Tex Taylor #8 — Nick Peron

Aug 22

Aug 22 Tex Taylor #8

The Mystery of Devil-Tree Plateau!

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In New York City, Professor Carl Sturgis, his daughter Jessica and her fiancée Quentin look over photographs of a previously undiscovered breed of dwarf horse that has been spotted near Devil-Tree Plateau in Nevada. Carl and Jessica are planning an expedition there while Quentin is busy on another assignment. About a month later, Carl and Jessica have reached Devil-Tree Plateau and are camping out one night when they are confronted by some outlaws who attempt to rob them. They are saved by the timely arrival of Tex Taylor and his sidekick Alkali Ike who force the men to give up. After seeing that they are okay, and what the two archaeologists are up to Tex and Ike leave them to their work, although Ike finds the idea of dwarf horses more unbelievable than any of his tall tales. The following day Carl and Jessica climb up the side of Devil-Tree Plateau, along the way, Carl notices that someone has been cutting their ropes, preventing them from being able to climb back down, but keeps this a secret from Jessica. When they reach the top someone knocks out Jessica with a club and gets Carl as well.

Two months later, Tex and Ike are riding back into Pueblo City, Nevada where they run into Quentin who is looking to hire Tex and Ike to search for the Sturgis family who have been missing the entire time. Tex and Ike agree to help out and they ride out to the plateau. They stop in a hardcase town where Quentin recognizes one of Carl's pick axes being used by one of the men there. A fight soon breaks out, and Tex grabs the man with the gear and learns that he found it abandoned at the base of the plateau.

They continue on and camp at the site where Carl and Jessica were last seen. The next day they search for a way up and find a path leading up to the top of the plateau. Along the way they are subject to a rock slide that appears to be man made. Tex is almost sent falling off the path to his death, but Fury quickly grabs his shirt with his teeth. When they finally get to the top of the plateau they find an entire army of dwarf men riding dwarf horses, and they are led by Jessica. When they try to reason with her they find that she has no memory of who they are and is speaking in some strange tongue. They are taken prisoner and thrown in a dungeon where they find Carl alive and well. Carl explains that months ago when they reached the top of the plateau, they were attacked and captured by the dwarf men. However, they believed that Jessica was their goddess and since she was struck with amnesia because of her blow, she does not remember her past. Carl also explains that the only tall man of the tribe is now set to wed Jessica, and that they are to be used as a sacrifice.

They witness as the ceremony is about to take place, with Fury being offered as a gift to the bride and groom to be. The trio of men are led out of the dungeon by guards to be put to sacrifice. Tex is put on the altar first, but before Jessica can kill him, Fury frees his master. Tex then knocks out Jessica while the others flee. He beats the leader of the dwarves and escapes with Jessica on Fury. He then races down the side of the plateau while the dwarves try to strike him with rocks. Tex manages to make it out alive with the others but they note that the path to the top of Devil-Tree Plateau is blocked forever more. Satisfied with this turn of events they all depart from the area, all swearing themselves to silence as what they encountered was far too fantastic for anyone to believe.