Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 169 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

=?" ear a" - ——— a = a —— . A oe * a 4 = = oat ee . entered the canyon not far o 12 ee ceived the boy. * No! there isa young girl with him, a crea- ture as pretty as the morning—a girl with large eyes as bine as the sky, and such hair! Oh, Tornado, if you could bat see her.” “Then you’ve seen ber?” ‘A glimpse, that was all. I owe her a life, and I went to thank her when—” The boy paused. Why should he tell Tom about the oath which Injun Jack had forced from him? ‘* Wal, go on,” said Tornado, becoming inter- ested. “TI did not get to thank her. Circumstances prevented.” * An’ them sarcumstances war Injun Jack, 4 What do you know about it?’ cried the youth. ** Nothin’, J only guessed.” “Yes, he did interfere!” cried Tornado Jr. fiercely. ‘‘He made me swear never to speak to the girl who saved my life, not even to save her from peril when I could.” “That war all right!” blurted Tom. “ Richt?’ echoed the boy. ‘* Are you in earn- est, Tom?” i not? Injun Jack would give all the gold to her ef he found it first. She wants it, too, fur she wants to go back tothe States a gold queen, while you an’ me, boy, kin git back, or die hyar, poor ez Lazarus, jest ez it suits us. She didn't know who she war savin’ when she helped you, er never a trigger would she hev pulled. Let’er go!” **T can’t.” ‘You must!” The boy stepped proudly back. ‘I am oath- bound, 1 know; but I care not for that!” he eried. “Lam going to have my way in some matters. In that wonderful mine is gold enough to make millionaires of all of us. I am willing to divide equally with the girl, nay I will give her more than half for she saved my life. Iam ready to meet Injun Jack and to tell him that I will not keep that infamous oath—tbat I am gong see the girl he pretends to protect. 8 lnot keep us apart. When I have set- tled accounts with him, I will turn my atten- tion to the Gold League. But the girl first!” An instant later the flash of a revolver al- most blinded the boy, and with the loud report he threw up his hands and reeledaway. Tornado turned, and the next instant sent a bullet after the figure which his eyes saw for a moment. There was no reply to the second shot, and Tom directed his attention to the youthful figure on the rocky ground. If he had walked a few rods in the direction he had he would have seen the figure of a man |] among the stones. After awhile that figure moved, arose and walked slowly away. A few hundred yards on the man stopped, and leaned against a large rock. Daylight which appeared soon afterward found him still there, and the beams of morning an a the white, but handsome face of Injun ac . ‘** ve settled the boy ™ he said fiercely and in atone of triumph. ‘“‘His oath was broken as much as if he had met Queen Olive. I will find rend, ay for your accursed bullet, Tornado, went too fa r tothe left. lam Bring still for all my enemies, the Gold League, Injuns-~-all! By Jove! Injun Jack, you'll yet see the gold-bugs of the States bow before the Gold Queen of Idaho!” He left the rock, but, though be tottered at first, his gait soon became ga” and when he , Injun Jack Core seemed himself again. CHAPTER XIV. THE END OF A ROPE. “Is he dead?” This question fell at the same time from a dozen tongues. ** Dead? Look at ’im!” The torch which old Tornado had dashed to to the floor of the cave and extinguished by a stamp had been relighted by the startled Breth- ren who now gazed into the face from whicha mask had been lifted. It was the face of a man hardened by crime; the t-shut lips were those of a Jesperado; in short, the chief of the League, Old Shady, the a once buried, lay before his followers, a | Tornado Tom had not shot at random, From trom Red a hole in the center of the leader’s forehead a little blood was oozing, and instead of springing 4a and hunting the slayer the members of the ve Tornado Tom. brotherhood stared in silence at the ghastly spectacle. This tragic tableau was revealed only by the torch left bebind by the killer. “The boss wanted it the other way,” said one of the men addressing his companions, ““Of course!” was the response. ‘Tornado Tom, arter he got the map, chucked Old Shad under the ground ez quickly ez possible. It should hey been the other way; but Tornado got the drop on the boss an’ kept it.” ‘* Woe to us ef he gits it on our brain-pans,” ‘** Who said that?” Every eye was turned in the direction from which the lamentation had come, ‘* Who’s afeared ov Tornado?” ‘* Nobody,” said the same voice. mustn’t let him git the drop on us like the boss did. That’s what I meant,” ‘*Oh!” was the exclamation of relief, ‘‘ He’s dropped his last brother of the bowie. Let us plant the boss an’ then bunt him down.” The proposition was acted upon at once, and when the living members of the League left the cave, it might have been noticed that one man carried two rifles and double his complement of revolvers. Old Shady had been left behind. Somewhere in the cave he had found sepul- ture. Not long afterward and in the light of the early dawn these same men came sudden! upon a scene that caused them to draw rein. It was a scene wholly unexpected—a fair young girl standing in the midst of a group of Indians, and right before one who held over her the long-bladed knife of the Idaho brave, A moment aud the Brotherhood was ready. ‘* Wire!” stirred the folds of one of the masks, and the natives fell headlong in every direc- tion. A few escaped, among them a supple young warrior who was seen to carry off with him the girl over whom the knife had been raised. ‘By Jove! Injun Jack’s sweetheart!” ex- claimed one of the band, who tad witnessed the Indian’s act. “The gal they war goin’ to fight fur? Not much, she warn’t. Salvo, you hev lost yer eyes. fr