Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1005 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

P Suppose you had captured me, would "you let me go again? ”’ Cae © No, sir!” “Then say no more about it. Neither gan ‘I let you go. I would be a fool if I | did.” es “ Well, I have to agree with you, Cap- tain Joaquin. As I said before, there is no use in our trying to fool each other. i ei ie are foes to the bitter end, and so be he it.” Vays The outlaw gave a nod and a wave of + the hand in acquiescence, and which, at the same time, cut the subject short. A little later he called a halt. he “Here, men,” he said, ‘‘ is the place for | us to part company. You know what the programme is.’’ They answered that they did. “You, Hurley, I will make my lieuten- ant in place of Hoxey. Take the men on at speed to Injun Ford, and there divide your force, half going up the creek and half down. Part by twos, and scatter to every point of the compass until the time of meeting, as agreed.” “All right; we understand,” answered Hurley. Captain Joaquin dismounted. “But, what about ther prisoner?” his lieutenant inquired. ‘‘ What are we goin’ to do with him?” “ Hang me if I know,” responded the Red Rever, rubbing his chin in a medi- tative manner. “jist whatever you say, captain,” as- gured Hurley. -“JT am afraid to trust him with you, boys,” decided Captain Joaquin, after a few moments’ reflection. “He would be sure to find the soft spot in your hearts, if you have got such organs, and play upon it. I guess I will take him with me. Dismount, Deadwood Dick!” “And be murdered in cold blood some- where in the mountain passes? ”’ “You will ‘be shot here and now if you a. Gon’t.” ; “Well, it is about as broad as it is jong,’’ observed Dick, throwing his leg over and leaping lightly to the ground. “You hold the winning card, captain.” “Yes, and I intend to play it for all + kthere is in it, too,” was the rejoinder. “Come, boys, off with you, and make all the time you can, for the sheriff and his posse will be on your trail in less than two hours.” “And let him catch us if he can!” cried Hurley, as he touched his horse and led the way, the riderless horses being Jed. The sehite cheered as they followed, and as soon as they had passed out of 7 aS * e. ~~ . —_ = . ~ 7 See 7 4 ‘ae Se vail >». ~~ , © ‘ « . eee - 7 A : VP) 1 r i wes - - ? ne * a ee ooh 3 “é ”, r aa - _*, - he ode ee~ * - é -- om. . - ‘ : = on D and said: * Now, then, mee weON Dick, you fol- low me.’ - CHAPTER V. a TURNING THE TABLES. / ~—S Captain Joaquin met with the surprise of his life, just there! _. _ Deadwood Dick’s hands came up to the Jevel, the handcuffs swinging by | one wrist, and in each hand a gun! _~—s *‘'T prefer to have you follow me, Red -* Rover!” Dick said grimly. “If you make 3 & a move or a sound you are a dead man 4n the same instant, I give you fair warn- Rt dn ”” j The outlaw turned as white as chalk. . -“Qurse you!” he hissed. “ You have tae Bes: ‘ tricked me, after all!” : fee. Sg “Everything is fair in love and war,” | et ‘with a smile. “ You are my prisoner.” | ve ae re Cursed idiot that I was for not hang- ing you to the first tree we came to! But, ee fs . do y you not mean to give me a show?’ A _ sight, Captain Joaquin turned to Dick . ber, : | > e ; ° >>) sive Dealwoed Dick, J r; Branded. “ About as much of a show as you gave | me, perhaps.” — “You have got me; I own the corn. But let us come to some sort of terms. I have got about seventy thousand dol- lars here in this bag; I’ll divide even with you and each go his way.” “Wihat is the use of dividing, when I ean have it all if I want to take it?” “Do not be 'too sure of that—’” “Hold! I read your thought in your eyes, my man. If you make a move to get a gun you will die before you can say seat! Dick Bristol seldom misses his mark.” “Curse you! But before you shall have this wealth you shall murder me to get it; I will defend it with my life.” “TI do not want it; that is, I want you and it together.” “Then you mean—’’ “To hand you over to the authorities, yes, and restore the funds to their owner.” “You are @ fool! Here is a life-time fortune within reach of your ‘hand, Dead- wood Dick, and if you do as you say you will not get more than five thousand, at the most, for your risk and trouble.” “That is your way of looking at i Pg “My way of looking at It, yes.’ “ And you will not accept my proposi- tion? ”’ “ Decidedly not.” “Then I have another to make.” “What is it?” “ First let us draw back from this trail. I took leave of my men here in order to get away safely with the boodle—”’ “ Which I do not mean that you shall do, so I prefer to remain close to the trail. The gheriff’s posse will pass this way as soon as a special engine can be run to the scene of your robbery.” “ And you will turn me over to them?” “ Exactly.” “T will not be alive.”’ “That will be your fault, then. You will be worth’just as much to them.” “Well, for my proposition—are you open to anything that I might suggest? I made you a fair offer, when I held the better hand.” “ An offer that you did not mean, how- ever.” “TI swear that I did mean it.” . “T have only your word for that.” “And my word is all I have to give you.” “You mean to tell me that you, know- ing who I am, really would have entered into a compact with me and taken me into your band?” “That is just what I do tell you—just what I did mean. You would not have it so, and there was an end of it. I gave you a fair show, the same as I said I would.” “And now?” “T want a fair show in return.” “Well, I'll give it to you, as far as I can. What is your suggestion? ” ‘Give me yours first. Perhaps it is something that we can agree upon, and, if so, no need to mention mine.”’ “ Well, you undertake to aid me in tak- ing this money safe to its destination, and I will use my influence with the gov- ernor for a pardon for you and make you my detective ally.” “Ha! ha! ha!” “You will not listen to it, eh! Well, it is all I can offer you, and is on a par with the offer you made me.’ “Tt is impossible, just as impossible as the offer I made you—yes, a good deal more so. The governor has a rope ready for me, and ‘he will use it at the first op- portunity. 4 Bite ae ‘~ “Well, then?” “ That we decide this matter by a fair and square duel to the death.” “ Wihich is a rather cool thing to ask of an officer of the law, after he has bagged his game.” “Then you will not do it?” “Why should I?” “Because I was in earnest in the offer I made you when you were my prisoner.” “Captain Joaquin, I don’t believe it. You are not such a fool as to make such a proposition to me in earnest, knowing who lam. Or, if you did mean it, there was a purpose behind it.” “My purpose was to make you my friend instead of my foe.” “I believe that you lie—” “Then I cannot conyince you, that is certain. What are you going to do with me?” “T say I believe that you lie, but giv- ing you the benefit of the doubt, and giv— what is your proposition, ing you half a chance for your life, I will * accept your proposition.” " “ You will take ‘half and let me gzo—” “No, no, not that; I will fight you to the death, the best man to win. We'll see whether chance will be on the side of the law or the lawless.” “You don’t mean it!” “You are surprised? ” “ Yes.” “You take me for a fool, I know, and so I am for giving you such a chance; but there is the bare possibility that you are telling the truth concerning the chance you would have given me.” “ Yes, yes, I swear that I was telling the truth—that I did—that I am telling the truth!” “Very well, I give you the benefit of the doubt,” es ‘Deadwood Dick believed that the fel- low was lying, nevertheless, and so, in fact, he was. Seeing a chance to gain the ar he played upon the string to the mit “T don’t believe you, but I will do as I say,” said Dick. ‘‘ Put down that bag of money, and go away twenty paces and draw your guns,” “Ha! there is something else to be thought of.” “What is that? Don’t forget, meam time, that I hold the drop, and that the slightest suspicious move on your part will mean your death, which will nat- urally culminate all negotiations.” “T am not rash enough to try any trick with you, Deadwood Dick. I am too. eager to accept the one chance in a thousand that you hold out to me. What I was going to say—suppose we both get — disabled, what of the money in that event? Some one who has no right to it , will come along and gather it in.” “What do you propose respecting it, then? ”’ “That we go and cache it first of all.” “Very well, that is not a bad idea. It wil] be safe for you or for me, whichever > has use for it after our duel. ” ‘Just so. I know a fine place for it, ‘where it will keep for ten days or ten years, just as the case may be, and where no one will ever find it in the — world.” “There is one objection to that, how- ever.” “ And that is?” “ That we may both be killed outright, and the money will never be recovered.” | ' “ We'll have to take the chances of that. Come, we must do something, for we are wasting precious time—at any rate, I am. Every minute I stay here k am one minute nearer prison doors.” ; ,* i” 3 hss, =, “¢b' _ &. éu a —- $ ss wen 7 - . e * — ma , "Z € om i} Pe Kyte: . wes >. a Saree 8 € ric b Beoks.< com