Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1158 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

eo al) = £ Z : ’ > - ? , . ‘te v ape ye SS RR ITE HN CL . [> ee ae eee ee A LS setts Sol Ginger. “Yes: for it was tho White Wolf’s band that | “I kin do it!” said the trapper, emphatically; tacked the settlement.” | ‘‘ of I don’t, jes’ you bite my ears off an’ use’em ‘‘ Small chance of findin’ her, I reckon,” said | for pin-cushions.” the trapper. aT think not—that is, if the savages hadn’t | So for the present we will leave our heroes to meditate in the gloomy chamber of the little discovered us. The first thing [ did in St. Louis | cave, while we return to the White Wolf and ‘was to put an advertisement in the newspapers for information relating to the massacre at Elk | City. Luckily, the very man who could give me the information I desired, saw my advertise- anent arid answered it. The man was a neigh- oor of Mrs. Curtis, and saw the attack on her aouse: he also saw the woman and child carried away by tae Indians.” “his gal, if living, would be about twenty years ol(i now,” said the trapper, Yes,” replied Wright. ‘* Wal, bein’ so youug a gal when carried off, it’s more than likely that the red heathen have brought her up. as one of themselves, ’cos the leetle gal wouldn’t be apt to remember much *bout the white settlements.” _ ‘“That is probable,” said Wright. “Then that’s the fifty thousand dollars you are arter in the Injun village?” said the trap- r. ar That is the prize.” oe ‘Mighty small chance of gittin’ it now.” ‘Pm afraid so,” responded Wright. ‘** But, even if you should find the girl, and be fully satisfied yourself that she is the one you seek, it seems to moe that it would be a difficult matter to prove her identity in a court of law iso that she could inherit the estate ‘left her by the will,” said Courtney. “\What you say is very true; but I have all | his Blackfoot warriors. CHAPTER X. LONGLEGS LN A DIFFICULTY. SILENTLY through the forest went the Indian warriors. The band headed by the White Wolf followed a course which would bring them directly to the spot where the’ Indian warrior, Tali Bull, had been stationed to watch the movements of the whites. Aiter a march of some two hours, the White Wolf, followed by his braves, entered the little glade where Courtney had been captured. The White Wolf enjoined caution and silence upon his warriors, as he expected each moment, as he advanced, to come upon the camp of the whites. Slowly the braves advanced, and suddenly the keen eyes of the White Wolf caught sight of the body of the Tall Bull, extended on the poate whither he had been struck by the keen cnife of the old trapper. The White Wolt sprung to the side of the dead brave, and noted the gaping wound in his ack. ‘* Wah!” he cried, in the Indian tongue; ‘ the Tall Bull has gone to the happy hunting- grounds!” | The Indians crowded around the body. All the papers relating to her birth, The mother | examined anxiously the deep thrust that had had an idea that the child might one day in- herit some of her grandfather’s estate, so she sent the papers to her relatives in St. Louis. Tho only difficult point is the quesiion of iden- tity. would have to prove that the girl that I rescue from the hands of the Indians is the samc eno stolen by them at the massacre of Elk City fifteen years ago.” ‘Wal, I should say th=4 air would be a knotty pint to git round’ observed the trapper, F Not so difficult as you would think, thanks - to the forethought of the mother of the girl, She, the mother, always had a thought that her daughter would somo day be forgiven her ents’ faul’; but she was alone with the child {n the wilds of the Far West; should she, the mother, die, the identity of the child might be lost; so, te guard her from the consequences of the very cvent that afterward did happen, the’ mother caused the name Delia Curtis to be icked in India ink, sailor fashion, on the ugbter’s arm, Wa that woman Aad sense,” Yes, The man who imprinted the name on tho arm was tho very man who answered my advertisement in St. Louis. So you see how easy it would be to prove the identity of the girl, for, of eo et can swear to own ” right. Setadd paobably but for this unfortunate dis- covery of us by the Indians, you would have succeeded in your mission’ and found the lost heir,” said Courtney. © ~-“T think so.” ‘* An’ now you'll be lucky ef _ this ’ere inte ‘with the ha’r on ears all in a lifetime ” replied Wright. ‘“ We cried the you git out of the top of your gan not always succ _» Jes’ so! true as preaching; but I say, by - hookey, I’ve got an idee, The leetle Injun gal— the White Bird, as they call her—is comin’ to- morrow night to run off with Mister Courtney. From her you kin fiud out all bout the Injun . an’ ef any one on’em has got the mark on er arm, tbe chiet’s daughter will know it. Then, of she isin the village, why you kin jist git up another party a heap bigger than this one, an’ : sake her out of the hands of ‘the red heathen. | What do you think of the idee?” asked the trap- ei Very excellent, indeed. We should have stieceeded this time but that the Indians by __: gomeé means learned our intentions, and thus de- _ feated our plans to surprise them,” said Wright. It’s that air dod-rotted Mudhole, the cus- , ‘I. wouldn’t have believed it imp of Satan. I do think he’sa B It’s no use, a snake is a snake Injun is an Injun. I -~cre a durned fool him; but the best ~- us make mistakes Gg pny Boe 4 _ a?* aoe “Le } I oe o.! © . P. ae <-* * * . BETES ry > 7 * ~ * = ee : “e : > « a —_ =~. . * 5 ) ~, ee ‘~<a - = . - > Lg a : let out the life of the warrior, ‘The beaver-catcher has shown his teeth; the fox Las become a bear,” said the White Wolf for he doubted not that the Indian warrior ha fallen by the hand of the big he HR The Blackfoct will hunt the bear to bis lair; he shall die before another moon shines over the Flat- head valley.” Then two of the braves, raising the body of tho slain warrior, bore it away toward the In- dian village. One of the warriors, who had been examining the surroundi:g country, returned with the in- bate Mepis that he had discovered the trail of the whites. Bager fer vengeance, the red-skins took the trail. Despite the darkness the Indians readily followed the path pursued ‘by the trapper and his companion. | Minutes lengthened into hours, and still the trail continued, until at last it came to a sudden stop on the rocky bank of the Flathead river. White Wolf and his band halted, discomfited. “Wah!” cried the chief, in evident anger; ‘‘the cunning beaver-catcher has covered his trail; he is a great warrior whois both bear and fox at once,” Then, turning to his band, he said; ‘* Let my warriors search the other bank for the steps of the cunning white-skins.” The Blackfoot warriors eagerly obeyed the orders of their chief, but the quest was vain; no trace on either bank of the river was there of the whites, thanks to the old trapper having taken the precaution to use the rocky ravine in leaving and approaching the river, ed and discouraged, the White Wolf calied a halt. The trail of the whites had disappeared as utterly as though they had sunk into the ground. The chief could but confess that the cunnin trapper had beaten him; the Indian, train from the cradle to the forest wilds, was no match in woodcraft for the long-legged beaver- catcher; but, stubborn to the end, he would not give up hope, The whites wero in the valley somewhere, he felt sure of it. He therefore re- solved to dispatcn some of his warriors to pick- et the lower end of the valley; sooner or later the whites would attempt to oscape and would fall into the hands of the Blackfeet. The two parties, led by the Spotted Elk and Tall Thunder, by this time had joined the White Wolf. The party led by ‘all Thunder, the Wolf dispatched to guard the cntrance to the valley; the rest of the braves followed the Wolf as he returned to the Indian encampment, All this marching and countermarching had taken time; the gloom of the night had long since gone, and the gray tints of the morning had been succeeded by the burning mid-day sun, when White Wolf and his warriors en- tered the Indian village. : The Wolf went at once to the lodge where the prisoner Courtney was confined, and in front of which sat the young Indian Bear. . That confiding youth had imself to look in upon. his entirely igtczcnt of Courtney's es- not trou- f ‘ . oe + a rere. . ‘. _<£ H% Set-t 3 nt ata . : at > 4 =e Cae mye, t m7 ie FE ee. tie ee Se eS ~~ - . aT A Veay i, > ~~ a a cot - —_ ae sa. a ~~ 4 \ - taba rn ¢ rt “ wav ee eek al ve, Young a °° —-— ew eee . 