Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 115 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

* oe em cn es se - ve a sound had been heard. In amazement the little group gazed around. Not a living thing to be seen! A moment of awful suspense. Then a second of their number fell in the same mysterious way! Consternation now seized the remainder, What should they do? Paralyzed with dread they dared not move. In the midst of the excitement Rock Randel appeared on the scene. ausing abruptly a few rods distant, he half raised his rifle and faced them defiantly. He then was the slayer of their companions! Too much frightened to think of molesting ned Gold-dust Buck fearing for his own safety, cried: ‘* Quick! for the cave!” In an instant the cowardly miners fled into the cavern, The-Man-from-Texas gave a mocking laugh as he. saw them take to flight, but offered no further molestation. ‘“*T reckon ye are penned now!” he muttered grimly, as he seated himself upon a rock near at hand. ‘*Guess I won’t let ye kem out jess et? " Time passed and still The-Man-from-Texas maintainea his watch in front of the cavern. Those within would fain have shot him, but he kept out of their range. “Curse him!” exclaimed Gold-dust Buck gazing at him from their retreat, ‘‘ a hundred dollars to the man who will kill him.” But no one ventured to accept the offer. **T shouldn’t care to risk it!” declared Oregon Dick. ‘‘Rock Randel living was the most dangerous man I ever met, and now when you corral his spirit 1 ho ou will let me know.” ‘Oh, nonsense, Bic Lane! You are spooney !” ‘‘ Just wait and see! I don’t believe one of us will leave this place alive!” Buck Warner made no reply and the party relapsed into silence. But little was said for an hour. ‘Il can’t stand this much longer!” ejaculated the leader at last. ‘‘ Let’s risk our chances and harge on the Texan dog. We are four against him, and we are fools to act so much like cow- ' ards! ‘* Ts he there now?” asked one. ‘Yes; grim and motionless as—” ‘* Hist! I heard something behind us!” ex- claimed Oregon Dick in a low tone. Listening fora moment the others heard or seemed to hear the sound of footsteps. Some one is coming this way !” As Gold-dust Buck uttered the words, a sharp exclamation was wrung from the lips of one of the others. Then a fierce struggle seemed to be taking place, though in the darkness nothing could be see n. * Oh, killed!’ His companions heard the words in terror, and knew a life-and-death combat was taking place right by their side. Yet they were powerless to aid their friend. Who was this unseen foe? ‘‘He’s coming for me!” yelled Oregon Dick, the next breath; and with ad iring shriek he rushed for the outside, forgetting the danger menacing him there, | Gold-dust Buck and one other followed. The fe Aa had fallen in the strange contest in the Oregon Dick a the exit of the cavern— reached it to d face to face with the Texan avenger! In the twinkling of an eye the spangof Randel’s rifle was heard, and the doomed outlaw-miner had run his race! , Buck Warner turned ashen pale as he saw the dread weapon leveled at his own person. Before The-Man-from-Texas could fire the second shot, the valley rung with a wild shout, end twenty armed men sprung into the gully. ey were miners from Silverstone who grown uneasy over the non-arrival of Warner’s party, and had come to their rescue. ‘* Don’t lot the Texan escape!” cried Gold- dust Buck. In an instant Rock was surrounded. ‘‘ All I ask is a shot at that Buck Warner!” he cried. But the de: o had cleared his sight. Rock Randel’s time had seemed to come. ** Not Pint he cried, with a hoarse laugh. ‘“‘Death to ye!” yelled the leader of the throng. ' : Another mocking laugh and Dandy. Rock bounded swiftly toward his encircling foes. \ieeho mad? "Twas tushing t -*e-tain death! mercy!” groaned the man, ‘‘I am ee SSO — TRO sss oe ee ee ee The Mad Miner. At the second leap he reached them; then crouching close to the earth for an instant he rung highinto the air, and passing fairly over their heads, touched lightly upon the ground behind them! Before the astonished assailants could com- prehend the daring and surprising feat, and turn to renew their attack, he was fleeing down the valley at a flying rate. A