Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 13 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

‘ ‘Ole Hurricane, that can ” The t took the lead, and followed by Rossgrove, avossed the glade and piunged into the purple gloom of the woods. From the crotch ofa tree, the hunter snatched a long rifle as he hurried on still further in- to the depths of the forest. Rossgrove followed close upon the heels of his rescuer. Not a word was spoken by either, nor did they slacken their footsteps until they had put a safe nce between them and the Indians. Then they came to a halt in a little moonlitopening. The giant borderman now turned and gazed down upon the captive, I say, stranger,’’ he said in a tone not unlike the gentle roar of a lion, “‘the red devils had you halter- ed up like a lamb fur the sacrifice.” ““Yes,’’ replied Rossgrove, pleased with the man’s voice and words; ‘“‘I was in a close and painful sit- uation, and would have stood no show of escape but for your timely assistance. And now, who am I in- debted to for my rescue?” “No one, stranger, no one; if *t hadn’t been fur the shader of that tree to which you war bound, and the clash and bang of ole Black Hawk’s tongue, I couldn't ’a’ done nuthin’, So you see, your esca is owin’ to fate. I did, howsumever, squiz the red’s , jusular, but that’s nothin’ when a feller gits used to Why, I've been in active sarvice as a hunter, trapper and ha’r lifter, fur nigh onto twenty Oa da I’ve scoured the kentry from the north pole to Mexico —ay, I've puta girdle of very likely tracks across the great West many a time, stranger; and never, in all my journeys. hev I found my match under an scalp. There is one in these *s, howsumever, that has promised his sweetheart my scalp as a pres- ent, and not until she gits it is she to marry him. His name is Big-Foot, ard, stranger, if that squaw never becomes Missus Big-Foot till she gits my scal from her lover’s hand, she’s doomed for an ole maid. Howsumever, eny Ingin is welcome to the scalp of t it.” “Hurricane?” re Rossgrove; *‘ then Hurri- cane is your name?” ‘*Tt’s not edzactly the name my mother gave me but then, as ’em Yallerstone fellers seen fit to call me Ole Hurricane, I guess it'll soot. What's your handle, stranger?” ** John Rossgrove.”’ “Just so! Wal, how comesit you're in these parts, John, and what war you doin’ in the Ingins’ hands?’ Rossgrove informed him of the object that had ahs gt him to the country, and of the dangers with which they were threatened by the Indians and rob- bers, as well as of the manner of his capture, “Then you've friends about, have you?” asked Hurricane, ‘*T have a dozen friends up the river.” vn tp the river? What do you mean, John?” ‘““My friends are encam on the Des Moines river, near the mouth of Chequest Creek.”’ * You're surely out of your latitude, John,” replied the jovial, blunt-spoken hunter, “ Why, you're ten miles West o’ the river,” ‘*Is it possible that I have been so deceived in the se) taken by my aa if . . ‘: John, “Tt are, sure as guidy. But see he oO ou war sayin’ the Ingins and robbers war de taenines to run you fellers off the e,and you say you won't run—that you'll raise a muss fust. Now, that’s what I call true, royal grit, and if yer conscience is clear, why, stick to yer resolutions and fight to the bitter ¢end. But if your conscience ain’t clear, leave at once; for I tell ye thar’s nothin’ like a clear con- science and a full stomach in successful Ingin-fight- in’. And now, John, Ole Hurricane is a born lovez of fun, and thar’s nothin’ afloat I like so well as to chaw up a red-skin now and then; and say, frien’ John, wouldn’t you like an addition to your partyin the sha ae Ss oa anaga f plied “Two most assuredly,’’ re Rossgrove. “I’m yer laddy then, John, and so we might as well lean out for camp, or them red vulgarians ‘ll be on our track, Besides, we’ye a long tramp ahead o’ us, and mebby we'll have some ps to sort over afore we git through.” “Then lead the way, Hurricane, Strike the river a mile below the mouth of Chequest Creek if you un- derstand the country well enough.” “ Certainly; I know it well as a map-maker,”’ re- plied the hunter ial his rifle to shoulder, and moving on through the woods. As they journe ed on in silence, Rossgrove now and then obtained a fair view of his giant guide as they crossed a little patch of moonlight, or a glade, and he saw that his head was erect like that of a buck, while his eyes roamed restlessly on the dark- ness around them; and he was not a little startled when the hunter came to a sudden halt, and turning OT don't ke he Joh **T don’ Ow whether you know it or not, John, but J gy ag ae been going <n og? open or , and possi ’ our footste far the last (women? Se alg ‘“‘T thought Lheard a footstep once myself,’’ said Rossgrove, “but as the sound was not repeated, I accorded it all to mere fancy.” Wal, we'll probably find out sumthin’ more about it ‘fore long. We've a strip o’ to cross afore we ritch the De Mine timber proper, and meb- by its moonlight will tell the tale. They moved on and soon came to the narrow strip of prairie, or rather, a smooth, barren ridge dividing the two bodies of timber, and as there was no way to reach the woods on the opposite side otherwise than by er this opening, they af once began the journey, which was attended with great haste and extreme silence, They soon gained the foot