Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 241 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

- the Rockies had stood his 10 ‘Might he not have carried the cubs away?” ‘TO he ’em? Thet’s jis’ what the old chap’s done. Ill hunt ’im up in a few minutes.” Not long afterward the figure of Bill Bravo crept down the mountain side in the increasing light of morning. he bear-tamer was intent on discovering the whereabouts of the murdered cubs, and Rocky Dan the old grizzly. ‘‘The old b’ars mustn’t leave ther cave without orders,” he said, half aloud. ‘‘ Ther time hez come when four ov us must stand together. The hull Cinnamon pack will be down on us afore long. Then look out.” A brief examination of the narrow trail that skirted the base of the mountain told Bill Bravo that a body of some kind had been lately drag- ged over it, and he at once knew that the big grizzly had carried off the cubs. ‘* Rocky Dan ar’ hevin’ a funeral ov his own somewhar,” the mountaineer said, as he hast- ened over the trail. ‘ Pll stake my pistols ag’in’ Revelation’s last drink, thet he’s selected the Big Holler fur his graveyard.” en minutes later the grizzly king halted at the edge of a dark hollow, basin-shaped, and not at all inviting. But little sunshine ever penetrated it, and on this occasion as the day- god was not two hours high, the center of the ‘hollow was dark and forbidding. Still Bill Bravo could see a huge figure mov- ing about where the shadows lay thickest, and doubting not that it was Rocky Dan’s, he sprung forward. ‘* I’m too late fur the sarvices, I see, but I kin throw on the baby’s grave the pistol thet wiped out Revelation Rube!” he exclaimed as he halted before the monster grizzly which had wheeled at sound of his voice. The bear’s answer was a fierce growl that made the mountaineer recoil, ‘“‘A strange b’ar, by hokey!” fell from his lips. ‘It ain’t ther first time you’ve jumped at conclusions, Bill. Now fur a tussle with ther grizzly king.” If the bear-tamer had recoiled, the king of , Pamees He was larger than the largest of Bill’s pets, but this fact did not frighten the mountaineer. His left hand relieved his belt of a fourteen-inch bowie as the click, click of the revolver clutched in his rigbt fell upon the grizzly’s ears. “ll open ther ball!” he said as he sent a bullet squarely into the bear’s front. A howl of commingled rage and pain told that the leaden pellet had inflicted a wound, but instead of retreating the grizzly rose quick- ly on his bind feet and advanced upon the en- emy. oO) Now comes the knife’s hour!” said the moun- taineer, dropping the revolver and transferring the bowie to his right hand. ‘ More’n once I’ve faced yer betters, grizzly. Come on an’ meet yer master—the man what wiped out ther biggest devil in Cinnamon City!” ill Bravo even advanced to meet the huge antagonist that threatened avalanche-like to fall upon and crush him. He threw forward his left arm to turn aside the paw uplifted to strike him down, and the next second he aimed a blow at the grizzly’s side. If his stroke was swift the bear was prepared for it, for instead of the heart, the bowie en- countered one of the fore-limbs into which it sunk almost to the hilt! / ‘‘Thunders! a paw instead ov a heart!” grated the bear-tamer. A moment later the grizzly sprung back, wrenching from Bill’s grasp the bowie which still stuck in the wound, and for a minute the mountaineer found himself weaponless and in the presence of a monster who had by no means given up the contest. ‘* You can’t unknife Bill Bravo that easy!” flashed the bear-tamer. ‘‘Ef you hev yer dander up thar’s a feller not far off who kin elevate his.” The grizzly rose again as the courageous man rushed at him, and quick as a flash of lightning Bill’s hand shot at the bowie hilt which in spite of the blow aimed at his hand by the other paw he seized, and with a terrible wrench drew from the wound. The hot breath of the bear was on his cheek, the eyes that glared at him seemed coals of liv- ing and the uplifted paws were veritable war-clubs of Strength. But Bill Bravo did not retreat. Straight at the grizzly he