Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 283 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 Jan did as directed. had not spoken a word; as the rope was passed over the bough, he understood his dan- r. nr What are be going to do?’ he gasped, be- ginning to be frightened. ‘“T reckon we are going to hang you ef yer friends down thar pitch into us. Ketch the end of this lariat, Dan.” , When this was done, Ben dropped from his , erch, and lifted the prisoner to the top of the Lurricade, Ere long, several horsemen appeared in the pass. Beholding the perilous position of the captain, they paused and uttered various ex- clamations., ‘“What do ye mean?’ shouted one of the borsemen. ‘Let the capt’in down ef ye want to live.” ‘‘We won't let him down, Tommy Turtle,” cried Ben. ‘' An’ look you: you go oy! every mother’s son of you, or [ll push him off the bar- vicade, Now git! Don’t stay too long.” ‘*But I want to talk with you, Ben,” said Tommy Turtle. ‘* We don’t mean you no harm; but we don’t want the capt’in burt nuther. We ar’ too fond of him. Thar ain’t a man in yer ag we've got any thing ag’in, unlest it mout che. Tha rest sha’n’t be hurt, Ain’t that so, Lieutenant Verton?” Lan ‘Certainly; no one shall be injured except that fellow Crowley.” “They are hot ag’in’ you, Dan,” whispered Ben. “It’s got-to be a fight, sooner or later, for they have a great likin’ tor this skunk we've got yer, cuss him.” > “T do not know why they hate me,” said an, ** Because the captin hates ye. Verton pr-- tends to, but I don’t believe it. Come,Tommy,” he continued, raising his*voice, ‘‘ that cock won't fight. We know you too well, we do. One’t you git us into Ded hands, ye’ve got bad memories, an’ would forgit all ’bout what you promised. Git ‘way back!” ‘*Now look here, Ben, this won’t do. You let the capt’in go; we must hey him.” ‘We ain’t safe ef be goes; we kain't do thet. Ar ye goin? Ef ye be, allright; ef not, I push him off; an’ I'll do it now ef Nat Summers don’t prut back the rifle he’s tryin’ to cock behind yer ACK, ‘ The man, who had been detected in the at- tempt to get a shot at Ben on the sly, relin- quished the design with a shespish look. ‘The durned pup sees every thing,” growled Tommy Turtle. ‘* Don’t try that on ag’in, Nat. ‘You can’t fool the old man acent’s wuth. What a man he would be ef we c’u’d git him to jine us. I wish we only could. Capt’in?’ - “What do you want, Turtle?’ | “What kin we do? Give us orders.” ‘You must go ‘back, -oys,” said Conrad. “If you can think of some plan to get me out of the clutches of these fellows, do it.” “ An’ bear this in mind,”'said Ben: ‘‘the fust time we hear an alarm, | mean to shoot him right through the head.” , $3 “We will Good-by, capt'in,” said Turtle. try what we kin do.” As he Seger horsemen began to file out of the pass, 6 present danger was over. —_—_- CHAPTER IX. IN THE TOILS. prisoner inside the barricade and ; Night came on, and such a night as they have in winter in the prairie and—clear and cold, with a bright moon. He com- lained bitterly of the uncomfortable place the vave him, and they took him into the little brus hut whieh had been built, and him again, al- lowed him to liedown. Jan was placed on, guard, and Ben paced up and down by the barricade, wait- ing for an attack, which he thought they might make ip the night. Jan sat down in the doorway of the hut and laid his rifie across his knees. This fellow had come into the prairie country an 5g man in the wiles of trapper and hunter mp but long companionship with Beh Miffin had him equal to the best. But then he was Henri cuff needed idiaing to tring out ness, whic ° ne re 0 ng out Under the fostering care of Ben he had become racticed shot, and his great strength made him a enemy to meet in a er. Ho wept cami ont heavy. it he say down over. eavily. e sat down be wee deiner of falling asleep at any moment. Ben knew failing and kept an eye on him al- ways. But to-night, bound as the prisoner was, he could not escape, he thought. Had he not tied the knots himself? But’ the most acute men are some- times deceived, and Ben found this to his cost be- fore morning. ; oo a’ Er Lange a NN ' | i | Indian Joe. —-- a ll le ee et lt eS oe ee ee . - WOO 6 os ee Gm cence seco . _— ta this time Conrad | The brigand saw that Jan was likely to go to ° t, sleep, and suffered him todoso. Jan lay upon the ground not far from the prisoner, sleeping soundly. An hour d by, and Conrad raised his head. He knew by the heavy breathing of the Dutchman that his senses were locked in slumber. The _ pris- PaaS De ne ee trees ee oner’s feet were not bound, and rising to a se sture, he bent his head, and seizing with bis teet the hilt of a knife which protruded from his breast, he drew it from its sheath and dropped _ it over his shoulder within reach of his hands, Taking it in his left hand, holding the point up, he managed to insinuate the point into the knot which Ben had tied. The blade was a keen’ one, and the buckskin parted with a slight noise. He fell