Beadle's Dime Novels No. 309: Mountain Ned — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

54 MOUNTAIN NED. “T know my countrymen,” replied Senor Castelar, “ and if they have a virtue it is not the virtue of bravery. How much unlike the unconquering race from which they sprung is the race which rules Mexico to-day. I am not proud of the record, Captain Campbell, but Tam glad that my son and myself have been able to do our duty in this trying hour. Shall you assail the Indians at once ?” “They are strongly posted and nearly half of them have fire-arms. It will be a hard job to drive them out, the har- der on account of their lances. In a narrow pass, with men who know how to use them, lances and pikes are hard wea- pons to deal with.” “What shall you do ?” “I propose to flank them,” replied Campbell. “TI know a pass which will bring us nearly two miles in their rear, and if we can reach it without their knowledge, we shall have them in a trap. But I shall not move to-night—unless we are attacked, It is getting dark now and we must make preparations for defense. For, if I know any thing of the man who leads those Indians, we shall have an attack to-nizht which will put us to our best devizes.” ) He called De Forest, Best, and three or four more of the chief men among the Texans about him, and they held a con- sultation of some length. Their plans being made up, they — set to work carrying them out. | Meantime, in the pass, the Indians were wailing over their slaughtered friends, and making preparations to send them to the village, where they might be buried. No man ever grieved over a friend as Silver Lance did over the dead form of Hualpa. They were David and Jonathan, hare in losing him, Silver Lance had lost his right hand. “Noble thou wert, oh Hualpa,” he murmured. “The swift. foot, the strong arm, the brave heart are no more. Happy art thou, oh Hualpa, in the land to which thou art going Light a fire, oh, my brothers, that the feet of our brave | Hualpa may not wander dlone in the darkness. I will cover — my face for my heart is very sad.” He covered his face with a wages and gat down in the shadow of the rocks. r i As he sat there. a form stole into the camp—a form which a C Conmicloooks.conn