Buffalo Bill: His Life and Adventures in the Wild West — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

- 4 = ' . 4 — < , ve 4 ot a ce e “és ‘ constantly avoided him. » One night, when the “train had gone - into camp in a pleasant grove, Mercer Aldrich asked Dolores to walk with him to the summit of a hill near by and enjoy _ the sunset scene, and there he proposed ' Marriage to her. As she refused, he threatened to make her rue it. However, nothing happened then, and she was allowed to roturn to camp. At dusk though, there came a flash-off on the _ plain, a cry of pain, and, up from the “covered prairie, sprang a hundred _ forms, and with wild war-whoops, echoed back from the hillside, as they dashed upon the surprised camp. Clasped in each other’s arms the maidens shrank back for shelter behind a huge tres, while around them waged the fierce battle, for the train-men knew they fought for their lives, And thus crouching, more dead than alive, they saw their guide, Revolver Nick, fall, fighting bravely against a score of painted savages ; then rose a ory that Hortense knew too well came from her _ father’s lips; a ery of pleading, not for himself, but for his child, and a pistol- shot was the answer. And thus it went on, the fight surging away from them toward the waggons, and thea women gave up all hope. These assailants were not real Indians, but painted and feathered Mormons, of whom the captured girls scon pierced the disguise. Their leader was John Leigh, alias Aldrich, "hee CHAPTER XVI. THE DANITES, \HE sun had soared to quite a hei ht ~ above the horizon, the mornin after the attack upon the encamp- ment, as a horseman rode on at a rapid pace, following the trail left by the wag- gon-train. One glance at his horse was sufficient to show that he had been urged hard, and upon the rider’s face was a look of anxiety, and he constantly kept his gaze fixed upon the trail far ahead of him. .. _. It was Buffalo Bill, the scout, who was thus following the track loft by the train, and, having delivered his dispatches at the fort, for which he was destined, when he first came upon the party under Cap- tain Harmon, he had determined to head ales SLATS ro BUFFALO - geomed to fear the man, ond the ‘oomer them off ere the edt cross the Gre by 4 ~ 6 1 es a hi NE Sp ue, oi ME es eT oe ay f Eas Aa, ge Bit, if 4 River, and warn them of the danger th would meet by following the cireaes 0 to their destination. ae rs He had crossed their trail as. “i ee | pected he would, and pressed on at a hi ard | e, even for the splendid horse he x rode | and knew that, ere long, he must so mn come in sight of the white tents ot 9 Ww me ‘But ir instead, he saw a smoke rising f rom | the timber in his front, and cautiously ‘he approached, to suddenly rein his hor a back, while a ery of horror broke from | 8, hg lips, ei eee 7 Too late !—too late!” fe ' The cry seemed wrung from him ie meh a tal grief, and, ) SETAD EINE to the ground, he ~ stood with uncovered head ae the « spot, ar gazing spellbound upon the fearful, « Se ening scene. ot A And the sight that met his ‘gare ies Y fearful, indeed, for the dead of the train if lay about him, mutilated almost heya ad BY recognition, god Here was Revolver Nick, SS knife ¢ till nae grasped in his hand, and around hima w re | others of the train. ~ “tugl ia There lay the body of C tain. -— mon, and near him were sever | Form 2 nae the train, the wives of e1 st had seemed to fly to him for a potato he could not give them. 2 Beyond, train-men, emigrants,» : ar a huntors, lay thick, and all dead, with here a and there a woman, and now and then a. child that had fallen before the — bullets and knives of their foes. : All had been rifled of their money and fey valuables, and many of their cloth ; “ ay while the smouldering fires showed wher — the weeeons had been burned, after bei ing "4 ¢ ne | despoiled of all the murderous band ¢ 200. “Strange that not one dead | mari of th ni i F carry with them. attacking party can be seen,” baie. Buffalo Bill, ei “This looks like Indian work, as ¢ Joes. also the scalpless heads ; aug ba I dont pe) believe it. ae eo “T will seo, ) oie * Yes, here is & tomahawk, ye ‘a a bow, and this moccasin has” comer of a ry ‘ ee ee ! an § especiall oar off their dead s aye cud fea og don’t make red-skins.” ii Aree " | So saying Buffalo Bill Laced around until he found the trail leading away fro B os nies : toe and a low: cal roug horse to his aide, while hg muttered- Bln se rhs ‘ ‘com poe oks.com tants SPA ine Apes 3s ‘ 29 ; at >