Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1063 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

me _— Within balf an hour be came rushing back, Wild Bill’s Weird Foe. ‘itis for your best interest to join with us in 5 ‘¢] don’t like it!” came from his lips. excitement portrayed on his face, and his eyes | this matter. We are here to make a fortune, ‘*No more do [,” asserted Bat; ‘‘ but I bave gleaming. and we cannot afford to allow what is rightfully | often found it absolutely necessary to do things ‘¢]T have found it!” he almost shouted. ours to be wrested from us by others,” 1 did not like,” ‘“What?” cried Revolver Ray, ‘‘Not the gorge?” Ves, the gorge!” was the answer. ‘‘ We are very near it. But the devil is to pay, for other parties are there ahead of us!” CHAPTER V. BLACK BAT AND BIG BRUNO. AS may be imagined, Biack Bat’s statement created po small degree of excitement, Both Revolver Ray and Mexican Pete were on their feet, and what they beard from the lips of their ‘*T can see that plain enough now; but what are we going todo? Weare left!” ** Not much!” ** What do you mean?” ** Business!” ‘* Explain,” There wasa fierce look in Black Bat’s eyes and his voice was hoarse with rage, as he growled: ‘*T mean to bave what is rightfully mine!” ‘* How will you get it?” * Fight for it!” ** Car-r-ramba !” came rolling from Pedro’s tongue. ‘‘ That is talk the kind of which I like to hear! Weare armed, Do others have what should be ours? Then we will kill them!” The black-whiskered man nodded, “That is about what we shall have to do,” he confessed, , Revolver Ray fell back a step, consternation written on bis face, ‘ ‘** It would be murder!” he gasped. ‘“‘ Then let’s make a square fight for it.” ‘“‘The chances are we are outnumbered, and we would be defeated in a square fight. You must get over this squeamisbness if you are going to become a frontiersman, Out here every man fights foi wis life and bis best interest, and he allows no other man to cross his path. If such a thing does occur, one of the men has to die, and the other goes on about his business as calmly as if nothing bad happened. Thetroubleis, you are not used to this part of the country, You have the right kind of stuff in you, but it has ‘‘Come now, pard, be reasonable!i Say you will fight for what is your own—say you will fol- low where I will lead! Trust all to me, and you will not regret it.” Black Bat had a persuasive manner, and it was lictle wonder the Revolver Sharp hesitated. Ray was not naturally a conscientious man, but never yet had he committed murder, and he hesitated about making himself the greatest criminal recognized by the laws of man. Turning, Ray walked back and forth beside the fire, bis hands clinched behind him and his head bowed, The look on Bat’s face grew still darker, as he watched the youth, ‘*Give me till morning to consider this mat- ter,” urged i ‘*You are foolish to waste one moment ip consideration. We must either wipe out the men who are robbing us, or we must turn back from the Hills, rer than when we came, All our trouble will be for nothing. We sball have risked the dangers of the wilds only to give up Pedro nodded and grunted at this; then he rolied and lighted another cigarette. ‘‘ Well,” said the Revolver Sharp, ‘‘I do not propose to be cheated out of the gold we came after.” Black Bat grasped his hand, crying: ‘“‘Good boy! That settles it! To-morrow we will see what can be done!” ** Wouldn’: it be a good plan to go take a peep down intv the place to-night?” The black-whiskered man shook his head, ‘“Tt would do no good, and we are all tired. es, ‘“‘There’s their hang-out,” said Black Bat; ‘and away yender is the mouth of the gulch. They come out here to sleep nights, and go down there to work days.” “If they all do that, they must leave their cabin and stables unguarded,” said Ray. ‘*‘ Why not go down there when they have gone to work, run off their borses and burn their cabin and stables?” Bat shook his head, ‘‘That would be folly. We want that cabin and stable for our own use when we have driven them out.” The Revolver Sharp was compelled to acknowl- edge that was 80. ** Besides that, it is probable they leave at least one man to guard the place,” “ Well, I ei mem what I will do,” came from Ray’s lips, ‘* We are to give them fair warning to start with, and then I will be ready for any- thing, "You shall not have cause to complain of me after that.” | comrade caused them to utter exclamations of | never beev tested.” We had . better wait till the coming of another oe surprise and anger. ‘‘ No,” confessed Ray, ‘‘I am not used tc val- | day, then see what can be done. There will be i ‘Others there!” cried Ray. “They have no | uing human life so lightly, although I am far | work enough for us, so we shall need what sleep . business there! The placer is yours, Bat, by | from being so much of a tenderfoot as you in- | we can get. | right of discovery!” sist on making cut. I have seen a little some- ‘‘If weare fortunate in downing this other | ‘“That would be true if we were notin an In-| thing of the rowdy West, as you ought to/| party, their cabin and their tools will become ; ; dian Reservation and I had taken care to stake | know.” ours.” | off my claim,” ‘Well, well! Don’t get your back up, lad! ‘* And what gold they have secured,” sibilated ‘‘ Which you did not?” just you stand by Pete and I and you will come | Pedro. | * No,” out top of the heap all the time, Don’t get ** Of course,” nodded Bat, “Why?” balky! Those men are mining the goid that For some time they talked the matter over. ‘‘ It would only have to served as a guide for | should belong to us, We must have possession | At length, two of them lay down to sleep, leav- any whites who might have ventured into the | of that placer, and we will—by fair means or | ing one on guard, as bad been done the night