back immediately, fear- ing that Jan would awake, but he did not. e lay there for ten minutes, although the knife had ierced him in the thigh as he fell backward and his food was soaking into the ground as he lay. — Satisfied at length that all was safe, Conrad took off the lariat and thrust it into his pocket. He had no time to stanch the wound. Opening the breast of his coat, from a secret pocket in the back he took out a small case containing two small bottles. From the smallest of these he took the stopper and poured a little of the contents upon a handkerchief. This done, the unmistakable odor of chloroform began to spread through the hut. Rising to his knees, he crept to the side of Dan, and waved the handker- chief to and fro before his nostrils for a while, with- out touching his face. When satisfied that the subtle drug had done its work sufficiently to prevent the easy awakening of the victim, he pressed the handkerchief lightly on his nostrils, and held it there for several moments, The work was done at last, and Jan lay helpless beneath his hand. The eyes of the man began t6 gleam and he clutched his knife viciously. He would have liked to plunge it to the hilt in the bosom of the sleeping man. But just as he half raised the knife he heard the sound of coming feet, Cursing the comer heart- ily, he darted to his place and lay down in the same sosition as before, holding bis hands behind him. he comer was Ben, who looked into the hut, and seeing the petonee lying quietly on his back, con- cluded that he was asleep and did not disturb him. The great fear which haunted Conrad was that the old man would smell the chloroform and enter to find the cause, He clutched his knife firmly, and if Ben had entered then his life would have been in danger. But he remained at the door a moment, looking smilingly into the face of the sleeping Jan, aud then went back to his post. The moment he was gone the prisoner crept to the side of Dan, who was sleeping close at hand, and operated upon him in the same manner as upon Jan. As far as these two were concerned he was free already. But, the old man outside was the man to be feared the most. Hehurriedto the side of the hut opposite the barricade, and cut out two heavy boughs, leaving a passage large enough for him to emerge. He crept out cautiously. an hour after Ben again Jooked into the hut. Jan had fallen over on his back anil was sleeping heavily. Dan was also asleep. But the prisoner was gone! With a shout of rage, Ben sprung in and shook Jan ro f the drug had nearly passed, ugly. The effect o but it was some moments before he was fully awa ke. The tumult Jan made aroused Dan, who started up. ‘What is this?’ he cried. “The prisoner gone?’ “Thanks to this durned Dutchman," growled Beu. — ee eae “Jmout ‘a’ know'd he'd go to sleep. Don’) you | smell something queer ?"’ “Put to sleep?” ‘ Yes 7 “Pen,” said Jan, ‘don’t dell me dat der mans gits avay because I gone to sleep. I neferdinks. I vorks pooty hard lately, unt I pees asleep pefore I knows. Vell, he gone. Cut off mine heat unt t'row it ous from der door. Ino a to Wi 2 now." ¥, ¥ none jake c ret too hard, 0 . ahi et ut ef the durn urp mean ye, he'd ‘a’ done it anyhow. AVhat puzzles me is, how he got out of the hitch I put him in, y mout well call him ‘ Will o’ the Wisp’.”’ “He is gone, We may look for an attack flow, oan that,” said Ben, raising his hand f “*Hark to | n, 1and for silence. A tremendous shout, which filled the valley from end to end, was heard in the direction of the robbers’ camp. **He’s jest j'ined ’em now,’ said Ben. “ Thar’s whar he got out. He's took the back track, climbed the mountains, an’ went down the path whar ye had the fight with him, to ie clar of this old man. Never mind. I'll hev him yit, before I go to grass.” “‘Thope you may. Let us prepare for an attack. We need another man here. Let Jan go back for Indian Joe.” ; Jan ran off, eager to atone for the evil he had unwittingly done, and came back directly with the half-breed. They had hardly reached the barricade when a horseman appeared in the gap. He went down at the crack of Ben Miffin’s rifle, while the stern old man began to reload his piece, without a smile or frown on his face. ne ‘ “He brung it on hisself,” said he. “They won't come up so brash after that.” He was right. Awed by the fate which had _ over- taken their companion, those who followed him paused and drew together. In this position they took the fire of the other three rifles, All were g shots, and the foremost men paid dearly for being in the forlorh hope. There wasa backward move- ment, and at the same time Jeff Rooter and the others came up on the run, eager totake part in the conflict. * Ohloroform!" cried Dan. ‘* We have been drug- *? ——* --<- — arte weer ewe et eee - . _ “Why did you come?’ demanded Dan, ‘“ You would have done better to stay at ee ‘*We wanted a hand in the fun,” said Jeff Rooter. “Thar ain’t a man hyar thet ain't lost something, one time or another, by the hands of these same varmints. So