Old Shadow Shot — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

24 * “Tt’s a bad one!” Rough said, completing tye examination. “JT should suggest that it was!” was the reply in no good humour. “Ninety-nine men out of a hundred would stand a mighty poor chance of getting well after being shot as I have been, and having had a knife rummaging through their lungs looking for the ball! But I ground my teeth and never squealed, captain.” Rough looked ’ flashing eyes that regarded him; the voice, _ so full of sarcasm, cut him to the quick. ~ His eyes fell upon the stone wall revealed by the fire. Suddenly he started. There was a name on the stone—Violet Collyer ! All at once he leaped to his feet and stepped towards the threshold of the cave. Greed was in his eyes. He had made a wonderful discovery. But the orbs of Captain Dave were upon him. “Where are you going?” he demanded. At that moment Captain Rough halted, and snatching a rifle that leaned against the wall, wheeled suddenly upon the bandit. “Tye found the very person I want to find!” he cried. ‘“ Look at that name on the wall. Violet Collyer is worth untold wealth to me. Captain Dave, you stand between me and that money. I’m going to kill you here. Your wound will not need dressing.” He was standing within twenty feet of Captain Dave, who did not quail before the muzzle of the dangerous weapon. “Shoot and be hanged!” was the defiant response. “& know what the girl is worth to anyone whe takes her back to the city, and I know, too, who the boy is. Captain Rough, we've phayed desperate games in our lifetime ; we've taken desperate chances. I knew that your discovery would come; but I had to have help ‘'o get here. You tried to kill me a minute aro, by probing my wound. Now you want to finish Shadow-Shot's work with the rifle. Do you think you will do it, saptain ?” “ What is the:te to-hinder me ?” Captain Dave smiled. “Did you tak:e me for a fool?” he said. “ Knowing you :'as I do, did you think I would hold your rifle while you tied the horses with- out taking the i:ap off? Ha! ha! Captain Rough! When diamond cuts diamond, the hardest will win. Now, sir, you are mine !” A pistol came {from beneath the covering of the couch, ané| with both hands, for he was weak, Captais » Dave thrust it forward. Rough touched the trigger of his rifle ; there was a click, but no report! The sound seenn 3d the sentence of death, OLD SHADOW-SHO7. away; he almost felt the t & “Mercy, Dave!” he cried, flinging the use- less weapon against the wall of the cavern. “Mercy !’”’ was the heartless echo. . “ That is just what you were going to parcel out to me, eh, captain ?” a CHAPTER XIV. THE FIGHT IN THE CAVE. VV HILE the events narrated in the / y several foregoing chapters were transpiring, another character of our romance, and one from whom we have been separated, perhaps, too long, was listen- ing to sounds that startled him. It- was Sharp Knife, the Crow. It will be remembered that he followed Rafe Armstrong to the cave-home where he, - at Captain Dave’s bidding, struck the deserter his death-blow, and that he in turn fell before Violet’s riffe. The girl did not go to note the effects of her shot; she turned to the mortally- wounded| man to hear him reiterate the charges concerning the identity of the man who called himself Noel Gordon. If she had visited the placo where the Indian fell she might have discovered that the Crow was not dead, simply stunned by the ball, which carried away part of the scalp above the ear. Upon recovering, Sharp Knife made him- self as scarce as possible, and in a short time he was quite a distance from the caye-home. Not long after his flight from the cavern, he saw the Vultures ride through the forest ; but he did not join them. He was on a trail which personally concerned himself. We have said that the revengeful Crow was listening to startling sounds. So, indeed, he was. He was letting his scarlet body down over the rocks that rose above the cave when he heard the sound of voices. Sharp Knife stopped and listened atten- tively. - A familiar light beamed in his eye when he recognised Captain Dave's voice. The outlaw was in the cave that sheltered the white girl; but he was not alone. It was the voice of Captain Rough that mystified the Indian, for he heard it for the first time. As he had been dismissed upon the errand of assassination, he had not taken part in the attack on the train, and therefore he had not become acquainted with the captain’s speech. After a while, as the words grew high, the Indian resumed his crawl, lizard-like, and approached the cave. With the glittering | knife in his teeth he continued to near the top of the natural door, and at iene: eager CONMNICIOOKSacCOKA