few shots were sent after him, but none stayed his flight. “* Has he escaped?” exclaimed Gold-dust Buck. ‘Yes; he’s gone like a streak down the ra- vine. You might as well think of catching a flash of lightning!” ‘But wesha’n’t have any peace until he is caught! Look at poor Dick here, slain by him. We must hunt that Texan down to death if we value our own lives!” ‘He ain’t no mortal—” “Gold! gold! gold! gold !” Every sound was hushed by the wild cry, which caused the miners to turn pale with dread. Then the flash of a gun was seen and one of the crowd, without warning, dropped lifeless! The others saw upon the narrow ledge that hung over the Golden Cave that wild being designated as the Mad Miner. He laughed in an unearthly tone, and waved over his head a rusty rifle. Gold-dust Buck saw what the others failed The rock upon which the mysterious un- known was standing was completely isolated from the main body, save by the narrow place where he had gained it. Springing forward to command this Warner cried: ‘*Capture him, boys! He is ours!” Understanding the movement the miners sur- rounded the cliff at its base, and some began to scale its sides. Seeing that all retreat was cut off the lunatic gave a shrill cry of terror. Then, as he saw the inevitable capture that seemed to threaten him, he suddenly leaped out over his assailants and went headlong into the gully that yawned fifty feet below. Reaching the bank above a few moments af- ter, the miners saw that his body had been crush- ed into a shapeless mass. ‘‘T must know if possible who he was,” de- clared Warner, descending into the place with considerable difficulty. Though the remains were frightfully disfig- ured, Gold-dust Buck recognized them at a glance now that he was close to them. “Strange I should not have known him be- fore!” he muttered, as he climbed up the bank. ‘** Butit’s a load from my mind to know he is out of the world at last.” ‘Who was he?” chorus. Before Warner could reply half a dozen men coe rushing to the spot, the leader crying ex- ci : ¥ We have got him!” ‘* Who?” was asked in surprise. ‘* The-Man-from-Texas! k Randel! We were coming up from the city, when we run across him and corraled him slick!” Then as the followers of the speaker reached the place, all saw that they really had at last the most dreaded and yet most respected man in Gold-dust Hollow a captive. Truly the war must end now. asked the lookers-on in CHAPTER XXI. DANDY ROCK’S DOOM. Goutp-dust Buck glared upon the captive with a look of fiendish satisfaction. “This is the best day’s work you ever did, boys. feo deserve a holiday for this; and you shall have : 00.” ‘* What shall we do with him?’’ asked the leader of the captors. “Do with him? Hang him to the first tree you come to!” “Is it The-Man-from-Texas or his ghost?” asked one of the incredulous spectators. ‘Its Rock Randel every time. But he’s a live ‘coon! I wonder we corraled him as we did. He never offered to fight us and only tried to dust, which ain’t at all like him.” “TI tell ye, it’s his spirit, and I shan’t be s’prised to see him fly right over our heads like smoke!” ex- claimed an old gray-headed miner, who had a strong belief in the supernatural. “Git out, Joe Plummer! Ef he ain’t mortal what es him so quiet now?” ‘*Come, what's the use of all this talk?” interrupt- ed Warner. ‘‘ Let’s rope him at once, and have the affair over. That Crazy Miner is dead and when we rid ourselves of this accursed Texan, Gold-dust Hol- low is indeed free!” ‘* Wild Wind dead!”’ exclaimed Rock, speaking for the first time. His body lies at the bottem of the tT ae tas 19 “ach, GUad) | =.) — ss) ys all crushed into a jelly!” replied Buck, exuit an ” Then I’m a goner!”’ ejaculated The-Man-from- Texas, under his breath. “Come, men; let’s rope the coyote and have it done with. Iam anxious to get back to the city.” “What! without any show fer him to capee’s for hisself ?”’ exclaimed one of the leading spirits of the crowd. “What! Vic Haven! do you hesitate to lynch such a desperado as that Texan wolf, who has shed more blood than any twelve Indians in California?’’ ‘*T know it,’’ admitted the miner; ‘but he did it in a square fight and trying to defend his own." “Do you call that a square — when men hide in the bushes and shoot down their victims in coli blood?” ‘‘No. But I say, hunted as he has been, Rock Randel has only done what all of us would have done in his circumstances. He has made a square fight, and I say give him a fair show,”’ dec Vic aven, boldly. “Do you hear that, boys?’ cried Warner to his fol lowers. ‘“Jsay that Texan should die like a dog He has taken more innocent lives than any des perado in California, and all without just cause!” ‘** You lie, Buek Warner!” cried Rock, fiercely, un. able to stand more. ‘Men o’ Silverstone,”’ turning to the crowd, “I hev’ no war ag’in’ ye. All I ask is ferafair chance to dig my row with that coyote. Let me meet him in a fair trial, hand to hand, and the one who wins shall be the best man. Let me dig his funeral and ye can do with mees ye want to. Kf he corrals me, all right.”’ “'That’s the talk!” cried a bystander. “Let em square ‘counts, and save us the trouble.” ‘Let ‘em go it, I bet on the long-haired ’coon!” ‘* Rope the Texan!” ** Lynch him !”’ aone were the cries taken up by the excited rong. Gold-dust Buck trembled lest the prisoner should gain his liberty. He had no desire to face Rock in a combat. Vic Haven saw that a free fight was imminent, He saw but one course open, and he took it by say- ing, quickly: ‘**Look here, boys; let’s act like sensible men. We want eg one to have a fair shake. Let’s take the Texan to Silverstone and 4 him a fair trial, What- ever the verdict is follow it up!” ‘** Agreed!’ came the hearty response. ** Let him levant!” ‘** Let ‘em two hev’ it out!” ‘Mid the confusion of like cries Buck Warner was forced to acquiesce, Thus all headed for the city, and Dandy Rock a prisoner was borne along by the excited mob. It was nearly night when Silverstone was reached. Here the captors were met by the excited inhabi- tants to whom the news had flown like wildfire. Among the spectators and pressing forward to grasp his hand was Mark Hanson. ‘Tt seems like meeting one from the dead, Rock, ” he said, cordially, ‘‘ But, keep up your spirits in this orgy and you shall find you have true friends left ret. 7 Randel murmured his thanks. ma - Wild Wind really gone under?” he asked anx- ously. < There is no doubt of that. There are twenty here who saw him meet his fate.” “Then old Rock Randel is ready to pass in his checks as soon as he sees that Gold-dust coyote gets ustice done him, I shall leave the Hollow in your nds and Temperance Tim’s.”’ Before Mark could reply the jostling crowd pressed him away. As it was so late in the day Rock’s trial was put over by vote until the morrow. Accordingly he was carried to the post-office and there under a strong guard left for safe keeping. Thus the day waned and night came on. While the excited miners of Silverstone were talls ing over the strange events of the previous week, Gold-dust Buck was devising a desperate scheme waerpay De might outwit the friends of Rock and make his own triumph certain, for he felt that if the latter had a trial he would escape. He missed Ore- gon Dick and Cooney Burke now. With half a dozen chosen followers he would wrest Randel from his keepers’ hands and put him to death, before the light of another sun! About midnight the drowsy poares standing out- side of the a ment that held the Texan were sud- denly overpowered, and Warner with his horde burst into the room where Buck lay half-asleep, Seizing him rudely they bore him out of the house, ‘‘Hang him to the first tree!"’ hissed the leader. ** At last, Rock Randel, you are doomed! Bear him along, boys, lively!” Rock strove to free his hands, but he was power- ess, Like fiends incarnate the lynchers bore him a few — — the building, when they paused under a uge tree. We can find no better place!” éxclaimed the des- perado chief. “ Up with him!” Without a single show for mercy the Texan waa to the slaughter. Before the ruffians could fix the rope around his neck, however, hurried footsteps startled them, ee, fame te life!’ hissed Sea ag hy e e instant a man sprung to the osely followed by others, Pi gt re With yells of terror the startled lynchers turned te ee, “He sha’n’t escape if I die for it!” cried Warner and with a bound he leaped upon the helplers pris- oner, while a knife flashed in his hand, sii ~~ eee — — (E| OOK) com <SiGO