don’t drive us back; now don’t,”* ‘Stay, since you are here. Ned, 1 detail you and Jan to load the spare rifles for us. In that way we shall always keep two charges ready. When a man fires, give him another rifle. Getready. They are gathering for arush. Thank fortune, they can only come three at a time.” Coming on with wild shouts, the robbers were met by the determined rifles of the hunters, and again driven back with loss. Several wounded men lay groaning in the pass. Three were slain outright and a number of others had been barked to a considera- ble extent. ’ “They are game,” said Conrad; ** I should like te have that old man Miffin in my d. He isa gal- lant fellow. Tell Marian not to go beyond the range of those rocks.” The brave girl was there, running from one wound- ed man to another, giving them drink from a can- teen she carried in her hand. As fast as they fell, some of the men carried them to the shelter of the rocks and placed them in her hands. Rough, bearded men, most of them ruffians and murderers, looked up in her face with a smile of thanks before they closed their eyes forever on the world. The combat was atits hight Shrieks, cries of agony o° rage, and terrible battle shouts, rung in her ears She had been in scenes of battle before, but never i one where the rangers were as sturdily met as now, She saw the tall form of Dan at times, reared above the barricade as he made ready to fire. His face, flushed with the ardor of battle, looked grand to her. She began to compen ines she though’ more of this man than she would care to show. The rangers were crowding forward now, bu were beaten back before the fatal rifles of the hun- ters. Conrad whispered a low order in the ear of Jasper Verton, and hurried away. . From that time there was a lullin the battle for half an heur. A silence which bad reigned for a few moments was suddenly broken by a terrible battle-cry —a cry which made the woeds ring. At the same moment a band of nearly two bundred Blackfeet, with Will o° the Wisp and Whirling Breeze at their head, evme down upon their rear: “Borne down by that vast multitude, Some found their graves where first they stood.”’ Assailed in front and rear, they stood bravely up to the work and fought with a determination worthy of a better fate. It was vain. Tom died upon an Indian spear: Joe was desperately wounded by a rifle-ball; Jeff Rooter lay wounded on the sod; Dan. though hurt in two places, still stood up. But Jan and n, unwounded, holding their clubbed rifles with steady hand, fought desperately, seconded by Dan. The great ‘body of the enemy closed in upon them, and Dan was borne to the earth. Conrad stood above him with a dagger in his hand, That had been Dan Crowley's mo- ment of life, but that help came. The dagger was raised, and he had lifted his feeble hand to ward off the blow, when Marian darted in and seized the knife-hand at the wrist. “This is a brave deed, Conrad Vesey! Have you sunk so low that you will slay a wounded man?” He looked ab : I. was heated by the battle,’’ he said, sulkily. ‘lam glad you came between.” ‘Listen to me, Conrad, If one of these prisoners is harmed through your means, be sure of this: you Dn q | will never see my face **T have nothing to say in the matter, beyond my own vote, How many are killed? Where are the Dutchman and Ben Miffiny” “ Fighting yet,” she said, looking up. ‘ Oh, save that brave old man.” History can‘show no braver deed than this. <A: ald man, past his sixtieth year, and an ran German, standing up alone before the ck ov nearly three hundred men, To be sure, the aesail- ants fought at great disadvantage on account of the narrow pass. Just as the girl cried out to save them, the two went down under the determined efforts Of their assailants, Half a dozen tomahawks were leveled at them, but a lithe young warrior, with a handsome face and form, darted in between them and their leveled weapons. “Back, warriors of the Blackfeet! sons of the pale-face! No harm must be don such brave men.as these. The Panther, son of Whirling Breeze, has said it, and he will keep his word. These prisoners are mine." ‘‘Have your own way, Panther; we don’t care for these two; they are in good hands,”’ said Conra: “‘ Besides, they were taken by our red brothers. The rest of the prisoners are mine."’ “It is well,” said Whirling mist the chief who led the Blackfeet.“ My brother just tothe In- ans 7 . ’ ; They spent the rest of the day in collecting the traps and peltries scattered about. Janand Ben looked on in silence, and noted that there was one cache which they had failed to find. **Tt seems to me that there were more furs than this,”’ said Conrad. * You don’t seem to remember that it's mighty ‘arly in the season, mister man,” said Ben. “We ae t trapped so much ez hunted, We was hired to unt.’ ‘* True,” said Conrad. “It is not so strange, after all. I want to make a pftoposition to you, Ben. You see how you are situated. It will be next io impossible for you to get away from Whirling e — COME NOOK ( (0)