooners" rode Jeff Scott and the company of horsemen he luid mustered. They were fighting a desperate rearguard action against the main body of the Shoshones, but, though they had kept tlic Kedskiu horde at a pretty jrespectful distance over n course of several miles, the savages were closing up on them in overwhelming numbers now. Indeed, some of the Indians had out-flanked Jeff and his party and caught up with the hind- most wagons in the train, and as the last prairie schooner entered the town Morgan and his {vssociates perceived three figures struggling fiercely on the driving-seat of the vehicle. They were the figures of two men and a girl. The girl was Margaret Mason, and one of the men was her father. The other was a Redskin who had boarded the wagon and poimced on John Mason. Mason and the Indian were locked in a life- and-death grapple, and Margaret was striving to £iid her father, who was obviously at a dis- advantage by reason of tho fact that his antagonist was much younger and much more ngile than he. But suddenly the Redskin half- turned and struck tho girl a violent blow that knocked her off her balance, and then, concen- trating his attention on John Mason again, he succeeded in hurling the latter from the schooner. Next moment tho Indian snatched up the reins of the wagon's team, and he had brought, the trace-horses to a standstill when Jeff Scott .showed up alongside him. From the doorway of the store Morgan and liis companions saw Jeff fling himself from the .saddle of his bronc to tho driving-seat of the prairio schooner and clutch the Redskin, and •at that Morgan reached under his coat and plucked out a six-gun. "Here's a chance to finish Scott once and for all," he said to his confederates in a low, tense voice. "He's bothered us plenty in the past, but this is whei-o he gets what's been coming to him for a long time." At grips with the Indian, Jeff had his back to Morgan, and tho confusion that reigned in the street was such that there was little prospect of anyone witnessing the dastardly act the ftir-trader cont«mplate.d. For that matter, nnj'one who might have ob.seived him lift his revolver just then would doubtless have imagined that ho was preparing to open fire upon tile approaching Shoshones. Training tlie gun on Jeff, Morgan pulled the trigger, and a shot ripped from the muzzle of the weapon. A split second later Morgan saw his victim throw up his han<Ls and pitch from the Mason wagon, whereupon tho Indian who had tioarded the prairie schooner skilfully brought the vehicle's team hard round and drove out of town to strike off in a north-westerly diret'tion —temporarily scattering -the train's outriders as these were uiiecling to make a stand against the main body of tho Shoshones. The rearguard of the Mason column could never have stemmed tho onrush of that horde of savagea But by now fHearwater's citizens were hastily arming them.solves and turning out tp give battle to Spotted Elk's braves, and, numbers of them rusning to reinforce the out- riders, thoy volloye<l th(> Indians resolutely. Warriors and rnustnngs came doivn by the Febraary 84Mi. WW score under the withering fire that was directed at them, and with more and more of the towns- men taking a hand in the conflict the Redskin host beat a retreat, content for the time being to exchange fusillades with the whites from the rising ground west of the settlement. i\Ieanwhi!e the teamstere of the immigrant train had pulled up and had turned upon those Shoshones v.'ho had outflanked tho column's rearguard and entered Clearwater with the hinciinost wagons. Tho Indians in question were not so fortunate as tho one who had made oS^ with the Mason schooner. They were surrounded and annihilated, and with the town cleared of enevnies the wagoners doubled back on foot to the western end of the principal street—there to join the stalwarts who had beaten back the main force of Redskins. From the doorway of his store, Morgan looked on hatefully as citizens and immigrants commingled in the defence of the settlement, and he was watching the tumultuous gun-battle through narrowed lids when Hackett addressed him. "The Shoshones will never break through now," he opined. "Tho opposition's too strong. I'm figurin' they'll be dravvin' off pretty soon. Boss—and you'll have to think up a new way to wreck the Mason train." Morgan answered him curtly. "I'm not so sure the Shoshones will draw oflF," he retorted. "They've been held up, but they may make another rush that will v.in the day for 'em." He focused his gaze on two inert and motion- less forms lying in the street not far from his premises. 'They were tho bodies of John Mason and Jeff Scott. ■ " Whatever happens, there's one thing we can be sure of," he added in a tone of malignant satisfaction. "Those immigrants will have to get along without Scott even if they do survive this Indian attack—and with Scott out of the way it shouldn't bo hard to see they never reach Oregon. Come to that, Mason may be through as well. He took a pretty bad fall when he was thrown off that wagon." Bull Bragg spoke. Ho was standing well in the background, but ho had, nevertheless, wit- nessed all that had happened. "Talkin' of Mason, Boss," he said, "did you see who it was that throwed him off that wagon an' sheered off with the schooner? It wasn't no Injun—not a full-blooded Injun, anyways. 