Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 100 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

- significantly. “ A ll Nl OR Ei, A TT ee “The Raven would not leave the land of the setting sun,” the Indian replied. ‘* He stay near the ashes of his people, and when he die, mingle his dust with their dust. Let the pale- face maidens go now; the Raven will come soon after the birth of the new day.” So Jessie and Lady Belle went back to their room rejoicing with the prospect of their early escape. The day passed slowly, however, and the only way of whiling away their time was sitting at the window and watching the men moving about upon the plateau, for they had been through the castle so many times that there was no novelty in 1t any more. There were new recruits coming into camp, every few hours—evil-looking ruflians, whom one would have feared to meet of a dark night. Upon the plateau they formed themselves, and Lieutenant Marmosa drilled them in the tactics of the manual of arms. Night at last came, however, and with it great excitement to Castle Hawk. A courier ’ arrived, heralding the death of Captain Hawk, at Leadville.” The news of course created a great commotion in camp, and there were immediate prepara- tions made for a night ride, by the orders of the lieutenant. The men were ready—even eager to go. Before starting, however, the whole band were assembled on the plateau, and mount- ing a barrel, Lieutenant Marmosa looked them all over with an approving glance. ‘“ Comrades,” he said, ‘‘ you are about to take the road to avenge the death of your captain, Harriot Hawk. You will meet with strong re- sistance, and your success depends all on how you fight, and who leads you. Choose some man from the band, whom you would have fill the boots of Captain Hawk, and we will at once start upon the road!” There was a moment’s silence among the men, during which time each man turned to look in his nelghbor’s face. Then in a voice that was unanimous, they shouted the name; ‘¢ Marmosa!” The lieutenant bowed, grimly. “ As you like, my fellows. I would as soon ,ead you as not, and hope to do so satisfactorily $e he said. ‘To the saddle, now, and we will sweep down upon Leadville like a blight!” The ruffians obeyed by mounting with alac- rity, and soon the whole band rode off of the plateau, and down the terrible mountain trail that led to the darkening depths of the solitudes in the strange vales and gulches, below. “ Now we are better able to escape than ever,” Lady Belle exclaimed, triumphantly. ‘* There eannot be many of the outlaws, and [ believe we could take and hold the fort, ourselves.” “T fear we would not make very brave sol- diers,” Jessie replied, with a faint smile. It was near midnight ere a soft rap came up- on the door to their room, and a moment lar the Raven entered. He was armed with a rifle and knife, anda skin mantle was drawn about his shoulders. “Ugh! Pale-face girls git ready, now, and come with Raven. He take ’em out to the Ich at the foot of the mountain, and go with em to the city of the pale-face.” Lady Belle and Jessie hastened to don their wrappings, and then the chief led the way out into the castle. “Ts there no danger of the guards?” Lady Belle asked, glancing nervously around. Raven, the Aztec, smiled. ‘Guards gone to sleep—all except what guard the dugway,” he said, tapping his knife ale-face girl no need to fear.” om the room they entered a large hall, and traversed it for a considerable distance. Then they passed into a sort of niche, and touching a concealed spring the Aztec pushed open an :pparently solid wall of rock; it moved to one side, revealing a large, black, cavernous space beyond. Bidding the girls keep close at his heels, the chief entered the dense gloom, and soon they began to descend a rude stone staircase, which a some time been chiseled out of the solid rock, Down, down, down they descended, step by step, ‘without stopping, until it seemed that several hours lad been spent in the toilsome wa Lix. ‘én Raven paused, and the girls heard him ro. aside a huge rock, : ’ moment later they stepped upon the grassy yoo of a gulch far down in between tower- \ountains, where the moonlight shone full upon then. * Jow, pale-face girls free!” the Aztec an- —— ee nounced, ‘‘Have to walk many miles before reach town.” ‘“T do not think we shall mind the walk, as we are walking for liberty,’ Lady Belle re- sponded. ‘‘ Let us start at once,” was Jessie’s answer, and they sallied forth, on their weary night tramp. CHAPTER XI. A SPANIARD’S VENGEANCE!