Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1152 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

_ - a. ~ - said the trapper, as the two turned about and Ned Hazel, The Boy ——— wm ee —_— ->- —— --- + —— a Nick and the boy stood on the shore, waving | his long-barreled rifle, and seating himself by farewells to them, until around one of the many | the door, began to take it apart and clean it, and turns in the river they disappeared from view, | leaving him thus occupied, we will see what has when the two friends turned about, and plung- | become of Ned Hazel. ing into the wilderness, set out for home. | The lad went cheerily along, humming a mer- he point at which they- had left Shagbark, | ry tune, and feeling as joyous as a child does the horse, was several miles distant and out of | who is growing rapidly and in the enjoyment of their courso; so Nick turned the duty over to | fine health. Caiamnity, | Now and then he lost sight of the creek as he ‘* You know where we left him, pup,” said he, | was compelled to leave it to find better walking; addressing the canine; ‘go, fetch him back.” | but of course he followed its general direction, Nod Hazel himself did not understand this | as he knew that the trap he was seeking was on mossage any better than did the remarkable | its bank. On his way he passed what had once dog, \vho, with a pleased wag of his tail, gal- | been a large beaver-dam—but it had been aban- loped away in the direction of the faithful ani- | doned several years before by these sagacious mal, animals, and as it now appeared, it looked ** He’ll he at the cabin with him assoan as we,” | somewhat like the ruins of some old town or vil- resumed their journey through the woods. lage, Pati a short distance beyond this, Ned Although the spring had fairly opened, the reached the trap for which he was searching. A trapping season was not finished. The fur- | glance only was needed to show that it had bearing animals were still covered with heavy, | caught a beaver, and that the animal had been valuable hides, which were eagerly sought after | released within a few minutes! by the trappers. Nick Whiffles was still engag- | ‘* That’s strange!” exclaimed Ned, as he stood in business, and, on starting for Fort Wil- | looking at the trap; ‘‘somebody has interfered liam, he had left the matter in charge of Ned, | with that. If Nick was here, he would hunt who, having followed him down the river, made | around for signs, and I guess I may as well un- him the more anxious to return and ascertain | dertake it, too.” his luck. A moccasin-print was speedily discovered in “Lhere were good signs of beaver where Iset | the soft earth, but it was of such delicate beauty them last two traps,” remarked Nick, to the boy, | as to show that no Indian warrior had made it. as they walked along; ‘‘andif I ain’t mistook “That has been done by some girl,” added the most mightily, there will be some fur found in | boy, in greater astonishment than ever, ‘' She 7em, when we git back.” has been here very lately.” They were yet a mile or two from their cabin, ‘** And she is here now, too,” when they turned off to the left, and finally Ned Hazel started as he heard these words ut- reached a creek that came down from a chain | tered, in a clear, musical voice, at his very el- of mountains some miles away. bow. Turning at once, he fairly gasped at the Along this water the experienced eye of the | vision he saw. trapper saw many signs of vers, to which he A girl, somewhat younger than himself, but directed the attention of the boy walking beside | with a complexion as clear and pearly-tinted as him. Where the indications were not readily | the sea-shell, and features of wonderful beauty, erceived, he took as much care to explain them | stood before him. Her hair, of rich auburn © him as though he were a paid instructor for | color, hung down her shoulders, and her dress teaching him the “ profession ” of trapping. was purely Indian in its character; but there ** Now, tad,” said the old trapper, ashe looked | was no mistaking her for one of that people. down benigantly upon the boy, ‘‘ you’ve spenta | Her features and appearance were too decided- ood number of years a-trampin’ with me, and | ly Caucasian to admit any such impression. t reckon you’ve Varned a powerful sight more She stood looking at the lad, with an innocent, nor I knowed at your