of the ridge on. the op- osite side, and Juet wittiin the shadows of the un- ergrowth they came to a temporary halt. In gazin? beck over their trail, they were nota The Dumb Spy. little surprised to see three gener Bn a dog on the summit of the ridge, boldly outlined against the clear, starry sky. } One of the Indians seemed like a giant by the side of his companions, and must have been a man of Old Hurricane’s proportions. The dog was moving along before them with his nose to the und, and it was readily perceived that he was guiding the savages upon the trail of the two white men. ‘‘By the gods o’ Olympus, John!” suddenly ex- claimed Hurricane, “they're trailin’ us! Oh, ho! I see into it now! That big lummix you see in the middle, is that infurnal Fox Ingin, known as Big- Foot. He's gittin’ impatient ‘bout marryin’ his greasy-skinn sweetheart, and ’s detarmined, I presume, to rake in my ha’r at once, so the weddin’ can goon, He’s my ekal in size, and I expect we'll make a snortin’ ole fight when we come together, John. Butthen, Pll not trouble him to-night, though I'll tell ye what [ will do: I'll shoot that dog that’s sniffin out our trail, and that'll throw the scalp- ers on their own resources.’’ As he concluded, he raised his long rifle and level- ed if upon the dog, which was about thirty rods away, and still lainly outlined against the sky. He aimed against the sky, then dep the muzzle of the rifle until the dark object covered the sights, he pressed the There was a vivid flash, and the clear sat of the piece rung out on the still night-air. the echoes died away through the wooded aisles, the sharp death-howls of the do came to the ears of our two friends, mingled wit yells of savage rage and vengeance. “Whoop, yoop, hurrah, ve cowardly varlets up thar on the hill!’ shouted Old Hurricane, at the top of hisiron lungs. “Show yer greasy carcasses a minute longer if ye want a kiss from the lips of Old Surity! Ho, ho, John, I'll bet they’re frothin’, but lef them froth. Ole Hurricane arn’t afeard of the hull Ingin nation. But I'll fodder old Surity ’—drop- ing the butt of his heavy rifle to the ground—“ and en we'll heave ahead for the river.”’ While reloading the piece, Rossgrove asked: ‘** Hurricane, have you heard of Scarlet Death, the Demon of the Des Moines?” **Oh, yas, I’ve heard of such a critter.”’ There was something in this off-hand, evasive re- ply that startled the captain. It forced upon his mind a conviction that grew upon him from that moment; and the more he tried to cast it off, the deeper his mind became engrossed with the belief— the conviction, that Old Hurricane was Scarlet Death aa But, satisfied he had nothing to fear of him, he followed him on through the forest. Two hours’ brisk w brought them to the riv- er So very point where the captain had been captured. x We are not far from camp now, Hurricane,” said Rossgrove, as they halted on the banks of the stream. **Reckon not,” replied Hurricane, “‘as we're not fur from the mouth of Chequest Creek. Did you leave your friends asleep?” “Yes; as I could not sleep, I stole away from camp without disturbing them.”’ “Then, if they’re still asleep, we'll first crawl into camp lay down, and say nothin’ to enny one till mornin’,’ ‘They may have discovered my absence through the man left on guard, if he saw me leave camp,” said the captain. “Ten to one your absence is not known. They’re all green hands, John, in border tactics, and I want to give *em the fust lesson.”’ *‘ All right, Hurricane,’’ replied the captain. They now bent. their footsteps up the stream, and the dull, sickly glow of a oe soon burst upon their view. was the same fire around which Ross- grove had left his friends asleep. Carefully the two moved forward, and finally halt- ed within a dozen paces of the camp. ' “Yes, they are all there, fast asleep,” said the captain. Sid Hurricane now counted ten forms wrap from head to foot in their large pray blankets, and lying in a circle around, and with their feet to the e. ‘* You're sure them’s your friends, are you, John?’’ ae Why 7% ev lied Ro little “Why, yes, ce y,”’ repli ssgrove, a s by the question; “there lie ten of them, and the eleventh one is on guard. You see, they've rolled themselves up in their blankets to keep the musketoes from troubling their sleep. Just in the background, there, you can see our eet a ag com- pass, chain and flag-pole, We are all right, so let’s make a charge into camp, and see how sound they are sleeping.’ No, et em sleep, John. It'll be sich a jolly sur- prise to °em when ey wake up in the mornin’ and see m huge carkass yin’among’em. And I know sep Oo band eee Cette ete n these n’s ag’ ut what the Cale heat the softest foots ge camp. But, afore we rps Oy ene John, we'd better put the fire out, fur fone : ig-Foot and his varlets might blunder here- “Very well, Hurricane,” The two moved forward, and quietly entered the camp. The men moved not in their sleep. The —_ tain and his friend seated themselves on opposi sides of the waning camp-fire facing each other. Only a few red, glaring coals lit up the surround- ing gloom, and as the captain into the dying heap, bitter thoughts arose in his mind. These led to what had occurred before he had left camp, and he ran his eyes over the sleepers to see if the form of Wild Dick was among them. But they were all , SO completely enveloped in their great blankets