Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 1140 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

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Several times he ap- |) peardd.on the point of speaking, but something appeared to prevent, and as silently as the as- aay sassin he turned about and disappeared in the “ydotgtoy FS gloom. : tats) ‘““Mebbe I done him onjustice,” mused the trapper, as he found himself alone, “‘but that’s _. the one onpleasant thing that belongs to the a life of the hunter and the guide. I love the boy se ? en a wish to save him, if he has the heart wero ofa M oc, and the few words I said may be . ‘the means of keeping him from some deviltry | + that he has in mind. It has a bad look for him - ‘to stand facing me, with that Flat-Nose creep- ing uP. behind me and he never seeing him; but if 1 didn’t hear him, [ll allow that it’s possible that he didn’t see him. It may be all right, and it may not.” ¥: As he turned to retrace his steps to camp, he ee eet t a faint rustling near him, and turning pene his_ saw his dog, that instantly took his place at his side. It needed but a glance from Te he master to learn that he had not molested the vgn A for you,” said Nick, as the two moved together; ‘it. allus grieves my heart to in- Bio your , and I know that you Lo feel mighty disappointed; but cheer up, pup, ei, and console yourself with the thought that me aH be the day of reckoning is very close at hand. Sy There ain’t any diffikiltv in this world but what - there’s some way out of it; the only trouble is that we can’t allus see it. When my father had ek his house burned down three times he said there re “ ‘Was some good in it, altho he never was able "0 see exactly how it helped him along, as twice PAS ‘when it burned he + got it insured, and _. . .» “the other time the insurance company bursted _ .* up afore he could get his pay out of ’em, but the vantage then was that the insurance men “2 Sioioc will allus act out his nature, and I make you the ise, pup, that the next time Fiat Nosed Save tries’ toy to play that trick onto I won't interfere atween you and him eat I hope that will sa and like this. “See here,” you, Calamity, let me see you ing : suddenly exclaimed Nick, '*e've been a little hosigen away from camp _ than we expected, an don’t believe there’s i= : supper left by time. It won’t be a pee bad idea for us to take a little with us any- yy Aomeei ae Zt required ‘but a few moments to draw as ' + ‘many fish as he needed. from the stream, and "42 stringing these upon a stick he carried them “S back to camp, where, as may be su his _¢ 2 -gompanions were beginning to wonder at his yon Sol was stretched u the ground his short cla pipe, an with pseeey aylo his han his elbows jammed into earth, and his eyes fixed Ber the elt per- — “\ "2 * ore , > ) o.oo 7.7 > any more over a sition with his side toward the fire, while he was i , as though vely examining his i which he was un- -. able to fathom. ha said, as if speaking to himself, meaning .. the others should hear his words. “ and cearse-minded men may scoff ane | but they are only deserving of pit they are incapable of Beauties of the glorious ; ‘Don’t them chaps ever git in any diffikilty going south in that field, when they t ae, ‘re going north?’ inquired Nick Whiffles, Bes sat down and raking the coals eee an turned, and after looking _~-—sswith severe sternness at him for a moment, "t with things of which you Statements from ignorant men. teeta wa pitiful and ridiculous.” ae T didn’t | tements Persimmons; cule, because omever, a month now, fur = - : 4 . a vy ET 3. = 3 ~ pts x gis i 3 ‘ “. = . f ; his ay ee = 7 ; : a = . phe ~ A Seb ~ - _ ‘ . = a 3 = 7 ’ - Ps id 4 i <s sc : Mi. > ny .. SF ne Ee “ . we f coe ies ‘i i 7 < aia ALA ae'S cfc - St + 7 ay Y ee a ee 2 ¥ 4 e - et ’ SN ae yt . . ee Tt a . . - g9- € « 2 - . i 4 = > 4 7 * . » ro oa Mw ei ‘i Fe ; any of the Modoe style of business, you needn’t - “ lee f : - Ne ie coals, he looked as though he AC eae feetly comfortable and . a Be immons was stretched in a lounging po- a ‘ : . = with Ins chin | —EE ging orant | pup out of the sulks, without bothering over | | which they may wander at ba ‘said Oregon Beadle’s HalfDime Library. I s’pose it’s according to science that a barrel of fish will last a man a month; and that’s about what you’ve got under your jacket now. It’s lucky that I thought to catch a few extra ones, or I shouldn’t had any supper.” ‘““Tf you’d sent ’em on ahead you wouldn't,” said Oregon Sol. ‘I was kept so busy cooking ‘em that I hadn’t much chance at anything, ex- cept the bones, and when there wasn’t any- thing more left, he remarked that fish wasn’t as nie in these parts as he heard tell, but he guessed he had enongh to stay his stomach till morning.” ‘* Do you feel anyways faint?’ continued Nick Whiffies, looking toward the disgusted Britisher with an expression of great solicitude. Fitzsimmons waved them away, and made a reply which he intended to close their mouths and crush them ree at pee ‘‘ It’s a well-settled fact in science that men who have large brains, and who use them much, require a great quantity of phosphorescence, such as is furnished by fish. e wonder to me is that two such gross-minded beings as you should ever feel the need of fish at As for me, I crave it constantly.” ‘* Which nobody can deny,” said Oregon Sol. ‘‘T never see’d such a craving afore. A couple of men like you would breed a famine in this North-west, if they stayed here one season.” The Englishman saw that it was useless to at- tempt to “ chaff” with this wag, and so he be- stowed his peculiar attention upon the little in- strument, with its dancing needle, which he held in his hand. | Nick Whiffles turned toward his companion, and, as he ate his fish, related what had oc- curred up the river, while he was absent. Oregon Sol was tly dissatisfied with the account. He knew Nick Whiffles’s many pecely arities, but he did not suppose that any of them extended to the point of sparin g the assassin whose arm was arrested just as he was in the act of driving the weapon home. Furthermore, he believed it was a mistake in permitting Marunyo, the Blackfoot, to know that he was under suspicion, as it would put him on his guard and make it the more cult to detect him in his treachery. The trapper was unable to. appreciate the charity that really prompted Nick Whiffles to do this. He did not see that the notification was made with the express purpose of saving oe young warrior before he implicated him- self. However, it was done now, and n Sol was enough of a philosopher to see the folly of regretting it. ; ‘Are you sartin that Flat-Nosed Billy or Captain Jack won’t sneak up to us during the t?’ he inquired. “We'll fix it so they can’t,” was the reply. ‘**T’ll put Shagbark in one place, your animal in another, and let Calamity superintend the whole business, and if him or any other Modoc can git by them, he’s welcome to the scalp cf Nick iffles, which they.are his sentiments.” .** And I may as well express my sentiments,” l, in*a low, but earnest voice, “which they are that if this is going to be your way of treating Modocs, you and I have got to part company mighty quick.” Nick Whiffles smiled as he made reply: ‘‘ That’s all right, Sol; I'told the varmint that I knowed I’s making fool of myself as well as he did, and there won't be any more such business on. so don’s It us hear any more about had enough Ciffikilty in getting the other you.” Oregon Sol finally yielded to the imperturba- rehending all the | ble good nature of his old friend, and as the ld that spreads out | night was prétty well advanced, the arrange- mts were compleged for turnirig in. The two sagacious animals were stationed as Nick Whiffles had hinted he meant to place them, and Calamity was made to understand how great responsibility rested on his shoulde: s. - *T don’t know what we'll do with him,” re- marked Nick, wher these arrangements were all made and thev had come back tocamp. He re- | ferred to the Englishman, who was still stretch- ed upon fhe ground, studying his compass. “ He’s big ‘p’uch to know how to take care of himself. hut then he don’t seem to know ‘n’ugh after all.” Verv properly the scientific Britisher paid no slurs as these. attention to such ill-ma He concluded that it would not pay to do so, and ” he riveted his attention upon the little: needle betf: him. | The dg tpi not hesitate to wrap them selves up in their blankets and stretch out upon | , where they alinost immediately ! dad Ve ee