Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1089 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

Ty 4-3 “When I ride back if, ‘Mustang Merle’s Fight for Life. The Indian looked at the woman and nodded. ‘*Red Hawk knows the captain,” he replied. ** He has been on his trail and he cannot bide it from the keen eyes of the young warrior of the Apaches,” ; ‘You are worth your weight in gold, Red Hawk,” The fire went out all along the line and the men who went out to look after the bandits re- ported that none\were in sight, To all appearances they had gone for good and the rest of the night passed without excitement. Olive was brought up from the underground apartment she had occupied and found herself in the house she was to visit. é Daylight enabled the ranchmen to assess the damage. They found that the herds had been stampeded and that many of the cattle were branded with the brand of crossed daggers, showing that Captain Silver Belt had got in his work as he had sworn he would. The day was half spent when a mano rode over the hills to the ranch-house and dismounted at the porch, He was regarded with a good deal of curiosity for he looked the typical southerner and carried himself with an air tbat excited both disgust and suspicion, He asked in a lofty tone for Mustang Merle, and when the Boy Rancher presented himself he leaned toward him and said; “‘Tam Don Ignace, You rejected my offers of assistance some time ago, but I am here, as you see, to renew them for the last time.” ow, this Don Ignace had but little better reputation than Captain Silver Belt and he was known asa dare-devil, besides being a sort of free lance whenever he could line his pockets with gold by doing so. He was handsome and carried himself likea prince in the saddle; but for all this he was as cruel a rascal as ever drew rein in front of a marked estate, ‘“We seem to be faring well enough,” said Mustang Merle tothe man. ‘I don’t see that we need any help as yet.” ‘*'You don’t, eh? hat does that mean?” and Don Ignace pointed toward the burned stacks and blackened earth, ‘** Captain Silver Belt was here last night—” ‘* And took a notion to give you a foretaste of what wiil come next time? Just so, and yet you say you need no help? By Saint Louis! it seems to me that you are really helpless,” The voung rancher smiled, 7 And so you have come to offer help?” he said, ‘*T have good men at my back.” ‘* How many?” ** Five-and-twenty.” ** 'W here are they ?” ** Within call,” | ‘When we need them, if need them we ever Ao, we will give you a call, The brow of Don Ignace grew dark, ‘*I did not come to trifle,” he said quickly. ou refuse: my help, I will never come again with the same offer.” Mustang Merle was silent for a moment. *“You don’t help people for nothing, Don Ignace,” he replied. ‘‘I know that you and your men are the free lances of the border and that they fight for something. Now, what won you expect from me in return for your elp | The eyes of the border rover suddenly glitter- ed and he bent forward, at the same time drop- piug his voice to a whisper, | “I won't ask very much,” said he, “I am tired of living as I have been, and am rich enough to retire and live likea gentleman the remainder of my days. You have with you, Captain Merle, a pretty girl wro would make an excellent wife for a gentleman of my caste, The sudden lifting of the Boy Rancher’s hand checked the Mexican. *““ We need talk no further. You refer : to my Cousin Olive, and enough has been said. You can ride back to your men, Pe Ignace, and play the border robber as of old, . The face of the rascal was a study. He stepped to the steed, and, mounting, looked down into the face of the young owner of the ranch, | His eyes had a deadly gleam, and his woman- ish hands were clinched. ‘** You refuse, do you?” he hissed. ‘*T seriously refuse to have anything to do _ with you.” Beware! You may have an enemy as dead- ly as Captain Silver Belt. You don’t know the _ man who'leads the free lances of the border.” _ “I know enough of him,” — Sea 2 eA hon x . - sen rt “ao teow At eee ee DET PetM ete ef 2 >. ‘hn dated <-— oe | if - ; i ee ens Don Ignace waved his hand toward the house and gathered up the lines, , He would have turned away if the next mo- ment the door had not opened and the lank fig- ure of the old scout stepped into full view, ‘*One moment Mr Ignace,” said the Yankee who carried in one of his big bands a cocked revolver which he handled in a manner that did not strike the robher’s fancy. “Don Ignace has no talk with the border mummy,” was the contemptuous rejoinder, “You haven’t, eh? Well, ’m the liveliest mummy you ever tackled, so don’t be too fresh, You have just said that we are likely to have an enemy as bad as Captain Silver Belt. All right! Ride back to your men and put the game in motion, This is a fight for life, as we well realize, but we are ready for the battle, And hereafter if ever you get in front of Old Joe Bundy’s shooting irons, a trigger is apt ter be pressed to the ruin of the house of Ignace, That! I’ve had my say, and you kin meditate on it as you ride back,” The old scout stood like a statue in front of the yellow bandit who glowered at him with all the hatred he could put into a glance, and suddenly striking his steed with the silver spurs he wore he wheeled and dashed away. ‘* Don’t forget!” shouted Joe. ‘Dr. Bundy is always at home and the Sure Shot never fails.” Something like a curre came hack and the fol- lowing minute the bandit rode over the hills leaving Merle and Joe laughing at his sudden departure, ** A new foe,” said Merle. “* And cne If intend to wing at the first oppor- tunity.” CHAPTER XI. FRED FULLER’S PERIL. CAPTAIN SILVER BELT was not in an enviable frame of mind when he rode back over the hills near the ranch and left it undestroyed, He rode ahead of his men and did not speak for some time, | : ‘* ‘We'll have sharp work with the boy now,” said the men to one another, “The young man who escorted Olive, the girl, and whom we left at camp, will be placed on trial and the captain will see that be gets a