Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1151 — page 1: what you’re looking at

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

\ et i} iii ? a = . F. = ee . —. » one as 4 , ; .. ae Be FS < Pa os — > ) ae = Copyrienut, 1877, By Beapte & ADAMS... Cte ee | i i al Published Every NO. Month. -e- 0 + SO CO SS ee es —— — eon CO --—--—~e ~—--- - a ei ee Bill Biddon, Trapper; LIFE IN THE NORTH-WEST, BY EDWARD 5S. ELLIS. CHAPTER I, OUT LATE AT NIGHT. “How is it, Nat? Any light yet?’ : ** Not the least sign of one, and it’s my opinion it will be a long time before we see another.”’ ; “What! you haven't given up all hopes of reaching the Seg I don’t relish the idea of camping out to- night?” ' “Nor I; but I’m thinking that will come sooner or ater.”’ ‘Well, there are several hours yet, in which we must plod onward,” I added, trudging wearily behind my companion, Before going further, I may as well in- troduce my friend and myself. My com- anion answered to the name of Nathan ‘odd, and was a hative of Maine. He was a tall, lank individual, with attenu- ated limbs and an awkward appearance nerally. He was meager but muscu- r, and when roused to the heat of pas- sion, as quick and powerful as the ae ther. 3 gait was ungainly, and he seemingly was capable of anything but speed; but on one or two occasions since leaving the States, he had shown a fleet- ness of foot truly wonderful. He was a good, open-hearted fellow, and one who, when driven to the wall; would be a dan- gerous enemy, Once or twice, how- even, ho had shown the white feather, and his natural timidity would often evince itself. 3 a~conrequence, Nat was not, sah the safest companion in the hour of danger; but, for that, there was no one in our party whose agate I would have preferred upon e night ia which I introduce him to notice. There was no imminent peril threatening, and Nat was a capital com- pecan, who could while away the hours, f he chose, with his inexhaustible store of anecdote and humor..I knew he en- tertained a warm affection for me, and would brave almost any eee, ae rather than be suspected of his only deficiency. & single intimation would decide his yourse in a moment, Nat wore @ =e eo dress—half savage end half ci . The pants and shoes twere such as are fashionable in the en- htened world: but a capacious hunt- ing-shirt imcased his body, secured around the waist by a heavy band, and much the same as are worn by the hunt- ers and natives of the far West at the ieee day. The most striking of is dress, however, was the hat. This he had brought with him from Maine, and it really seemed indestructible. It pe oa ey anton and ha lost its ac pend, bac quired the shape of a cone. it rested on his head, the edge reached the shoulders behind, and the eyebrows in front, and the pointed peak rose far off above the crown, Nathan Todd's face was full of shrewd- o6ss and good humor. He had a large, -arved nose, broad mouth, and a fine *meeye. The chin was retreating, but sais drawback was modified partly by a conig tuts of yellow hair; the only signs ———— ha hair was long aol ee. 806 pares wen of iq oovntenance. There was iv ’ 4 : 1” 4 M. J. AVERS & CO., Publ ‘ AQ Cy » S \ Z SAS Liz ZS. Mit to Se - CZ *” PL Zw ~~ \ ; 4 y RAMA WL MNS La An elit (JAMES SULLIVAN, PROPRIETOR), 379 Pearl Street, New York. < eee ee ee — —— ever a contraction of the eyebrows—a sort of un- spoken question—so often seen in persons from ee fost mt tat Tis] ft Ue He hcl Ft! Hl in Ht Us! Leg) \SO Scag ig Et INN ishers, “down east,’’ which indicates a prying, curious dis- | position. As for myself, m I hail from one of the announcement of the discovery of gold name is William Relmond, and ~ =~ ~~ ei ~~ ~ Ya = J ¢ we ss og By +e “i ts i ¥ a! ‘ (pe a A | ’ . WA ad \ aN » Nn : Ay aye SY ' ia ls p, : me fs ~ ‘ SN \ NY J Y \ . y * . 7 NY vv ‘ ae imal ~ JULY, 1904. a —-- ? re et PRICE 5 CENTS. Vol XL Y a . 