Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 207 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 trail at last. But they hev the Boss Cactus to walk over afore they tech the youngster.” The boy’s heart increased its beatings. He felt like grasping the hand of the n.en who had just said in substance that he would fight for him to the bitter end. ‘“*T believe I can trust him,” he murmured. The next instant the figure of the Cactus leaped into the middle of the 1ountam pass, and Nick heard a blow and a groan. “One ov my numerous brothers-in-law!” ejaculated the spy. ‘‘ Whar ar’ the other mem- bers 6v the family? Oh, I’m hyar—the Boss Cactus ov Arizony, an’ every spine is good fur an Injun heart. Come on! The boy an’ his recious secret ar’ safe while they’re behind me, ou can’t git to im while Il stand byar.” Nick admired the bravery of the man before him. He leaped forward and clutched his arm. **T’m here to fight with you!” be said. ‘You? I told you tostay back! This muss is mine.” ** You’re oe. to stay back, too!” And Nick was lifted from the ground and borne swiftly from the spot. ‘‘Stay hyar!” the spy said releasing him on the spot where he had spun the tule of the Basaltic Buttes. ‘‘ I’m goin’ to do the fightin’, aw’ then I’ve got a right to vindercate myself in yer mind.” He rushed back before Nick could speak, ard the boy heard the “almost continuous reports of two revolvers accompanied by a number of wild Indian yells. “‘T can’t stay here!” he said. ‘‘A man who fights for me must not fight alone.” ‘‘Stay hyar! Let’im fight his own battles!” said a voice at his elbow. Nick wheeled with an exclamation of amaze- ment. ‘* Dagobert!” he exclaimed. ‘*T thought I told you to call me Cap’n Flash. Yer memory seems to be failin’ you, boy,” was the strange ty 8 ‘*'Who’s yer pard?” ‘* The Boss Cactus.” Dagobert took a menacing step toward the spy. No! he rescued me from Captain Carlos,” cried Nick, seizing his arm. ‘‘1l would not — met you here if he had not saved me.” Dagobert halted. “ll give ’im credit fur thet on the note I hold ag’in’ ’im an’ the rest!” he said. CHAPTER XVI. THE FATAL ARROW. DuRInG this conversation, the frequent flash- ing of the Boss Cactus’s revolvers told that he was Spey Sey own against the Brethren of the Buffalo Band. Shielded by a huge rock, he brought down an Indian whenever he fired, and the iron-tipped arrows and leaden balls sent at him in return smote the barricade or passed harmiess over the head of the intrepid despe- rado. Several of the first-named missiles fell at the feet of Dagobert and the young gold hunter. ‘¢ We'll let the Cactus fight bis own battles. He seems to be doin’ well. We’re pards once more, Navajo; now fur the yellow Jacks!” Navajo Nick looked up into Dagobert’s face and hesitated. He was really going to leave a Cactus to contend alone with the red gold eague. ‘* He is doin’ usa favor by keepin’ the Injuns at bay,” continued the Man with two Names, *‘In my opinion he ar’ actually makin’ us sure of the gold mountain. Ef we meet ’im ag’in we'll thank ’im; ef we find his bones we’ll raise a tombstun to his virtues. Come! the bonanza! Now or never!” Dagobert’s hand encircled the young gold- seeker’s wrist, and before he could make up his mind to desert the Cactus, he found himself dragged from the spot. *‘T’ve hed a time ov it since I saw you last,” said Dagobert and his eyes flashed with wolfish triumph as he continued. ‘‘ Thar’s only one left out ov the three pards ov the Basaltic Buttes.” ‘‘ Only one?’ echoed Nick. ‘*‘ Where is Mo- have Bill?” ‘‘ Whar? ITllshow you thet mountain game- cock presently,” was the reply. ‘‘He couldn’t help himself to the choicest Blarsieak in Ari- zona ef it war lyin’ before him. We’ve hed our last tussle, knife to knife, heart to heart! The fate ov Monte turned him into a tiger; he got in a blow jes’ under my left shoulder, next door to my life chest, an’ I went down seein’ nothin’, wiped out, ez I thought. But the gal who saw the tussle must hev given me a lift in the nick ov time, fur I opened my eyes to find Mohave lyin’ on me