Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 207 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

_— ——— - ———e—— » ome = _— — ee oe. - en Oe the paper again, but with the same result. It told him nothing. He was not a good solver of mysteries; a riddle would have disgusted His second match was flickering preparatory to going out when a footstep startled him. Dagobert extinguished the flame and turned. Almost instantly he saw a figure nearing the rock, but whether it belonged to white or red he could not tell. ° “Kitnom!” ejaculated the giant. in’ to bis post-office.” A moment later the person reached the rock and stooped. Dagobert saw bis hand disappear into the mountain letter box. , ‘‘ Nothin’! If he is playin’ false I will turn on him!” said a deep voice as the person at the atone rose disappointed. ‘‘ Two weeks an’ nary Jetter—not a word!” The Man with two Names strode forward. ‘¢ Hyar’s yer mail!” he said, tossing his ‘‘ find ” into the man’s face as he turned with a startled oath. ‘‘An’ I want you toread it fur me, too.” Dagobert’s revolver almost touched the stran- ger’s face. There was a hidden threat in his cold tones. It said: “If you do not read that letter Pll slay you.” ‘* Pick it up an’ read,” commanded Captain Flash. Allthis time the new-comer was trying to make out the personnel of the man who con- fronted him. ‘You'll see me better by the light ov your match,” said Dagobert. ‘ You’ve got a lucifer somewhar about yer anatomy.” The stranger sullenly produced a match and picked up the paper. He seemed as eager to peruse its contents as he was to view the man before him. A glance seemed to acquaint him with the brief message. He started and seemed to gasp. “Translate it!” cried Dagobert. The next moment the match revealed the two men to each other. ‘* Dagobert himself!” ** Monte!” The paper dropped once more to the ground where its owner put his heel on it. Dagobert seemed about to throw himself an the man who bad svoken his name. Ss e blazing of his eyes told of the tiger in his reart. His enemy—for the man could be nothing less—was his match. He was tall, muscular and dark like a Navajo giant. He possessed the wolfish eyes of the half-breed; a mass of long black hair touched the cape attached to his dingy jacket. In short, he was the very type of man who might be expected to patronize a mountain post-office. “You haven’t read the letter to me,” con- tinued Dagobert. ‘‘There’s no use in doing so,” was the reply. ‘*You are here. That’s what it said.” ‘“Ah! I don’t understand that. I tried to make it out, but— ‘You did not read the words backwards. They said: ‘ Dagobert is here!’ Etnom is Monte, an’—” the man paused. ‘‘ An’ ‘Solrac’ is Carlos! Carlos!” Dagobert’s eyes flashed as he repeated the ** Are you three still alive?” +s Yes ? ‘Not far away. He brought the letter to the stone.” ‘‘t saw him, I did!” cried Dagobert. ‘‘ And T did not kill him.” Monte looked surprised. ‘‘ We three still live,” he said slowly as if to taunt the man from Mohave. “I didn’t expect to find you here, though; but the letter would have told me: don’t you see?” Captain Flash appeared to nod. ‘*Monte, what did I say when you three men tied me to my horse in the haunted valley ‘** He’s com- of the Basaltic Buttes?’ he said slowly. ‘It was three to one then. What did I say?’ ‘““Pshaw! you know!’ cried Monte. ‘‘T am here. Do what you said you would if we ever met.” } Dagobert’s lips met; the revolver crept closer to the dark face before it, and then a stalwart figure reeled from the flash that revealed it for a second. 7 —— = tou Te LT Navajo | —— ————— = — = 5 —_—— er Wick, next moment had led him past the silent form on the gound—the last caller at the mountain post-oflice. He gave it but a glance as he went by. ‘*The wolves are gatherin’ to doom,” he mur- mured. ‘* The mountain ov gold attracts them —the yellow bonanza and—Dagobert!” CHAPTER VI. THE HAND OF MONTE. Tue Brethren of the Buffalo Band did not turn their attention to the waif of the train un- til the horse had passed out of sight bearing Navajo Nick behind bim. Then they seemed to recall the fact that they had another captive to dispose of, and the next moment the girl found herself surrounded by the red-skins. ‘‘T am ready,” she said before the most eager could interrogate her. ‘‘After massacring the people of our little train, it is but fitting that you should slay the last survivor.” She drew her figure proudly up to its true hight as she spoke, and looked straight into the tigerish eyes that regarded her. ‘*You will put an avenger out of your way by striking now,” she continued. ‘Il don’t know where the mountain of gold is, so you needn’t question me about it. If Il knew I would not tell you.” Her fearlessness rather commanded the re- spect of the Arabsof Arizona. They looked into each other’s faces until not one knew what to suggest, The girl seemed to enjoy their perplexity. ** You can make Helen Daytonan avenger b sparing her life,” she said again. ‘I will thank you for the act, but only because it would give me license to killevery Navajo I met. My fa- ther was in the train. He fell at your first vol- ley, and if the mountain men had not driven you | off, one of your shafts would have slain me. ‘‘ White girl brave. She shall live to hunt the Navajo warriors. She is free.” Free! The waif of the train could hardly be- lieve that she was free; but when the Indians stepped back and released her she knew that she was at liberty. ‘They have some motive in this strange ac- tion,” flashed through her mind. ‘‘I1 am free, but I feel that I shall be watched.” It was true. The Navajoes went back to their horses, mounted and rode away, leaving Helen half bewildered on the ground of her sud- den capture and release. The country was strange to the girl. alone in the Black Forest of Arizona! For several moments she remained where the band had left her, then she took up the trail of the horse which had carried Navajo Nick away. ‘3 The horse acquainted with these mountains will seek some camp,” she murmured. ‘‘It is ee only hope.” he trail was discernible. Mahomet’s hoofs