sprung, and his arm, knife-armed once more, darted between the menacing paws, which, as he struck a blow “hat sent the crimson blade far beneath the aggy skin, closed about him like the arms of vom! Another moment and the two went to the ground together like wrestling ae Bill cling- ing to the hilt of the bowie, and the teeth of the grizzly buried in his shoulder. ‘‘Down they go!” the mountaineer heard a voice say as he struck the earth, but, as he could not turn his head, he did not see the speaker. ‘Ther grizzly hez got ther upper hand, pards, an’ he’ll prevent us from settlin’ with ther cave devil,” continued the same voice. ‘‘ Drop yer pistols an’ give ’em ther compliments ov ther rifles ov Cinnamon. Now, into the grizzly an’ Bill, pards! Fire!” A deafening volley followed the command, and a score of bullets whistled around Bill Bravo and his enemy. He felt no pain, but the bear’s teeth suddenly left his shoulder, and the huge paws that seemed about to crush him fell apart like the jaws of a broken vise. The volley had killed the grizzly, and the bear-tamer, mysteriously unscathed, was at liberty to rise and confront foes as deadly as the one of which their rifles had just relieved him. Bill Bravo followed the first thought that rushed through his brain. He sprung erect, armed solely with the bowie which had been drawn from the grizzly’s breast as the animal fell back dead, and turned in the direction of the firers of the volley. ‘‘Ho! ho! we never teched ther book-rat’s pard!” roared a coarse voice as Bill Bravo turned. ‘Cover ’im, pards, with ther best pis- tols ov ther Rockies. We'll make ’im show bis hand.’ The sight that met the bear-tamer’s gaze was enough to blanch the stoutest cheek. Fifty yards away, shoulder to shoulder, stood the twenty men whose rifles had just put an end to the grizzly’s life. It was no fault of theirs that their bullets had not terminated his career at the same moment. They were a portion of the Tigers of Cinna- mon City, Revelation Rube’s pards, and of course his avengers. ‘‘Show yer hand, Bravo!” came over the space between them. ‘“‘ Ye kin tumble Revela- tion from his bar’l, but the game goes on. We’ve sot a cold deck up on ye, by ther grizzly’s help. Rifles ar’ trumps in ther Big Holler.” A fearless flash in the mountaineer’s eyes was the sole response to these words. He changed his bowie to his left band, and Somry, picked up the revolver that lay at his eet. “Ef fight’s yer game, hyar stan’ ther boys what ar’ itchin’ to play it,” were the words that ted his action. ‘* A fool fights twenty men an’ dies like a dog. Revelation Rube couldn’t come along. Ye’r’ afraid to drop yer weapons, Bill, an’ let us conduct you to him.” The bear-tamer started. ‘‘T kin do thet,” he said to himself. ‘‘ It might save Nat besides. Then they’ve got me foul, Revelation’s pards hev.” ‘Yer dare not go with us to Revelation Rube!” was the challenge. ‘‘ Thet’s a lie!” said Bill Bravo, as he put up both knife and revolver. CHAPTER XI. BEFORE JUDGE LYNCH’S COURT. Was Bill Bravo going back to Cinnamon Cit with the twenty desperadoes who held his life in their hands? The Tigers exchanged significant glances at his reply to their challenge, and advanced upon him with their revolvers still covering his breast. The bear-tamer did not flinch, but his eagle eyes flashed as they came on. ‘“Yer warn’t lookin’ fur us hyar, Bill?’ que- ried the leader of the band. ‘**Thet’s a fact, Solid Sol.” ‘‘ An’ we didn’t expect to find you in ther Big Holler. Thar war two b’ars hyar a while ago, fur we heard ’em growlin’ afore we struck the spot. Didn’t you find two?” ‘‘The only b’ar. I found hyar lies yonder,” said Bill, glancing at the huge carcass of his late opponent. ‘‘ Mebbe the old grizzly saved my life arter all.” Some of his captors smiled. ‘‘ Ef thar war two b’ars hyar at one time the other war Rocky Dan,” mused the mountaineer. ‘‘Fur once Rocky met bis match an’ backed out ov the scrimmage, but not until arter he had buried ther babies. I'll bet my head on thet.” “ Ar’ you ready, Bill?’ were the words that put an end to the bear king’s musings. ‘To goto Cinnamon? Yes,” ; Bill Bravo and His Bear Pards. 