Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 279 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

cd myo _ ae a ey ee mms tt had heard ber, she whirl “and covered their foremost braves with two re- me a ne ee ee ee from the man whom she called the Unknown Mazeppa, lately carried through Eldorado at the top of a mad horse’s speed. She could see that be was still stripped to the waist, but he no longer lay helpless on the horse’s back to which he had been lashed with lassoes, but he sat bolt upright, watched by the red-men by whom he was surrounded. Her ouriosity was rife; she would have given much to have be»n permitted to peer beneath a dark mask that concealed the prisoner’s ace. He took no part in the council held by the savages where tho trail left the main road; by future fate did not seem to trouble him at all, ‘Ah! they are taking the main trail!” said Gold Georgie, turning her horse toward the friends. ‘‘ We must get out of their road,” and she hastened back to give the alarm. “Injuns with the masked rider?” exclaimed Old Winch, astonished. ‘‘ We don't run, Geor- gie—not a bit of it! I’ve an idea who that man is, an’ you’d vote to stay hyarif you shared it with me. Whar ar’ they?” His wound had been dressed, but he was in no Pring condition, yet he went to his horse, fe!z02 the bridle and with d fficulty seated him- self once more in the Mexican saddle, Pinmas Roy threw a look at the girl which was er understood. “If you think so,” she whispered, “ we must t him away before the Indians enter the pass. de to the other side of the horse and seize the bridle, I will atterd to this side. Quick! no time is to be lost.” The flashes of Old Winch’s eyes had told his younger companions that his mind was wander- g, and they had determined to remove him from the pass against his will. At the same instant their hands seized the bridle of his horse, one on either side, and, at a word from Plumas, their steeds turned, forcing Old Winch’s to do likewise. . “‘Hyar! what does this meanf” burst from the old man’s lips, ‘I’m worth all the dead men I left in Eldorado, Hurrah for Old Winch! ba, ha!” hat laugh was enough. Roy and the girl held on to the reins. Suddenly there rung behind them a number of whoops that awakened the echoes of the Old Winch heard and responded with a wild yell of defiance, which was repeated again and in, and which no one conld check. 6 tried in his frenzy to tear Roy’s hands To oy then Gold Georgie’s, but in vain. **Hold on for his life!” said the girl to the ung miner. ‘‘ Recollect that he’s the best riend I have on earth—that he must be saved at all hazards.” The Indians were now in sight, and having caught glimpses of the trio flying before them, they h oubled their yells, and were urging their steeds to extra efforts. All at once Old Winch threw himself from the saddle vender the young miner, and with a force that almost unseated him. The girl’s heart seemed to leap into her throat. She saw the youth recover and try to prevent the old. marksman from falling between the two a i his strength was not sufficient for ) In another instant Old Winch struck the und, and, escaping the horses’ hoofs, was rising to face the on-rushing red-skins. “Stand by him—to the last!” shouted Gold Georgie, reining in her horse as quickly as pos- sible, aud then, not looking to see whether Roy toward the Indians volvers, Old Winch had risen and drawn his revolver, and Plumas Roy was at the girl’s side, showing to the red-skins a steady hand and flashing eyes. . Thus confronted when they least expected such a movement, the pursuers involuntarily recoiled—all but one horseman. He kept on with a loud cry, that sounded like a yell of triumph. ‘The masked Mazgeppa!” ejaculated Roy. let him escape, *« Make room for the wretch WEEE i) GAA nd nothéil ofl acts block 6 girl had no notion m to block- ade the noapees way. Pting Old Winch, however, maddened by his wound did not stir. He seemed to be wai for the mystery with a demoniac glee which he could not conceal, The next moment the bridleless steed and his rider were upon him. old man —— oa ee “He is killed!” gasped Georgie, turning pale at the sight. “No,” said Roy; ‘* but the demon wants you. My God!” His startling cry was forced from his lips by the masked man’s action. His steed had scarcely dashed Old Winch aside before he came up with the girl. The young miner tried tosave the hunter’s protegee, but the revolver which he raised was not discharged, for the two came together the moment his finger found the trigger, and a naked arm tore Gedrgie from the saddle as the wild horse swept by. All this in less time than we have described the startling scene. Plumas Roy, horror-struck, almost reeled from the saddle, When he recovered Georgie and her captor bad disappeared, and the Indians were approach- ing with their hands above their heads. ‘Thank heaven! we shall not have to fight them!” said the young miner. “If I mistake not the unknown Mazeppa will not enjoy his victory long.” Ah! if he could have foreseen the peril des- tined to follow the wild event we have just re- corded, brave as he was he might have wished himself a thousand miles from Gold Valley and its inhabitants. CHAPTER VII. THE DEATH-TRAP. Prumas Roy and Old Winch were soon sur- rounded by the Indians whose leader was a stal- wart ill-visaged fellow known as Red Star. ‘‘ White ranchero carry off gal, eh?’ queried the chief addressing the youthful miner. eo Yes, but he shall not keep her in his clutches ong! Young gold-hunter right.’ Red Star’s braves hate the pale ranchero,” and the Indian waved his hand toward the twelve half-naked red skins a few paces behind him. ‘‘They find him yes- terday exercising his horse, an’ they cotch ’im with a lasso. Then they tie him tothe wildest horse in his corral an’ send him away.” “Did he beg?” asked Old Winch, from whose eyes had already fled the wildness that had brought about the catastrophe recorded at the close of the foregoin chapter. - ‘*What does my bunter brother think?’ ex- claimed Red Star. ‘* Did he ever see the white ranchero beg?” ‘*T never did, chief, but what you did to ’im would try anybody.” Red Star smiled. “The white man was as brave as an eagle, Ah! he did YB = Star had forgotten. But it was for his shooting irons, white hunter. He wanted to fight Red Star and his braves with them, but Red Star said no, and commanded the lassoes to be wound around his body.” **I don’t know who your victim is, but I used to know a man who would not have begged for mercy if his enemies war about to lash him to -< Cao back. We used to call ‘im Capt'in The Indian darted a quick look at bis braves. “Tt is the same man, white hunter,” he said, turning to Old Winch. **Do you hear that, Plumas?’ he exclaimed whirling upon the young miner. ‘‘ The mask Lay Ye ez you Call im’war nobody but Ranch Rob, the very man whose blood Gold Georgie wants.” Plumas Roy could not but start. ** Tt seems incredible, and yet—” ‘* An’ yet you've got to take it all down, eh, Roy? It’s easy to tell whar he'll break fur arter he mS the pass, You know the ranch, you aa Y Every foot of it.” “Good! I feel like the bullet the men of Eldorado gave me awhile ago ain’t goin’ to do much harm. I war kinder out ov my head a while back, warn’t I Plumas? Ef it hedn’t been fur me we wouldn’t hev’ gotten inter this predicament an’ Gold Georgie would be with us still an’ not in the clutches of that devil. But never mind, boy. Old Winch hez passed ther crazy crisis, an’ from this time on be'll hev a squar’ bead on his shoulders. We'll be down to ther ranch afore long, an’ ther’ll be some lively tusselin’ fur ther gal.” We need not say that the young miner was pleased to see Old Winch talk in such a rational manner. He no longer looked like a maniac, and the discovery of the masked Mazeppa’s 8 tet seemed to have infused new life into his Vv Old Winch, the Rifle King. 7 a | against the man whom they had lashed to bis | most ungovernable horse. hen they freed the animal and urged him from the scene of the ranchero’s capture, they thought they had seen both horse and rider for the last time, but fate had ordained otherwise. They bad come sud- denly upon the exhausted horse and were as- tonished to discover that their Mazeppa had not been killed during the mad journey through the mountains. He was unbound and reseated on the back of u fresh horse, while the wild one was left to roam at large. Red Star was reserving the ranchero for a fate more terrible "han death on ' the back of one of his own steeds, and he was being conducted to the place of torture when he made his escape in the pass and disappeared, carrying with him the old bear-fighter’s beauti- ful protegee. Plumas Roy’s proposition to follow the ranchero and his unwilling captive was rec iv- ed with shouts of approval by the red-skins, who were eager to get the masked Mazeppa into their hands again. ‘You caught bim on his ranch you say, Rod Star?” asked Old Winch. ** Yes, white hunter.” ‘‘Since thet did you ohase a yaller boy—a young Grearer?f”’ ‘We ran the little one hard,” was the an- swer. “He was oes 4 to the ranchero’s bi lodge, but we turned bim back toward the gol town, an’ sent our arrows into his body.” “You fixed bim, too, fur he war lyin’ dead in Modoc’s shanty when I left Eldorado, He didn’t git to Ranch Rob’s with the broken bowie . Modoe sent with him. Voor little Greaser! I sie: him when they made ’im tie one ov the nots thet day at Starvation Camp. I don’t think I would ever hev killed him, fur some how or other I could never hold a grudge ag’in’ the boy.” When the occupants of the pass, red and white, moved from the spot, they took up tbe trail made by the week horse, but when the end of the pass was reached the hunters turned to the left and proceeded in a southerly direc- tion, thus abandoning the trai] as it, were, This proceeding would have astonished the reader if he could have witnessed it. As Ranch Rob had kept straight on after uitting the oo why did not his hunters k the trail and presson at the top of their ani- mals’ speed. More than once the young miner found him- self looking at Old Winch, who once more var- ried his deadly r ting rifle, while he sat al- most bolt upright in his saddle entirely unlike a man who was Basti wounded. The twain had never met before their en- counter in Eldorado the preceding ay Plumas had never even heard of Old Winch, for be was nobody’s confidant, ther fore Modoc bad never . told him the story of Starvation Camp, a name well known among the annals of North- ern California. We need not say that from the first, his heart bad been captured by the feir creature whom Old Winch hed brought into Gold Valley in search of vengeance. sort Gold Georgie bad smiled upon him and he thought he had caught her eying him softly en several occasions; but after all, their meeting might amount to nothing; there might be a lover among the bills of Sonoma to whom the 1 would return when she had accomplished er purpose. ’ Old Winch noticed the youth's abstraction as they rode through the lovely little valley which they had entered after leaving the pass. ‘* Brighten up byar an’ look things squar’ly in the face,” he e med touching pogis arm. “I’m doin’ better nor you, boy, an’ I’ gota bullet somewhar in my life-box. Don't I w thet I'll never be able to face another grizzly nor to out-jump the red-skins at their next big match on ther North Platte? I’m goin’ under by this very wound; but not to-day nor to-morrow Roy—not till Pve seen Gold G. at the end ov her trail! We'll git ’ r bac Plumas, an’ I’ll see thet you stand a good show fur the whitest band in Californy. Thar’s no one ahead ov ye, boy, an’ heaven knows thet I'm not yer rival. Me? Who'd think ov marryin’ sech an’ old mass ov ugliness ez Winch.” : ‘The hoy looked at the old grizzly ter for a moment and then laid his on great brovze palm that »vas ready to welcome it. Plumas bluched to his temples at Old Winch’s allusion to his love for Gold he sn nt strange The : threw himself straight at the Mazeppa to be He was onee more the iron-nerved old grizzly | tried to return a merry answer, but failed, and knocked aside and sent Sway with a | fighter of th. Rockies. 4 at last gave up in disgust. yhgs | groan. Red Sar and his band held a deep gradge! ‘Never mind!” cried the rifeman, “You Gomilcbooks. Coir