Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1154 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

ox«,.,.% — & . Such being her conclusion, it was not to be supposed that she would advance apna inte was the trap thue set for her—especially as demo to her, that no person was now in the house. e,” she concluded; ‘* Wather and mother are “but where, who can tell? Can it be that Zip Smith has warned them in time, and they have gone off to his cabin for safety?” The more she reflected upon the question she had asked herself, the more hopeful did she becouse that such good fortune had come to them. Accordiagly, after holding the house under surveillanee for some time longer, she retreated back into the cornfield, and started by a circuit- ous route for the mountainous woods in which she knew the hunter made his home, Helena Fullerton had now placed herself in the very focus of danger from the Indians, and flekis and passing through woods, she wiated authenbe to escape these wretches, who, it may be said, haunted white settlers of this young State of the West. The girl picked her way with the test caution, across several partially-clea fields, and had reached the base of the hill referred to, when she for a short rest, before attempt- ing the laborious task of climbing over this - section. She had been on her feet constantly since - morning, since which time she had not eaten ed away, when she was not a little alarm anything. Fin herself where there was an abundance of blackberries ately Dre plucked a number, and then knelt down ide a small spring that bubbled from beneath a dark rock, and that was of icy coldness; she slaked her thirst, then bathed her warm face and hands, and sat down on a broad, flat stone, with a sigh of weariness. _ : The sun was getting low in the west, but knowing the as well as she did, she was confident of reaching the cabin in the course of an hour—so she concluded to give herself the rest she so much needed. _ Some fifteen or twenty minutes had thus " y discovering in the soft earth before her, the im- print of an Indian’s moccasin. ‘* Made but a short time ago,” she exclaimed, as she leaned over and examined it. This made it look as though the d closer than she imagined, and it made easy again. . Just as she was on the point of starting again ashe was startled by hearing the murmur 0 voices close to her. She listened attentively unable to distinguish but able to tell thats it came from a portion of the woods directly in front of her, and quite close at hand. _ There was a peculiar guttural, bass-like cha- racter to the tones, that satisfied her that the voices belo to Indians, and conseq nged uently that the best thing she could do was to get out er un- ‘of their way as soon as possible “ Perhaps father aud mother are with them,” ’ was the thought that chained her feet; ‘‘if so I cannot leave them.” After a few minutes’ hesitation, she began ‘making her way toward them with the delibera- tion and care of a genuine Indian scout. The trees were not only close together, but so thickly choked with undergrowth that this was a work of extreme difficulty, it requiring much more care to insinuate her skirte through the vegetation, than it would for a man to make his way. But Helena succeeded so well, that she gained the point she was seeking without discovery. “oo that rewarded her labor was alto- er different from what she anticipated, al- ea not without interest. Three Indians, seamed, scarred, daubed and dirty, were reclining lazily upon the ground, each smoking a black common clay pipe, in) the most indolent manner possible, while between them sat hed 8 Fitzsimmons smoking a cigar, a ntly with the same indifference as they, but a keen observer would have detected an un- ' easy twitching about his eyes that proved he was far from feeling comfortable in his present situation. In some respects the scene was Indicrous, Percy sported a small gold watch, with an enor- mous plated chain, and.a seal about the size of a ’ One of the Sioux had s , ge at him- self of this, and had tied the watch to han his, ndant, where his pan the ticking of the piece, 00 around one of his scarcely less admira- ing ears, like a Hope d be tickled chain had been - Pa ee on u ‘ The! sno rvhite vest that bad ornamented the person of Fitzsimmons was in the hands of r was i- Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. _— + another moble red-man, who had pushed his legs through the arm-holes; the third had hooked the brilliant red satin cravat into his mecoasin. This same dog had drawn upon the back of his head the beaver that had cost the rightful own- er nine dollars on Cheetnut street, while Percy was now compelled to don the little patent nat that he could double up into nothing almost an carry in his pocket. So, although his possessions were distributed somewhat injudiciously, it may be said that Perey was quite fortunate in being left so well off as he was. They had deprived him of his gun, pistol and ammunition, as a matter of course, but he still retained the paper of arsenic in the inside pocket of his coat, and he clung to it with a tenacity that was the result of a conviction, that it was yet todo him yeoman service. Helena Fullerton gazed on this scene for sev- eral moments, hardly knowi wha 0 make of it, She had seen Percy conducted away from the house as a prisoner, and it seemed curious that his i ara were so indulgent toward him, as to permit him to smoke in their presence with- out a word upon their part against it. The Sioux were conversing in a sortof swin- ish way, their utterances sounding very much like the grunting of so many pigs, all of which being in their own tongue, was unintelligible to the listeners. Fitzsimmons continued meditatively smoki his cigar, keeping his eyes upon his captors, as i distrustful of their intentions, while, at the same time, he did his utmost to keep up a good under- standing with the wild men. ‘*By Jove! if they ,ain’t the confoundedest looking creatures I ever laid eyes on!” he mut- tered, as his eyes roamed from one to the other. ‘*T don’t believe they have been within a half a mile of water fora year past, and whatfishy eyes, and hideous faces, and black teeth, and disproportionate noses and and that one sit there with my hat on back of his head, as proud as er, is s0 bow-l that if he pute his heels together a hog might jump between his knees without grazing either side. But hang it, I don’t like it, and