—DEADWOOD DICK’S “ STRANGE RESOLVE.” ArtEeR the departure of Deadwood Dick, Ralph Gardner and his brother lay in the alley- way, bound and gagged and unable to move. It was food more bitter than gall, for the for- mer, to know that he had been beaten at his own game, to say nothing to the humiliation of being left in such a plight. The night wore on, and the noise and bustle of the town died out. The infant city was wrapped in slumber. Still the two burglars were forced to lay upon their backs in the dark alley-way, with no sign of rescue until discovered by some chance passer-by. At last, however, the sharp ear of Gardner detected footsteps coming up the street, but when they turned into the alley, he knew not whether to be fearful or to rejoice. Nearer and nearer came the footsteps, then a man bent over the imprisoned mine-owner, and peered down into his face. It was the gambler, Carlos Cordova! To see that the man before him was Gardner caused the Spaniard to start. ‘¢ At last I have got you!” he exclaimed, with a low, devilish laugh, in which all the Spanish of his nature seemed to burst forth. “TI have found you just where I want you. Cut my head off, would you, because you beat me at cards by cheating, eh? We'll see you do if, at once—oh! yes, at once. Did you not receive my note—from the specter of the mine? [ penned that, as well as played the specter. Morris Heath is dead—I saw you when you murdered him. I was in the shaft-house at the time, watehing you. Hua! ha! I could hang you higher than Gilroy’s kite, but I have a better vengeance in view—vengeance! do you hear? For all you have stolen from me J am going to cut your head off, as you were going to mine, a few nights since. Ha! ha! that will appease my ap- petite for revenge upon you!” Gardner groaned. He could not do more, with the gag fastened so tightly in his mouth. Cordova saw it, and laughed more villainously than before. * Groan, groan,” he cried, demoniacally. ‘It is sweet music in my ears to hear you. But hark! footsteps come this way. I must not be thwarted of my vengeance. I'll take care that I’m not, too. Say your prayers, for you are doomed!” He drew a heavy, thin-bladed knife from his pocket, and with a sweep of it across the throat of Ralph Gardner, he severed the head from the body! Then wheeling, he plunged the reeking blade to the hilt in Chandos’s heart, after which he mike ty and fled from the alley, out into the night. Down in one of the blackest portions of Stray- horse Gulch, two score of horsemen, attired in black suits and masks, were drawn up in line as silent as specters of the night; silent until there came the sound of ringing oof-strokes and a horseman dashed up. Then the voice of Deadwood Dick: ‘Come on! come on! ing down the gulch. We’ll make the cliffs, and with our repeating rifles,cut these humau hyenas to pieces!” n dashed the Prince of the Road and his men. On—on—until they were upon an emi- nence commanding the gulch below. Here they waited. Soon the clatter of \many hoofs was heard, pe the bandits were in sight in the gulch be- Ow. Though very strong was this ruffian gang of cutthroats, with Deadwood Dick to lead the as- sault there was no hesitation. <A terrible round of fire from the inexhaustible Henry rifles of the road-agents poured down into the ranks of the bandits. Surprised at this unexpected onset, the bandits made but a feeble response;—then they spurred their animals in all directions to escape the scourging fire. A detachment of Deadwood Dick’s men gave chase, but were not successful in capturing a gingle bandit. Of those who had been killed there were full The bandits are com- n Leadville. a ee ——— s ee ee - oe ——- --—- — -—_ -—_——_. a dozen, and as many horses, but not for these cared the Prince of the Road, and after ascertain- ing that none of his own men or horses were in- jured, he dispatched them back