Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 312 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

2 8 EL —_—<- + ee formed their work so well that thosein the cave could see all, | Brown Ben hastened to use the small telescope one of his men possessed, and as he saw that, unless appearances were very deceptive, luck- less Rube was really standing on a powder-keg, his nerveless arm fell to his side. Zella sprung forward and grasped the tele- scope. Tet me see!” she said, breathlessly. ‘No, no, child!” Ben huskily answered, re- taining the instrument. ‘It is nothing. Go to your room. You~you are in the way here.” ‘“You cannot deceive me!” she said, firmly. ‘‘Tet me know the worst. Reuben Redtop is doomed by those wretches; I must, I will go out! She tried to reach the entrance, but he caught and held ber. ‘Would you see him die?” she demanded, wildly. ‘‘T’would not see you fall into their hands, too, when it will do no good.” ‘** Coward! 4 may be captain of the Vigilantes !”? It was an ungrounded and ungenerous charge, | tempt. | as no one knew better than Zella, but she had lost her self-control for the time. Redtop Rube, the Vigilante Prince, ~ i = 11 his will and succeeded, however. He flashed his gaze around; no one was in sight; he seemed to have the scene all to himself. True, the deadly “pea was a companion, but it was not one he iked. He looked toward the cave, and, having no doubt but that he was being watched from there, raised his voice in a hail, calling the name of his lieutenant. Brown Ben promptly answered. ‘Keep your place, in there!’ added Rube, clearly. ‘You can do me no good, and you must take care of the girl and of the band. Do not treat with these men; they would break their word and I should die just the same. Stay in the cave!” Lefferts had not thought It necessary to gag his prisoner, but he now appeared at the west- ward side of a bowlder, where he was invisible from the cave, and roared a command to his victim to be silent. His threat of bodily harm, in case the shout was repeated, was somewhat absurd under the ou hope to see him die so that you | circumstances. The Vigilante looked at him with cool con- The interruption served to take his thoughts from his approaching fate and was rather welcome than otherwise, but his eyes Brown Ben flushed slightly, but, wild and ex- | soon turned toward his feet. citable as he could be at times, he had a good deal of the same cool nature that belonged to Rube, and now he acted with the kind resolu- tion of one far older than he, ‘*Remove both these girls to their room,” he said to Jack Silver. The order, which Zella deemed most cruel, and against which Ellice Norton loudly donne ed, was promptly put in execution. lt gave kind Ben some uneasiness, for he bated to deal rudely with a girl, but he saw matters arrivin at a crisis, and was resolved that Zella shoul not interfere through any mistaken sense of gc as she was trying to do. e called the Vigilantes around him. ‘* Boys,” he said, ‘‘you see our captain out there in an infernal fix. Just so sure asthe sun shines Sam Lefferts will blow bim into pieces unless somebody chips in, while it is pretty sure that death awaits haere? does chipin. Now, boys, they are forty odd and we are ten. Who is willing to make a dash when the crisis comes es ts what seems sure death?” The nse was rolled out by the little band with gratifying unanimity and volume; every man had spoken. Brief as had been their ac- ang a with Rube, they liked him well, and they were men accustomed to every wild scene and foray common to Texan soil. “Then, by Jupiter!” cried Ben, ‘‘ we'll be in at the death!” The death seemed very near, for, as the Jast of the bushes had been cut away, L:fferts deemed it wise to have the fuse fired so that the rifles of the Vigilantes could not play upon them. ‘* Now, then, see what your friends will do for you!” he sneeringly said to Rube. ‘‘ They call you leader, but they’ll set on their heels an’ let hag be blowed up, fur which their excuse will e that they like ter see a man rise in ther world!” CHAPTER XIII. HOW THE PLAN RESULTED. Wir this would-be facetious reply, Sam Lef- ferts turned and hastened away. He had no desire to tempt the V ~ eapsiatns and the fuse had been peed fired, We need scarcely say that Sam was acting in his usual villainous fashion. If Ben had been foolish enough to surrender Zella, Sam would have received her with pleasure, and then have butchered Rube just the same. Even as it was, he intended, if Zella came out and gave herself up to let the fuse burn on. Redtop Rube was in the tightest corner of his life. He was bound so that he could not stir to any extent whatever, except by swaying the tree, which he was able to do somewhat; but that would not free him, and he was as helpless as a child. He looked at the fuse and the creeping flame. It burned steadily and approached the keg all too fast. At the latter point one end of the fuse disappeared inside the keg, and it was easy to imagine how the fire would creep in the same way. Tuen—farewell to earth! As the evil-eye of a serpent mesmerizes its human victim, so did the.tiny flame gain power over Rube. His gaze was fixed upon it, and as be watched the fuse grow shorter he seemed un- able to turn his eyes = When this fact dawned upon him he exerted | | The burning fuse was growing short; the fire was nearing the powder; and that meant death to Redtop Rube. Once more he strained at his bonds, but the only effect was to make the frail tree sway back and forth; the cords had been well secured, The rocking of the tree, however, gave bim an idea. It was so feebly rooted that, if un- bound, he could easily have pullel it over, and though no lasting good could come of it, he resolved to try to disturb Sam’s plans, In thus resolving, he forgot the precipice be- hind him, over which the tree must surely go if it fell backward. He began to rock it as he had decided, and all the while the creeping flame ‘moved on to- ward the powder, It was a thrillingly in erest- ing moment for all. From behind the rock Sam Lefferts watched both prisoner and the cave; from the latter point Brown Ben looked through his telescope at the burning fuse, his men standing