age; so lll let you go up | inquiring expression, and he stood gazing at her Shis creek, and look arter the upper trap, while | in silent wonderment. L*tend to the others.” According to the eternal fitness of thimgs, the So thoy separated. Niek made the round of | girl was the first to speak. Ais traps, and was delighted at his good fortune, *T let the beaver G0, because it was suffering for in all, excepting one, he found a prize. The | so much that I pitied it; you are not angry, are beavers all cried piteously when they saw him | you?’ coming, but he speedily ended their sufferings, ‘Oh! no—no,” stammered Ned, not a little and slinging them over his shoulder, leisurely : embarrassed; ‘‘ I wouldn’t care if you let all the SS sss sll sts made his way to his cabin. beavers in the country loose.” The afternoon was about half gone when he reached the building that, during all his wander- ings, he had always looked back to as his ome. True, he was often absent for weeks and months, sometimes away up among the frozen regions along James’s Bay, and then far down toward | Ned, feeling a boyish resistance to being con- ths head-waters of the Red River of the North; | sidered such a child as all that. “If a bear but always, when he spoke of returning home, should catch me, I would turn about and fight this was the place he meant. ; It was constructed with some little skill. It * Not if he had you fast so that you couldn’t move hand or foct,” persisted the young miss; had been located where two immense rocks made a right-angle, so that two of its sides were | “ this poor beaver was hurt, too; it almost made impenetrable stone; the rest was made of logs | me cry to see it,” ei, bark, with a sloping roof to shed tbe rain, Ned felt as though he would cry, too, if it and an opening, and an immense bear-skin, to | would be any satisfaction to this young lady; serve as a door, which, when necessary, could be but, as it was, he would much prefer to be con- : sidered a man in her presence; so he straightened closed by a rock. Within this lived Nick Whiffles and Ned Hazel. oes up and leoked as tall as possible, as he continued: They had spent many happy years here, and I ho ad bo spend many more, oe oe stimts know how you startled me when you spoke. ear by was a rough but secure shelter for Shagbark, where, when he chose, he could seek ‘* Yes, Ido, for I saw you jump, and it made You ain’t afraid of me, are you?” refuge from the storm. Calamity, as a matter | me laugh, ain’t caught,” replied the girl, with a laugh; ‘*but it cried just like you would, if a bear should catch you.” ‘*T wouldn’t do that, because all. the beavers ‘‘ How do you know I would cry?’ demanded of course, claimed the cabin as his head-quarters. ‘You don’t look as though you would hurt The house was not very attractive from the | anybody.” outside, but a good dea! of comfort had been | ‘“ What is you name?” found there, not by Nick alone, but by many | ‘* Ned Hazel.” ‘ That is a pretty name; I su e they call- ed you that because your eyes ae coed a prett hazel color. Do you want to know my name ‘* I do, indeed,” replied the lad, blushing to his wanilerers, great wilderness of the North-west. : Having slain and skinned his beavers, Nick set about preparing supper for himself and Ned from the tails of the animals. These, when earefully cooked, afford a delicious and nourish- ing food, and are highly prized by the trappers who spend so much of their lives in these t regions. Calamity and Shagbark returned in the course of an hour. Both looked sleek and happy. i his e ** All alone?” ‘Why, no, of course not; haven’t you ever seen my mother? She and I dress in white, and sometimes I go with her in her canoe at night.” a What!” exclaimed Ned Hazel, ‘‘ are you the daughter of the Phantom Princess?’ **T don’t know who yqu mean by that, but I am the daughter of my mother, and I promised to return to her; so good-by, Ned Hazel.” “‘ Good-by—you—you—angel!” stammered the blushing Ned, as tre little fairy tripped eway, and the tough, long-haired pony showed no le de- light at ine | pe and ¢ mas- ter. He had enjoyed a good play-spell, and was given liberty to continue it indefinitely, as there was no telling when his owner would start on his travels again. th white and red, through this The meat cooking, Nick Whifiles took down as. fi It is Miona, and I live among the Indians.” Trapper. rr tind - - 7 - ij Ps . “ - ¢ Ps o> we 2 Pas <* * : ° ‘% ” - 3 . « ~ | ia ~— “ ( “ nr / | *> oa 7 | CHAPTER LX. THE SONG OF THE SIREN, Youne Ned Hazel stood for a few minutes gazing at the point in the wood where the won.