that EE —— —— es SSS SSS 5 he could not tell one from the other. There were ten forms, however, and if Dick was still absent, and his mute brother also gone, then there was no one on guard. But if Noisy Nat was still on guard, then, either Dick or his mute brother was among the sleep- ers. The captain was painfully anxious for the return of Dick from the Dispute, and over the cause of that anxiety he sunk into a mental stupor, from which he was finally aroused by a touch on the shoulder. Rais- ing his eyes, he saw Old Hurricane bending over him with a wild, startled expression upon his brown, bearded face. An exclamation of surprise arose to the lips of the captain, but it was promptly suppressed by a signifi- cant movement of the hunter, who, bending still lower, whispered in Rossgrove’s ear: “God Almighty, John, we’ve committed an awful blunder !”’ ‘* What is it?—what is it, Hurricane?” The hunter pointed at the sleeping forms around them, and replied: “ They're all Ingins, John, instead of your friends, and I'll wager my soul that that lopin’ curse, Big- Foot, is under yonder blanket. Yes, we've entrap- ped—ah, there! Up and fight to the death, John!” The shrill chirp of the cricket broke the awful si- lence of the moment. Ten pairs of naked savage arms beat the air as one, as the ten gray blankets of the claim-locaters were thrown aside. Then, from the earth, ten savage wariiors arose with a scream that thrilled thro the midnight air, and rung its quavering echoes along the valley of the Des Moines. CHAPTER VI. THE TWO GIANTS’ CONFLICT. « Tue situation of Captain Rossgrove and Old Hur- ricane was one of the most imminent and deadly peril. Surrounded as they were, by ten infuriated Savages—one of whom was the giant Big-Foot—with no avenue of escape open to them, there was no al- ternative but to ght to the death. And no sooner was the savages’ yell given than the two whites were upon foot, and, as they threw themselves into an at- titude of defense, a defiant shout pealed in thunder- ous notes from Old Hurricane’s lips. The savages were armed with tomahawks, and, with these uplifted, they swept toward the whites, counting upon an easy and certain victory. But they were destined to meet with an obstacle little dream- ed of in their mad thirst for Old Hurricane’s scalp. A dozen concealed rifles suddenly poured their leaden . missiles into the ranks of the over-confident wretches, and several of their number fell dead. Then forth from the dark shadows of the surrounding forest rushed Captain Rossgrove’s friends with a prolonged and startling shout, that paralyzed the limbs of the savages and struck terror to their hearts. But the soon rallied strength and courage, and the next in- stant the shouts ofthe claim-stakers, the yells of the savages, the roar of Old Hurricane’s lion voice, and the clash and ring of steel, made the moment a terrible, fearful one. To and fro the combatants swayed and surged; some were up and some were down—all fighting as only brave men and desperate enemies can fight. But, from the ee the odds were against the savages, and, from the first, the tide of battle went against them, and at length they were compelled to yield to the superior strength of the claim-stakers and, in three minutes from the commencement of the fray, those of the red-skins who had not been slain were routed and driven away into the forest. Shout after shout pealed from the lips of the vic- tors when they found themselves masters of the field. But their victory was not a bloodless one. Two of the claim-stakers had been slain and others s]ight- ly wounded. Among the latter was the mute, Wit- oo ay who stood by our friends in the thickest of the fight. a 2 said Captain Rossgrove, as they rallied the aroun camp-fire, “how in the name of mystery nate ome savages in our camp, wrapped in your “I will tell you, captain,’’ said Harry Dudley; “Nat, there, who you remember was put on gu came and roused us all from our sleep, and inform us that he had seen you leave camp in a sort of men- tal abstraction, and that more than an hour had elapsed since your departure. He expressed fears of ou having wandered away and got lost, or ha een foully dealt with by lurking foes; so we all le our blankets and things in camp, and burried away in search of you. The Indians must have seen our movements, and, at the same time, have been a weg of your ere —y a: devil po eg a he ar pe ea & ovr places under the blankets with an equal number from their own ranks. But, thank our return was just in time to save you and the big stranger that was with u bb) “‘Old Hurricane, the hunter? Where is he? Where is he?” suddenly exclaimed Rossgrove, who, amid the excitement of the moment, had permitted the absence of his new friend to escape his notice. ' “The last I see’d o’ him, and the first, also,” said Noisy Nat, “he had grappled hand-to-hand with a savage fully as big as himself—the notorious Big- “Hark!” suddenly exclaimed Rossgrove, “I hear a crashing in the antlenarosl yonder. It must be Old Hurricane and the serene still engaged in a hand-to-hand encounter. Hark!” All listened. All heard the thrashing of scme heavy bodies among the undergrowth south of the camp. They could hear heavy, dull, sodden blows, quick, labored breathing, gasps and groans—unmis- takable evidence of two deadly foes engaged in & silent death-struggle. EOWAMCE ONKOKO) <S (E@)