I wish [ was out of their Rak" If I could only manage to get word to President Lincoln, I think he would ar- an ex without delay.” postion,” edie. the Petectery “palling, hartee q on, © er at his cigar; ‘‘ there aint any telegraphs nay: and if there were, these dogs would scalp all the operators, before — could send the telegram.” Hed in by difficulty and danger on all sides, it can not be wondered that Percy should feel ea gt nin ea Suddenly he thought of Zip Smith, the hunter whom he encountered during the‘forenoon. ““T wonder if he can’t be turned to account?, In all the Indian stories and novels that I havé read, there is always a sharp-witted hunter that can’t talk good glish, but knows more than all the Indians together. Now, I wonder if Old Zip can’t fill that rdle? If he can, (ll embalm him in a stunning story that will take down the Leatherstocking novels altogether.” All this was good enough in its way, but there remained the ever-present danger of these three sava who were right at hand, and who might take it into their heads at any minute to send him out of existence, with as little compuncition as they would crush the serpent under their heels. “T expected to catch it; when the old chap hauled me up out of the cellar, and I think that his idea; but I think there was something im my ap ance, when e to the broag light of the sun, that arrested their attention at once. They saw that I was no ordinary person; my distingué appearance has impre them with the idea that | am some distinguished in- dividual of great value to the Government; one whom it will pay to keep, for my exchan value. If such be the case—and it begins look as though it is—then Percy Fitzsimmons may be set down as a lucky dog; but otherwise —otherwise.”’ All manner of wild schemes entered the brain of Fitzsimmons, but, when coolly considered, were found impracticable. he reflected what a grand thing it would be for him to turn on his enemies in his wrath and knock the whole three in the head, and then walk away with their three scalps as trophies. But this scheme he concluded to defer until night, when all three would be asleep, and when, as a consequence, he wquid be exposed to less in- terruption ia the performance. The three Sioux were reclining upon the sree in such a posture that their faces were ward the captive, and his was toward them. Consequently, while Helena fram her conceal- f> J / Two or three times” ment was facing her cousin, the backs of the red-skins were toward her. This made her danger of discovery from them very slight, so long as she exercised ordinary care, although there was the probability that she would be seen by Percy himself. The maiden several minutes, until she fully understood matters, and saw that it was out of her power to do any thing for her cousin, ‘If father and mother are P ners, they are with another party,” she concluded, ‘‘and I may as well withdraw and see if they are in the cab- in nc a ae ith this purpose, she began stepping care. fully backward. In doing so she prevented her» self from making any noise, but she unconsci- ously arenes slightly out of the line of the tree, and, as fate would have it, Percy Fitzsimmone was gazing at that point at that very moment, The sight of his cousin was so unexpected. that he could not avoid starting and muttering: ‘“* By Jove!” At that instant he reflected upon the inadver- tency he had committed, and he endeavored to look unconcerned and indifferent; but the Sioux had noted the suspicious movement, and all three sprung to their feet with the quickness of light- ning, and looked off in the direction in which he had been looking at the moment he uttered the exclamation. Desirous of undoing the mischief he had done, Fitzsimmons said to the, red-skins, all of whom were capable of speaking broken English: ‘‘Something caught my eye out there, but I guess it was nothing more than a stray camel, or tiger, or kangaroo, that is wandering through ~ woods. Sit down—sit down, and enjoy your p ‘What you see?” demanded the savage who oi escorted Percy from the cellar of his uncle’s ouse, ‘“‘ Nothing in particular—what’s the use of dis- turbing yourself—sit down and enjoy your smoke, But the Sioux were of too suspicious a nature to be thrown off the trail in this manner, and seeing nothing to explain the sudden excitement of their prisoner, they began walking in that di rection. CHAPTER VIL. SEASONED FOOD, HELENA TON realived her danger the instant it impended, and instead of starting to flee, she quietly sunk down upon her hands and knees out of sight, and began moving off at right-angles to the course she had started upon, her purpose being to get far enough into the un- Sed. (pil, to permit her to proceed at a more rapid gait. she would have accomplished her purpose had the Sioux remained by the camp-fire; but, in accordance with their suspicious nature, the whole three strode off rapidly toward the point where she bad been standing. “ Run, Helena, they’re coming !” shouted Per- cy Fitzsimmons, certain that twas all that remained for her to do. The poor girl needed net this admonition, fer she scented the danger &8 soon as her cous- in, and was speeding throug’ 3 forest, Lze a frightened doe. The quick ears of the Incians detected Le presence at once, and while ons ran back to keep charge of the man (who was beginning to swell at the thought of his chances of cscape), the other two sped after the fair fugitive, Fleet of foot, as Helena unquestionably was, she had not’ the remotest chance against these dusky dogs, who seemed to speed through the undergrowth and among the limbs with the unerring accuracy of a bird on the wing. After fleeing a short distance, she turned to see whether any of her pursuers were in right, when she felt the gripe of an Indian upon her arm, and she barely saved herself from sinking with terror. He jerked her slg a y to her feet and started back to the camp-fire with her, encountering aus companion after they had taken au few 8 - At this juncture the girl thought of the revol- ver she carried in her bosom, and she rezretted that she had not drawn it, and shot Loth her captors, as she could have done, with little diffi- me, An but, as he held her with a pinching, im- movable grasp upon the right arm, she was un- able to seize it, “T will wait,” she concluded; “‘I will not ever be held thus, and ge y chamber of the weapon was loaded by Ned himself. so that 1 can depend upen them all.” « % pot | am