Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1089 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

annie, eg I a, - hs ee —— =~ —— ee ———— ll i ~_ a Bh i ee -— Mustang Merle’s Fight for Life. 15 ace who was look- the dead, and all The speaker was Don I ing down into the face o eyes were turned upon him. Meantime Mustang Merle, looking again at the paper, which the dead bandit had brought, whispered something to Red Hawk, and in a flush the young Apache vanished. Let us follow the Indian, He ran across the open space behind the house and sprung into a gully near the mine. He was quite alone, and when he gained the middle of the gully, he etling. and listened. ** Did the paper lie?’ Red Hawk asked himself “Ts it true that reinforcements are on the way to us?—that they will soon come through the gulch?” For some time Red Hawk stood where he was and then his trained ears caught the sound of horses, Bounding forward again he went deeper into the opening in the earth and did not stop until he reached the high ground above the gulch. There he stood, listening, with a smile of satis- faction. Troops were coming over the high ground. He could hear the clank of sabers and the other noises that denote the approach of ie a fe Red Hawk waited till something dark loomed up in his front; then he ran on and suddenly threw up his hand, ‘¢‘ Halt!” cried a voice in tones of sharp com- mand, In an instant a hundred horses came to a halt and the clicking of carbine locks was heard. Red Hawk had found the soldiers! a brief consultation took place between the officer in command and the red-skin and then all went on toward the ranch, Red Hawk conducted the major through the lines and Merle met him on the porch. ** We know from the warning of the man who was followed to the aouse and killed, perhaps by Captain Silver Belt himself, just where the exemy is,” answered, Merle, ‘‘ You have brought cores enough .to annihilate the bandits of the rder, but I ask permission to lead the charge.” The officer drew back and looked at Merle, astonished, ‘‘T cannot grant that permission,” “ Then, we reject your offers of assistance!” sé But—” “We reject them!” and the eyes of the young rancher seemed to emit sparks of fire, The officer looked at the boy and said some- thing no one heard. **'You may follow if you like, but you shall not have the boner of wiping out Captain Silver Belt on the ranch without my help,” firmly de- clared Merle, Half a minute later the ranchers were moving out toward the spot where Captain Silver Belt was supposed to be—grim determination en- throned on every face. But, the bandits were ready; and when the men of the ranch came down upon them with the fury of a whirlwind, they stood their ground and gave blow for blow. Presently the troops dashed in, when the out- laws turned and fled despite the efforts of Silver Belt to rally them. They were closely followed.. Some were sabered by the troopers, while others were rid- den down by Merle and his men, but some few escaped to tell the tale of dire disaster to the shattered band, . When the battle was over and the victors came to count the spoils, it was discovered that Captain Silver Belt bad escaped. ‘** This isn’t the last of the pe bandit of them! all,” averred Merle, ‘‘ We will hear more of him, and will have to fight him once more.” ** Unless we cage him without. a battle,” re- marked Joe, **' Which is no easy matter. Silver Belt is as shrewd as a fox and knows just what he is do- ing.” . ‘¢ What has become of Don Igikace?” ‘““ We left him in the house, gu&rded by Olive and Fred.” But, at that moment Fred Fuller made his ap- pearance on the battle-field, and said that he had taken part in the fight, Olive had been left alone with the bandit, and this was enough to send Merle and Fred back to the house without delay. Olive met them on the porch with some startling information. **T cut Don lgnace’s bonds and let him go,” confessed the young a with