had made impressions which any eye could see, The girl kept on with increasing courage. She was _Every now and then she looked behind her, but saw nothing. Still she was followed. Two figures had left the Navajo band, and were creeping like mountain wolves after the survivor of thetrain. Theireyes never left her, for they had received instructions to follow her wherever she went. If Helen could have seen her trailers her con- victions would have been doubly confirmed; she would have known that the Brethren of the Buffalo Band believed that she knew the loca- tion of the mountain of gold, and that, by fol- lowing her, they would surely discover Alapa- tha’s secret. Helen stopped all atonee. Confident that she still followed Black Mahomet, she had not paid much attention to the hoof-prints in the defile for some time, and she found herself before a wooden shanty which she had cause to remem- ber. lt was the rendezvous of the mountain men, but now it was dark and silent, although the door stood wide open, revealing an entrance blacker than night itself, ‘‘ What fatality brings me back to this place?” exclaimed the girl. ‘‘I had hoped that I had seen the mountain wolves and their den for the last time, but here Iam again, this time, thank “Two more!” ejacniated the Man with two | heaven! unseen by them.” Names. ‘ Monte was a leopard; the other two are tigers. some day. But the boy first. This ar’ only a divarsion. I never kill only when I hev to, an’ this war one | | thought. ov them eases.” She approached the place. The silence and I knew we war bound to meet | the open door told her that it was deserted. She Now for Carlos an’ the other one. | listened at the portals for several minutes dur- | ing which she heard her heart beat. ‘What if I couldarm myself!” she suddenly ‘‘Tf fate brought me back to this He went back to the patient horse, and the j place, was it not for such a purpose?” ig he SE at SAB + 2 ————— ttt, ttt CC LLL LLL L_ RRR LL LLL LL OC Ee a ee = = ahs. ow aS. es BR GS ee ee ee en oe the Boy G ld Hunter. ne _—-- She hesitated no longer, but crossed the threshold and began to grope about the Siygian interior of the shanty. At the same time the two red trailers glided up to the door and listened. Helen found nothing for some time, and then only amatch. Her joy at finding this little ae cannot be described. She quickly produced a light. The flame that dazzled her eyes for a moment was not large; it did not reveal the entire in- terior of the mountain den, but it showed Helen enough to tell her that it was quite deserted— that the Marked Shirts in departing had left no weapon behind. But this was not all that the lucifer revealed. It showed Helen the couch of bear-skins on which she had rested herself after her rescue by the twelve. They had not taken it with them, as if they expected her to use it again. The match speedily went out leaving the girl in darkness once more; but she had seen enough. ‘‘ No weapons,” she said. ‘‘ Helpless yet.” The last sentence was full of that despair that takes possession of the hearts of persons in her situation. She instinctively groped her way to the cot and cast herself upon it, ‘‘Only for a little rest,” she said, half aloud, **T will not fallasleep. 1 must not.” But she could not overcome the drowsiness that follows fatigue, and she had hardly touched the pliable bear-skins before she was asleep. The Indians listened at the door until they heard her regular breathings; then they crept away to watch the structure, and to wait for the awakening, The tracked waif of the train slept peacefully for some hours when she was awakened by a strange noise. After she had opened her eyes she heard it again. Somebody seemed to be nailing something to the door of the den. With her heart in her throat Helen listened until the noise ceased: then she crept toward the entrance. The eee was wearing away; here and there the cold streaks of dawn were pe pe When Helen reached the door she caught 2 glimpse of a figure that had ahuman shape; but it disappeared in an instant. ‘* He was here and made the noise that star- tled me,” she said to herself. ‘‘ What did he do? I will see.” She leaned out of the door as she spoke and saw the man’s work. It was this: Fastened to the rough weather boarding of the shanty by a huge bowie knife wasa human hand, and under the ghastly object was a piece of paper which contained some words traced by red keil! The horrid sight drove all color from Helen Dayton’s face; but curiosity took her beyond the door and she read the words on the paper. They ran: ‘** Monte’s right hand! Iam onthe track ov my old foes. lam hyar to find aw to kili! Be- war | Trebogad.” The strange name at the bottom of the warn- ing riveted the young girl’s attention. If she had read it from right to left she might have ceased to stare, for it then would have recalled a name which she had heard fall from Navajo Nick’s tongue. The knife bad been driven through the palm of the bronzed right hand pinned by it to the boards. Helen knew that it was the work of some avenger, that it was not intended to alarm her, but to tell the mountain men that they had a foe whom they must watch. Helen drew back into the shanty shuddering, but the next moment she heard the sharp crack of a revolver and then the death cry of an In- dian. The report was followed by another be- fore she could catch her breath, and when she looked out she beheld iwo Indians stretched on the ground not far away. They were the trailers though she knew ib not, who had fallen before the certain eye of the Avenger. A laugh full of triumph came through the in- creasing morning light and Helen saw a man approach the Indians. She started and held ker breath as he came forward. ‘‘A friend at last!” she exclaimed springing over the threshold. ‘‘ Ah! thank fortune for your return, Captain Flash.” The man looked up and started. ‘““The gal, by hokey!” fell from his lips, and when Helen paused at his side his eyes seemed to devour her. ‘‘ Whar’s the boy?’ The girl hesitated. What! tell thet man that his young protege had been lassoed and dragged ecom OOKS-cCom ff