Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1122 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

7 i a . > — oot 14 his horse violently. They had been riding at an easy gallop so far, but now the whole party strained every nerve, and swept on at full Bec. They had need to, if they had wished to help the beleaguered settlers. As soon as the volley had been fired a simultaneous rush was made from all quarters toward the block-house, amid yells that could be plainly heard, even at that distance. The Regulators dashed on as hard as they could go. Louie whipped her game little mare till the creature seemed as if she would leap out of her skin. But faster than all their rush was the desperate assault of the Indians, who seemed to be determined to succeed at any hazard, con- trary to their usual cautious tactics. They rushed on in a regular wave, which overflowed the block-house. There was seen a dense crowd close to the burning wagons, and then the echoes of the firing became a complete rattle from inside the edifice, mingled with yells, shouts, cries, and female shrieks, as the desper- ate conflict began inside. “ Yell, men! Yell!” cried Hays, at this mo- ment. ‘‘"lis our only chance to save them. Yell like the devil! ’T will scare the Indians!” As he spoke he fired a barrel of his revolver in the air toward the distant blaze, and the Regulators raised astentorian yell, firing a whole volley at an angle of forty-five, in the hope that something might reach the Indians. Ten minutes more and they were down by the banks of the stream, the water glowing in the red light of the fires, while the shouts and cries from the block-house were growing less and less. Hays dashed his horse into the ford, and lashed across, followed by his men, Louie in e midst of them, pale and trembling, but still firmly resolved to struggle on to save her friends. Several Indians came rushing down the further bank to oppose them, firing hastily into the water. Buta volley of revolver-shots, and the sight of the formidable number of the Regulators, changed their fight into a flight in a gsingla momént. elling and firing as they went, the borderers lunged through, and climbed up the steep bank yond as they best could. But the bank proy- eda more formidable obstacle than the foe. It caved in in so many places, and gave them so much trouble, that it was fully ten minutes more of riding up and down to find a better place to climb, before they succeeded in reaching the top by twos ani threes, and galloping down to: the block-house. But when they arrived at the top at last, it was empty of foes. The block-house stood silent before themy the burning wagons were falling into glowing brands, and not an Indian was tobe seen. Jack Hays ran up to the block- house, and shouted: “‘Hilloa! in there! . Who’s alive?’ A faint voice answered: “Very few, neighbor.” CHAPTER XX. , THE BLOCK-HOUSE. THE sicht that met the sheriff’s eyes was suf- ficiently horrible. Men, women, and children; white, red, and black. lay huddled together in the little inclos- ure, dead and dying, in heaps. The dead were all scalped, except the Indian portion of them, and were principally negroes, especially avomen and children. One white man, a huge, Hercu- lean fellow, in “butternut” clothes, lay on top of the heap, however, stone dead. ) His rough, black beard bristled out from his chin, stif’ and horrible-looking, and his glazed eyes and grinning teeth gave an expression of grim fierceness to the dead countenance, that caused an involuntary shudder, The giant’s hai.ds were both tightly clenched, each in the long hair of an Indian warrior, whose faces were all mashed out of shape. His own scalp had been taken, and a deep cleft in the back of his head, showed how he had been killed. Hays looked round in some surprise. “Where are the rest of you?” he asked, aloud. “Who called to me, just now?” 6] did.” said the same voice, from @ corner of the block-house. ‘ Kurn’t git out, stranger or I’d shake hands. Come and help me out, ef kin. This chile’s the only critter left alive yar, I do b’lieve.” Hays advanced to the corner of the block- house, and discovered the body of a man, lying with three dead Indians on him, from whom he was unable to extricate himself, The man’s face was seamed with a broad scar, - ~ + . we abe ¢ rt kaon oe te se t : | ee . the mark of some former fight, and Hays recog- nized Wash Carrol. “That you, Wash?’ was all he said; and pro- ceeded to drag off the bodies of the slain Indians from the prostrate huntér. Vhen Wash Carrol was relieved of his burden, he rose slowly to his feet, and surveyed his de- liverer. “Ts that you, sheriff?’ he asked. ‘*' Lord alive! Ef we'd ’a’ know’d that,.we mought hev be’n alive now, me and my neighbor thar. They e’wd never ha’ flummoxed us as they hev, ef we'd ’a’ kep’ the cunnel hyar, and the other fel- | ler's.”’ At this moment, Louisiana Dupre ran into the block-house, and -saw Wash standing there alone. She uttered a wild shriek, and ran for- ward, crying: ‘‘My uncle? Tennie? My brother? Where are they, Mr. Carrol? Oh! aré they killed?” “No, miss,” said Wash, eagerly. ‘ They’re acrost the river, a-hidin’ in a motte, I guess. Me and Strother was al! the white folkses hyar, and all the rest of us is deal.” ‘“ But where is my uncle?” cried Louie, wild- ] “Where is my brother? Where is Tennie? How came. they to leave here?” ‘‘They slipped off arter dark, miss,” said Wash, ‘‘along wi Miss Tennie, yer cousin. 'Twar I as told ‘em to do it, ‘cause T know’d as how Tiger Tail wanted the young lady, and we was bound as how he shouldn’t hev her. Thar, over yonder, she be, in one o’ them mottes, and ef the Injuns don’t git over thar, thur she’s safe,” ‘‘ Which motte are they in?’ demanded Hays, quickly; ‘‘and how many of them are there?” ‘‘Thereare only the cunnel,and Mister Kugene, and Miss Tennie, Ed. Thornley, my pardner, ez.soon ez ever he h’ard that Miss Louie, hyar, hell rid off on sich a chase, he goes off like a madman to find her, and whar he are at this present time is more than I kin say. Kd kin take care o’ hisself,; I guess, ef he kurn’t find Miss Louie.” “Well,” said Hays, gravely, ‘‘ you people have made precious fools of yourselves, scatter- ing in this way. I'll have hard work to find you all. Are you hurt much, Wash?’ ‘‘Reckon I am,” said the mustanger, faintly; ‘““T knifed all three o’ them cusses in the scrim- mage, but { got two or three plugs myself, I guess. Poor Strother, thar, he got hold o’ two on ’em, and smashed thur durned brains out to- gvether. He war an orful strong cuss, anyhow, he war.” The sound of a shot fired across the river, and a regular Indian yell, at this moment startled every one. Jack Hays stamped his foot angrily, and mut- tered: “T thought so, The stragglers have got them.” He ran outside, and went to the edge of the bank to look across the river. The light of the burning wagons was reflected on the figures of several people on horseback, galloping down to the ford, pursued by the very Indians he had but lately pursued himself, Louie Dupre came out after him, and recog- nized the figures of her brother, her uncle, and Tennie, just as they wp he: into the river, with the Indians hard after them. But whose was that form, mounted on a black steed and dressed like a Mexican ranchero, who headed the Indians? Louisiana Dupre shuddered and shrieked as she recognized the evil spirit, Antonio Miquelez, and saw that he was whirling a lasso over his head. The next minute it flew far out over the water, and hovered over the head of poor Tennie Magoffin. There was a shriek from the unhappy girl, and then the gazers saw her plucked from her horse, and whisked toward the shore in an in- stant, while the colonel and Eugene turned their horses, and rushed desperately on, to meet the terrible odds against them, but in vain, Louie saw the! Indians rush forward and close around her cousin, beating off the frantic father, and shooting both the horses of the white men down. Then poor Tennie was dragged up from the ground, and placed upon the pommel of the Black Mustanger’s saddle, when the whole party rode off across the prairie, and down-stream, with a yell of loud triumph. Colonel Magoffin was seen to run forward on foot, firing his re- volver, but the shots were not answered, and the poor father fell to the earth at last, hopeless and despairing. But at this sight quiet Jack Hays suddenly aroused himself, pte swore the only oath he was ever known to utter. . “Now, by the God who sees me,” he said, in a deep voice, “Tl have that cirt bank, kill Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. ee al | that fellow, if it takes every horse in my