a smile, **Cut his bonds, did you?” cried Joe Bundy, coming up at that moment ‘It should have oe Bot, crt soe af iteously that I could ut, be so p y could not him,” answered Olive, ‘* Besides, he ask- ed my forgiveness and promised never to cross my ger again,” ‘““Woman will have her way and you can’t stop her,” concluded the Yankee scout. “I guess the last of the Bundys will never take unto himself a wife, for he wouldn’t be able to manage her if he did; thar!” Olive laugbed and shook her finger at the heroic old fellow, Three weeks after the fight in front of the ranch a horseman rode slowly through a valley not far off. He was handsome, and sat his steed like a true rider. No second look was required to decide that he was the renowned Captain Silver Belt and the manner in which he looked at everything told that be was on the alert, But, unseen, among the shadows of the trees lurked a dark-skinned youth and his inseparable companion, Silver Belt rode nearly across the valley be- fore he saw anything startling; then he was sur- prised by a man who sprung into his pathway and covered him with a Winchester. “The infernal Yankee!” growled he, looking at the man, whoin truth was none other than old Joe Bundy. ** Old Joe an’ pard,” announced that worthy as a figure arose at his side and Red Hawk stood in the trail, ‘‘ We will just take a closer look at you, captain—” ‘* You will, eh?’ and the hunted bandit sud- denly fell forward on his steed’s neck and the animal wheeled and started off. But the rifle of the old scout leaped to his shoulder; a loud report broke the stillness; the bandit’s horse came to a stand, and the figure of Captain Silver Belt swayed in the saddle, He did not fall to the ground, but, spurring the horse viciously it leaped onward again. Red Hawk had sprung upon his own steed, concealed in the copse and was now tearing after the bandit, Silver Belt saw him coming, and with the des- perateness of a wounded man brought to bay be gripped his six-shooter. It was to be the settlement of an old score, for the red ally of Mesquite had given the brigand a deal of trouble, ‘ As the Apache boy chief came on, Silver Belt covered the young red-skin aud fired. Red Hawk toppled, but uot from his horse, for in a moment he was righted again and came down on the charge, : Again the bandit’s pistol spoke, but with a curse he threw the weapon from him, Twice he had missed the daring Apache youth, Joe Bundy saw Red Hawk swoop upon the bandit like an eagle; he saw the hand of the Ouog Indian seize the wounded captain and old him fast. There wasa brief struggle, and when old Joe came up the raider of the plains was a captive, Back over the road to Mesquite went Captain Silver Belt and his captors. Merle resolved to hand his old enemy over to the United States authorities for trial as he had broken the laws; so Silver Belt was escorted to the nearest fort, where, in a short time, he was tried and publicly executed for the blackest crime on the calendar, Mustang Merle’s fight for life had ended in victory and with Captain Silver Belt out of the way, and Don Ignace frightened out of the country, he could look forward to pleasant times on the old ranch. In course of time his pretty cousin Olive Be- came Fred Fuller’s bride, and Old Joe and Red Hawk received more than the thanks of the Boy Rancher for their great services, Chipita, the Outcast Border Queen, was hunt- ed no longer by the Black Feathers, for that organization ceased to exist after the battle at the ranch, and she came to live on the estate, where she is to-day. Now and then the brand of the Crossed Daggers is to be seen on the frontier, but the band of Captain Silver Belt is no longer a terror to the prosperous ranches and the wary cow- boys. | ! Jack Jordan never turned up after the fight at the ranch, THE END. Ow EO Beadle's Dime Library. BY WM. G. PATTEN, 663 The Giant Sport: or, Sold to Satan. i56 Old Piug ly, the Rough and Ready. 