Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 1106 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

a e —. te «~ : < back to his own danger, and he threw — ee — — Nevada Ned, the Revolver Ranger. 3 ! of the boys attempted to joke with him, would |_ In great glee Ned had started off, feeling his over the top of the rock as he saw the Indians always cut them off with some hateful remark, | importance more than ever before. | were again advancing, but on foot, and scat- In the evenings he was wont co come into! ‘The way led through a hill country, with val- | tered in a line, five of them, while the sixth re- can amg a few words with Captain Oliver, | leys here and there, and a small stream to cross, | mained crouching upon the ground, and evi- the boss of the train, regarding the next day’s | He picked the best way for the train, marked | dently wounded badly. march, and then sit about the fire, smoking his | the trail so that it could be readily followed by Ned fired at the one nearest to him, and saw pipe in grim silence, until bed-time, when he | the assistant guide that led it, and wes crossing | him drop quick as a flash and remain motion- would wrap himself in his blanket and lie down | a piece of low-land when suddenly a bullet whiz- | less; but, as the others did the same, he did not to s:eep beneath some wagon. | zed over his head. know whether or no he had hit his man. He was an old man, verging on sixty it was | His horse was startled, as well as he, atid in- Just then, clear and ringing, though some said, with iron-gray hair and beard, a face as | stantly there came another arrow and it told | distance off, came the sound of a bugle. hard as leather, but twinkling black eyes that | Ned that at last the time had come when alone, It reached the ears of the Indians before it did were full of fire and vin. | with no help near, he had to face savage red- | Ned, and, springing to their feet, four of them He was dressed in buckskin, from moccasins to | skins. darted away. cap, and his rifle and revolvers were of the very | He had behaved well in the fights the train The fifth remained, and seeing this, the four best pattern. 'had had with the red-skins; but then he bad | came back, and raising him in their arms, were His horse was raw-boned, but could go with- | half a hundred men as a protection; now he | hastening with him to their horses, which had out food and water as long as his master, it was | must meet them singlehanded, been left near the wounded red-skin, when said, and the animal possessed a temper that Ned’s prairie knowledge told him from whence | louder and more ringing came the bugle sound, | was even worse. the arrows had come, when he marked them | and into sight dashed a horseman, beckoning as . The first thing that attracted Spitfire Pete’s | sticking up in the prairie, and quick as a flash | though to others to follow quickly. | attention to Ned was thy boy’s shooting with a | he whesled away from the point of danger, a Instantly the dead Indian was dropped, and rifle and revolver, for Captain Oliver put up a | small thicket some sixty yards away. the four mounting quickly, two on one pony, twenty-dollar gold-piece as a prize for the best The moment his horse bounded forward there | rode rapidly away toward the hills. shot, and although Ned did not win it, he made | came half a dozen wild yells, followed by a ‘Why, that is old Spitfire,” said Ned, as the such splendid shots that the old guide was seen | shower of as many arrows, and one of the barbs | veteran guide came flying along, and alone. to smile with pride as he glanced at the young- | struck his horse in the neck, ‘* Where is the cavalry, for I Fonsi the bugle?’ ster, Ned’s training served him well now, for hetook | Ned said, as Spitfire drew near. a A few days after, Ned was riding ahead of | in a distant hill, with a steep overhanging cliff, Reaching the dead Indian, the old guide halt- ? the train when he came upon Pete, who asked: | and some rocks at the base, the ground being | ed and called out: ‘‘ Whar yer goin’, boy? open in front. ‘‘Come here, Ned, and git yer scalp, fer it’s “Over to yonder hill, sir,’ answered Ned, He determined to ride for it at full speed, and | yourn, sure as shootin’, Saat I’m durned ef yer who had a great admiration for the old man. let the Indians give chase. ain’t desarvin’ of if.” ‘* What fer?” If he readily outran them, he would have no Ned, thus