~ erful girl, Miona, had vanished. Then, yielding to a strange impulse, he dashed headlong after her, not knowing really why he did so. The glimmering of a new emotion was in his heart, and he felt impelled by a desire to see and speak to her again. He was just of that age when the delight of young love was the sweetest, and the romantic, joyful feeling seem ed to take entire possession of him. And then, she was the daughter of the won. derful Phantom Princess about whom he had heard so much and so often, and who was in- volved in such a strange mystery! But, rapidly as he moved, he was too slow te overtake the girl, who flitted like a fawn through the wood. Reaching the edge of Elk river he saw nothing of her. She had disap- ae as éntirely as did her mother a few 1ights before, when pursued by Mackintosh and his trappers. For fully half an hour he stood on the shore, gazing wistfully up and down-stream, but in vain, and, with a sigh, he gave up the search as fruitless. ‘“‘ Perhaps I shall see her again,” he conciud- ed; ‘‘at any rate Ill set the trap, and if it catches a beaver, she will come and let him out, and I will get another chance to see and talk with her.” The afternoon was well gone, and he knew that Nick would be expecting him, so he con- cluded to take another Jook up and down the river and then to make all haste home, The glance which he cast up-stream showed him a small canoe descending, and in it was seated a single person, managing the paddle with a deliberation which proved that what- ever might be his destination he was in no great hurry to reach it. ‘Some tra per going it alone,” concluded Ned, as ho still lingered and watched, Yielding to a feeling of caution, which his ex- perience in the woods had taught him, he step- a back, so as to be invisible to the stranger 1imself. It was barely possible that he might be an enemy, and bis prudence could not come amiss under any circumstances, As the figure came closer and closer, some- thing in its appearance struck Ned as familiar. He scanned it more closely and suddenly uuder- stood matters, It was Bandman! What could he be doing here? ‘‘T suppose he’s going on some errand for Mackintosh,” concluded Ned, as he turned on his hee] and started homeward. He did not forget to pause and reset the ie 4 which had been disturbed by Miona, with the wish that she would make it another visit, just about the time he would reach the ground. And then, as he resumed his homeward walk, another conviction made itself known. While talking with the girl, something in her face seemed familiar. It was only the faintest, moat shadowy resemblance to something that he had met somewhere before. Whether it was awa back in that dim period preceding his own ad- vent into this solitude, or whether it had visited him in his dreams, he could not say; but he clung to the belief that it was no fancy of his; and speculating and unable to solve what it meant, he finally reached home, where old Nick Sop just beginning to wonder at his prolonged elay. ie But what meant this canoe voyage of Hugh Bandman? aa reader has probably suspected what it meant, A few hours after the separation of Nick Whiffles from the Hudson Bay trappers, a party of friendly, Indians had been encountered, who had a few furs to sell, <A halt was made and a barter effected. Among the purchases made, was a small canoe, which was turned over to Hugh Bandman, with the cautious remark that he might use it whem ever he chose. He chose to do so at once, “‘T may as well begin this business without any further delay,” said he, as he stepped with- in and took the paddle. A few words were interchanged and then the ies separated. The Indians of whom the t had been purchased remained on shore, so that Bandman descended the stream again with- out any company at all. He saw nothing of Ned Hazel, and passed di- rectly by him without suspecting his presence oo ™ - ‘ty, hall I be able to solve this mystery?” asked — toe paths Sue * ed ath » .-2e% » ee ' = ae i oe ad 4 _—_ oe , ral we ‘) Ae 2i mg % ju . per d _ 7 ~~” oe : yr : - P os al x 4 ~~ « #~ a - . $ __ a x . 7 a! rm «* ~ . ys a 7 - _ a =. > * | . . vee, . - a a ope ; a 7 . | ° \ Fs 4 ( nicbooks.com