645 Gold Glove Gid, the Man of Grit, 641 Aztec Jack, the Desert Nomad. 631 Colonel Cool, the Santa Fe Sharp, 602 Captain Nameless the Mountain Mystery. 71 Old Dismal, the hange Detective. 545 Hustler Harry, the Cowboy Sport, BY JACKSON KNOX—‘* Old Hawk,” 6483 Castlemaine, the Silent Sifter. 616 Magnus, the Weird Detective, 606 The Drop Detective. 595 Wellborn, the Upper Crust Detective, 582 Joram, the Detective Expert. 574 Old Falcon’s Double. 561 The Thug King; or, The Falcon Detective’s Foe. 548 Falconbridge. the Sphinx Detective. 536 Old Falecon’s Foe: or, The Detective’s Swell Job. 515 Short-Stop Maje, the Diamond Field Detective, 509 Old Falcon, the Thunderbolt Detective, 501 Springsteel Steve, the Retired Detective, 494 The Detective’s Spy. 485 Rowlock. the Harbor Detective. 477 Dead-arm Brandt, 467 Mainwaring. the Salamander. 462 The Circus Detective. 451 Griplock, the Rocket Detective. 444 The eee Detective; or, The Hidden Hand, 424 Hawk Heron’s Deputy. 386 Hawk Heron, the Falcon Detective. BY CAPTAIN HOWARD HOLMES. 664 Monk Morel, the Man-Hunter. 654 Sol Sphinx, the Ferret Detective, 642 Red Pard and Yellow. 608 Silent Sam, the Shadow Sphinx. / 592 Captain Sid, the Shasta Ferret. 579 Old Cormorant, the Bowery Shadow. 569 Captain Cobra, the Hooded Mystery. 559 Danton, the Shadow Sharp. 550 Silk Hand, the Mohave Ferret. 543 The Magnate Detective. 532 Jack Javert, the Independent Detective. 523 Reynard of Red Jack: or, The Lost Detective. 512 Captain Velvet’s Big Stake. 505 Phil Fox, the Genteel Spotter, 496 Richard Redfire, the Two Worlds’ Detective, 487 Sunsbine Sam, a Chip of the Old Block, 480 Hawkspear, the Man with a Secret, 458 Coldgrip in Deadwood. 460 Captain Coldgrip, the Detective. 453 Captain Coragnp Long Trail. 447 Volcano, the Frisco Spy, 441 The California Sharp. 434 Lucifer Lynx, the Wonder Detective, 421 Cather Ferret. the Frisco Shadow. 413 Captain Coldgrip in New York, 407 Captain Coldgrip’s Nerve; or, Injun Nick. 400 Captain Coldgrip; or, The New York Spotter. 892 The Lost Bonanza; or, The Boot of Silent Hound. 382 The Bonanza Band: or, Dread Don of Cool Clan. 374 Major Blister, the Sport of Two Cities, 3865 Keen Kennard, the Shasta Shadow. 852 The Desperate Dozen. 347 Denver Duke, the Man with “ Sand.” ' 340 Cool Conrad, the Dakota Detective, 835 Flash Dan, the Nabob; or, Blades of Bowie Bar. 821 California Claude, the Lone Bandit, 294 Broadcloth Burt. the Denver Dandy. 278 Hercules Goldspur, the Man of the Velvet Hand, BY WILLIAM R. EYSTER,. 659 Gilt-Edge orang 4 or, Roldan and His Rovers. 650 Lucky Lester’s Lone Hand. 634 Old Handcart’s Big Dump. 622 The All Around 1 aa 603 Desert Alf, the Man With the Cougar. 590 Gentle Jack, the High Roller from Humbug, 578 Seven Shot Steve, the Sport with a Smile, 568 The Dude Detective, 558 Hurrah Harry, the High Horse from Haleyon, 549 Belshazzar Brick, the Bailiff of Blue Blazes. 583 Oregon. the Sport With a Scar. 525 Fresh Frank, the Derringer Daisy. 503 The Dude from Denver. 478 Pinnacle Pete; or, The Fool from Way Back. 459 Pt Sunshine, the Man of Three Lives. 429 Hair Trigger Tom of Red Bend, 402 Snapshot Sam; or, The Angels’ Mat Racket, 396 The Piper Detective; or, The Gilt Edge Gang. 875 Royal George, the Three in One, 356 Three Handsome Sports; or, The Combination. 344 Double Shot Dave of the Left Hand. 833 Derringer Dick, the Man with the Drop. 300 A Sport in Spectacles; or, Bad Time at Bunoo, 268 Magic Mike, the Man of Frills. 229 Captain Cutsleeve; or, The Little Sport. 214 The Two Cool Sports; or, Gertie of the Gulch. 192 The Lightning Sport. 182 Hands Up; or, The Knights of the Canyon. 160 Soft Hand, Sharp: or, The Man with the Sand, 145 Pistol Pards; or, The Silent Sport from Cinnabar A new issue every Wednesday. Beadle’s Dime Likrary is for sale by all Newsdealers, ten cents per copy, or sent by mai! on receipt of twelve cents each. BEADLE & ADAMB, Publishers, 98 William street, New York. ~"comicbooks co i Be UAT, at 4 A BP. «