Old Shadow Shot — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

10 soon advancing through the wood at no in- considerable speed. : “Tye heerd strange things to-night,” he continued, as he hurried along, “an’ it makes me sort o’ anxious-like about the boy. “That skunk of a White Vulture would never hey teched a blanket in Captain Rough’s train if he had known who he war. Now we'll see a pretty partnership in these parts. One wolf will go in with the other, an’ the boy’ hev to look out.” At the pace which bore the speaker through the forest, he was not long in reach- ing the tree in which but a short time pre- viously Nat had been hidden. An ominous silence brooded over the spot. ‘‘Nat, my leetle one?” said the man, ap- proaching the giant of the woods. ‘“ Waal, I’m back again. You're uncommon still, I’m thinkin’ !” But no reply came from the depths of the tree, and Shadow-Shot thrust his great hand into the hollow. It encountered nothing. ‘Gone, by hokey!” exclaimed the ranger. “He didn’t go away on his own account. Thet isn’t his style. Now ther'll be some- body waked up hereabouts. Plates and platter! The chaps what took the leetle feller hev stirred up the lion, an’ his name is Shadow-Shot, late of Illinoy!” As the ranger withdrew his hand, he felt a slippery something which, though he saw it not, convinced him that it was blood. He stepped back and examined the ground as carefully as the faint light permitted, but the search did not enlighten him. “Tt’s back to the train now,” he said, rising, with a sigh of disappointment. “I war follered when I left it, an’ the chap what took the boy will carry him back to Captain Rough.” Shadow-Shot searched no longer in the vicinity of the hollow tree; but tightened his belt and began to retrace his steps. At the place where the Vultures had fallen upon Captain Rough’s train a scene, striking ae its singularity for that region, was taking place. The Vultures had ceased to plunder the waggons. With sullen looks and muttered anathemas, the outlaws were replacing many articles which they had greedily seized upon during the attack. The keen eyes of Captain Dave were upon them. Moving here and there among the busy scene appeared a number of Captain Rough’s men, who had sneaked back after the sudden lull in the fight to see the two leaders talking together like old acquaintances, and finally to mingle with their late foes. Each deserter, as he returned, found him- -self questioned eagerly by Rough concerning ¢ OLD SHADOW-SHOT, the missing boy. The brutal man seemed much exercised Over the youth’s absence, and more than once, m no measured terms, he cursed the man who had lately appeared as Nat’s protector. “The train can proceed now,” the Apollo of the woods said, coming up to Rough, who had been leaning against a tree ior an hour, with arms folded upon his chest, and eyes re- garding the repairing of, the mishap. Captain Rough did not move. “We cannot tarry here,’ continued the brigand, biting his lip. “ My men are in no good humour. The Indians wou!d not have worked five minutes longer. Look! made them restore everything, even the little keg in the hindmost waggon.” Vaulting into the saddle with the grace of a cavalier, he turned to his men, and in a tone of authority not to be disputed by the most daring, ordered them to turn their faces from the waggons. Sullenly they obeyed. *“Now go!” he shouted to Rough. your brutes the command.” The next moment the waggons creaked and started on again, the rumbling of the wheels mingling with the shouts ®f the teamsters eager to leave the Vultures behind. Captain Rough, mounted on a horse, put himself in advance of the first waggon, and was the first person who passed from the Apollo’s sight. At last the teams faded from the vision of the Wisconsin bandit; but the loud oaths of the drivers and the rumbling of the heavy vehicles proclaimed the route. “Now, back!” Captain Dave said to his sullen men. “A richer train than that will soon fall into our hands. Captain Rough and I used to be boys together.” There was no reply to his words: He seemed to feel the pulse of his discomfited party, and wisely refrained from exciting it. “Oho! Captain Rough,” he said to him- self, with a smile. read your eyes. Old fellow, I know you like a book. The idea of your going to Lake Superior, leaving that boy in these woods, is the height of absurdity. Why, you'll not lead your train a mile, you old double-faced villain! There’s too much money trem- bling in the balance just now to keep you on the road to the copper mines.” The bandit captain was not wrong in his predictions, for the first streaks of day that illumined a Wisconsin forest found Captain Rough riding slowly southward alone. The train was not in sight, and its monotonous “Give rumble had passed entirely beyond hearing. | The villain had deserted his men in the forest, and was on the “ back-track.” “Dave Sepoy thought I was_an idiot when I haye “You think I couldn’t ~ Gomi OOL.KS _— (E(0)