urged, left his retreat and walked ‘¢ Water, sir.” fear: but, if their horses were faster than his, | toward the guide, who, dismounting, called out: ‘‘ Who said thar was water thar?” then the shelter he observed would be the place ‘“Whar’s yer horse?” ‘“ Nobody, sir; but it looked so to me, from | for him toseek, and ha must try and keep them ‘** Dying, sir.” the lay of the land.” at bay until the train, ten miles away, came up, ‘Ts you hurt, lad?” ‘‘ Boy, thar is water thar, and it is whar we | or Spitfire Pete, who might hear his rifle. Ty ae, is goin’ ter camp, fer thar hain’t no more to be Another volley of arrows again wounded ‘‘T’m durned glad o’ that; but I seen Injun found in twenty odd miles. Ned’s horse, and the boy saw that it was no | signs soon arter leavin’ you, lad, and I concluded ‘You is a durned good shot, better than half | slight injury, from the behavior of the animal. | ter foller on arter yer, and I’m right peert glad ther men, ana yer is goin’ ter make a guide and Looking back he saw that there were six In- | I did.” a good one; so if yer wants ter study a leetle o’ | dians in chase, and they were well mounted, for “So am I, sir.” prairie ’arnin’ under me, jist say so.” they were coming on rapidly. ‘* Boy, put yer grip thar, and let me congratu- ‘I'll be so glad, sir, for no one could teach As he feared another shower of arrows, he | late yer on yer fu’st red-skin, and [ll show yer me half as much,” said Ned, delighted at the | concluded to show them that they were in range | how to scalp him.” prospect. of his rifle, and throwing it to his shoulder, as ‘No, no, Spitfire! I could never take that Spitfire Pete looked pleased, and said: | he turned in the saddle, he fired quickly. mor ee cried Ned in horror at the thought, ‘‘T'll go on and find a place for a camp, and A ery escaped his lips as he saw an Indian | while he gazed with awe upon the up-turned you wait here and fetch the train on; but yer | pony go down with such suddenness, that his | face of the dead savage. must be keerful not ter lose my trail, as thar is | red-skin rider was hurled heavily to the ground. ‘* Boy, you’re young and foolish; but yer'll plenty o’ ways 0’ gittin’ lost in this kentry.” The other Indians instantly drew rein, though | come to it, some day, for it are ther only wa “Till be careful, sir,” and Ned, pleased with | not without firing again at the young fugitive, ter fight a Injun: they hain’t dead until they = : his importance, waited for the train, and fol- | yet without any damage being done. scalped, and I has no marcy on any on ’em, for lowing the trail of the old guide, took the outfit ‘Tf you was not wounded, Firefly, I'd not | they had no marcy on me or mine—no, no, no! safely to the camp. fear those reds,” said Ned to his horse, who he | they kilt my wife and three children, one a boy i} 2 Leetle one, I goes off abroad at daybreak in | saw was bleeding freely from both wounds. sich as you is, and they scalped ’em, too, so I is + in the morning, so if yer wishes ter go be But the Indians had halted only for a minute, | marciless toward ther red devils.” 4 ready,” said Pete, as he started to bed that | and then came on all but one, who remained to He spoke with a depth of feeling that showed : night. help his dismounted companion. how he suffered, and bending over the dead red- 1. Ned went to sleep with it on his mind to wake aving taken his trappings from his dead | skin cut off his scalplock with a skill that + up at a certain hour, and he did so, and was | pony, the warrior sprung up behind his com- | showed long practice. | ready to go with Pete when he rode out of | rade, and they followed rapidly on in the chase. ‘‘But where are the soldiers, sir, for I heard 4 camp. ‘Poor Firefly, you feel bad, I know,” said | a bugle?” said Ned, anxious to change the cur- e Who calt yer, boy?” Ned, with deep sympathy for his horse; but he | rent of the old man’s thoughts. 3 ** Nobody, sir.” urged the animal on, and, reaching the shelter ‘* Thar wasn’t no cavalry near, boy.” >: ‘ ‘“‘ Yer woke up yerself?” of rocks under the cliff, sprung from his back, ‘* But I heard the bugle, Spitfire.” ; s oe, ah” and then turning quickly, fired upon the four ** Listen !” ‘«'Yerll do in ther long run,” and Pete seemed | Indians coming rapidly toward him. He placed his hands to his lips, and Joud, clear, pleased with his pupil in‘prairie craft. It was a long-range shot, but he saw one of | ringing came the exact notes of a bugle. 