ready for the rush when he gave the wor Come what might, he would not see his leader die thus under his very eyes. Rube still rocked the tree, and as it would move and move it was a wonder Lefferts gave no heed, Did he fail to observe it, or did he think there was no danger of uprooting it? On crept the flame; it moved very slowly, but to the prisoner it seemed to rush. Suddenly there was a snap, as though a large root had broken, and then the tree bent slow backward—back toward the precipice—while the earth gave way around its foot and it was left unsecured, Friend and foe looked in surprise as, going rapidly when once it course was assured, the double object receded from its former position; and then all became breathlessly interested as the tree fell over the edge of the precipice, bear- ing Redtop Rube with it! Phe young Vigilante had not been slow to perceive his new danger when the course of the tree became certain, but the furious effort to burst his bonds proved again futile, and with that sickening sensation a fall always gives, he went over the brink. The tree struck in such a way that the shock was but slight, but in a moment more it was going downward, top first, and as a result Rube was going head-foremost. Fifty feet below he had a view of jagged rocks, upon which a fall meant death, but he closed bis lips tightly and uttered no cry. Down!—down! The tree started briskly on its course, but only a few feet had been passed when, with a slight. sbock, it stepped and seemed to be sus- pended in empty air, ! Taking a more practical view of the case, the youth looked upward and saw that the roots of the tree had caught on the edge of the eretaes and there was another reprieve secyred, It was a strange and thrilling situation. The tree swayed dangerously, and Redtop Rube every instant expected its frail support to give way and dash him on the deadly rocks which showed raggedly forty feet below. Suddenly, there was a sound of firing Catron loud shouts and angry yells, the clash of stee and the crack of revolvers. What could it mean? ey There seemed but one answer; the Vigilantes had meee from the cave and attacked the roughs. ‘* Useless!” almost groaned the youth; “ they will give their lives in vain. They are but a handful compared with Lefferts’s gang; they cannot help me; and by this mad, but noble, attempt they will make the triumph of the Black Regulators complete!” he strife seemed to have reached a point of fury above, but its echoes were so painful, s sasing as they did of the annihilation of ' € rown Ben’s men, that Rube turned his atten-, tion to his own situation. The roots still held, and had it not been for his weight would have been enough to firmly return the tree, which was but light of weight, but with his hundred and fifty pounds added they seemed liable to give way at any moment. Then—forty feet below were the pointed rocks! To fall seemed sure death. Ha! the tree slips a bit; the weight is pulling it over; if will soon fall. A feeling of horror assailed the Vigilante prince. Brave he was, but where is the person, man or youth, who could meet such a fate calmly? With the blood settling in his head, face and neck, bis sight grew blackened and misty, the veins swelled and darkened, and he almost wished the end might come quickly. Again the tree has a shock; the roots have slipped another inch; if cannot hold many mo- ments longer. Redtop Rube no longer knew whether the fight raged above. His mind began to wander and was scarcely conscious of his own situation. Perhaps ten seconds pene or it may have been as many minutes—he had no means of tell- ing—and then a greater shock ran along the tree; it seemed to give way entirely; it moved downward. Redtop Rube was prepared for the worst, but very much to his surprise, he did not go down as heexpected. The movements of the tree were eccentric. It whirled around once, and then, unless he was greatly mistaken, steadily arose, He winked briskly several times, and, looking: up, saw beyond the room of a doubt that this was true. The tree was going back in the same path it had come. Strange fact!—unheard-of phenomenon! Steadily it pursued its course, and then, mov- ing to the level, both it and its human burden became stationary and horizontally placed, The bonds which held the youth fell away, his head was lifted, his mouth opened and some fiery liquor ran down bis throat, | = e gasped, opened his eyes and saw Brown en. e ‘‘ Hurrah!” cried the faithful lieutenant; ‘I knew we would bring him around, Captain!— I say, do you hear me?” Rube made a great effort and gained bis feet. His prostration was rapidly passing away, and, though he still meeded Ben’s arms, he spoke clearly. ‘“The Regulators! Where are they?” ‘Running pell-mell for Torpedo Gulch!” cried the lieutenant in great glee. ‘‘They are scat- tered to the four winds, and the powder won’t explode to-day. We have nipped that little scheme in the bud, but not alone, These men were our allies,” . As he spoke, a stout, bearded man came to Rube’s side. ‘‘T don’t s’pose you know me, Cap’n Redtop,” he said, ‘‘ but you may remember a man by the name o’ Lane, who offered you his belp at ther Gulch, That’s me. I was ter meet you in Thunder Pass to-day, but neither on us was able ter get there.” Rube’s head was by this time clear, and he had no difficulty in remembering Lane, while he also remembered that Zella had said the man was perfectly honest and trustworthy. He took his hand, and then it was soon ex- plained to him how the Vigilantes, under Brown Ben, bad made a dash and had been prompty seconded by Lane and half a dozen of Sam ° ferts’s men, who bad gladly seized the chance to desert the Regulators and work for the cause of the right. Their united efforts had put the Regulators to flight, and then the tree had been raised from its singular 8 sandy ah by means of lariats, and Rube saved from his impending fate, He had had a “ close call,” but by the help of Providence and his good friends, had come out of the jaws of death unharmed. The fuse had been pulled away and trampled on, thus pre- venting an explosion of the powder, but a fire had been started in Rube’s mind, which might cause a greater explosion, = ) GOmrEchbooks Gor