breathin’ like a dyin’ b’ar. I felt Navaj ee ee — --<—— -----——— _——_-_- ---- faint, kind o’ @dizzy like fur a while, but the sight ov him fetched me around solid. What didI do? Look thar!” Dagobert had thrust his hand into his bosom, and Nick was starting from thé ghastly object which had been taken therefrom. It was a human hand, cold, and of course, lifeless! ; ‘‘It war the only one he hed left, but I took it!” said Dagobert in a heartless tone. ‘* Thet hand did suthin’ once that made me its eternal foe. Monte’s I nailed to the mountain shant whar the Twelve used to congregate; but this hand—tbe last one thet Mohave Bill owned, I’m going to throw into the face ov the last of the three who war thar!” ‘* And so would I!” exclaimed Nick recalling the story that the Cactus had told. ‘** But, where will we find Captain Carlos?” ‘*T don’t know exactly whar, but we'll find im!” declared Da-obert in an assuring tone. ‘* T don’t hear the Cactus’s revolvers any longer. I guess the tussle ar’ over.” t was true. They had not traversed very far, but the reports of firearms were no longer heard. Nick wanted to go back and ascertain the fate of the desperado who had betrayed and then befriended him, but he did not make known his wishes to Dagobert. ‘‘' You hevn’t seen the gal lately?” questioned the Avenger suddenly. ‘‘T have not. The Cactus saw her just before our fight with the Indians. She was going to try to rescue me from the Twelve.” ‘““A boss gal!” averred Dagobert. ‘‘She’s worth her weight in gold. Nick, when we find the mountain ov gold, Helen must hev a share.” Did the boy blush? His eyes fell beneath Dagobert’s gaze. ‘*She’d make a real bonanza queen,” he con- tinued. ‘‘ Nobody is left to care fur her now, onless—onless you kind o’ look arter her inter- est. I mean bizness, boy.” Nick did not answer for a moment. ‘* We'll give hera share in the ‘find,’” he an- swered at length. ‘¢Ov course! but she’ll be wantin’ a share ov suthin’ else,” answered the man from Mohave, smiling at the young gold hunter’s confusion. ‘*There! don’t look sheepish, Nick. When we’ve got the mountain all to ourselves, you kin turn yer attention to Cupid’s gold mine.” The boy started and looked up. His look seemed to say: ‘‘ You are not the rough man you seem to be, Dagobert.” For the first time during their acquaintance the Avenger avoided the boy’s gaze; but all at once he turned to him and spoke‘in a tone which he had not used before. ‘“Youwre bound to find me out,” he said. ‘‘'There was a time when I was not Dagobert the Avenger, nor Captain Flash, the king of Mo- have City. Whenever I speak of love, I am carried back to that time. It was the golden year of my life, even though my secondary oc- cupation was gold-seeking. But, wait until I have settled with the last man! Then I willtell you all,” ‘No use, I know all.” ‘You! Who told you?” ‘The Cactus.” For a moment Dagobert seemed a marble statue in the starlight as he stood speechless be- fore the boy. At last he said slowly: ‘‘ Well, haven’t I a right to the hands that struck that day at the cabin in the Basaltic Buttes?’ ‘*T wouldn’t keep one of them from you if I could, Dagobert,” was the reply. The Man with two Names stood a moment longer in the position he had assumed, and then bounded away with a mad oath on his tongue. Nick followed until his passion had cooled, when he seemed to be himself again, ‘‘ We are almost back to our old rendezvous in Navajo Canyon,” he said to bis boy pard. ‘* Mohave Bill is keeping house down thar in a kind o’ way. Now we reach a stage of our gold peue where we ought to show each other our ands. Iam convinced of one thing: the moun- tain isn’t among the Buttes. Tell me what you know.” It was now early daylight, and the two had halted at the foot of a mountain. The gold boy drew from beneath the folds of his jacket a piece of colored paper. Dagobert’s eyes glistened when they saw it. ‘‘This is the map of the précious region. I got it from Alapatha, but not until he felt that e was dying. The map may be his own work, and it may not. You have been all over this