Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 279 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

i —* ~- back. TI think now that I was to remain here until your coming.” “I think so too, boy,” put in Old Winch. “When the man we met in the mountains told ug that we’d find a friend in Plumas Roy, I said to myself ‘It’s fate an’ nothin’ else,’ an’ if it isn’t fate then set me down fer a chuckle-headed grizzly. But the horses?” ** Yes, yes!” cried the youth, starting off. *T'll haye them bere within ten minutes,” ‘** Thar goes a dog thet’ll do to tie to,” declared her warder, turning suddenly upon Gold Georgie, whose eyes were fixed upon Plumas Roy. ‘I fancy thet he'll fetch three bosses byar instead ov two, although he hezn’t told me about it. Thar’s nothin’ to keep ‘im byar; he’s no wolf, Georgie, an’ Eldorado is a wolf’s den.” The girl did not answer for a moment, Plumas Roy had passed from her sight, her eyes having followed him as far as they could. “You don’t wish you hadn’t come hyar, do yeu girl?’ suddenly asked the old man, notic- ng the reverie into whick his young charge had fallen, ‘' Wouldn’t you rather be back in Old Sonoma than byar, among the devils of Gold Valley an’ a man-hunter?” ‘** Yes, if mother and father were there—no! since they are not!” wasthereply. ‘* My trail must end only over the corpse of Ranch Rob; after that, we will think of Sonoma,” No response from Old Winch’s lips. He stood in the doorway watching the camp that lay be- fore him. e knew that every minute was sixty seconds of precious time; he was eager to leave Eldorado not for his own safety, but for the girl’s. It was time for the young miner, to be com- ing back. All at once three horses appeared in sig hb. ‘‘IT knowd thar’d be three horses instead ov two when he did come,” murmured the old man, unconsciously giving vent to his thoughts, ‘* Thet means thet he's goin’ ter stand by us to the bitter end.” Gold Georgie now sprung to Old Winch’'s side, apd the twain watched the horses’ ap proach. ** Here I am!” exclaimed the youth springing to the ground in front of the but... ‘“‘ As we are to leave Eldorado, the sooner we get off the better,” “Why so, Plumas?” he youth paused abrupt or at that mo- ment he eatinnt Gold Georgie’ glance. “Don’t ‘fear’ for me, Speak your thoughts. You fear that Modoc has been found?” ‘tT know he has,” was Roy’s reply. “I saw a crowd about the cabindoor. I was going to say that I feared we will be suspected.” ‘Oh, is thet all?” exclaimed O!d Winch. ‘Onur twenty minutes ar’ nearly up, but I sha’n’t hurry a whit on thet account. Ordered to leave town, eh?” and the Rifle King grated his teeth as he spoke. ‘‘ 1t’s the first time in all my life I ever obayed thet kind ov order, an’ if it warn’t for Georgie hyar I'd stay an’ face the rascals. Mebbe I'll come back one ov these days an’ stay till I want to move.” e now took the girl and lifted her u the back of one of the horses as though she were but a child; he then leaped astride of another while Plumas Roy mounted the third, ' “Po the south you say, Plumas? Wal, lead the way. We don’t hey to move through the main part ov the camp. Under other sarcum- stances l’d like to ride down Main street with my rifle at my shoulder. You're the only thing thet keeps me from doin’ it,” he added glanc- ing at the girl. ‘he party turned their horses’ heads toward ie south. They bad to ride through a portion of the camp, but as it was deserted, the entire population being then in another part, they ex- pected to get beyond the place without molesta- tion. Old Winch brought up the rear with his rifle ng carelessly over his left arm, and his eyes seeing everything as the journey pro- gressed. Saddenly a loud shout behind them sounded upon the ears of all. ““Tt’s comin’!” announced Old Winch. ‘‘ We're not to leave without a scrimmage. You two young folks ride ahead.” “Wo!” demurred the young miner, resolutely. woe don’t desert a companien when danger threatens. ‘“By hokey! that’s the true grit!” muttered the oldman. ‘“ Look yosder! tell