1 pal alae OE a FANS ‘‘ Whar’s ther boy—ther book-rat?” ‘Dead afore this from the shot Reveiation gave him last night.” ‘* At ther cave?” **T don’t know.” The last answer puzzled the men. ‘‘Pards, we’ve got the main man,” said the leader of the Tigers, putting an end to more than one whispered suggestion. ‘‘The young bird are crippled anyhow, an’ we kin ketch ’im when he’s wanted. We’ll go back to Cinnamon with the man we’ve got. For’ard!” A gleam of satisfaction lit up the depths of Bill Bravo’s eyes. He had kept the roughs of the mountain city from making a descent upon Dictionary Nat. As Bill was conducted through the hollow, his eyes espied a heap of fresh earth, on and around which were numerous bear-tracks. ‘‘ Rocky Dan hed his funeral jes’ ez I expect- ed,” he said to himself. He was correct. If one had opened the mound he would have uncovered the carcasses of the four cubs, which the old grizzly, Rocky Dan, had buried by digging a grave with his claws. The sun was climbing zenithward when the Tigers and their captive re-entered the abode of the Rocky Mountain roughs. Bill was marched down the main thorough- fare and across the threshold of Idaho Ike’s den, into which the population of Cinnamon began to pour. he bear-tamer’s glance ran through the crowd as if in quest of a particular person. All at once he caught sight of a figure that leaned against the upright planks at the rear end of the resort. He saw the stalwart frame and noticed that the man’s arms were folded upon his broad chest, but he had to look a sec- ond time before he recognized Placer Pandy, the miner. “Tf Posy Nell still lived, the bear-tamer had one friend at least in the den; if she was dead, the saloon held but his enemies. He was unable to fathom the gaze with which the miner was regarding him. Suddenly Placer left his post, and Bill lost sight of him. ‘Ther gal is dead!” flashed through bis mind. ‘*T can’t count on Placer now.” Then he turned to the man who had led his captors, and said in an impatient tone: ‘*Hyar I am, Solid Sol. You said I war afraid to go back to Cinnamon.” ‘‘Any man will march straight ahead whem thar ar’ twenty revolvers at his back,” was the reply as the eyes of the twomen met. ‘‘ What ar’ we waitin’ fur? You'll know in less than five minutes.” Bill Bravo leaned complacently against the ragged rim of the bar and faced the men who were thirsting for his blood. Every right hand clutched a revolver. No efforts were made to conceal the deadly weapons; their owners took ride, as it seemed, to bold them conspicuously fore Bill’s eyes. In spite of all this, he knew that he would be accorded fair play when the proper moment ar- rived, for the mountain roughs admired fear- lessness even in their worst enemy, and it was evident that Bill’s courage had impressed them.” Still, if he had drawn his revolver at that mo- pay fifty weapons would have flashed in his ace. The bear-tamer bad more than once mentall een the absence of Black Feather and his: nd. Not an Indian was to be seen. Were the fierce avengers of Karl the Killer hunting him among the mountains? and would they not swoop down upon the mountain cave, and put an end to Nat Grayscot’s career? ‘Don’t look fur yer shaggy pards, Bill,” said one of the men noticing the glance which the mountaineer had sent toward the door. ‘‘ We’re prepared fur them this time.” ‘Twenty rifles ar’ waitin’ fur ther b’ars out- side,” said another voice. ‘They wouldn’t git to ther squar’ afore they’d be full ov lead.” ‘“] warn’t lookin’ fur ther b’ars,” retorted the bear-tamer.. ‘‘l want ’em to stay whar they ar’ this time, but if they take a notion to come to me all ther rifles in Cinnamon couldn’t stop em.” The boast drew out a general laugh, which was followed by the words. ‘“ Hyar they come!” in a loud voice. There was a universal clicking of revolver locks, and a general movement toward the door, but the next instant the crowd fell back disappointed, for the announcement had led them to believe at first that the two grizzlies had put in an appearance. Bill Bravo was seen to start as the doorway OOO) com S) (E (E(0)