Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1122 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

ff ; Sh —— 4 —— mm = nea ae te A ee al ee ee eee eee t= —™ F ) ; ~ oad | SEBEL OTE PLT I ETE TE ~ re 4 > 7 ——-— gaste those red lips of yours, but will go quietly along to my friend's stronghold, in the very midst of the Cross Timbers, and let who can, find »? Thornley never stirred in all this time, though he listened anxiously to hear if Tennieanswered. But the high-spirited girl did not utter-a single word. which she knew would only meet with fresh insult. Pretty soon, Lebar observed, in English: “Well boys, we'll go now, I think,” He added some instructions in Seminole, which Thorniey did not understand, and the whole band moved off at a walk, on the trail of the very wen who were after them. The mustang- er waited till they were some distance ahead, when he mounted and -followed, taking care to keep his horse in the shadow of the mottes that were on his way. He followed for about two miles, when Lebar turned round and rode toward the river. Thorn- ley perceived, from the lay of the land, that they were opposite to the camp of Tiger Tail which he had visited that morning, and judged that LelLar’s intention must be to go there, Just as the renegade turned toward. the river, they heard the sound of shots far ahead, where the deceived Regulators, no doubt, were. Assoon as Lebar heard the sound, he rode rap- idly to the river-bank, with all his men, and en- tered the water. The firing from the Regula- tors soon ceased, and Thornley ,judged that they must have overtaken the fleeing Indian, and probably shot him, and discovered their mistake ere this. He remained closely watching the retiring Indians, till the gailop of approaching horses told him that his suspicions were correct. At the sound of the returning hunters, Lebar’s men halted on the other sideof theriver. They were invisible, but Thornley could tell it, by the cessution of the noise of hoofs. He moved out from the motte-side, and stood in the path of the Texans. They came dashing up, and he was quickly » surrounded by several suspicious Regulators. Thornley, never moving his eyes from the motte, under whose shadow he knew the Indi- ans to be standing, told his name, and the news which he had to communicate. “The Indians out pace have got Miss Ma- ot. he said; ‘“‘and if you want to take them would recommend you to stop right here till morning. If you chase them now, they may get off into the bushes and escape, but they won't dare to stir, for fear of being heard, if you stay on this side of the river, and pretend not to know they are there.” Hays reflec a moment, when he admitted that the advice was good, and he and Thornley concocted their plan. This settled, Thornley, Hays, and twenty of the best mounted borderers, rode off toward the block-house, leaving the lieutenant of the band to watch the Indians. CHAPTER XXIL THE CHASE. WITHIN the heart of that scrubbv barrier, in a clearing evidently the work of art, was collect- ed the camp of Tiger Tail’s tribe, lodges pitched and fires burning, in complete security. An impenetrable wall of wood surrounded them, all the secret openings of which were hidden be- hind screens of bushes. From the level and fall- ing ground all round, the Cross Timbers being the highest part of the country, this arrange- ment was effectual. The smoke from the fires was quite invisible on the prairie. The camp of Tiger Tail was empty of war- riors, and only full of squaws and shifdren: The warriors of the tribe were gathered by the bank of the river, pons to the band of Regulators, only about fifty strong, on the op- ite bank, Miquelez, seeing his enemies divided, as the morning dawned, had sent buck the news to Tiger Tail, who had brought down all his war- riors, now reduced to abouf a hundred and thirty, to dispute the river passage, and chas- tise the borderers, if he could. But in the rear of these again, and entirely unsu ted, was a third party. This consisted of Sheriff Hays, Colonel Magof- fin, his nephew and niece, Edward Thornley and Wash Carrol, the latter pale and weak-looking, from fatigue and loss of blood. This party was slowly approaching the scene of action from the direction of the corral of the mustangers. That corral remained intact, the Indians having lected to gwen, its in- mates as yet, and rniey had availed himself of the fact to fresh horses for himself, the colonel, Eugene. 