Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1063 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

‘ + v . 12 In its place lay a mass of blackened embers, from which tiny wreaths of smoke were curling upward, showing the fire was not entirely dead, But this was not the worst sight that greeted his eyes, On the ground near the place where the cabin had stood were two human bodies. ** Good God!” cried Bill, as he burried forward, ‘* My poor pards!" A glance at the two bodies showed him they hhad been the victims of red-skin fiends. ‘They are poor Old Zeb and Ginger Jim!” came hoarsely from the Pistol King’s lips. ‘* But where are Ned and Big bruno? The are not here, Did they perish in the flames? If not, what bas become of them?” What, indeed? CHAPTER XIII. THE WORK OF RED FIENDS. AFTER Wild Bill had left his comrades to go on the trail of the stolen horses, a misunder- standing arose about the matter of continuing work while he was gst Crab Zeb was for takiug a day off and remain- dng at the cabin, but Big Bruno thought taey ought to work, ** Now, looker hyer, Pard Bruno,” said the old pecepoctor, ‘“‘you know as well as I thet most ikely our enemies are watchin’ this yere place now. Mebbe they’re only waitin’ fer ther three 0’ us ter g0 down in ther gulch an’ leave t’other one on guard fore they kem down on him an’ snuff him out, In thet thar way they c’u’d wipe us out one at a time, an’ we'd never git one sin- gle whack back at’em,” “Tam willing to either watch or work,” said ‘the big man “I will take my chances by re- maining to guard the cabin, if any one else is afraid to do 80.” ‘* Thet’s all right, but we want ter do ther best wing: so—” ** You want to be boss, now Bill is away!” ** Ts thet how ye figger it? Well, hev it thet ‘way,ef ye want ter, I am boss, an’ l’ll stay ‘boss, too, Big Bruno,” Ef ye don’t think so— wa-al, try ter straddle me,” Bruno’s band fell on a weapon, but his wrist was ong by Nervy Ned’s strong fingers, ‘*Kasy, pard!” cautioned the young man, ‘speaking because he was forced to do so, ‘* We can’t afford to have a row and shoot each other. eeree among ourselves is scandalous, and ill would be angry if he knew it,” ‘* Who cares for Bill?” ‘* You would care fer him if he were here,” ‘““Bah! I care for no man!” **T have always thought you a man of good judgment, Bruno, and I hope! shall not have ‘to change my mind now. You are angry. Wait a little till you are cooler before you say any more,” The big fellow looked into the young man’s eyes, and something he saw there caused him to think it best to follow that advice, ‘** All right,” and his band fell from the butt of his revolver. ‘‘ You people can do as you please, and I will do the same,” Seeing the trouble was over, Ned left the cabin. He went down to the spot where he and Bill had talked the night before, and for a long time he sat on one of the bowlders. He was thinking deeply. The forenoon slowly enough to the four men. Tbe little misunderstanding bid raised a cloud that hung over them like a shadow, Even Ginger Jim forgot to boast, As for Crab Zeb, there was an unusually sober look on his face, He was plainly troubled more than he cared to express, and it is possible he felt « foreboding of approaching doom, The sun shone, but the little valley seemed un- usually dark to Nervy Ned. There seemed to be a chillin the very air, and his blood flowed mies parm in bis veins, ‘*T don’t like the feeling,” he said, to himself, “It seems as if a calamity is at hand, I am sorry Bill bad to go away.” The men ate their mid-day meal in grim si- lence. When it was over, Zeb and Jim lighted their pipes to smoke, while Ned returned to the bowlder, where he could watch the dark mouth of Moaning Gulch. Big Bruno went out in front of the cabin and strode back and forth, his face dark as a thun- der-cloud and his hands clinched behind his Om.) As Ned sat looking toward the opening to the mysterious gorge he began to feel a desire to go down there and listen to the wind, It was the same peculiar feeling of fascination that the wlace exercised over Wild Bill, ‘Pll do it!” he exclaimed, after a time. He seemed to have forgotten his comrades, for eae ' ' - 3, ae a P Wild Bill’s Weird Foe. he arose to his feet and started toward the gorge, speaking no word to the others, Big Bruno watched the young map till he had disappeared at the dark mouth of the weird Gulch, Crab Zeb happened to come out of the cabin just in time to see Ned as he entered the Gulcb, ‘* Waal, [ like thet, by Moses!” growled the old fellow. ‘* Wby didn’t he say he wuz goin’ down thar?” ‘*T don’t suppose he thought it necessary to account for his“actions to any one,” said Big Bruno, insolently. **Oh, ye don’t!” snapped Zeb, ‘* Waal, you might hev tole me he wuz goin’ off Why didn’t ** T didn’t happen to feel that way.” Crab surveyed the big man from head to feet. ** I'd guv suthin’ ter know why Bill ever tuck you ’long with us fer!” he said, ‘You ‘forget yourself, old man,” declared Bruno, ‘*‘ Nobody took me along. I was the original discoverer, and I am really the head of the party. You other people were taken along, =f ing you must see, if you have any sense at all, Zeb wilted, but he was none the less angry. He retreated into the cabin, growling and grumbling, Big Bruno entered in a short time. He did not even glance toward Zeb or Jim, but he de- liberately took down his cartridge belt and buckled it about his waist. Then he took his rifle and went out, Zeb grunted and went to the door. Big Bruno strode straight away, never turn- ing to look back, He did not go toward Moan- ing Gulch, but in an opposite direction, ‘* Waal, go on,” growled the old p = ‘*Tt won’t be no great loss ef ye never come back!” Meantime, Nervy Ned had gone down into the dark gorge and paused near the rockers, The wind was moaning gently, and the place was lonely, even though the sun hung bright in the sky. After looking around the diggings for a time, Ned went to a bowlder and sat down, There he fell into deep