Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 217 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

———— A tt a Captain Crack-Shot, the Girl Brigand. 7 _——-— -- — escape from the pit, wherein be surmised the other prisoners were kept, for down in the den he saw three persons—two women and a man. ‘‘ Ready!” the Spauiard said; then he swung him out fiom the ledgo and began to lower him. Down!—-down he wont, slowly at first, but soon the Spaniard gave a yell; the rope bad parted, anu duwn! duwn!] went Gipsy Jack — not into the den where the other prisouers were confined, but into the area, where the fe- rocious beas's were awaiting to receivo him, with gleiming eyes and distended jaws, What tate eould be his except a horrible death? CHAPTER VL A BATTLE ROYAL To John Metcalt’s iufamous scheme the duke did nov give immediate answer, but paced to and fro like a lion in its eage. ‘You are the greatest villain I have ever met,” be flvally said. ‘* You see me in trouble and take adviuntage of my situation to propose a rascally piece of business, which none bub an adept seoundrel could coaceive!” ‘And yet 1 am no more of a villain than you!” Metealft declared, triumphantly. ‘*‘ When I, your confilential clerk, had dared to fall in love with your daughter, Lady Myra, who, like yoursel’, was over-proud of an uomoneyed title, you discharged me, threatened to horso- whip me if I persisted, and flnding that was not likely to have the desired effect, you fixed miy ease by purporting to have lost a couple of thousand pounds—which you know you were not worth—and accusiog me of the theft, You were liberal enough, however, to offer me my liberty in case I forever left Great Britain, and rather than vex my eyes by pecrivg through iron grates, I skipped, leaving my love behind me, So yousee you are not the moat conscien- tious Christian living.” ‘“ Well, admitting that,” he said, ‘ you eould scarcely blame me. Lady Myra is of proud old B igiish blood, aliied to the royal line, and no sane person could censure me for not hear- ing to her marriage with the son of a common laborer.” ‘Yet, just at present, I am rich enough to buy up any amount of titles, while yeu’d prob- ubly be glad to dispense with yours fora few thousand pounds sterling, that yeu might re- deem your daughter.” “No, sir, my title is a proud one, and is ret for sale!” the duke replied, haughtily, ‘‘ True, Il am temporarily poor, but I am still the Duke of Leigh, and a gentleman of position in my own eountry.” ‘‘'ae dodge won’t work here. Ye can’t sling on no mi-lord swag, uor refuse to allow every galoot is your equal, if you don’t want to get sysuematically smashed. But, what do you say tu my proposition?” “T will not consent to it, tor even if I were to give my child away to you, I have yet to know for certain that you can get her from the brigands.”’ ‘‘Oh! that would be an easy matter. 1 chance to know this Captain Crack-Siot, quite intimately, and when [I offer ber a reasonable sum, she will for my sake, deliver up the Lady Myra, But, were you to eonsent to this wothing can be done toward it, just at present, The two elements in this place are at war, and one or the other must get whipped before peace eau be restored. The roughbs have got the town, and under any other than a bad management, they would rule the gulches, and flats and town, hereabouts, fer all time to come, “Under their present management, however, they will soon be driven ferth from the held they bave got, and these fellows you see here will have possession; I’d much rather that the ruffans have possession, as I ean work myself into their graces, and ebtain their’ captainey— in faet, bave about everything in my own hands, which would net me exeeeding profit.” ‘‘But how do you know yeu cam getin with this other party?” needa “Tam pretty eertain that I can, from the fact that it would gratify them to obtain one of the citizens’ best men, which I may be con- sidered, as I have been prominent in loeal affairs, before.” ‘And so you would desert the good cause for the bad iu order to obtain power?” tho duke demauded, in astonishment, ‘Even so, And I am going to make the triai to-night. If you value your future, and that of Lady Myra, you will do well to join me, Refuse, and when I get into power, I'll cause you to repent it.” “Then, lead abead! As you have it all in your own hands, it is probabiy useless for me to resist your will.” ‘‘Gvod! Lam glad tosee you so sensible, Follow me as eautivusly as is in your power, and we will make our escape from the camp. Never mind your horse; that can be ebtained some other time.” Tben, the speculator led eautiously off through the darkness, followed by the duke, who could seo no other way of regaining pos- session of Lady Myra, than to follow Metealf’s guidance, as the hopes ef Ler rescue as received trom Old Somersault, were anything but flat- tering. Let us return to Gipsy Jack. As he went downward, a cry of alarm burst from his lips. Fortunately, he was not over twenty feet from the bottom when the rope parted, and accordingly when he landed be was but slightly stunned. Almost at the instant of his reaching the bottom, a large, keen-edged knife dropped in front of him. It had been hurled down by the terrified Spaniard for his defeuse. This sudden fall into their quarters, bad caused the beasts to scam per away