methet them varmints hev'n’t an idea who wiped Modoc out!” _ The three looked, to behold fifty or sixty men approaching. Old Winch, the Rifle King. The flashes of dark eyes and the revolvers clutched by rough hands told the threatened trio that if they stopped to face the mob blood would flow. Old Winch had not turned his horse’s head toward the gang, but he had turned in his sad- dle, and was presenting to the roughs a visage full of defiance. ‘This is the kind ov a picnic I like!” he said, in low tones. ‘‘ Them wolves ar’ ry be to them- selves: ‘What’s one man ag’in’ fifty? Vl an- swer thet question pretty soon.” At a distance of sixty steps from the immov- able old bear-hunter, the men of Eldorado sopper. ‘“* Wal, what’s wantin’?” he demanded. ** Blood!” shouted the leader of the mob, in whose hands was a repeating rifle. ‘*‘ We want on blood ov the man who killed Modoc an’ ex.” ‘* You'll hev to hunt Injuns if you want to avenge ther Greaser, but ez fur the man what dropped Modoc, he is byar ready fur the sport to begin. I am the man—Old Winch, at yer service, men ov Gold Valley!” Everything was ready for the battle to open, but the mob held back. “We might hurt the girl. Wedon’t want in- vocent blood!” declared the leader. Old Winch sent a quick glance toward Gold Gyorpie. “Take her away, Plumas,” he ordered. ~ Let me stay,” pleaded the girl, ‘‘ or let us all go. ‘*T stay hyar!” was the determined answer. ** Lead her boss away, boy.” As eager to remain and face the mob as Georgie was to stay with her protector, Plumas Boy, reluctantly took the bridle of her horse and led if away. ** Now I’m alone,” said Old Winch to the des- peradoes. ‘‘ Shallit be one at a time er the hull ov ye at once?” ** All of us!” rung from fifty throats. “Suit yerselves. Here joes!” Hard upon his last word bis rifle struck his shoulder, and almost before be had time to glance over the barrel he was pouring the con- ridideg of the steel chambers into the face’of the mob, He shot seemingly without any effort at all, but at each discharge a man fell, not wounded out dead, invariably pierced through the n ‘* Thet’s what I call bizness!” he exclaimed, as the roughs of Eldorado reeled from before the deadly fire. They had not cp? ae their revolvers, but the old marksman still occupied the saddle, al- though once he reeled half-way around like a man bullet-struck. ; All at once he turned bis horse’s head in the direction Plumas Roy and the girl had taken. A few bullets followed him, but did no harm, and acry of joy burst from Gold Georgie’s lips when she saw him riding toward her. But the next moment her face grew pale, for she saw that all color had fled from his. ** Yes—I’m winged, girl,” said the old man. “‘Thar’s no use in keepin’ thet fact back. It war the liveliest picnic I ever hed. Confound it, Plumas, if I don’t see double!” The young miner saw the old bunter reel, and leaned forward to catch him. ‘*They’ve drilled a tunnel through my life- box, Plumas, but you ought ter see the lay-out 1 left back yonder. A grim smile followed these. words, and Old Winch would have fallen if Roy had not held m up. The next minute three horses were galloping from the spot. CHAPTER VI. THE MASKED MAZEPPA AGAIN. ‘*P’R’aps we'd better stop hyar. Plumas.” These words drop from Old Winch’s lips five miles beyond the capital of Gold Valley, and in the center of a — little pass where ert a spring of the coolest and clearest water. ‘They will follow us,” said the miner. ‘I had a place in my mind; it is three miles fur- ther on.” ‘ ‘* No, westop here. If they come—why, thar’ll hev to be another picnic, thet’s all!” Truth to tell, the old marksman’s ye had greatly weakened him, and he knew fbat it had to be attended to with some kind of surgery, or - = aim of his life would never be accorn- pis ° He got to the ground without assistance, and laid himself upon the velvety grass that bor- dered the spring. —- ee oceans His face was still pale, but his teeth were firm set, and Plumas Roy noticed that he did not neglect to carry his rifle to