Yellowstone Jack: Trappers of the Enchanted Ground — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

22 crushed by some of the many storm missiles; or being blown over the edge of some canyon, to freezing. Exercise would prevent that. The nature of the ground, broken, in- tersected by almost fathomless canyons, forced them to make a wide detour. They reached the upper pass at last, sound in _ limb, when the storm was nearly over. _ | “Took yender!” suddenly cried _ Brindle Joe, pointing toward a point of rocks. ‘f White men, by mighty !” “ An’ red-skins, too! Thar’s goin’ to be a fust-class muss thar in jist three shakes! Look! tharit comes! Boys— they're whites—shall we let ’em be wiped out like that ?” Yellowstone Jack’s comrades replied by gliding toward the spot where the rival races had come into collision. And the wild sounds of mortal strife ‘arose even above the clamour of the elements CHAPTER VIL. 4 DASTARD SHOT. “Wa bANK MAYNARD was not a little “p= surprised by this abrupt speech of the Indian, and for a moment inacde no reply. ‘“‘ Blackfeet— pale faces fightin’ over dere. One git killed, oder come here. Pienty mad, den; eyes full blood. No stcp to talk, strike fust, strike hard, too. Better we gohide,den. Dat why Pethonista he say you heip me, I help you,” rapidly added the savage, with evi- cent difficulty. ‘“ Were I to set you free, we would only have one more enemy to deal with,” hesi- tated Maynard. “Help him if you can, Frank,” inter- posed Minnie, eagerly. “ Think how he inust suiler beneath that rock.” ‘‘ He don’t look like such a very bad Indian,” murmured Ada Dixon, then shrinking back as the keen black eyes of the savage were turned upon her; there was a glow of admiration in their depths that chilled her blood. ‘“Pethonista he chief; he no got crooked tongue. What he say, he do. Tieno want you’ scalps. He got plenty strong voice, All he need do is holler loud. Blackfoot hear—dey come—ax what chief want. Ue say, tek scalp YELLOWSTONE JACEK. pale-faces—you kill quick. Pethonista ue ’ f Ly + : v \ : ' q don’t yell—don’t say tek scalp—den he you’ frien’, Dat my talk.” » Co “Well, red-skin, you may be honest, and I more than half believe you are— but mind this. If I set you free from this — hobble, and you try to play us false, I will kill you like a coyote—mind that.” “ No need talk so, a chief don’t lie,”?’ coldly responded the Blackfoot. a The sounds of firmg still continued, though at longer intervals, and the faint yells could occasionally be heard, — HKvidently the struggle still continued. “That remains to beseen, chief,though I must say that your tribe has not a re=~ markably savoury reputation; butthe devil is not as black as he’s painted, and this may be a good deal owing to pre- judice. However,I will set you free, iff can. The rock isa big one, and I am — only one man, after all.’ a ‘Ada and I will help you, Frank,” said Minnie, eagerly. “Won't need much lift. Mo fallin © hole here, else rock kill me plenty quick, It hug down tight, dough,” interposed — ge bracing hishands againstthe — rock, oh Maynard secured a firm hold upon the ~ smaller end of the oblong boulder, and | then, exerting his utmost power, suc- ceeded in raising the stone a few inches, Ada and Minnie lent their mite, and © Pethonista, with an agile, snake-like movement, writhed his body out from a ~ little hollow into which he had fortu- nately fallen, A single foot to either side, and the massive boulder would have crushed him to death. . | He did not speak, but bowed before the women, lightly pressing their hands to his bosom, as though vowing fealty to them. Then drawing the knife from his ~ girdle, he held the handle towards May- ~ nard. | ? “Let my white brother take this — knife, and if he sees a single black spot in the Kagle’s heart, let him strike hard — and wipe it out.” | Though he spoke in his own dialect, there could be no mistaking the action, and whatever of suspicion Maynard may ~ have entertained was now banished. “No, chief, keep your weapon. I | don't believe you would turn it against the breasts of those who have befriended | you. But see, the firing has sto ped. The fight must be over, if T only ne ty COMIEDOOKS.cOom — ‘i Lae J 5 . 4 ¥ 1 1 , i) yay ; ' ’