a short dis- tance, where they stood regarding him in sul- len surprise, and utteriag angry growls. It would be but a moment ere they would pounce upon him, So, grasping the knife, he prepared for the strugzle which he knew must come, And be was not an instant too soon, The next minute the bear reared upon its hind feet with a ferocious growl, and lumbered forward, its front paws outstre tabed te encom- pass Jack in a deadly hug. ODireetly in its rear followed the wolves, ready to partieipate in the affray. Jack awaited, with a terrible expression of resolve upon his faee, On eame the buge bear, with distended jaws and lolling tongue. Standing braced, ready for work, Deadweod Dick fastened his glanee upon the gleaming orbs of* the menster, and heli the knife ready for use, On eame the bear, until his breath aimost fanned Jack’s cheek; then he paused, and stood glaring down upon his human adversary, but not offering bim harm, This stage in the exciting drama was just what Jack had been waiting for, and he felt sure it would come, With his all-powerful mind-gaze he had mes- merized the brute, whose muscular strength was a hundredfold more powerful than his mental power, The next instant he uttered a shout, and springimg forward, he dreve bis stout blade with unerring aim and a strong blow imto the bear’s eye, The brain was penetrated, and with an almost human cory, the great monster ef the mountain toppled backward to the ground, dead, Frightened at this sudden turn of affairs, the wolves seampered back a few yards, with howls, Beeuring his knife, Jack awaited the enset of the welves, whom he well knew would soen come for him in a sneaking way. ———— Se hc nv? l_CMCD—— oa aaa LL TE a 0 - = mals!” she cried. ‘‘ We will get another rope, and jower it down to you,” “Ou} you needn’t mind. I prefer to give these beasts dead away before I get through with them, ‘You needn’t fret about me,” Jack retorted, “ But Icommand you not to harm them; I do not want them slaughtered, I teil you!” she replied, angrily. r ‘That’s tbe very reason I prefer to clean ‘om out,” Jack shouted back. ‘‘ They’re too hungry to live!” Toe words were scarcely out of his mouth, however, when tho biggest wolf crouched back with an angry svarl, and leaped toward him. Most men would have been appalled at the feartal attack, but Jack was not. Darting quickly out of the path of the ani- mal, as the body shot past him, ho reached fortle that merciless knife, and the point en- tered the wolf’s neck; the keen biade almost severed the bead from the body, which sum- marily disposed of this case, ‘“* Ha! ba!” Jack shouted, waving bis hand up at the astounded brigands, triumphantly. ‘‘Send down some more wild tigers and ele- pbants, if you have any!” Tnen he made for the other brutes, but terri- fied by the fate of their companions, they all took te their heels, and there was a lively race around the alley, with Jack now the assailant instead of the defender, With that same skill in burling a knife which he bad often before displayed, as Dead- wood Dick, he now poised his blade and hurled it after the fleeing beasts, and thus soon fim- ished off the menagerie, To his surprise, on glancing up to the ledge, he pereeived that nove of the brigands were im view mow. ‘“* Wonder what sent them away?” he nout- tered, ‘It must be that something has scared them.” He aceordingly began to cast about him for some means of getting over into the Inner dem, where the prisoners were confined. «After some study he bit upon a plan that promised success, The part of the rope that had accompanied him into the pit was some forty or fifty feet long, and ove evd of it contained the taekle- hoek which had been hooked to the harness areunid his waist. ; If he could toss this hooked end up, so that it weuld catch on top of the inner den wall, thirty feet above, he could pull himself wp, se that he could look down upon the other pris- oners, Bo he at onee began experimenting in the matter. , The first few times trying he missed, and the heok game back, but, at last, the hock caught upen the top of the wall and held; them he climbed hand over hand up the rope, and finally landed upon the top of the wall. Gasivg down into the dungeon, he beheld Calamity Jane, another young woman of about ber sige and age, and a young man of rather dashing appearance. “Ob! Dick! Dick!” Calamity cried, as she saw her kero, ‘' Have you come to reseue mef” ‘¢ Well, that depends on how successful I am, Janie!’ he replied. “I’ve just laid out the an- imals toward it.” **Ob! Dick—lock out! look outt” she sud- denly sereamed—but too late! A lasso noese suddenly settled and tightened about bis shoulders, and he was hauled swiftly upward to the Jedge, where a dczen masked brigands were nOt slow in taking bim inte eus. tedy and binding his hands. ‘¢ a! ha! I thought I’d not let you enjoy the seeiety of your wife,” Captain Crack-Shot said, with triumph. ‘‘I’ve made up my mind you shali be mire, willing or unwilling.” ‘‘ Bah] do you imagine you could ever be Glaneing upward he saw several persons | aught to me?’ he sneered, peering over the eliff, among whom was Crack- Shot. “Stop! don’t kill any more ef those ani- “But I will force you to be. For the present you will be tied to a stake on the other ledge, and plenty of combustible material piled around | €oim (ELON ONO) ES) —-