Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 349 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

that his noble black horse would be greatly the gainer by the delay. Back and forth rushed the young scout, ten thousand thoughts darting through his brain; and he feared he was about to go mad, He must, somehow, relieve himself, He removed the bridle from his steed, and batbed its spurred and swollen flanks with wa- ter, which he brought from the creek in his can- teen; pouring large ee of the same over his own fevered head. As he bent over a small, still cove in the stream to procure water, Gerald caught the re- flection of his face in the water—a bar of moon- light shining down upon the point he had se- lected—and he drew back with an exclamation of amazement, at the ghastly appearance of his face, unable to pelieve that the haggard features mirrored below him could be really bis own. It was at this very moment, when Gerald was thus startled by the unnatural reflection of his own face in the stream, that the terrible howl of a black wolf, seeming to proceed from a thicket but a few paces from him, caused the young scout to spring to his feet and jerk his revolver. Although the howl was almost an exact imi- tation of the most dangerous ‘‘ loafer” wolf of the plains, and none except an experienced bor- derman could have detected that the sound did not proceed from the animal mentioned—yet, hardly bad the howl died away before Gerald knew that it had been given asa signal from human lips. The next instant the revolver of the young scout was lowered; for, following the howl, sounded in a gut'ural tone the ejaculation, in not a little of impatience and surprise: **Waush!” “Thank God!” exclaimed Gerald Granger, his features sho’ ‘ing great relief and most extreme joy as he penne toward the thicket. ** Wild Wolf,.come forth! If ever there was a timely coming of a friend, when a friend was needed, it is now, ‘‘The Good Spirit has sent my red brother to Cottonwood creek. Thank Heaven! I bave been so fortunate as to halt ia the right place to meet you, ‘* Wild Wolf, Greene’s Ranch is burned. Mrs, Greene and all the children, except Gracie, have been murdered, Their scalps hang at Apache belts. Gracie and ber father have been earried away captives. I am on the trail, and my heart is relieved to see you.” As Gerald tbus spoke, a horseman forced his affrighted steed from around the thicket, and st revealed, He was a noble-looking Indian. Springing to the earth, the red-man grasped the hand of the young scout and pressed it to his breast in token of amity. At the same time his black, keen eyes gazed upon him, expressing the strongest pleasure that an Indian is ever known to show. The horse was a fine beast, a dark bay in color, with long flowing mane and tail; and evi- dently an animal that could keep a trail as long as any of its kind, or, if called upon, could fly over the ground wiih great speed for a great length of time. Any one accustomed to horses would at once decide the merits of such an animal. The rider was a superb specimen of his peo- em He stood six feet in hight, straight as a ance-shaft, supple, wiry and muscular. Three eagle-feathers flaunted proudly from his beaded “iy which partly held in place his long black air. Upon his face were the bars and stripes of war, quite fresh, which, to the scout, proved at once that his news was no news to the In- dian. and that the latter already knew of the Apacoe raid. aked from the belt that confined his beaded buckskin leggins, and held partly in place the upper portion of his breech-cloth ; thus stood Wild Wolf, the Waco chief, and friend of the Texans. Upon the broad breast of the chief was the representation of a prairie-wolf, done in black ie aah vermilion and white gypsum—the last nz used to represent the fangs and teeth, in the wide-open jaws, from which bung the long red tongue. A revolver and knife at the belt, a short bow, with quiver of arrows at the back, sustained by a beaded strap over the shoulder, a carbine hanging from the horn of bis saddle—these made up the arms of the Waco chief, ani at the time of which we are speaking, indicated be- yond much doubt, bis friendship for the whites, Wild Wolf is not blind,” returned the chief, proudly. ‘‘ He has seen the red fire of the log- ‘Wild Wolf the Waco. lodge, and, has put on war-paint. Wild Wolf does not Ife in his blanket when the war-cries of the Apaches sound in the ears of his white friends. ‘“Wild Wolf’s heart is sad at the words of Hawk Eye. We have not heard the death-yells of our friends, but the death-howls of Apaches shall sound like the sweet songs of birds in our ears. We came too late, but the war-path is open. ‘The scalps of our friends shall not hang long on Apache belts. Dove Eye, the squaw of my white brother, shall not die at torture-stake, Wild Wolf has spoken, and his tonuge is not forked.” The Waco had, upon first acquaintance, years previous, named Gracie Greene,» Dove Eye, while he had dubbed Gerald, Hawk Eye, and Captain Greene, the White Chief. ** Your words give me hope, Wild Wolf; hope where there has been but little. I see now that you know all; but you have not seen the terri- ble sight at the ranch.” ‘Wild Wolf no want see. Know what Apache do on war-path. How does Hawk Eye know White Chief.and Dove Eye captives? Did Hawk Eye see Apache dogs, and his rifle not sound?” ‘*No, I was not a witness to the massacre, or I would not be here now. BntI have seen the gashed and scalped corpses of Mrs. Greene and the four younger children. Captain Greene and Gracie are not there, so they mnst be cap- tives to the Apaches. ‘*I rode in from the west plain after sunset. Then I saw Gracie galloping to the ranch when it was burning. Her horse stampeded on the back trail without ber. She must have dashed in among them in her insane horror, and was captured. ‘There is no doubt in my mind that she and her father are now being carried to torture, and she tc a worse fate. Again I say, thank God you have arrived at this time of all times, ‘* Let us gallop at once to the rescue!” ‘“Good talk. Hawk Eye jump in saddle. Come! War-path is open. War-cry on Wild Wolf’s lips. ‘It is good. Come!” In two minutes more the Waco chief and Gerald Granger were speeding over the plain on the Apache trail. Murder and desolation were in their rear, and in their front—wh® could say? CHAPTER V. WHERE IGNORANCE WAS BLISS, It was but afew minutes after Gracie Greene was hurled into the