15 The Wild-Horse Hunters. Thornley had selected the best horse that was left, for himself—the very steel-gray stallion which Lebar had failed to: capture the day be- fore. . He knew from its appearance that it must be speedy, and he fancied that, very pro- bably, he might yet have to try a hard race with the desperate Migquelez. During the night he had learned the true character of his late partner, and made up his mind to capture him with the lasso, at any risk, When he rode cautiously forward with the brightening dawn, there lay the river below him, and the’ Indians were all dismounted on the near bank, their horses standing behind the shel- ter of a motte, at least two hundred yards back. The only mounted persons were Tiger Tail and the dark murderer, Miquelez, and asingle female figure. Thornley needed no diviner to tell him who that was, The girl was seated upon a mus- tang pony, her arms tied behind her, and se- cured on the animal’s back by stout thongs of buffalo-hide. Thornley heard a low exclamation beside him, and turning, beheld Eugene Dupre close to him, his face pale as ashes, his eyes blazing, as he was about to. spring forward without orders, when the sharp voice of Sheriff Hays retained him. ‘‘See here, young man,” said Jack, sternly; “vou keep quiet til I give the word to@move. I boss this job, and I’m not in the habit of making mistakes, either.” — Eugene restrained. his horse, though he looked longingly down toward the combat that was about to commence. ‘* Now, boys,” said the sheriff, quietly, ‘‘ spread along behind this crest, and don't a man move till | give the word. Then charge, and keep your fire, till you can see the whites of their eyes.” The borderers quietly obeyed the order, rid- ing out into a thin skirmish-line behind the crest of the swell. There they waited, hidden away, till the sound of shots below announced that the fight was opened there. hornley, peeping cautiously over the brow of the hill, beheld the body of Regulators op- site riding down into the river, and opening on the Indians, The Indians, went run- ning out of the motte on foot, to meet them, firing and yelling, and in two minutes the fight became general. As soon as the sheriff saw that the Indians were too busy to notice, he gave the signal] to charge; and down the hill swept his party— Hays himself far in advance, on a thoroughbred charger, with a revolver in each band. The Indians, taken in front and rear, and by surprise, offered not the shadow of resistance from that moment. With one accord they broke and fled toward their horses. But Hays’s party swooped down on the horses with a yell, and reached them long before their owners, ‘The cracking of revolvers, shouts, curses and yells, made a perfect Pandemonium of the river-bank for some minutes, as the Semi- noles, hemmed in on every side, and driven to desperation, sold their lives as dearly as they could. In the midst of all the confusion, Edward Thornley and Eugene Dupre were only sensible of three persons in the melee, and these were Tiger Tail, Miquelez, and Tennie Magoffin. t the very first yell of the borderers in the rear, Tiger Tail seized Tennie’s rein, and turned both -horses’ heads to the westward. Miquelez | | | east a single glance backward, and then set ' spurs to his steed, and fled along with them. While Hays and the Regulators dashed into the fight with the Indians, Thornley and Eugene pressed forward, both with the same object, Away they went, at full speed on the track of the fugitives, Eugene brandishing a revolver, Thornley gathering the coils of the silent but deadly lasso in his hand, as he went, In three minutes more they were out of the fight, and rapidly gaining on the wearied steeds of the fugitives. Toward the west, the prairie was open for some miles, but then it ended abruptly in the main body of the Cross Timbers itself, the only outlet being a narrow passage between the tim- ber and the river, Toward this narrow passage did Miquelez and Tiger Tail direct their steps, carrying with them their helpless prisoner. Eugene Dupre uttered a violent curse of as he saw Tiger Tail look mockingly back at him, and wave his hand in triumph as he went, He dug his spurs into his animal until it seemed to fly, and felt himselr creeping slowly but surely up. Behind