4 « From that day the old man and the boy seem- | them reel in his saddle, and, cheered by the be- Ned was amazed, and the guide said: p =d to be inseparable, for they were together all | lief that he had wounded him, Ned reloaded his ‘‘Tt’s a trick I has, lad, and it has helped me day, and frequently were gone a couple of days | rifle with remarkable coolness and quickness, | many a time. a from camp, when the guide made a long trip | and taking a rest over the top of a rock, again ‘“T heerd yer shot, and seen ther fix yer was ft. ahead and waited for the train to come up. fired. . | in, sol jist bugled, and them Injuns got, as yer co Ge Coming out of his shell of silence, he talked a A red-skin fell from his saddle, and the others | seen; but we camps yonder under ther hill ontil Fis great deal to Ned, told him how to follow a trail | half drew rein, but then pressed in until the | ther train cqnes up, as I wish ’em ter see what me ie in all weathers, gave him the name of different | brave boy, having again quickly loaded, once | a boy have (che as a Injun-fighter, ; trees and shrubs, and once or twice, after a most | more drew trigger. “T tells yer, boy, L is proud o’ yer, and I only a§ circuitous ride, just to put him at fault would This time it was another pony that fell, and | wishes yer was my own flesh and blood, bein’ as send him back to the train ona message, or for | Ned drew his revolver and fired two shots from | I is all alone in ther world, all alone,” and all extra ammunition, telling him where to rejoin | it quickly. the harshness had gone from the old man’s him. Vith yells of rage the red-skins fell back, | voice, and Ned knew that those who said he was The result of this thorough training was that | leaving the pony writhing in death-ugony, an heartless and cold did not know him, or the Ned became pretty well posted in frontier life, | carrying their wounded comrade with them fo | causes that had imbittered his life. G its dangers and its hardships, and his courage in- | a safe distance, when the two riding the one horse When the train came up old Spitfire told his creasing with his experience, he longed for an | joined them. story, and Ned became a hero with all in the opportunity to show Spitfire Pete that he was “They are holding what Spitfire Pete callsa | train, and the old guide seemed most proud not unworthy of his teachings. powwow now, and I guess I can look after | of his prairie protege. It was not very long, after this desire filled his | Firefly,” said Ned, and, having loaded bis rifle breast that his longing was gratified most thor- | and revolver, he turned to his horse. CHAPTER V. oughly and just how the next chapter will The animal had lain down from weakness, NED SAVES A LIFE, reveal to the reader. having bled freely. Ned drew out the arrow Ir was a long and hard trip to the train’s des- that still stuck in his flank, but saw that it had | tination, the then young town of Virginia City, 3 CHAPTER IV. gone deep. and all who had started on the trail did not THE YOUNG INDIAN-FIGHTER, ‘‘ Poor Firefty! I guess you will die,” he said, | reach the end, for/here and there one dropped Onx day Spitfire Pete sent Ned on ahead, tell- tting the horse kindly, and wiping a tear from | out, killed by Indians, several of them, one dy- ing him to pick a good trail for the train and _ to his eye, for it was the first horse he ever owned, | ing a natural death and one being killed in a find a pleasant camping-place some twenty-five | the one given him by his uncle when he joined broil one night in camp, so that graves dotted miles from where they then were. the train that night after his long tramp from | the way all along. % : ‘‘T1] see if I can’t pick up a leetle game, lad, | home. The trip was a revelation to Ned, and it 3 and find yer in camp; but yer must keep a| A startled snort from the horse brought Ned | taught him a great deal of just what wild life a bright eye fer Injuns,” Pete had said, s rifle ' on the border was, “t ae + > ‘DOOKS.CcCOMm P > - Nee ‘ a ~ ¢, — we : 7 £ = - 5, * ‘*iet . Tey x ws ce -s - = ‘y = a . <3 = a» i — a oe ee Pd = § : , > i : * ri 7 % “ - _— _ Pg” he oh | *. ee ‘ . a . oF one ge Oe NE an Se pe ee: gk ee SO ae hd ee ee 2 A ie a es Un ea a Or GF . = — + r+ ‘ c 2 = y - 4 6's —— -— - —_ ; < ‘ ek ee < —— . 8 ral “4 - _ “fs to. <<. —. ~ Jo ~— © r ae bie 1 OE PF - eal | . Se — > ‘ ~ ~ F, =." She ie . p. 4