Beadle's Dime Novels No. 316: Hurricane Bill — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

THE APACHES. 29 el CHAPTER IIIf. TWO BRAVE MEN. Tuk Indians were upon them! Swiftly approaching in a crowded mass with an irregular front, the soft sand mufiling the thunder of their mustangs’ hoofs, now yelling loud and sbrilly with triumphant cadence, as though celebrating their victory ere a single blow was dealt. And why not? They were dealing with the con- temned, despised race—tbeir “slaves and providers ”—the Mexicans. They are accustomed to see hundreds give way. before tens during these forays. They seldom bave to fight for their booty. More than one instance can be shown where less than a score Apaches have charged upon and put to flight a full company of Mexican regulars. Scant wonder, then, that this war-party should charge so boldly, since they were fully the equal of the Mexicans in numbers. It may seem strange how the Apaches could have drawn 80 near, unobserved, since there was little or no cover within nearly two miles, behind which they could have advanced. But the solution is plain. | - The attention of all was riveted upon the two horsemen before them, after Mustang Sum’s dexterous defeat of the two vaqueros. The report of a cannon could scarce- ly -have broken the spell that held the spectators en- Chained—mucb less, then, the faint rumble of hoofs that alone marked the swift advance of the prairie hornets. Be- sides, the “ grand stand that occupied by the women—in- tervened ; even had the Mexicans cast a glance behind them, they could have seen nothing alarming. -Thus it wus that tbe thrilling war whoop of the Apache chief first told them of the impending peril. And then all Was terror aud confusion, dashing to and fro, shouting, curs- ing and praying in the same breath. “ Ye cussed fools!” yelled Hurricane Bill, with angry con- tempt written upon his flushed. features, as he dashed his connicloooks.com