him he could still hear the shouts and shots of the fight, and then it all faded away. Thornley rode a little in advance, not urging —_—-— his horse much at first, but still gaining, from superior speed. The further they went, the oftener Miquelez and Tiger Tail turned to look, They seemed to be trying to make up their minds to resist: and at last, when they were within a quarter of a mile of the Timbers, both ulled up. Miquelez ptied out a pistol, and held it close to Tennie Magoffin’s head, shouting: “ Go back, you accursed fools, or P’U shoot girl!” Eugene pulled up his horse in an instant, pale with fear. But Thornley never halted in his course. He came thundering on, with a tremendous shout, that so unsteadied the nerves of Miquelez, thas he involuntarily turned the pistol on the person of the mustanger. He fired hastily, and with- out aim, and the bullet whistled harmlessly by Thornley’s temple. The next minute down came Eugene at full speed, with presented Lac tol, firing shot after shot at the murderer, They whistled so closely that Miquelez gave way. He was a coward, after all, and the next min- ute showed it; for he turned his horse’s head and fled, leaving TigerTail alone to dispute the way. Tiger Tail drew up his horse, and leveled his rifle. He had no pistol, and but one barrel to his rifle. As Thornley passed him by: only intent on Miquelez, the Indian snapped the weapon at him harmlessly, and the next moment Eugene Dupre ran his horse full tilt against the chief, sending horse and rider to the earth together, and fall ing over them himself. The last glimpse that Thornley caught of the two, they were rolling on the prairie, struggling like two dogs. Then he forgot all else, in the knowledge of, the fact that his treacherous partner, Antonio Miquelez, alias Louis Lebar, was within lasso-distance, How carefully he wound the lasso round his head now! He would not have missed that cast for a fortune. With a nervous swing, and a loud shout of anger, he finally flung it through the air, saw it hover a moment, in a perfect circle; over the murderer’s head, and down over the slboulders of the doomed man it fell, pinioning bis arms to his sides, as the lariat tightened. The gray stallion was round on his haunches in a moment, under the powerful Spanish bit, and Antonio Miquelez was plucked from his sad- dle with the shock of a thunderbolt, and sent rolling over on the prairie, helpless and stunned. ‘Throw away that pistol,” shouted Thornley, sternly, keeping the lasso tautly stretched, while he spoke; “‘ drop it, or [li drag you into court as you are.” The discomfited ruffian dropped the yiistol, but then he began to beg and plead piteously. ‘‘Oh! Edwafd Thornley,” he said, “ isn’t this a hard trick to serve a comrade and partner! What have I ever done to you that you should treat me so?” ‘*To me, nothing,” said Thornley, frevers “but you are a murderer, Antonio Miquel and here come your judges, the Regulators Texas!” ‘Oh! for God’s sake, Thornley!” screamed the frightened wretch, ‘‘don’t give me up te them! They’ll kill me without trial.” ‘What for?’ asked Thornley, sternly; “ they hang orily murderers and horse-thieves, You are a murderer!” ‘‘T killed him only in self-defense!” shrieked Miquelez, desperately; ‘‘let me up, Edward Thornley, lsay! What right have you to keep me here, curse you?” And as he spoke, hearing the horse-hoofs of the approaching Regulators, he struggled des- Saihatatsy to cast off the encircling noose of the asso, in the mad hope of escaping to the cover of the timber. But it was all in vain. He half-scrambled to his feet, only to be plucked back and dragged violently forward some fifty feet, as Thornley touched his horse with the spur. The yells for pity of the un- happy wretch faded into awe-stricken moans of pain and terror as he saw around him, when he alted, nothing but the pitiless, bearded faces of the Regulators, with a single dark, Indian-look- ing countenance, that he recognized instantly as that of Baptiste Ledoux, a trapper of Louisiana, who knew him well. . Then he realized that it was aj] over, as far as he was concerned; and he lay still and sullen on Spe ground, awaiting his fate CHAPTER XXIIL HOW IT WAS ARRANGED. TIGER TAIL went over, borse and all, and En- e fell over him, and found himself locked ém grasp of the etic young Indian, who wes - + ~\ ; -books-com