the spot where he cast himself upon the ground. ‘*Now,” he said to the youth, *‘ you must play surgeon, boy, with my help. The wound is in my left breast. Open my coat and look at it.” y knelt beside Old Winch and proceeded to obey his commands. Gold Georgie, holding the reins of the three rergy knelt there, too. It was a strange tab- eau. The cool spring water washed the blood away from the hurt, and Old Wincb gritted his teeth when he looked down upon the gaping wound. that stood revealed. ‘“‘Pshaw! Is that all?” he exclaimed, glancing up with a smile into the young couple's faces. ‘*Is that all they gave me in return fur ten dead men? he it doesn’t begin to make things even, does it, Plumas? I more ’n half wish they would come. I'd like to show ’em thet it takes more 'n one bullet to kill the man who war once left to ther b’ars in Starvation Camp. Now go to work, boy. Georgie, you kin do nothin’. Take one of the bosses an’ ride back a little ways an’ watch.” Happy that Old Winch’s hurt was not to prove fatal, Gold Georgie sprung up, mounted one of the steeds without help, and rode toward the mouth of the pass by which they bad en- tered it. From the spot where she halted she could see far down the wild road they had lately traversed at a furious gallop. Over itthe men of Eldorado bial have to approach if they had pur ued them, But no moving figures now met the girl’s gaze. The landscape lay inamimate before her vision. Perhaps the wild denizens of Eldorado had had enough of Old Winch, that they were will- ing to let him depart unpursued after his terri- ble oe Se A little bend in the trail ranning throvgh the separated the girl from her companions, ut she could hear the old man’srough voice and Plumas Roy’s softer tones. Ten minutes passed and the landscape before the girl was not disturbed. Another ten were wan ng when several dark objects that seemed imbued with motion appeared at the place where the trail seemed to lose itself. Gold Georgie involuntarily started, but she did not turn to alarm those behind ber. ‘**]"ll see what the are,’ she said, audibly to oem as she continued to watch the moving 8. She saw the far-away objects increase in size, fr they were ener earns: but not at a very rapid gait, therefore she could not think that they were the men of Eldorado, All at once the figures disappeared, but three minutes later they burst into view again, and so suddenly and near that the girl started with an exclamation of surprise. ela « ‘* Indians!” she exclaimed, Yes, the horsemen consisted of thirteen red- skins, for the could count them now without difficulty. Georgie in her time had seen many Indians. The representatives of various tribes had visited the wild capital of Sonoma county during her residence there, and with more than one chief she had become well acquainted. While the great majority of the California Indians were at the time of which we write— two years back—at peace with the whites, the red-skins whose lodges were beyond the State’ eastern borders often entered it for purposes of plunder and sometimes of murder. The red thirteen were riding directly toward the pass guarded by Old Winch’s protegee, but as yet she had not been observed. hen she saw them halt not more than two hundred yards away and at a spot where-she knew another that ran on to the pass, she hoped that they were going to change their course. ' ‘* What do I see—a prisoner!” fell from Gold Georgie’s lips as she gazed, for the rear of the band had come up and she saw that one of the horses carried a captive. The reader may imagine the eagerness with which the girl leaned forward for the pose of scanning, if possible, the face of the man. thus environed by the red Arabs of California. “It must ce t is the Unknown Mazeppa!” suddenly cried the te ‘*He has fallen into the bands of a lot of Indians who have proved a littie more merciful than his other foes. But wey hamentt they stripped the dark cloth from s face?” - The amazed girl could not remove her eyes ranched off from the one. MiGDoo (E(O) Sja(EO) tA