Buffalo Bill: His Life and Adventures in the Wild West — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

ey D ete ee ption.. i et , The negr ro-women and ‘their: children rleked ‘and acreamed in terror, huddling » but Srowerless: to flee up the ~ ae Beal women uteecsd: cries of i ie arm, & as they beheld two hideous, paint- ed faces at the partly-crushed door. Can- dies were burning in the apartments, but othing had been hung up before the loop-holes, and, under it, ‘the watchers had th ru st . bel heaiia, © i _ In another moment two Indians had “crov vded over the ‘door, while Mrs. Beal Pasi ner daughter stood as if paralyzed. Qui sh oe they recovered, however, and, haying taken up their Tifles, they aimed and pulled trigger. — Les oe @ of the braves gave a terrible death- howl, and fell over among the negro chil- _ dren, a corpse. ou ab ove the cries of the terrified slaves. - More 5 Apaches sprung in, the frst splitting th head of @ negro boy with his toma- Li 2W i, eae But he made no further move. A bullet pore b his brain from the farmer’s rifle, AT the inmates of the ranch now saw tha they were in the greatest danger. My wr an itically they hastened up the stair- way, ‘to the flooring of the loft, and rush- - Ing across‘, the women and children be- ‘A el d the awful scene below. _ A er shooting the Apache, old Beal and \ ’ 1A o pL <n y if “ove d ones—the two negroes following. es ‘WO. more savages fell before the farm- rs’ revolvers, and then they yelled: ‘¥ be ‘Up the stairs now, all of you! Climb 7} a! | Te Ry } was ‘speedily obeyed, but none too ae on ‘for their safety. _. Feathered shafts Hew into the apartment‘ and a hail of leaden bullets out of the door; bi b the Indians soon sprang from the oening, for they realised that they had _ not only lost four of their number, besides _ Seve eral being wounded, but they had gained ch: ing. Indeed, ‘the bursting in of tha He and 007 _ trap for themselves. ~ Their signal-whoops revealed this to the Jaden of the attacking party. These Lone Wolf, afterwards a very famous the south-west, and Lynx-eyed Jim, s active associate, who strengthened hint a party of the Rustlers, arrayed as : _ These were surrounding the farm- i sitke in order to pop off any who escaped ; out of it. They kept in the wood, for HE MC :DERING « “R RUSTLERS.” ids i that ‘Glnwed: Bet the Beals were good shots and would War-whoops now rung 4 hi is son had darted forward to protect his : : aie sor, had been but the forming of a death-. # nav were cowards, and Jim had assured for aught they knew, ee ht be die game. At their first loss, the fury of the Apache chief was fiendish, The next instant, he and these of the warriors who remained with him, rushed into the clearing ; bounding from side to side, to avoid the aim of those at the loop- holes. But there was no danger, as the charge was made from the west, and the eee ‘ ’ . : ‘a. Was apartment on that end of the ‘building ‘Was unoccupied ; except that the corpses of four of their ‘number, and that of the negro lad, lay there. All had, by this time, gained the east apartment, the Mexicans being stationed in the loft, to shoot down any Indian who might rush in at the broken door. During the terrible din, when all «ere demoralised by the fearful surprise which the Apaches had given them, the farmer, his son, and the two slaves, retained re- murkable self-possession and control, They sprung at once to the loop-holes, after guaraing the retreat of the women and children. iat The Apache chief was still more frantic. At his signa)-yell all sprung along the verandah and from the west end of it ; at command of the chief, striking a light with flint and steel, and 7? siting a, lob of | dry grass and twigs. es Some of this) was bound about arrow- ~ points, and then, rocket-like, the fire-laden shafts shot through the air and upon the roof of the dwelling. Beas Farm was doomed |! In less than five minutes a shower of burning reeds and cinders would fall upon the heads of those in the east apart~ ment. | The demons in paint and feathers danced wildly around the clearing lighted up by the forked and hissing flames, They knew that they were in no further danger from the rifles of the farmers, for the time of the latter would now be fully occupied. They were right, for the old man at once abandoned his post, yelling out: No use, bo7zs ! can’t escape by the underground passaga to the creek, which, as I have not been in it for a year, may be caved in and#tocked u As he. spoke he lifted a trap-door, and down a rude fight of steps passed his wife and daughter, It was a terrible moment! A terrible moment to those who were descending into that dark tunnel, which, clo a" , now brightly We are doomed, if we : MIGDOOKSIGO