Wild Western #21
The Outlaw's Revenge
Kid Colt comes across outlaw Arab Leech in the middle of a slave trading deal and guns down the buyers. When Leech tries to whip him, he shoots the whip out of his foes hand. He then takes Leech's money and challenges him to a knife fight to determine who gets the money, Leech declines and leaves vowing to get revenge against the Kid. When Leech and his men flee the scene, Kid Colt gives the money over to the liberated slaves and departs. Later, Leech and his men begin plotting to hunt down Kid Colt when he holes up next.
Kid Colt soon arrives in the border town of Tonto Ridge, to meet with his old friend Pops who invites Kid Colt to stay the night. Leech and his men learn of this and that night they break into Pop's house while everyone is asleep. Leech strangles Pop to death and then they light the house on fire in order to burn Kid Colt alive. The smoke wakes the Kid up and he fights his way out of the flames. Once outside, Kid Colt guns down most of Leech's men. Leech goes coward and Kid Colt chooses to strangle him to death just like Leech did to Pop. However, one of Leech's surviving gang members gets up behind the Kid and pistol whips the hero, knocking him out. Before his man can kill Kid Colt, Leech stops him having decided of another plan.
Shortly thereafter, Leech goes into the nearby saloon with Kid Colt's guns and offers them to the highest bidder. However, when Kid Colt comes around he rushes into the bar and stops the auction by grabbing his guns out of Leech's hands and uses them to gun the outlaw down then rides out before anyone can stop him.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
The Painted Feather
The Gunhawk comes across the wreckage of a stage coach and finds arrows at the scene. Suspecting that such an attack could spark a war between area settlers and the nearby Arapho Native Americans he gets the locals to investigate the wreckage. A man named Wilson is convinced that the attackers were the Arapho and when they take a closer look at the wreckage they find that the arrows have yellow feathers like those used the Arapho. They all head back to the town of Hanging Rock where Wilson goes to tell Banker Mathers that his most recent shipment was attacked by Natives.
There is some excitement in town when two Arapho warriors come to town to use the trading post and a mob attacks them. Red tells Wilson to get the sheriff to help keep the peace. The Gunhawk gets between the angry mob and the Arapho warriors and tells them that if the warriors are responsible for any crimes they are entitled to a fair trial. When the locals refuse to stand down, Red draws his guns to keep them at bay and helps them escape. Red vows to get to the bottom of this situation and try to keep the peace.
Going back to where the raiding party attacked, Red finds a feather that he believes is the key to the whole mystery. He then follows the attacker's trail back to the Catfish Mine. He watches from secret when he sees Wilson running from the mine and another man shoots him dead. Going to the shack where the shooter came from he finds Banker Mathers with a gang of men, two of whom are dressed up like members of the Arapho. He overhears how Mathers has been having his men rob his own coaches disguised as Native so that he can cash on the insurance and keep double the money. Red attacks the phony Natives and kills them before they can go and raid another coach. He then confronts Mathers and his men. He quickly disarms them then ties them up.
Defeated Mathers wonders how the Gunhawk was able to figure out their plot. Red explains that the arrows that they used where painted with yellow paint, instead of the usual dyes that the Arapho would use to color their feathers.
Recurring Characters
Gunhawk
Blaze
The Horror of Hidden Gap!
It is a quiet night when the Apache warrior named Red Deer is attacked by what appears to be a bear and is killed. His horse rides him back to the Apache village where the body is discovered by Red Hawk and the Apache Kid. The Kid decides to stop who or whatever killed Red Deer and rides off with Red Deer's horse in the lead to bring him to the spot where Red Deer was attacked. As he passes Fort Madison, he is spotted by the soldiers at the base. Suspecting that there is trouble afoot, Captain Bill Gregory gets his horse to follow his old friend.
Following Red Deer's backtrail the Apache Kid comes across an old hermit. Red Deer's horse tries to attack the hermit, but Apache Kid holds it back and the hermit invites the hero in to camp out. After drinking some coffee the Apache Kid begins to feel drowsy and is invited to stay the night. Shortly after Bill Gregory arrives in the area and spots a strange creature stalking in the darkness and follows after it. He finds the Apache Kid just as he wakes up and accuses him of dressing up as the monster. His suspicions are confirmed further when the he finds bear claws where the hero was sleeping.
Before Bill can arrest the Apache Kid, the hermit returns and the Apache Kid, suspecting something is up attacks the hermit, ripping off what is actually a false beard. The man surrenders explaining that he is an outlaw who posed as both the old hermit and the monster to keep people away from the loot he was hiding. Gregory takes the phony hermit prisoner and apologizes to the Kid for accusing him.
Recurring Characters
Apache Kid
Captain Bill Gregory
Apaches
Red Hawk
Nightwing
The Mesa of Missing Men!
A woman comes to the Texas Ranger camp located in southern Texas. Nan is instantly jealous of the woman because of her beauty, but the Arizona Kid attempts to tell her that she was not his type but she refuses to listen to him. Major Cullen calls in the Kid and introduces her to the woman named Miss Ramsdell. Ramsdell tells the Kid that she owns a small restaurant in Gulf City, where some of her regular customers -- ranch hands -- have gone missing. She explains that all the ranchers were all employed by Cal Biddle owner of the Crossy Ranch. Among the missing is her brother who came down from Colorado to be near her. Cullen then orders the Kid to go to the area posing as a roving cowboy and get a job at the Crossy Ranch to try find out what has happened to the missing ranch hands. Miss Ramsdell thanks the Arizona Kid for helping and kisses him, angering Nan even more.
Later that evening the Arizona Kid rides to the Crossy Ranch and is hired on as a ranch hand. As he rides off the Kid is attacked by a man and knocked out. When he comes around he finds himself tied up in the gully of a ship along with the other captured ranchers who have been forced into slavery. The Airzona Kid finds Miss Ramsdell's brother among the captured slaves. The Kid and Ramsdell start a mutiny among the slaves and take control of the ship. The Kid then goes to the captain's quarters and overhears how Biddle was plotting to sell the ranchers to slavers in the Barbados. The Kid ambushes Biddle and his men and takes them prisoner and returns the captured slaves back to Texas.
Miss Ramsdell thanks Arizona Kid for rescuing her brother and he and Nan patch things up.
Recurring Characters
Arizona Kid
Major Cullen
Cliff Macklin
Nan Macklin
Arrow
