Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 427 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

_—— It was the wild and well-known whoop of war of Mad Munroe, rendered now ten times more furious, more threatening, and more ominous of death to the red foe by the sounds the scout had heard, which told him but too plainly that his loved ones were in deadly peril, if not already Slain. And Marion, too, heard that well-known sig- nal of dread war, that had made her husband known and feared by all the hostile tribes on the Texas border; but, although she knew full well her awful pheap ng ne sound gave her a fresh pang of despair. It shot through her already tortured brain, and nearly took her remaining strength away; for she felt sure now, that not only were herself and 1.ttle one lost, but her hus- band also} Yet, instinctively, sho rushed onward. And, with weapons ready, and taunting and exultant whoops the fierce Apaches followed frantically, joyous at having, as they believed, the squaw and pappoose of their hated enemy, Mad Maunroe, in their power! CHAPTER VI. FIRE AND SWORD, Not only did the savages feel sure of the two helpless captives, but of the husband and father as well; even of the noted and dreaded scout, who had slain so many of their braves. The next instant a veritable prince of the plains, the buckskin-clad son of the frontiers, with set teeth, and a revolver in either hand, dashed forward upon his magnificent black, but now foam-covered steed, in one mad leap clear- ing the tops of the undergrowth, and into the open. Again rung out his wild Texas yell, and then twin spurts of flame lit up the scene, revealing more plainly his impressive mien, as he openeda rattling fusilade; his bullets hurtling through the massed Apaches, who had been dazed, for the moment, by the daring dash of the young scout upon them. Marion, with her babe clasped to her breast, ran around to the rear of her husband’s horse. ‘The eyes of Madison lighted up with relief and creat joy even in that mad charge; a time when any moment might be hislastonearth. He had soen that his wife and child were, as yet, un- harmed. As her brave and daring husband thus charg- ed recklessly into the very jaws of death, poor Marion Munroe clasped her babe more closely, and stood, with her pale face upturned to hea- ‘ven, as piteous prayers for their preservation spare from her trembling and almost colorless ips. "The scene was too terrible, and she, while shudders convulsed her frame, closed her eyes to shut out the horrors of that awful sight! But the hellish whoops, the vengeful yells and sah ales ars me with the reports of the revolvers, the shrill whistle of bullets and ar- rows, the wild war-cry of her loved, but as she now felt doomed husband, and the snorting of his steed as its hoofscrashed through the bones of the fallen braves, these sounds seemed to cur- dle the blood in poor Marion’s veins, and filled her with horror indescribable. It would have been quite possible for her to have escaped, during the excitement of the grand charge made by her husband; she might have gained some dark covert in the dense shades, but she was frozen, as it were, to the spot, and incapable of movement. Besides, she well knew that the man of all men to her was, to all intents and purposes, in the hands of his pitiless foes; and what then, was life to her. _ She felt that nothing could save him, and if he lost his life in this gallant effort to save her and their child, she cared not to survive him. No, lifein that case would be an endless tor- ‘ture, Marion opened her eyes, as a chorus of wild and exultant yells rung out, and echoed fiend- ishly through the natural arches of the bottom- timber, which now seemed filled with the painted «lemons. She was nearly blinded by huge forks of flame which shot up into the moss-drooped trees, and illumined the entire ‘‘ open,” and the dense shades beyond, wi h a fierce and weird light, Her cabin home was wrapped in flames! The sight was terrible, and red fiends in war- paint and flaunting feathers danced madly around the * open.” This cruel light, had at first, blinded poor Merion. ‘ She saw not that which lay upon the ground in front of her, and but a short distance from where she stood. — But, a fascination that was simply ungovern- able forced ker gaze from the Lurning cabin The Three Trailers. cm TT to the spot where she had seen her husband dash in his daring charge—a point directly opposite their now burning home. Then the poor woman strove to shriek, but only a gasping sound issued from her parched and palsied lips. Her eyes protruded in horror, anguish and dread, the most agonizing, for her gaze was fixed upon the prostrate and blood- stained forms of the black steed and its recent rider—her hero husband! Yes, Mad Munroe lay still and silent as a corpse, and with nearly a dozen dead and dying Apaches scattered upon the sward of the ‘‘ open” around him. Only for an instant did Marion’s gaze rest upon this most terrible tableau. Then a red hand was laid roughly upon her shoulder from behind, and as if that touch had stricken her dead, the unhappy woman sunk to the earth, her beautiful face colorless as that of a corpse. Thus she lay, as devoid of sense as one dead, Madison Munroe, his wife and child, with his noble steed, all lay, to all appearance, lifeless upon the turf in front of his so recently happy home in the ‘‘ open.” And the glare of the flames from that cosey cabin, playing upon their forms and faces, and upon the hideous paint-daubed and feather- bedizened fiends of Apacheria as well, lying dead around them, lit up at the same time the repulsive features of the survivors, hese last were now dancing with demoniac glee, with whoop and yell of the maddest tri- ump, around the fiercely burning home of Mad Munroe, CHAPTER VII. RED FIRE AND RED FIENDS, Ir is probable that no man ever suffered greater anguish than did Madison Munroe dur- ing his frantic gallop, that headlong and des- perate dash toward his home, after he had heard the shriek of his wife, and the signal whoop of the Apache who discovered the cabin and its occupants, When he heard, the instant after, the report of the rifle, he knew well that his brave wife had attempted a defense of herself and babe. If possible, Mad Munroe loved his Marion more, when he heard that rifle-shot, than ever before. She had proved herself well worthy to be