be- ~ Hills, Staking it off would make it none the | foul! Every day they are robbing us of the | fore. fey more mine, for I could not have my claim re- | gold that should be ours. No matter if they Another uneventful night passed, and the three : corded.” knew it really belonged to us, they would not | fortune-seekers were astir at an early Lour. 4 **} see,” give itup. The chances are, they would do their | After eating a basty breakfast, which was wash- ‘y ‘* Besides that, I wanted the whole placer, not | level best to wipe us out, so we could not carry | ed down by water from a spring near by, they } a single claim—or even a double claim by right | the secret to the outside world. They would not | concealed their horses in a thicket, looked to | of discovery.” make an open fight, , don’t you think that! | their weapons and started out, Bat leading. | **Of course,” If we do so, we shall simply be showing them It was not long before they were looking down A ‘‘ You see, staking it would have been folly.” | more favors than they would show us, and they | upon the cabin erected by ild Bill and bis com- » The Revolver Dead-Shot nodded. will think us fools, rad | A rasping laugh came from Bat’s lips, what is rightfully ours—give it up without a This did not please Black Bat, but the young | ‘¢ Don’t call it so coarse a name, pard,” he ad- | struggle to hold it when we see it in the hands | man was set upon it, While they were arguing, | | ‘vised, ‘‘It will not be murder, it will simply | of others!” Pedro caught them by the arm, hoarsely w f be obtaining our rights,” | ‘‘ Por Dios!” hissed the Mexican. ‘ It would | pering: v **Is there no other way?” be what you call cowardly !” ‘* See, senors, see! There they are!” **T reckon not.” Still Revolver Ray strode back and forth in Having eaten tbeir breakfast, the little party “But you will give them fair warning to | the fireligbt, his hands clinched and bis face | of miners bad issued from the cabin, The trio iN quit?” clouded, He did not seem to hear the taunting | far up amid the pines of the crest regarded them ‘ Black Bat looked at the Revolver Dead-Shot | words of the Mexican, for he was naturally | with interest, | and laughed ehoatiy. uick-tempered, and would have resented such a ‘* Five!” exclaimed Bat, ‘‘ They are not quite ‘The marks of the tenderfoot are still on you, fing: two to our one.” . ' pard,” he said with something like a sneer, Seeing it was useles to to urge the young man ‘* But near it,” said Ray. hs which brought the hot blood to Ray’s face. | toan immediate decision, Black Bat sat down Suddenly the black-whiskered desperado ut- ** You show ’em now and then.” and awaited his time, Pedro rolled a cigarette tered an exclamation of excitement, “Well, I will confess I am not in the habit | and began puffing excitedly. By heavens!” of murdering men in cold blood without giviug | Half an hour . ‘What is it?” asked the Revolver Dead-Shot. them a show for their lives. It seems beastly | Suddenly Ray sat down beside the black-| ‘‘ That man standing out there alone by the to me! bearded man, bowlder!” ‘‘Oh, you will get over that in time, eh, ‘* Where is the Gulch?” he asked, ‘‘ Well? He is a splendidly built fellow. L “y Pete?” **To the east.” = can see that from here, without half trying.” «Si, senor; he surely will.” “ Did you enter it!” : “T know him!” $ ‘‘T did not come to these Hills to butcher white | ‘ No.” ** You do?” ; men!” declared the youngest of the party. “* Then how—” ‘* Yes, curse bim!” ** You told us there would only be red-skins to ‘*T saw the mouth of it, and I knew the place “You do uot love him?” contend with, Bat. . instantly.” ‘*T bate him!” ‘And | supposed [ was telling the truth. ‘*Did you see these other parties who have| ‘* Whois he?” | These Hills have been so guarded by the Indians | taken possession?” ** Wild Bill!” : that white men hav. been unable to penetrate ‘‘T saw the cabin they have built, They also Revolver Ray nearly collapsed. and explorethem, It was only by the rarest ac- | have erected a stable for their horses.” ** Not Wild Bill, the scout?” ! cident that our party passed through them last ‘**In the Gulch?” ‘‘- Yes, Wild Bill, the scout and murderer!” year, and you know I was the only one to escape ‘* No; but not far from the mouth of it,” softly snarled Black Bat. ‘I have a little score out of them all. The Indians did not mean any “I wonder why they did not build in the | against bim! Ha, ha! I am glad he is here of us should carry the story of our discovery to | Gulch?” amid these Hills! We will settle our account be- h the settlements, for they well know how the ‘*Do you remember what I told vou about the | fore either of us leaves the place! Now pale-faces worship the yellow metal. There | shrieking of the wind? They wouti not be able | men down there are doomed, one and all!” | was no reason why I should think there would | to sleep some nights in that place. I do not ‘* What bas Wild Bill ever done to you?” be other whites than ourselves in the Hills,” blame them for not erecting the cabin down in ** He killed Phil Cole.” } Revolver Ray saw this was true, and for | the gorge,” * And Cole—” some minutes he was silent, gazing thoughtfully **If they outnumber us, how do you propose ‘« Saved my life once, at the risk of bis own, ) into the fire. Black Bat watched the young | to go to work against them?” When I heard Wild Bill had wi bim out in po. man’s face with interest, and finally, he ventur- ‘**T propose to overcome them one at a time.” | Kansas, I swore I would one day have the mur- ed to speak, * Come, pard,” he said, holding out bis band, Revolver Ray shrugged his shoulders and shivered. derer’s life! The time is at hand when I shall keep my oath!” com com .S cpoo : ie 2 ‘\ te * : - ‘a ‘ Py * a) uy’ 2.» if 2. gp *« A — : >. = = +. wae ; « ; - _ ~*, aa * f - P a ‘ : é yo?