undergrowth, that Gerald Granger passed the very spot where she lay senseless, on his way to the burning ranch, fifty yards beyond, The you: ;; scout did'not linger in the vicinity of the slain, but a very short time; in fact, it was not balf an hour after clutching the bridle- reins of Beauty on the plain, that both he and Wild Wolf were speeding cn the Apache trail, About the time that Gerald was swearing vengeance over the mutilated bodies at the ranch, poor Gracie lay in the thicket, moaning and sighing, just recovering her consciousness; and, as the young man sped along the line of timber, after his discovery of the trail of the stampeding mules and horses, the maiden sprung to a sitting posture, and gazed around her in the utmost bewilderment. In her fall, ber head had struck a sapling, which stunned her for a time: in addition to which, her brain had received a terrible shock when the horrible war-whoops of the Apaches had rung through the timber. But the suffer- ing she had undergone was as a summer zephyr to a raging tornado, compared with that which was to come, Had it been daylight, and Gerald less agon- ized, he would, had he examined the “sign” surrounding the ranch and at the ford, have discovered that Beauty had not been on the east side of the creek, while the Apaches were there, as the horse of Gracie was shod, Had be made this discovery, and found his loved one after he had been at the ranch, he would then, in some manner, have prevented her from view- ing the fearful spectacle, that would sear her brain with an anguish beyond comprehension— the sight of her butchered mother, sisters, and brothers! A cruel and merciless fate, however, decreed this otherwise, and doomed the poor girl to ex- pares the excruciating agony of mind, which er father had suffered, und which she was less able to bear. For a moment, the maiden sat, incapable of reason or action; a most strange feeling op- — ee ——"""" (. O00 poons her, both mentally and physically. ut the shock, which had caused her to be thus, returned with most startling vividness, causing: her to regain her reasoning capacities almost. on the instant. This was caused by the forked flames of the ranch flaring upward, as some logs fell inward upon the vast bed of living coals of fire; the red light from the same shooting outward and upward, and casting a glow between the tops of the undergrowth, and the lower limbs of the trees, far out over the plain. Quickly Gragie turned her head, and then, like a seething avalanche of molten metal, upon the poor girl’s brain, all the horrible probabili- ties of the near past came upon her. She sprung to her feet, catching at the bushes for support, her sylph-like form swaying and trembling, ber beautiful features contorted with the most fear- ful anguish and horror, while her eyes were fixed in terrible apprehension as if expecting each instant to have the awful war-hoops of the Apaches cut through her tortured brain. sub. naught, except the but faiutly-heard snapping of burning wood, broke the awful silence. The borrified girl stood thus for some time, unable to move a’ limb; her lips parted and parched with the fever of anguish, and her breathing scarcely perceptible. ; Then, behind her, from the plain, came the sound of a galloping borse, the animal coming directly toward her; yet a fascination, which she could not combat, held her in the same posi- tion. Thus she gazed at the ruddy glow, through the timber, that marked the position of her burning home, lighting up brightly its near surroundings, which the poor girl Jonged so much to examine, yet dreaded even to ap- proach, Had the steed, now so near her, a red brave upon its back, been galloping up, and a batchet about to be buried in her brain, Gracie could not bave turned. She was frozen in her tracks. The same hor- rible fascination continued to rule her mind. Thus she stood, her very hair seeming to crawl, as the horse crashed up to her. Then, as the poor maiden’s brain reeled, and she was about to faint with the dread of this new and unknown danger, which broke the fascination that chained her—then, the warm muzzle of Beauty pressed her cheek, and a whinny of pleasure and recognition from her pet filled her ears. With acry of joy and relief, Gracie clasped her arms about the neck of her horse, and burst into tears, which relieved her almost bursting brain. But a short time, however, did she thus caress ber favorite steed. Sbe felt that she must know the dread truths that were screened. by the timber, or she must go mad, From the prolonged silence she felt assured that the savages had departed, and, with one arm about the neck of her horse, she proceeded toward the more open portion of tae under- growth, to gain the bridge over the creek. Her equine companion seemed to understand what was required of him, notwithstanding his pre- vious fright, and the fact that he had galloped about the plain until he was panting laborious- ly, and flecked with foam, Beauty snuffed the air, tossed his head, and snorted at the bank of the creek, as if scenting danger ahead; and his fair owner was forced to clutch at bis mane instead of clasping her arm about bis neck. So wéak was Gracie that she could not mount and she tottered over the bridge, allowing her horse to wade the creek. This he did with hesi- tancy, snuffing the air, and bis eyes protruding from the sockets in dread terror. As Gracie reached the opposite bank, she re- alized that she must proceed alone; that her pet was so terrified that he migbt at any time, were she near him, spring upon her, and do her an injury. he same suspicion that had been entertained by Gerald in regard to the probability of an Apuche spy, or spies, being in the vicinity, en- tered ber mind, causing her to keep within the border of bushes, in the same course that he had taken. As the young girl now staggered onward, nearing her blazing home, but a few paces from the ‘‘open” in which the dwelling had been erected, she became so much agitated that she sunk back, sick and faint, to her knees, and was unable for some moments to proceed fur- ther. And no wonder was it that poor Gracie was thus affected, for the air she breathed was filled with the scent of blood—human blood—the blood of those who had been her darlings, the nearest and dearest to her on earth! | comic 900KS.CO : a “~~ -_ — 7 I — tenes yh eng - * ‘| + } , eet canine Meee ‘. ne e “= 1 - A ee IC tl eT tg ate pe li 7 * . q 5 ~4 ee ee a eine . : ¢ -_ r ; ’ _