nag eee a= ~ M4y= ee * ; Sy ee ft es ? ey ee Bee - . a A NS ra . eee OR sunk into deep slumber, which, unless disturbed, was certain to last until morning. _ The Englishman continued to find mstruction and delight in the little instrument before him for an hour longer, when he to droop, and his head sunk upon the arm; so that when midnight came all three were sound asleep, and with no human being standing when they had received such evidence of their enemies being in the ne gepeken | At midnight the camp-fire was so low that the three figures were only dimly visible, as they lay stretched upon the und. The trappers rested as quietly as infants, but Fitzsimmons emitted a snore that must have been audible fcr a hundred yards, and more, upon such a still night. It was its steady rise and fall that pre- ee vented its awaking the other sleepers... .-* Thus matters stood when another figure ap upon the scene in the shape of the dog red Patpentae’ who came from the wood like a shadow, with a slow, measured tread he advanc- ed to where his master lay, and thrusting down his nose, rubbed it against his face. se Wal, up, what is it?’ asked Nick Whifffés, arousing himself on the instant. It would be hard to explain in what icu- lar way the dog made his reply, but he did it so effectually that it was fully understood on tle instant. It may have been (and very probably such was the fact) that the act itself of arousing his master indicated that something was amiss. Nick reached over and touched the shoulder of Oregon Sol, who opened his eyes at once. “I guess some of the varmint are about,” whispered Whiffles, and without another word . the two crawled away in the gloom, where they — rose to their feet. ; ‘‘Hadn’t we better wake him?” asked Sol, re- ferring to the Englishman. ‘Not just yit; they must have heard him snoring as soon as t got within a mile cf camp, and if he should stop all at once they’d know that we'd found ’em out.” ; Sol coincided with these views, and leaving the sleeper undisturbed, the trappers separated, taking nearly opposite directions. Calamity accompanied his master, and hed gone less than a hundred feet when he paused | and stood like a dog pointing game. tit : The trapper did not speak, even in the lowcst whisper, but looked and listened. The gle m was too great even for such keen eyes as his t> penetrate, but his ears notified him thatscme © one was advancing directly toward him. As noiselessly as a shadow pecyent asice, | and the next second a fi close enough : elmost to brush against him. Nick did notdis © turb him; fa Ape o- to see whether there was | any more, and finding none, followed him. moved toward the comet syste The strange Indian advanced in the same cautious manner until he was within a few feet, v hen he assumed a crouching position and be- gen stealing toward the form of the sleeping. Englishman. Nick Whiffles waited until there could not be © pcssibility of a doubt of his intenticn, when ke acted promptlyjand effectually, : : A sharp crack of the rifle, and the red-skin, vith a hcwl, fell ‘prostrate on his face, stone cead, his outstretched arms touching the rersen . of!Fitzsim mons, who continued sleeping as scund- ly fie Watch out, pup,” said Nick, as he hastily reloaded bis iece, end then Fanci the camp m ctirred up the fire, | pamibaaaint, v1 8 ‘Nothin’ on my side of the house.” rer :1k- ed Oregon Sol, as he came forward, and bth corpess leaned over and scanned the firrre._ by e additional light thrown out by tke em- “By mighty!” exclaimed Nick ier rti- fied the tribe of the red-skin, “ ite sioctdies io. doc, as sure as I’m alive. What are so many of em doing in this art of the world?’ i And it ain’t Captain Jack nor Flat-Nesr@ meta ney ener but it’s one of them same var- . . Fa y came trom < n sure. Where do you s’pose he’s ‘“* He has been sent here them t rit- hoa bas ben the B28 in the: ‘oahea he sent this sie para to ‘come himself, and so. ‘Tellin’ bim, I s’ that if he didn’t make pon i re knife into you, you'd set | im agin eet and give him a “hance tu try. ick only smiled at this thrust. for he ae or he krew po gp it: and after scanning the features e assassin for a few minutes longer, he re marked: | “ Neyer see’d ; NET Ry ARE “ Yes; I remember him’ He ag Won others