region, Dagobert. What can you make out?” Nick placed in his comrade’s hands the strange O Nick, the Boy Gold Hunter. ED — —— ee) document which his eyes were already devour- ing. Dagobert held it up as he turned his back to the glowing eastern skies, and studied it in- tently. At last he held in his band a golden secret for which he had planned and bunted year in and year out. | aie ‘Tt’s Injun work,” rippled over his lips. ‘‘ ve seen these kind o’ maps before. Hyar’s Na- vajo Canyon our first p’int as you always said, an’ the four crossed arrows must mean the mountain of gold.” ‘¢T think so,” said Nick. ‘‘T know it! Isee all now. The old chiet’s map is as plain as day to me.” 1e gold boy could not repress a cry ol ea ee ‘‘ At last!” he shouted as Dagobert held the map down for inspection, ‘ Explain to me, Dagobert. Tell me how you discovered the mystery’s solution.” The eyes of the Man with two Names spark- led like diamonds. His bronzed finger swooped upon the map. ‘‘-You see, boy— Jehosaphat!” _ ' Well might Dagobert cut short his explana- tion, and utter the startling cry that had just fallen from his lips. Nick sprung back with his companion and the two whirled to the East. As for the map it was no longer held by Dagobert’s fingers, 1t lay on the ground ten feet away, perforated by ‘an Indian arrow three feet in length! The shaft which had been intended for Dago- berth’s neck had passed over his shoulder, and pierced the plan of the region of gold. Overhead stood the author of the almost deadly shot. He held in his hand the heavy elk-horn bow of the Navajo brave, and his eyes were staring at the man who had so miracu- lously escaped. ‘‘Qne of our enemies!” said Dagobert as his pistol arm went up. ‘‘ The band on his arm tells the tale.” | ‘Shall we never escape them?” ‘¢ Not until we have wiped out the last one.” The Navajo saw the revolver of the white man and hastened to fit an arrow to the string; but before either foe could fire the crack of a firearm awoke the echoes of the morning, and the red-man pitched forward to fall at the gold hunter's feet. Dagobert and Nick recoiled astonished, but the former did not lowered his revolver. ‘“ Wait!” he said. ‘‘ We’ve got the advan- tage now. If the person who dropped the red- skin is a foe [’ll bring him down hyar before he takes in the situation.” Almost before Dagobert ceased speaking a figure appeared on the very spot just vacated by the Indian, | tng ‘‘May I have wings!” he exclaimed, bringing the ready weapon to his side again. ‘* Look! Nick. 1 wouldn’t shoot at that target for all the gold in Arizona!” The eyes of the Boy Gold Hunter were filled with delight. The figure on the jutting rock overhead possessed a familiar contour; he threw up his cap and shouted to attract its possessor’s attention. An answering cry came downward, and the slayer of the Indian disappeared. Nick’s heart beat fast while he waited, and as a girl sud- denly appeared emerging from a copse a short distance away he went forward with a cry of pr ac greeting. t was Helen, the waif of the train. She glanced at her victim as she advanced to greet the silent Dagobert. ‘‘Ycu didn’t think that the Injun had fired at me, eh?” half-queried the Avenger. ‘‘No! I thought ke was watching the man I had just met.” | ‘‘ And he was—” ‘* Captain Carlos!” Nick shot a glance at Dagobert. His eyes were the eyes of the man-tiger; his face dark and full of hate. ‘* Where is he, Helen?’ ‘¢ Alas! I do not know now, butnot far away, I suspect. I Sccnenine met him, and baving tried to find out something about the where- abouts of you two, I dismissed him. I held him at my revolver’s mercy, and although he deserves death for more crimes than one, I spared him for the man who has the best right to slay bim.” ‘¢Good!” fell from Dagobert’s lips. ‘‘I am that man! Now let us go back to the map. The gold hill first; then the last of the three pards.” The trio turned to the spot where Dagobert and Nick had last seen the Indian map; but it was not there! | For a second their eyes seemed about to leap from their ae 70 micbooks con