Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 24: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

eS De ee 2. y “ae ——— aw -y cy Bee 9 at? t~ ja et 1 commen se i ee Saree 6 “ a yee =m — — ee aT s - 7 — - _ - 2 oe . a’ 24 -—_-_-—.* -_—_-—_——-— The aetective proceeded a short distance down ¢he road, when he came to a clump of trees which grew close up beside the road, and put- ting his fingers to his lips, he uttered a whistle, and an instant later Badger came prancing toward him like a playtul dog. Tom Hawk leaped into the saddle and was -away like the wind, and in a few moments had covered as much ground as a racer would meas- ure in the same time on a level track. He dis- gmounted at a little house and knocked at tne door, waich was opened by a resolute-looking man. ‘* Are you ready, Jack?’ “* All ready.”’ °* Ig Wade with you?” ‘** Yes, sir.”’ ““ Allright, rouse him and fcllow meas quick ‘as you can to N——-; the devils mean to crack the bank to-night!”’ ‘* AN right! we’ll be right after you.”’ Tom Hawk gave his aid a few special in- gtiuctions, and again mounted his horse and ‘Was away. He had an.eight-mile ride, and} looking at his watch, calculated just the time he thought} he required to cover the distance. It was a good night for the cracksmen’s risky enterprise; the sky had become overcast, and a Cimmerian darkness pervaded. Tom Hawk jet his good steei go free, and in due time reached the town where the bank was situated. He did not ride mght into the place, but dis- - meunted in the outskirts, and let his well- ‘trained hcrse wander off at his own sweet will, ‘and, with our reader’s.permission, we will dli- gress tor a few moments to relate a comic ad- wenture that attended the intelligent steed. ‘Vhe detective dismounted, and fixing the reins in the saddle, spoke a few words to his jhorse, and the animal wa.ked off, while the Night-Hawk stole away toward the town. ‘Badge: found a pasture field some distance down the road, and without waiting for permis- sion, leaped the tence and found himself In slover. With all his intelligence it is fair to esuppose he did not distinguish the immorality ‘ot nibbling elover which did not telonz to him, and he set tc for a good meal, as his master ‘had kindly unbitted him so as to permit him to feed. It so happened while Badger was feeding, a| tellow who was noted for his evil propensities came along the road, and espied a fully capari. soened horse quietly grazing. As Badger, under the circumstances, was a genuine horse-thief while filling his stomach with clover, so the fellow who had espied him was a borse-thief also, as it was the latter’s game to steal horse, grass, and all. The horse-thief made up his mind, as he leaped the fence and approached nearer to the grazing animal, that he was a runaway, and by the same token he decided to run away with the horse. | The fellow considered himself in luck. He ‘vas a regular ‘‘ pick up,’’ a rascal that “' froze on *’ toa ‘‘ sleeper’’ of any sort; indeed, he was a first-class ‘‘nipper,’’ and would steal any- thing from.a church-bell to a young suckling pig, and when he saw the horse he was filled with delight. All he had to do wa3 mount and away, and he was ready. | As the man approached the horse kept on quietly grazing, and the man actually drew near and patted him in a familiar manner, and not noticing that the horse was unbitted, he mounted, and then the fun commenced. Badger walked off for a few steps and then suddenly geared high in air and fell back, and the man, taken unawares/slid oif in a heap, and the horse went for him, and seizing him by the nape of his coat lifted him from the ground and shook him dog-fashion. The man yelled with terror, when the horse trotted with him to the edge of the field and dropped him over the fence into the road and actually whinnied, and the whinny sounded : like a horse-laugh. The man thought he had tackled the devil himself in the guise of a horse, and leaping out of the road-ditch into which he had been dumped he took to his heels and ran like a deer, as though Old Nick were indeed after him, while Badger returned to his feed and nibbed quietly and *complacently the farmer’s clover. Meantime, while Badger, the knowing horse, was encountering his little adventure, his mas- ter was engaged in more serious business. The detective proceeded to the vicinity of the bank, when he came to a halt and took a sur- \ _ NIGHT-HAWE, | vey, and, after a moment, became convinced that he was a little ahead cf time. ‘* All right,’’ he muttered, “I’ve got ’em sure now if they come!’’ He did not have long to wait before learning that he had received the right ** tip;’’ from his place of hiding he saw a dark figure approach the bank and take a survey, and a few moments later a second dark figure appeared upon the scene, and so the tellows came uatil five of them were huddled together. They did not spend much time in cousulta: tion. One of the men was placed on guard, and the other four entered the bank, effecting an entrance with the utmost ease, as they had come fully prepared for the excursion, Tom Hawk lay low and watched, and at length a sight met his gaze which gave him the proper assurance, | ‘* Now, my hearties.’’ he said, ‘‘ I'l] cut sbort your little racket, and put you fellows in a safer place than is the treasure you are after!’’ The detective made a move. CHAPTER XXXVIII. Tom Hawk had considerable of the Indian cuteness and cunning in his methods, and he crawled slowly and patiently forward, lt was his design to capture the robber sentinel, and having secured him advance and ‘‘ take in ”’ the balance of the gang. The sentinel sat upon the curb near the bank. It was evident the fellow thought all was secure, and that his duty was a mere formality. And nearer and nearer the hand of fate wus creeping toward him, | Tom Hawk was a man of extraordinary nerve naturally,, and long experience amidst trying adventures had resulted in a coolness and steadiness in mcments of peril that were simply marvelous. When within cnly a few feet of his victim, at a moment when if discovered his doom was. sealed, the detective was as cool as when he first started to crawl toward his man. The robber was armed. with his eyes half closed he held a cocked re- volver in his hand ready at the first moment of danger to,shoot duwn whoever might approach. lt was a critical moment, and should the rob- ber have the first sight of our herc, he would have the drop on him and it was good-bye, my good Night-Hawk, forever. Tom wished to divert the man’s attention, and in the darkness he cast a pebble over be- yond the sentinel. The fellow heard tie noise and sprung to his feet, turning away from our hero, and this was just what the latter desired, and at once he sprung to his feet, leaped for- ward, and his powerful arm encircled the throat of his captive; the robber could not speak; he was held ina gtip of iron, literally pinioned/and helpless. Tom wrenched the weapon firci his grasp, twisted the fellow’s head until he was almost insensible, and then bore him to the ground. The detective was upon him and a gag was fit- ted in his mouth, handcuffs were adjusted to his wrists, and a silk handkerchief bound bis feet together, and, rising from off his man, the officer remarked in an undertone: ‘*T reckon that will do!”’ The detective had just finished with his cap- tive when two dark figures stcle up beside him, ‘* How is it, Tom?”’ ‘* All right.”’ ‘* Are they here?’’ ‘* Here’s one of them.’’ ‘* Aha! and now?” ‘* Well, you lads just lay low. 1 don’t want to disturb them until they are well on with their work. I do not wish to take them on an at- tempt. 1 want ’em dead to rights on the charge of bank robbery, @nd 1’ll have ’em this time dead sure!”’ A few moments the three detectives waited. They were ail resolute fellows, and in a fight were a host in themselves. . At length Tom Hawk exchanged signals with his companions and entered the door of the bank, which opened with equal facility as for the men he was ‘‘ piping.”’ *% Once in the bank, he commenced to. crawl along slowly, and soon gained/a position inside the rail, and stood at the hatch-opening leading down to the vaults where the treasure safes were located. A strange and weird sight met his gaze. The men had cast aside their masks, and had just succeeded in completing the drill into which they were to insert the powder prepata- tory to blowing the treasure-box open. Even as he Sat | The men went about their work very cociy, and appeared to think that all was lovely. In- deed, one of them remarked, as the wad was driven in on the powder: . ‘‘ Night-Hawk will open his eyes in the morning, when he learns how we worked this little racket right unde: his nose!’’ ‘‘ Night-Hawk may never open his eyes again!’’ came theweply. ‘it’s a pity!’ ¢é Why?” ‘* Well, 1’d like to have him know that he ain’t the greatest man on earth.”’ ‘* He’s pretty smart.’’ ‘*So you will find, my hearties,’’ mentally rejoined the detective, as\a complacent smile beamed on his determined face. ‘* He’s a ‘ daisy,’ and if the lads down him, we’ll have easy sailing for a spell.”’ ‘*] don’t think they’]11 down him,’’ said one of the men. r ‘* Then they’re ‘ slouches,’ or Byron will se them out.’’ 3 3 1 would not fake much stock in Byron my- ge hs ‘* Bah! we'll drop him out.after a bit. He’s fell into too much of our business.’’ ‘‘It might have been better if he had been dropped out sooner.”’ The man who had been fixing the fuse got it rightly adjusted, and said: ‘* Now, boys, we'll have a little Fourth of July, so lay-low.”’ The detective did not interfere. He did not wish tc catch them on a mere tamper. He cal- culated the bank could afford the damage to the safe so long as its contents was saved to them. le was a cool-head and understood his business. He intended to huve his men dead te . rights when he did get them, and the game wae working his way. | | Three of the men laid themselves to one side with their heads covered, while the operator bound a wet rag cver the powder-filled aperture in order to deaden the sound of the explosion, when he dropped on his breast and reached for- | ward and lighted the fuse. Our hero could see the whole operation, and, could an artist have caught the whole picture just as it was presented at that moment, he would have had a striking scene indeee. The little fuse slowly burned toward the ex- plosive material—a tiny little spark. . A moment passed and there came a dull thud. A puff of smoke flashed up through the hatch, and filled the back room for 2 moment, and then all was still. When the smoke cleared away, the cperator took his masked-lantern, and flashed its light glare upon the place where the explosion had taken place. ‘‘ That was a daisy puffer, bevs!”’ ‘* 1s it all right?”’ . ‘* We’ve the wealth of the whole county at our command. Have your bags ready for the ‘ Swa Ne >? ' ** All ready,’’ came the auswer. ‘“ Well, give me the bar, and we'll soon be into the Croesus’ box.”’ The men were just as merry as men could be, and so was the detective, as he contem- plated the stariling little surprise he had for them when the proper time came. Tom stepped out to the door for a word with his aids, and the grand fadleau followed. CHAPTER XXXIX, Tom Hawk returned to his position in the bank, and, glancing down, saw that the men had succeeded in opening the safe, and their bags wete drawn up ready opened to receiv the ‘‘ swag.”’ | ‘‘ This is the best job of the year,’’ said one, ‘The best of our lives!’’ remarked another. ‘‘Won't old Night-Hawk squeal when he learns of our trick!’’ suggested a third. ‘* We are all right, boys!’’ said the last. The moment for our hero to act had arrived. He, stretching himself out face forward, with b¥ arms extended over the opening and his. weap- ons pointing down at the men, he was ready. ‘“ We have got a haul this time, lads!’’ ex- claimed the leader, as he pulled out a package of greenbacks that would have made a bank- rupt’s eyes water. ’ ‘“Ha! ha! what would old Night-Hawk say if he saw us handling this ‘ boodle ’?”’ ‘‘Your mind appears to run on Nigkt- Hawk,’’ said one of the cthers. . ‘Yes: ‘his memory haunts me sti*L’ ” - ‘* Did vou ever neet him?”’