13 cape. The Wolf entered the lodge and found it empty. On the floor lay the deer-skin thongs with which the prisoner had been bound, cut into half a dozen pieces. A largeslit through the skins that formed the back of the lodge, showed how the prisoner had escaped the vigi- lance of the Young Bear who guarded the lodge, Courtney had not been searched thoroughly when made a prisoner, and therefore that he might have had a knife concealed on his person, and by its aid that he had effected his escape, appeared reasonable to the Indians. Not even the Young Bear suspected that the Indian girl, White Bird, had any agency in the matter. Again was the chief baffled, although in his heart he was not sorry for the escape of the young man; he remembered ts time in the white settlement, when Courtazey had ee forward in his behalf, and the memory of the Indian for good or evil extends far beyond a -__- ++. - Ry, The White Wolf gave orders thay the warriors sheuld prepare for the war-path, for he had re- solved again to set forth that night and search every nook and corner of the Flathead valley for traces of the whites, | Leaving the warriors preparing for the com- aie cope ition, we will return to the fugitives hiding in the little cave by the river’s side, Gloomily the long day had passed to the whites nestling in the dark corners of the cavern that had been an ark of safety to them, © Sol, peeping warily forth from the cave’s mouth, beheld the Indians scouting alcng on the other bank of the river. “‘ The p’ison sarpints are arter us, sure as shoot- in’,” he observed, with adry chuckle. ‘‘I reck- on, though, the heathen won't be like to diskiver us, Tranquilly in the snug retreat the whites re- mained, while the red warriors were searching up and down the river for their trail. Little did they suspect that tle foe they sought was concealed beneath their very feet, for the scout- ey on that bank of the river whcre tLo little cave was situated, pas over it Lalf a dozen times in their search. Night came at last, descending slowly upon the surface of the turbid and swiit-flowing wa- ters. One by one, to tho eyes of the watching whites, the trees on the opposite bank faded into the dense gloom, and where once their eyes rest- ed upon the green forest, appeared now but an indistinct black wall, The night, too, promised, in contradiction to the preceding cne, to'Le dark and cloudy ; the moon was hid by the clouds that covered the sky, As the scout observed, in his quaint way: 4 ‘Tt’s an allfired good night for scouting.” ‘You will set ont soon, will you net?” asked cog tney, filled with the anxiety so natural to a over. ‘Wal, I reckon it won’t be long now afore I make a start of it. I s’pose you want-to sco the little gal, don’t ye?” he asked, with a chuckle. — The old trapper could read human nature as well as he could decipher the signs of the for- est. | ‘* Yes,” replied Courtney, honestly. ‘I own I am anxious.” ‘‘Sartin; it’s human natur’; but, don’t hurry; I want to see jist how dark it’s goin’ to git afore — I start. I reckon thar’ll be some danger in in’ inter the Injun village to-night. e vil- lage just now must be like a good-sized hornets’ — est. | : ‘Let me go with you if there is danger to be met!” impulsively exclaimed the young “What in thunder would be the ure of that?” cried the trapper. “It isn’t fightin’ that’s got to be did; it’s sneakin’, an’ one’s a sight be nor two.” ae, | An hour or somore the old trapper waited, and then, after a careful scouting around the mouth of the cave, he essayed lis desperate un- dertaking. , | , * “Be careful!” cried Wright, as the trap quitted the cave and stood within the Bs, ap water of the stream, et ert “You bet!” was old Sol’s rejoinder, as he started on his perilous journey, “EfI git the leetle gal out of the Injun camp, an’ then sneak _ the hull party out of the Injun ying itll be something to boast of in my old age. work, though,” and the man shut bis teeth firm- riving at the rocky ravine, the trapper left the. | crossed the river, ttle the thicket. ; Cautiously and slowly stopping every Dow and then es he to the encampment, and listening inten % cd , tie 4 « e rs 4 TP it , + ‘ vy .*Yv - i rs 3 Fee al * yee as “ o - Fs , . ¥ oa am ay eT é < va ae, i | | ; ~ : “ | = | / : fe é, | @ G : \ oom’! |. ° 7 a: => -" ~ i ed ly together as he walked on up the stream. Ar- y space and entered we d * ‘ade J ‘J ye Shi ta ‘ ~< A] - vv ‘ol _ oa . . * : - ms . 7.) . ~ ‘i e e 4 . > . ! ‘ ; ' ~~ \ vans ne ame er =