Never!” exclaimed Salvo, nettled at the re- ply he had received. ‘‘ Thet war Injun Jack’s al. My share in the boss bonanza ag’in’ a ife that it war.” ‘* Pshaw! it war an Injun gal!” ‘Bet if you dare! Cowards!” hissed Salvo, whose flashing eyes showed that he was mad. ‘‘Hyar’s the knife ef you will bet, an’ [ll add my share to it. Now we'll go down an’ see And with a laugh at Salvo’s expense the en- tire party rode from the spot. An hour later they came in sight of Red Core, silent and apparently untenanted. But deep in the mountain forest they drew rein and examined the premises. ‘‘The bird would be out this tty mornin’ ef she war at home,” suddenly broke forth the mask Salvo. ‘“‘I guess I'll take knife and share!” ‘“Not yet,” was the reply. “‘ Wat till we de- cide,” After a lengthy inspection which was not wholly satisfactory to the new leader of the Brethren the whole troop rode slowly toward the cabin and halted before the door. Salvo leaned from his horse and knocked with the butt of his Winchester, then drew back into line again and waited. ‘The nest is empty!” he said, a minute later. ‘The Injuns robbed it last night, an’ ef we had chased that young buck we would hev bad the young fairy afore this.” A moment later the captain of the 8 leaped to the ground and dashing forward kick- ed the door with his heavily- booted foot. It instantly flew open. ‘**T told you so,” reiterated Salvo. _“*Let’s ransack the ranch,” sounded on every side. ** After a lot ov Idahoes had gutted it? You’d ta world ov booty I’m thinkin’! We’ve no usiness hyar. We war fools fur not followin’ the Injun who sot the dogs on us. He’s the same greaser whose trail we hey mysteriously lost twenty times. I stick to what I allus said: That young buck knows whar the boss bo- nanza is.” ‘Then fur the Injun!” ‘‘Thet’s the doctrine. Right about!” Once more the backs of the gray masks were turned upon Red Core and away they went. But almost abruptly the entire party stop- ped not tar away and every face was covered. * ~ pvt a c. ‘* But we | What had caused the halt? A man who appeared to be alone was seated at a spring—engaged in dressing, as well as he was able, a wound in or near the shoulder. ‘“Injun Jack! Somebody’s winged ’im™’ passed from lip to lip. It was the man from Red Core. ‘* Cover him!” commanded the head of the Brethren. ‘‘ Now, you'll see a tiger neatly caught.” The following minute aloud halloo came from | beneath a mask half lifted. Injun Jack was on his feet in an instant, are volver in his right hand, and the next second he | looked at his foes. | His eyes emitted gleams of rage as he gazed, and breast heaved with illy subdued excite- ment. “Tm caught this time—caught when I’m not more than half a man!” he must have thought. ‘““ We’ve got the drop on you this time, Jack,” came over the leveled rifles. ‘Come up and get acquainted.” Without a moment’s hesitation the man from Red Core walked boldly toward the League, his eagle eye clear and calm as ever, ‘* Halt!” He stopped not twenty feet from tbe horses’ pees and under the very muzzles of the car- Ines, “Winged, eh? Who did thet, Injun?’ laugh- ed the chief, looking at the wound hardly f- dressed. “An enemy of mine,” and then Jack waved his hand along the line. ‘“‘Whatdo you want with me? I heard you were at Red Core to see me, but I was not at home.” ‘We war,” was the answer. ‘“ Injun Jack, we don’t want to hurt you, for some ov us was at the Yellowstone Forks when you sailed in an’ saved the women an’ children in the wagon train. But we are goin’ to have this ground to ourselves, even if we have to resort to violent measures. Which would you rather do: Leave Idaho or hang? It’s a plain way ov puttin’ the matter, but as you wouldn’t beat round the bush ef you war us, so we’ll deal squar’ with you—no jacks up our sleeves in this game.” Injun Jack listened without the quiver of a muscle. “You wouldn’t give me a show!” he ask- ‘With thet revolver? No! We've seen you handle it afore, at least some ov us hev.” “Then you sh’an’t drive me from Idaho!” fell resolutely from. his li ‘* Though robbed and shot, I’m still Injun Jack!” If the Gold League were quick their aim did not prevent the lifting of Injun Jack’s pistol, but as one of the masks pitched headlong from the saddle, the man from Red Core fell forward through the smoke of his own weapon! All this was the bloody work of a second. The mask lay on the und motionless, but Injun Jack almost immediately arose to have a dozen human tigers throw themselves upon him, with oaths of mingled madness and delight. “You'll be hanged yet,” was h in his ears. ‘* This doesn’t look much like the boss bonanza whose secret you wormed from Old Shady. We know whar the rocks are; we’ve found the mine, an’—” Injun Jack who bad been looking searchingly into the speaker’s eyes interrupted him with one word: sé Liar!” Then a hand armed with a revolver was lifted against him, but it was quickly jerked down. ‘Don’t spoil the hangin’!” accompanied the interference. A few moments later the man from Red Core stood under the stout limb of a handy tree. A rope had already been thrown over it, and the hands of one of the masks were making the deadly noose. ‘** Are you ready, Injun?’ “I am always ready!” was the prompt re- nse. The noose fell over the victim’s head, and the man who had fashioned it stepped forward te complete the adjustment. Already four men held the other end of the cord. Injun Jack felt the draw of the infernal rope, but at the same time he heard a whisper at his ear. ‘Inflate yer weg an’ brace every nerve in yer body, an’ you'll be worth twenty dead men to-morrow. Tm yer friend. I saw you at Yel- lowstone Forks an’ I owe you suthin’!” The next instant ‘ Pull!” rung from the leader’s lips and the body of Injun Jack was dangling twixt heayen and earth. JOOKS.GCOM +?