to their camp, Later Deadwood Dick was at his village, ui he staid not long there, but rode : way, after bidding his men all good-by. He acted sivangely but they could not account for it, and watched him depart with feelings of anxiety. From his village, he went to the cabin, on the outskirts of Leadville, where he expected to find Calamity Jane, Avalanche and Sir Noel Farns- worth, but he only tound the former two. Sir Noel, in disguise, had gone to Leadville to make arrangements for the burial of his two brothers, of whose deaths he had been apprised by an ex- planatory letter from their murderer, Carlos Cordova. Calamity welcomed the Prince of the Road with a cordial handshake, and the Annihilator was ASF in his greetings. “Great pestiferous ham-bone!” he ejaculated, ‘*1’m as glad ter see ye, hens 2. as tho’ ye war a part o’ ther great destructive Annihilation; shute me fer a coyote ef I ain’t! Hain’t seen anything o’ my mare, Prudence, or my goat, Florence Night-in-a-gale, I suppose? Left the latter up at Del Norte, when you an’ I war thar, Dicky, an’ the goat he desarted me upin Dakoty, ter rup a great destructive caravan o’ demolishun hisself, I expect.” ‘“ No, Alva, I haven’t been fortunate enough to run across ‘your animals,” Deadwood Dick replied. ‘‘ Indeed, it gave me surprise when I heard that you and Calamity were down here.” “Yes, we had to come down, so that if there were any notable skewrups, we could take a hand,” Calamity said, with a quiet laugh. ‘‘ I like it here, and believe I shall stay here for awhile.” ‘* Possibly I may follow your éxample, when T pay off the debt against me!” and Deadwood Dick spoke bitterly. ‘* How do you mean, Mr, Harris?” ‘* You shall soon learn,” Dick replied. ‘‘I am coing straight to Leadville, and give myself up to the justice-grabbers, and let them hang me and have done with it. They will never get over their pret! for me, until they see me dangling in mid-air beneath a tree-limb. After that, J am not afraid of them, for they cannot hang a man but once, and that satisfies the law for all previous misdemeanors, I have but to hang, and then I can laugh at them all, for I shall be a free man—free to go where, or do whatsoever I choose.” Deadwood Dick spoke earnestly, and they could not doubt that he intended to do other- wise than as he said. “ You are foolish,” Calamity said, advisingly. ‘‘ What do you expect to make by losing your life, to satisfy a crazy people? Bet your boots J wouldn’t do it, not by a long chalk. Would you, Alva?” ‘Great mother-in-law ter ther antediluvian devil,no. I reckon I wouldn’t stretch my wind- pipe jest because some one wanted me to.” ‘But I think you don’t comprehend the ad vantage I am going to derive,” the Prince of the Road said, grimly. ‘‘I am not going to die, as pilgrims usually do, but lam going to live through the ordeal. I am going to live through the ordeal, and afterward laugh in the faces of those who witnessed my send-off.” ‘‘ Live through being hung!” Calamity ejacu- lated. ‘‘ Impossible!” ‘‘No, not impossible. It has been done. Af- ter I am cut down, I want you to take charge of my body and apply remedies for my resusci- tation. you succeed, all right. you fail, Death would have grappled me sooner or later. It is but a venture, at the best, and I am going to try it.” _ “ You will fail!’ Calamity said anxiously. “ The men who serve Judge Lynch do not ce knot-tyers for fun.” “JT care not for that fact. I shall run the risk, All that I want you to promise is that you will try to resuscitate me.” ‘Which I promise, of course. But I think you are rashly running a terrible risk. Sup- posing you weather the gale, and free your- self! How long will you remain so? Not three months will pass, ’ll guarantee, ere you will be again at the head of the band of men, scour- ing through the country: Some one. will call you a road-agent, and your head will be coy- ered just as thick with rewards, then. as now. It is not your nature to be still, and therefore, you cannot long remain a free man. !!:!!-man and half-devil, it is your destiny to live and die upon the road!” “Then I will die in my coming vi nture, if I do not live!” Deadwood Dick replied. all right. | OOo) com <s) (C i€O