noose and dances on air,” This was conceded on every hand, for Fred Fuller bad been left behind while Olive had been taken on the raid for the purpose of let- ting her see how thorough the vengeance of the bandit captain could be, It was not a very long ride back to the camp and when the bandits reached it they discovered their captive safe under guard and awaiting his oom, | He was not to'd that Olive had escaped from the clutches of the Black Feathers, else his face would have worn a smile of satisfaction; but when he looked and failed to. see the girl among the men he thought something favorable to her interests bad taken place, Captain Silver Belt was in no merry mood when he showed up at the old rendezvous near the bank of a river and ina pretty grove of cot- ton woods, He glared at Fred as if to tell him to pre- pare for the worst, and when he came down upon him after dark, he stopped and asked him inan insulting voice how he liked his “new home,” ROG Half an hour later, a bandit approached the young captive and led bim forward, sle on the ground, but Fred bad been told by a member of the band that the youth belonged to it, and was often in the saddle on some raid or border foray, ‘*He is a very whirlwind, that young chap,” said the bandit, ‘* He is the bravest of all, and nothing keeps him back from a dangerous swoop. Besides, he acts as spy for v8, and many are the rich ranches‘he’s singled ont.” ‘* His time will come,” answered Fred, * This young war-eagle of the plains will make bis last swoop one of these days, and he will regret that he ever took service under the banners of Cap- tain Silver Belt.” ** You can’t kill him. He has more lives than a cat, and is to succeed our captain one of these days,” Soak Captain Silver Belt waited under a tree! for the young escort, who had been brought forward by one of the band, The bandit was eager to open the game against his enemy. | _ Fred Fuller expected to receive a sudden order to step into the border noose, but found nothing of the kind awaiting bim, | i, ' ; 4 7 ». ’ ° ; ; . ++ : . : \ ie pe Leh aoe oe ut » ss Led = 4 ' : ¥ . - ape -— Ee aa irk a reer y, sr a an f+; : ; . rte , 4 eed | 4 Ae é * i ‘ Jack Jordan had not shown up since the tus- | LO) a ee » ow a7 ee ee On the contrary, Captain Silver Belt leaned toward him and smiled, *¢ What is your father worth?” he asked. Fred did not reply for a second. ‘* He is well-to-do,” he said at last, ‘“* The nabob of the city he lives in, eh?” *“*Not that.” ‘*Come! We know alli about him, and that he is worth a million or two,” The youth laughed, | ‘My father is a captain in the United States: Army and captains there are not millionaires,” “But the fortune he has inherited? He pre- fers the army to living the life of a private citi- zen, ‘*That latter may be true,” ‘You will find pen and ink on yon table,” and the captain of the Black Feathers pointed to- ward a rough table under atree, ‘ You will ‘write to him, saying that you are held for ran- som, that for twenty thousand dollars in band, we will release you and send you back un- harmed,” The form of the youth straightened till it seemed an inch taller than ever. ! _* Not a dollar shall you take from my father by any such propositiou!” he exclaimed. The bandits looked at their captain with as- tonishment. ‘* A little stubborn, eh?” smiled Captain Silver Belt. ‘*‘We have a way of bringing such re- fractory people as you to terms,” - No answer. ** We shall try Bay at once,” the brigand sud- denly cried. ‘‘Wo will see what you say to that,” **'You have me in our power, and the game is in your hands,” said Fred. ‘Right you are. The trial will open at once,” The rough table was carried out from under the tree where it had been placed, and the ban- dits gathered round it, Near Captain Silver Belt stood a young ban- dit, who was watching these proceedings with a malicious grin ou bis face, : Fred caught sight of bim and saw bim drop Jack Jordan had just come up, and was an in- terested specsator, for he had wormed bimself to the front, and was taking in the whole proceed- ings. Who is the prosecuting witness?” said some | one, and the next instant Jack Jordan came into full view, ‘‘T am,” he said. ‘*I accuse that person of in- | vading the region occupied by Captain Silver Belt, without the proper authority.” This flimsy charge almost drew a laugh from the lips of the young friend of Olive Oram, . Accused of “invading” a portion of the United States! It was enough -to provoke a smile, ‘What says the prisoner?’ and Captain Sil- ver Belt turned upon the prisoner and looked him in the eye. : ‘¢T came into thie part of the country like any other citizen of the United States. I have a right to ‘invade’ it, as you say, for it is free land for any one, and the Stars and Stripes wave over itas well as over the rest of the coun- we love,” But we run things down bere, lords of the border—tbe Black Feathers of the Southwest, and we own no authority, not even that of Uncle Sam,” | . : | Silence fell after Captain Silver Belt’s answer, and no one seemed inclined to break it. 1 ‘¢‘The prisoner pleads guilty,” said Jack Jor- dan, at last. “T do in coming.” : Captain Silver Belt turned upon his men and held up his band: “What is the verdict, men of the border?” he cried, ) A dozen bronzed bands went up at once, ** Guilty!” was the cry. ei The lips of the youth met, but his eye did not vail. arr And what shall the sentence be?” | ‘ ‘* The noose!” sh Captain Silver Belt looked at the voung cap- tive and smiled. He had expected just such a verdict. | ‘‘We never give one much time. The sen- tence of the court is soon carried out, and in this instance we will not be partial,” the light in which you regard my Fred Fuller looked at the revolvers that pro- truded from the belts of the bandits, and seemed — to wish that be could reach the pearest one, Jack Jordan, his eyes lit up with the light of — $ We are the vengeance, stood erect, and appeared to watch with delight the proceedings 0 the border court, ase e . i i - ry a — we V yt ee a} | =A Ay ~ - ij a peters ~~ COMmMmicvnc @ Se