com- mand... Young lady, you stay here. Ill leave two men to guard you in this place, No an- swer. [I must be obeved now.” He spoke very differently from what he had, In five minutes more, headed by their redoubt- able leader, the Regulators were crashing down the bank into the river, after the fast-vanishing forms of Miquelez and the Indians. CHAPTER XXL, THE LASSO CAST. Our on the dark prairie beyond the river, at the same time that the Regulators dashed down the bank, a single horseman drew rein at the edge of a motte, about a mile further down, and uttered a groan of disappointment, as he looked at the distant blaze of the burning wag: ons, ‘Too late!” he muttered to himself. ‘I have ridden all this distance, and lost my way amon the mottes, for nothing. I can not find her, I was some other track which I must have fol- lowed, Where is she now? Perhaps taken by that lustful devil, Tiger Tail, and at his mercy while all her family 1s slaughtered yonder; an I have left my comrade like a fool, What can [I do? What shall 1 do? What ought 1 to dof Blow out my own brains, most likely.” He sat on his horse, bitterly musing, and watching the flames, as if uncertain what to do. It was Edward Thornley, who, just as soon as he had heard from Tennie Maroftin, when he and Wash Carrol arrived at the block- house, of Louie’s rash ride, had instantly plunged down the bank, regardless of danger, and swum the river, the Indian bullets whistling round him, Searching for her, he had lost his way, and emerged in sight of the river, having by a mar- vel escaped the scattered Indiuns of Miqueleg’s party. Now he dismounted from his horse, and stood watching the flames, wondering what had become of Leuic, \ ben he was startled by the sound of the gallo» of horses near him, ith a vague instinct of self-preservation, be drew back into the motte, and beheld a party of mounted ‘ndians puli up close to him, and stand still, liste: ing. At their head, to his intense surprise, he recognized tie form of his late partner, uis Lebar, eus!'y distinguished from the rest by the broad hat .nd coarse profile, relieved against the starlight. Lebar held across his saddle-bow a female figure, and Edward felt. his heart throb desper- ately at the bare possibility of who it might be, For a moment he was tempted to shoot hig partner, but the number of Lelar’s followers rendered such a feat too rash for success, He shane his horse by the nostriis, te pit vent its neighing, and listened. Presently he heard Lebar say, in English, to his captive: ‘“ You may thank your stars, young lady, that you Were not scalped long ago. Those cursed tegulators have robbed me of your cousin, but Tiger Tail and I will take our revenge out of you. You need not look back. I have thrown out the pursuers a second time, for all \their smartness. There they go now, the fools, after another man, with a bundle in a blanket before kim, to represent you, while I carry you in my ‘arms, my dainty Miss Magoffin,” Thornley slfuddered with aversion as he listen- ed, but he could tell that Lebar’s words were true, for the sound of other horses at full gallop, and the jingle of bridles at some distance further toward the river, announced that the pursuers, whoever they were, were passing by. For the first time, the young mustanyer learned that. Louie had succeeded in her dangerous enter- prise, and that the famous Regulators were near at hand. Two hours ago, under the same circumstances, he would have fired at Lebar, dashed out to rescue Tennie, and lost his life without saving her; but his long and disappo!*ing ride had re- called to the young man al: § e crvlness and woodcraft he ever possessed; uu | he resolved to wait, and watch his opportunity to do sub- stantial service. Lebar laughed sardonically, as he listened to the sound of the horse-hoofs, dying away in the distance. “There they go, Miss Magoffin,” he said, “fon a wild-goose chase after a blanket, and you can’t scream, my pretty Tennie, because I'll choke you if ron try it. By heavens! if it were not that I have seallied you to my friend, Tiger Tail, I should feel very much tempted to take ou for a substitute for your eousin; but then hese fellows would tell Tail, and I don’t care to offend him just yet. I want his help to carry off your pretty cousin. So I won't even *. 7 CcolIr te ke — “ i ~ Se ee , ‘ ‘ q