50c. a year. — wm - aeons ee — — SS ee inquiries of the trains constantly leaving that poiné for Oregon and California. I there stumbled upon Nat Todd, my present companion. He had just ar- rived from his distant home, where he had lefta | widowed mother and a disconsolate sweetheart. But he Middle States. ere after | n Cali- | fornia, | was seized with the lunacy that was carry- | ing its thousands to the Pacific coast. Iwas well situated in life at home, but that was not considered, I must fish up a fabulous fortune also, At the age | of twenty, then, without a settled purpose in life, I determined to make a journey to the El Dorado o the New World. I was not influenced solely by the love of gain, but the love of adventure urged me ir- resistibly on. I had heard wonderful stories of the boundless prairies, of their wandering hordes of | Indians, their millions of buffaloes and horses, and | ters, except females. the vast, billowy ocean of verdure and sunshine, and | the Far West seemed the paradise of the world to me, Provided with an ample outfit I proceeded by the usual route to Independence, Missouri, where I made ‘ , es / he it Py) 4 h'/¢ > hale > - Vi Mis / ’ erp oft é f j la YAS aid WAL f Bs) 1 a) iy} , ie J et, | y/ ) y Hiff ) wif t FIL) j é P// é V 4 he ( GY wi t, fii) My hy 4 7 / he said he was going to return, in just two years from the day he left, with a “rousing heap” of money, and intended to buy “Squire Hunt's farm," take Alminy down there, and live the rest of his life. His frankness and humor impressed me favorably ; and after a short conversation, we sped hands, and swore to remain by each other till our adven- mines were terminated by death or. a happy denoue- ment. We engaged places in a train which left the next day. This company numbered nigh two hundred persons, and was composed of all kinds of charac- ‘here were French voyageurs, Irishmen, and an agent of one of the western fur companies. The majority of the rest were from the plow or workshop, They had secured the services of | &n experienced guide, and were well equipped for the yj yy" fh act ‘4 cf journey before them, The overland route, at this time, was 80 alive with passing emigrants, that few depredations were committed by the Indians. The savages sometimes hung around companies, but as there were always other whites in sight, they rarely ventured upon any greater crime than pilfering, Nothing worthy of note occurred upon the journey for a length oftime. We experienced the usual mis- haps and trials of emigrants, but noth- ing more startling. We sometimes lost & part of our baggage and provisions in crossing the rivers, and were greatly discomforted by the terrific storms Which often raged in those regions, Then, again, we traveled mile after mile. and hour after hour, upon the dry, mo- notonous, glistening, rolling prairie, so wearied: and tired of the scene that we hardly exchanged a syHable for hours at a Btretch. At last, the plains of Kansas were reached. On the day in which I intro duce my friend and myself to noticé, we had descried a solitary antelope at a great distance upon the prairie, and set out to bring itdown. We left our horses behind, hoping to reach the animal b stratagem. I approached near rag, to wound it, when it made off with ed of the wind. Expecting to see it otve out each moment, we followed mile after mile, until gathering darkness warned us that night was at hand, when we halted in alarm. The Caravan was nowhere in sight, and, we doubted not had disappeared hours before. We left the train about noon, and had been warned that they would not halt or wait for us, and should we lose them they would take no pains to hunt usup. But we heeded not this, as we e te keep them constantly in view, and have the antelope cooked for our supper. I. have shown how widely we were mistaken. We were compelled to see the night shut my he pone us, wney bringing us any hope of spending it wi our friends; and at a late hour we were still plodding over the prairie. “No light yet, Nat?” I asked, for the twentieth time. ** Well, I should think you had asked ane queeeecn about often enough, to be suited with my answer.” ask it a dozen times HT, / uJ EE ik) om long dis tterly unconscious of it, in ous eagerness to get that antelope, and it’s ~\ NOOKS: om