the chosen one of a prairie ranger, and the heart of the brave young scout, although so over- whelmed with, apprehension, swelled with pride foramoment. But, it was to be again tortured by the chorus of whoops which confirmed his worst fears—namely, that a war-party had en- camped near his home, and that he and his loved ones were doomed to death, Then it was, that the insane fury which had made him famous among daring Texans, and feared by the red pirates of the plains, broke out in reality, and made him more of a madman than a sane being. ~ His spurs were, cruelly driven home. _ Life and more than life, depended upon one wild plunge of his steed, he well knew, Headlong darted man and horse, like furies on vengeance bent, as indeed they were, n, crashing down the bushes in his. path, heeding not the whisking branches, and pencing low to avoid the huge limbs that threatene death, went the frantic scout, And that ride was one of excruciating torture tohim. The terrific speed of his horse seemed but as the slow progress Of a turtle, He longed to fly—to cut the air with the speed of an arrow! He leaned forward in his saddle, and, as he drew near the ‘‘ open,” jerked and cocked his trusty ‘‘ Colts,” driving is spurs home into the reeking flanks of his horse. Then, in one great bound, the animal, with a groan that was human-like, cleared the undergrowth, and land- ed in the ‘ open.” The eastern side, Munroe could see, was full of hideous Apaches. : Red braves were bounding from the thickets each moment, One lightning-like glance showed him his Marion and their child! ; He turned his horse, even at terrific speed, to avoid trampling them to the earth, Past them he darted, knowing it to be impos- sible to halt his steed at that great momentum, to clutch his dear ones, and flee. This was not to be thoughtof. They would be dead before that could be accomplished. Well did Madison. know that it was not possi- ble for Marion to escape. He also knew that his own fate was sealed— that his horse was now carrying him into the nidst of the mob of Apaches! Realizing all this in one fitting moment, the scout resolved that death-howls should sound many and fast before the arrows of the savages should pierce his vitals. He knew that the Indians had recognized him, that they knew his yell of war, and would en- deavor to capture him for the torture; even if in so doing they might, in the attempt, lose a number of their force. The signal-yells of the chief proved this, Mad Munroe well understood the full signifi- cance of every whoop and outcry, every hideous howl of the red foe, Consequently he sought not to check the speed of his horse, or to guide the animal from its direct course in that headlong and terrific gal- lop. Right and left he leveled and shot off his revolvers as rae as he could pull triggers. The Apache horde shrunk back, appalled, at that grand and heroic charge. Ever plunge of the black steed brought spurts of fire from deadly tubes, and leaden messengers of death. It was a grand and terrific sight! That lone avenger, battling with two-score of red warriors of the plains, while whoop, and yell, and howl rung and echoed through the dark shades, and up and down the timber-arch- ed channel of the Rio Concho, Painted braves, with flaunting feathers and silver trinkets amid their wildly-flowing hair, threw upward their bronzed arms, their wea- ns held tight in the grip of death: and, with ideous faces terribly contorted, fell as the death-how! shot from their lips, with their latest strength and breath. Arrows flew, but they were aimed at the black steed only, until as many as a score of feathered shafts projected from the _ horse’s body, neck, and limbs. Blood spurted from as many wounds, over the flowers and grass, and over the ghastly corpses of the red victims of the daring scout, and the writhing wounded. Brief was that picture, but awful in the ex- treme. Then flames shot upward from the cabin, and the noble black horse fell upon the sward; while a dozen Apaches, with oxtitant whoops, sprung madly upon the desperate young Texan, who hurled his empty and useless ravolyers with ter- rific force at their heads. He then drew his bowie, and fought like a madman until laid low by a blow from a hatchet; when he sunk, blood-stained and senseless, but, strange to say, without one serious wound upon his person. A perfect bedlam of whoops and howls fol- lowed the downfall of the hated, but greatly feared scout. Nothing would have tempted any one of those Apaches to take the life of their dreaded foe. He had proved himself a great warrior, a chief utterly without fear; and, therefore, he deserved the death of a warrior, and one that would try his fortitude to the utmost, There was little grief manifested on account of their slain, for not one had been scalped, and this would give the dead the entree into the beautiful valley beyond the moon, where, as the Apache believes, the ‘‘ grass is ever green, the rivers never run dry, game is plentiful, and the mustangs fleet as the wind’”—an Indian ideal Heaven. The Apaches were ove! joyew indeed they were in a perfect frenzy of delight; for they were on their return from a successful raid upon the lower settlements of the Rio Llano and San Saba, and they had now secured a captive whom they had, for years, sought to slay or capture. esides this, they had also his squaw and pap- poene, and his home had been pillaged and urned. All this was within less than an hour's gallop of Camp Johnston, where a force of *'long- knives” (cavalry) were then awaiting a favorable season to invade their hunting-grounds, and guided by this very scout whom they had taken, Mad Munroe, This was, indeed, a great success for the red marauders; and they danced before the blazing home of their victims, yelling like fiends, First, however, they bound the much-feared Texan, who had been deemed “ Big Medicine,” that is, one who had proved himself almost invincible, A couple of young braves made sure that Marion could not escape, but she fainted as the hand of one was placed upon her shoulder. She was then bound, and one of the red de- mons was about to dash out the brains of the child against a tree, when the chief, Red Wolf, interfered, giving such orders as to the infant as appeared satisfactory to his principal war- riors. Marion was placed near her husband, and the child by her side; a brave being detailed to JNA ks.com