'Twss Breed—rigged out in a feathered head- dress." Morgan started. "Breed-?" he reiterated. "By thunder, now I como to think of it I believe you're right." "I know I'm right," Bragg rejoined. "What's more, I cot an idea why he ran off with that wagon and skedaddled outa tho fight. We know Ma.son had some furs given to him, an' my guess is that they're iu that prairie schooner." Morgan was silent for a space. Then he looked at Bragg kcenfy. "I wonder if Breed means to stick to those furs and sell 'om for his own profit on the quiet," ho muttered. "I wouldn't put it past him. Bragg, get after him. You can slip out of town unnoticed by the cast trail, then circle round and catch up with him. If those pelts are v.'orth much, see that he takes 'cm to the main hide-out. I'm not letting any of my gang double-cross mo." He failed to observe that an expression of slyness was lurldng in Bull Bragg's eyes. "I got you, Boss," the beefy renegade declared, "an' you can depend on me (o make sure Breed don't put anything over on you." FLIGHT ABOUT the time that the citizens of Clear- water and the pioneers of tho Mason column were joining forces to beat back tho Shoshone onslaught, a man, who was sprawled in ft gully away to tho west of the town, opened his eyes and looked about him dazedly. That man was Deadwood Hawkins, and, stunned by tho fall he had sustained when his horse had been brought down, he had lain there unobserved by tho Redskins who had pur- sued tho Mason train's drove of cattle and tho piincliers who had been riding herd on the steers. The first object Deadwood discerned on re- covering consciousness was his bronc. ...It waa standing placidly near by, and appeared none the worse for its experience; and its master gathered that the bullet which had felled it had merely clipped its neck and rendered it insensible for a brief spell. Deadwood had scarcely drawn that conclusion when a movement close at hand diverted his attention from his horse, and as he turned his head he saw to his surprise that a fresh-com- plexioncd bov of about thirteen years of ago was kneeling beside him. A diminutive pony was pawing the ground just behind the lad, whom Deadwood immedi- ately recognised as Jimmie Clark, orphaned son of an outrider who had lost his life weeks before when the Mason train had attempted to ford a flooded river east of Clearwater. "Jimmie!" Deadwood murmured faintly. "What are you doin' here?" "I saw vou take that tumble," the boy ex- plained. "I was only a few yards fi-om yoii when you was brung down. I rode into the gully after you, an' luckily the Shoshones went by without scein' us on account o* the dust. Arc you all right, Deadwood ?" The sturdy frontiersman struggled to his feet with an effort. "Sure," he answered; "Sure—I'm all right. But what about the column ? What happened to Jeff an' the settlers?" "I don't know, Deadwood. They disap- peared in the east with the Injuns a-whoopin' and a-shoutin' right behind 'cm." Deadwood bit his lip. " I hope Jeff an' the Mason crowd reach Clearwater," he said. "They'd be able to make a stand there, with the help o' the towns- folk. Maybe they're puttin' up a battle there now. We're goin' after 'em to see, anyhow, for if there's any fightin' to be done I'm gonna be in on it. Come on, son. You stick close to mc." He delayed only to pick up his revolver, which was lying on the ground a few yards from him. Then he took hold of his bronc's rein and led the animal out of the gully, and, Jimmie accompanying him with his pony, man and boy had climbed to the rim of tho hollow when suddenly they descried a prairie schooner and team heading northward over a slight up- land some little distance from them. That vehicle and its team vanished in the wink of an eye, and, failing to observe that there was anyone aboard it, Jimmie and Dead- wood gained the impression that the traoe- horscs were runaways. But, though the frontiersman and his youthful companion had obtained only a glimpse of wagon and team, both were quick to identify the outfit. "Say, I'll swear them runaway plugs was the ones John Mason was drivin'l" Deadwood ejaculated. "I wonder what happened to him an' Miss Margaret." "I don't know," Jimmie faltered. "But that was Mr. Mason's team all right. Maybe Mr. Mason an' Miss Margaret have been hurt, an' maybe they're lyin' inside the .schooner. Look, j'ou go on to town. I'll round up that wagon." Deadwood nodded. "Okay, Jimmie," he assented. "But when you stop them nuiaways don't bring the wagon straight back to Clearwater, or you might run .into the Injuns. Work round to the far side o' the settlement an' make sure tho coast's clear afore you try to get into town." Assuring him that he would take no chances, Jimmie mounted and set off towards the rise over which tho Mason wagon had passed. As for Deadwood, he forked his saddle, turned on to the trail that load to Clearwater and urged his bronc along it at full speed, and some tiyenty minutes later he was spurring up the hill that overlooked the town from the west. But, spoiling as he was for action, Deadwood was due for a disap[)ointmeut. For as he topped tho promontory ho saw that tho battle he had . thought might bo iu progress was alreadi^ over. The 'main body of the Shoshoncs were with* drawing to the north, averse to trying conclu- sions with the whites who had masseu for the defence of the settlement; and a smaller party of Redskins were trooping after them—the de- tachment that had harried the punchers of tho Masoo column, who had wliceled to show fight on a stretch of open ground sout^ of the town. (Continned on page StO)