meditation. How long be remained thus he did not know, It might have been but a short time, or it might have n hours, He was aroused by shots, and he started to his hae Then he faintly heard wild yells and mcre 0 * The sounds came down the gorge, ‘“*Heavens! what can that mean?” cried the young man, and he started on a run toward the opening to the gorge, ° In a short time he reached the opening, the sounds ceeprve | grown plainer with each moment. What a sight greeted his eyes when he hed a point where he could look out into the little valley! A band of twenty red-skins were dancing around the cabin, which was already being swiftly wrapped in flames, The cabin door was wide open, showing the miners were not witbin. Ned’s eyes fell on two figures stretched on the ground, and he knew at least two of bis com- rades had met their fate, At first the youth was tempted to rush out: and attack the red devils, but his better judg- ment prevented so rash a move, for he saw the time was past when he could render his friends any assistance, ‘It has come!” he ned, ‘* This is what I feared! The poor fellows have been butchered already!” He watched the savages dancing and yelling about the burning cabin, and his heart was hot with rage, ‘This is another score I have against the red devils!” came through his set teeth. ‘* They have robbed me of very much, I think I may become an Indian-hater—possibly a hunter of the red dogs!” He did not think of his own danger then, but he realized it when he saw some of the red- skins motioning toward the gorge, Then they seemed to hold an animated discussion, some of them seeming to be for visiting the gorge, while others opposed it. The awe of the place was strong on some of the band, but the bolder ones prevailed, and a small party of warriors started toward the mysterious Gulch, Ned saw them coming, and then he understood how critical was his position, ‘*I shall be fortunate if I escape them!” he ie bt, as he burried back into the shadows of e ey ace, ii wind seemed hushed; there was not even a murmur. ‘The silence was oppressive and ominous, Death seemed turking ip the air. As he hurried along, Ned remembered a niche to which he had climbed one day. It was quite a distance up one side of the canyon wall, and he wondered if he could not conceal himself there. ‘itis a natural fortress,” thought the youth, ‘*‘T can defend it to the last gasp. The only way they can get at me is to starve me out, I believe I shall take my chances to hide there.” Swiftly he ran to the place and began climb- ing up the rocks, He kept his head, for he knew it would not do to become excited then. His life was in peril, and his nerve must stand by him in the emergency. He made no slips, for he knew a slip might cost him his life, He grasped every point of rock firmly, and was careful of bis footholds, In this manner he mounted to the place where ‘he was able to conceal himself on a ledge which seemed almost inaccessible, His exertions caused him to breathe heavily, but he immediately looked to his revolvers. They were ready and in working order. Then he waited for the approach of the red- skins. The silence of the wind seemed unnatu- ral and did more to unman him than anything else. But he did not allow that to trouble bim much, With his face stern and hard-set, he waited, The Indians seemed a long time erpeee te He almost began to think they had turned back, but he resolved not to venture from bis retreat and be caugkt. At length the wind began to moan faintly, The sonnd was pitiful in the extreme, and it almost brought the tears to Nea’s eyes, for he fancied it seemed moaning over the miners who had met death at the hands of the red- men. ‘That wind seems like a human being,” the outh thought. ‘“‘It almost appears to reason. hat sound—how like the sobbing of a living creature! ‘* But where can those red— Ha!” He saw the Indians, They were advancing slowly and cautiously along the Guich, They seemed frightened or filled with awe, and it was plain it would not take much to send them skur- rying out of the place, Ned watched them as they cameon. He had suddenly grown as coolas usual, and he did not seem to feel himself in such dreadful dan- ger, For some reason, be knew not what, he waited for an unexpected event to transpire, What was to bappen down there amid the somber shadows of Moaning Gulch? CHAPTER XIV. “NOT FRIENDS—DEADLY FOES!’ THE question was soon answered. The Indians were egitisy along close to one of the black walls of the gulch. Suddenly there was a crunching sound above and a rushing noise in the air! Downward shot a huge bowlder, that in some way had become detached from its restir¢g-place far above! The red-skins were beneath it! The bowlder was a thunderbolt of death, Down upon the unfortunate savages it came, and all but two were instantly killed, They never knew what struck them. Then, of a sudden, the wind an to utter shriek after shriek, till the gorge fairly echoed witb the blood-curdling sounds, For a few seconds the two savages who had escaped death stood appalled at the fate of their comrades, They appeared frozen with terror. There was something fiendish in the cries which echoed through the dismal Gulch, and it was not strange the sounds filled the red-skins with borror, For a few moments they stood still, then they turned and fled, as if pursued by a score of fiends, The two red-skins who escaped could scarcely have been more amazed than was the pele-face beholder of the tragedy, 1t seemed to him almost as if the hand of angry Heaven had arenged the murder of his comrades, Many times be had traversed that gorge, but never had ke noticed that there was a bowlder clinging to the rugged wall, threatening to fall at any time. ‘*It seems to me there must have been a power that sent that big stone down upon them,” he muttered, Suddenly a shrill voice rung through the gorge. crying: | ‘* Elbert Wyndal, of the party who came here \ ‘comicbooks s ow €o 4 \ —_— | aad — = joa ee rr Z ey * ‘. — ( fl yy ba +) te