Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 349 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

' = Pind ow has a” -. ie > > = apt Ms gf ters fy oo .' F > ” > Ls = 3 . . "sy & " y ee = me ee eagerness to follow the Apache trail, for War- nona, a that the maiden seemed to hesi- tate, quickly left her to think upon what she had said to her. The squaw now grasped a bar of cedar, that leaned against a tree, approacaing the cabin of the vaqueros to obtain it. Not until then, did she discover the mutilated bodies of Antonio and Pedro, bavging from the lim», With a half-suppressed ‘‘ Waugh ” of surprise and vengeful furv, the squaw returned, and thrust the dry bar of cedar into the red coals. It soon ignited, giving a clear, bright blaze. Warnona was resolved that Gracie should not be horrified by the sight of the two dead Mexi- cans; rightly concluding that the poor girl had as much upon her mind as she could bear, and live through it, with her senses, Very cunning and intelligent was the squaw, She knew that Gracie must be led to think upon some other subject than the fearful mas- sacre, or at least to have some anxiety for the safety of the living to prevent her from becom- ing insane, through grief for the dead. She had no means of knowing what had be- come of Captain Greene; but she bad asserted her belief as to his capture, for the purpose of causing some change in the maiden’s feelings, Her object in procuring the torch was to endeavor to ascertain, by the ‘‘sign,” some- thing in regard to the attack and also the force of the war party. However, Warnona bad not gone ten paces, when she made a most important discovery, by which she hoped to influence Gracie more strongly in favor of following the trail. She well knew that the iron-shod hoof-prints, which she discovered, had been made since the Apaches left the ranch; but she determined to deceive the young girl, in this respect. These hoof-prints, Warnona knew had been made by the horse of Gerald Granger, and that the young scout was already on the trail. He was, doubtless, aJone; which was the greater reason why they shuuld follow, and assist him. Casting aside her torch, the squaw at once formed her little stratagem. Taking the bridle-rein of Beauty in one hand and the palm of Gracie in the other, she led the maiden and her horse into the nearest thicket, saying, in a soft voice. ‘“Dove Eyes stay. here. Warnona Will roll her white friends in blankets, and then lay in little log lodge. No time to put in ground now. ‘Shut door. Then wolves no get in. Buz- gards no get in. Mebbe so rancheros be here when sun come. Leave talk-paper on door. Say putin ground, then come on trail. Dove Eye no talk, When Warnona come back, she talk.” Without waiting for a reply, the squaw hast- ened to the cabin of the herders, which had es- caped destruction from its being hidden by a thicket. In the loft of this cabin, she found several blankets, which she carried to the place where the dead lay. Quickly she rolled each corpse into a blanket, and in her strong arms, bore them to the cabin, one after the other, When this was done, Warnona cut down the bodies of Pedro and Antonio, and dragged them into the hut also, She then closed the door, placing a huge log against it, Washing the blood-stains from her hands at the creek, the squaw returned to the side of Gracie; who, seated in the thicket, had relaps- ed into a despairing mood, weeping convulsive- ly. She knew that Warnona was bearing all that remained of her loved ones to the cabin. “Wipe eyes,” ordered the squaw, ‘* War- nona tell Dove Eye make talk when come back. It is good. Warnona eyes sharp, iron on hoofs of horse. Warnonaknow trail. Wild Wolf, he know trail of Hawk Eye.” ‘ ‘‘Ob, Heaven! This is too much!” cried the poor girl, in accents of despair and suffering. ‘Surely God will not allow every one to be thus taken from me, leaving me thus desolate, the little time that remains to me on earth! “ Are you not mistaken, Warnona?” ‘*Warnona got sharp eye. See Hawk Eye trail. Mebbeso Apache got him. Tie White Chief to torture stake, Tie Hawk Eve to tor- ture stake, if Dove Eye no go with Warnona. Come! “ We save, No warriors, Squaws xo on war-path. good! ‘Look! Dove rs put on buckskin. nova paint Dove Kye face. Look like brave!” The squaw, as she spoke, threw down a suit of apparel, almost precisely like that which she We go on trail. War-path open. t is War- Waco SO See —- a ee ee + aa i. , is L : % - Wild Wolf the Waco. herself wore, together with moccasins, which she had procured from her saddle-bags, Without, hesitation, Gracie threw off her skirts, and soon was attired exactly like her red friend; the latter proceeding to paint her face, neck and hands, a reddish color. She then daubed on the stripes of war, peculiar to her tribe. The maiden buckled her belt of weapons around her waist, her rifle being strapped to pind saddle still, as when she rode upon the plain. All this was done mechanically. Warnona unloosed her mustaag, sprung upon the animal, and swinging her quirt in the air— after ordering Gracie to follow her example— lashed her steed, which bounded out from the smoking ruins of the ranch. co a minute more the two war-painted female braves were speeding along the brond moonlit trail, up toward the north, and parallel with the timber of Cottonwood creek, leaving the blazing ranch and the corpses of tne slain behind them. The brain of the bereaved girl had be- come more natural, from the fact that she be- lieved sbe was now speeding toward her father and Gerald Granger, While in the thicket, as Warnona had direct- ed, Gracie had written with a pencil, upon a piece of paper which she found in her pocket, as follows: ‘‘My mother, my sisters and brothers are all mur- dered! Their bodies are in this cabin. Please bury them. Warnona, the squaw of Wild Wolf, and my- self now start on the trail of the Apaches, who have done this horrible deed, “They have now my father and Gerald Granger in their power. For God’s sake, follow, and save us and them. ** GRACE GREENE.”’ This slip of paper was fastened by Warnona to the door of the little cabin,which now served as the receiving tomb of the butchered inmates of Greene’s Ranch. CHAPTER VII. THE PIRATES OF THE PECOS. THE general course of the Rio Medina, as it passes through Bexar county, is due east, but its crooks and turns are many. From the Bandera Hills to Castroville—a small ranchero town at the time of which we write—the Medina flowed almost at right angles with its course below: that is, nearly south. The Apache war-party were aware that they were in a very dangerous locality; that they must pass between Castroville and San Antonio or else to the south of Castroville, over the vast plains to the Rio Frio. The burning of Greene’s Ranch was a reck- less feat, for the blaze could be seen for a long distance. But this very fact would enable them to run the gantlet of the ranches on the Medina. However, the Apache chief, Black Wolf, re- joiced at securing such a large herd of horses and mules, besides several scalps and a captive for torture, became, as he sped over the plains, resolyed to leave a reminder of his presence on the river. Much elated with his success, Black Wolf de- cided to increase the herd and secure more scalps. He would then fly with his braves in a direct course, west to the Medina, Agreeably to this pre-arranged programme of the Apache chief, the herd was, with the captive and the slain braves, reduced in their speed to a slow trot, as the dark line of timber appeared in front of them; and under control of a dozen braves, were left to bring up the rear, in- stead of being in the lead, while the main por- tion of the war-party dashed on toward the Rio Medina, It was but a short distance from this point that they had passed, going south, the previous night, when they had halted between two ranches, and spies had been sent out to ascer- tain the position and surroundings of the one which would be the most favorable to attack on their return. This manner of proceeding was often prac- ticed by the cunning Apaches and Comanches, But to explain: It will be seen at once that, if the trail had been discovered in the morning or during the day after the Apaches had passed south aeross the Medina to Cottonwood creek, and then fol- lowed, the Indians, who secreted themselves within the timber of the creek during the day, could observe the approach of the trailers on the plain—themselves concealed—and lie in ambush to receive them. Again, did trailers reach the creek after the Se - - J 5 Visp —T v0 “erin “4 ote - - <f + he ad '* + ff? Ay \ Seat 7-5 13 P aye se Pete - Vv. 4 A 7 Ring ?= ez ; A ¢ TAT OP Ay vA + Te Roy ; ‘ . -. departure of the Apaches up the stream to at- tack Greene’s Rauch, the Indians would, by a short delay at the ranch, avoid them, This they — could do by doubling on their former trail or proceeding parallel with the same, at a reason- able distance, and thus escape any strong force which might be in pursuit. Auother advantage in favor of the Apaches would be the fact that, had their trail of the revious night been discovered on the Medina, eading south, the people of the ranch they proper to attack would be taken completely y surprise, as they would not suppose the Apaches would dare return on the east side of Castroville, after passing down-country-in that way. All this had been considered. No attempts bad been made by the Apaches, when passing down-country, to avoid leaving ‘* sign ’; just the opposite, for a broad trail had been purposely left for treasons that have been explained. By this proceed'ng many a war-party has pounced upon a line of ranches, where none were at home except the women and children; the men being thus led from their homes on the trailof the same party of marauding sav- ages. The Apaches were now riding on like demons of darkness, the sounds made by their advance being audible but a short distance away. But as they neared the dense shades, jaw- straps were jerked, and the hideous horde of midnight murderers made ready for the attack, This, by Black Wolf’s orders, to the fiendish joy of his braves, was to be an open, thunder- ous, headlong charge, with war-whoops unlim- ited, Elated with success, the chief scorned to act in the sly and secret manner usual with him. He scorned the bated Texans and despised them, although hundreds of miles stretched be- tween them and their villages beyond the Rio Pecos. The guard with the herd, the plunder, and captive were ordered to pass from the.trail of the war-party, southward, fording the river, and then to pass west toward the Bandera Hills, to strike the Medina again, near the same, Thus the main body were in no way impeded. Soon the pirates of the plains all disappeared beneath the dark shades of the timber, which was silent as death, and became lost in the mazes of the dense undergrowth. But a very short time elapsed when the Apache horde emerged from the west side of a belt of timber quite near a ranch which was within a curve of the stream, amid a cluster of huge corrals, These proved the owner to be a man of means. All was silent around the doomed Texan home, as the Apaches collected in a mass, and then sat their mustangs, awaiting the signal of attack. For a moment the red fiends sat their impa- tient mustangs in exultant anticipation, each with arrow fitted to bow-string, and with other deadly shafts ready to adjust and send through the air on errands of death. Upon the wide veranda which fronted west lay many dark objects, the length and size of men. This was a joyful sight to the Apaches; for they decided, and correctly, that their trail in passing down-country had been discovered, but too late in the day to be followed. The rancheros of the vicinity bad gathered at this ranch, and intended to start on the trail in the morning; none dreaming of the return of the war-party on the east side of Castroville, Had they done so, they would have posted a guard, and an alarm would have sounded im- mediately. Thus the Apaches reasoned ; Black Wolf being almost wild with exultant joy,as he sprun from his mustang, and gave a number of raptt gestures. : Instantly half of the warriors dismounted, then stole, crouching like demons, spreading out in a line in front of the dwelling. Black Wolf stood erect, his scalping-knife in band, and made a peculiar sign with it. At once the bow of every brave was bent, the feathered ends of the deadly shafts kissing the painted cheeks of the red fiends. Then, from the chief, rung his wild war-whoop, as a signal to his braves, and a warning to his bated foes. f As the first portion of the prolonged whoop of war burst from the chief’s lips, every Texan— fully a score in number—sprung to a sitting pos- ture ahd clutched bis rifle, Then the twang of bow-strings sounded on the air, and a volley of steel-pointed shafts glinted and glittered in the glow of the smoldering camp-fires, opposite the dwelling. ve ) ) a D Lis > ° ‘>