Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 48 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

Crow’s Foot nodded, with his eyes still fixed on the couples on the bench. “Tf we shoot the men, the squaws may shoot us, or ride away,” pursued Cat’s Eye, ‘* We have no horses here.” ‘We can take those,” objected his comrade, pointing to the corral. ‘We shall be known, if we take them here. The soldiers may come by, and trail us, and then they kill warriors with the rope.” Crow’s Foot gave an uneasy shrug. An In- dian dreads the idea of being hung, worse than any thing. ** Let Crow’s Foot listen,” pursued the wily Cat’s Eye. the trail to Carson, they pass many places fit for an ambush. Let us rouse the Ute braves, lie in wait for them, and slay them in the moun- tains.” Crow’s Foot said nothing. He only looked at the girls, and trembled with spite and jealousy. Cat’s Eye continued, cunningly: “Then we can catch the squaws, shake the warriors’ scalps in their faces, and take them into our lodges, like great chiefs.” Crow’s Foot listened to the last words with attention. Presently he whispered. ‘We can do better than that. First let us shoot the men, then rush out and seize girls and horses in the confusion. We can do it and flee to the Apaches. Who can find us there?” “Cat’s Eye was about to answer, when both started and listened. At the same moment the two Indian girls started up, and seemed to be pointing to the east. The keen senses of all four had caught a distant sound. Presently it became audible to every one, the notes of a bugle echoing gayly from mountain to mountain, mingled with the rattle and clat- se harness and wheels along the Hastings road, Cat’s Eye and Crow’s Foot instantly shrunk down into the smallest space imaginable, and began to SSP awry either had any fancy to meet the rough cus- tomers of the mail coach. In a little while more, the tall, lumbering body of the great coach hove in sight at the en- trance of the valley, covered with grayish-white dust, and loaded down with ngers. The six horses in front trotted weariedly along, as if they had made a long stage, and Jack Hardin and his comrade began to bustle about as the coach drew near. As for Chevrette and Levrette, it was evident that their idyl was over for the present. Before the coach was fairly in sight, both girls had hurriedly embraced Dick arling, and sprung on_ their gayly-comparisoned steeds, ready to gallop off in a moment, Up rumbled the coach. As it drew up to the door, Dick Darling, neat and trim as ever, rode out of the corral gate on a bright * buck- skin ” mustang with black legs and tail, leading vy. a halter asecond animal. He sat there as if ready for any duty, quiet and collected. With a great clatter and rumbling, the coach drew up at the door, the burly red-shirted coachman flung down the reins and slowly swung off his perch, while bronzed miners who com the load came piling out. Dolores Station was the terminus of the stage route. Beyond it only the mail were Car- ried, and passengers had to proceed on foot or hire or buy the extra horses of the Express Company. In a moment there was an animated chaffer- ing going on, while the two Indian girls, sitting like statues on their frightened and plunging horses, scared at the noisy coach-load, were sur- rounded with eager miners. Dick Darling caught the mail-bag which was thrown him by the coachman, ily secured it on the saddle of his led horse, waved his hand in farewell, and galloped away on the Hastings Trail, toward Carson. “ Helloa, Missy, what'll yer take for the paint hoss?” shouted a rough miner, eagerly waving a bag of gold-dust to evrette. Pll give five ounces down on the nail,” said another, oy ing to open his pouch. ‘ Don’t | { galoot, Missy. I’ve got the dust.” ** Six ounces, and Pm thar every time,” yelled a third to Levrette. ‘Git out of the way, fel- lers; the squaw lady sells to me.” ‘‘Hyar, station-master, got any hosses to sell?” said another fellow to Jack Hardin, con- mis ag ‘“You bet,” was the laconic nse. _A moment later, there were three groups of miners after horses, but those around the girls were the most numerous and boisterous, It ‘When the two white men ride on. Dick Darling. ——— oa was all in vain to assure them that the horses were not for sale. The refusal only raised the bids higher, till one burly miner laid his hand on Levrette’s bridle and rudely said: **Come, gal, git off. aN Maithy twelve ounces, two hundred and fifty dollars; and that’s more than any paint hoss is wuth, ary time, The crittur’s mine!” “* Not by a durned sight, pardner,” roared an- other man, seizing the horse on the other side. ‘*Tve offered more’n that a’ready, and hyar’s the dust.” The confusion seemed likely to come to blows, when the clear, sharp voice of Chevrette pierc- ed the tumult like a knife, followed by the om- inous click of a revolver lock. ** Let go my sister’s bridle,” said the girl, fiercely, to the disputants in English. In a moment both hands dropped. The miners had thought the girls common Indians ra the clear, idiomatic English astonished. em. ‘The horses are not for sale,” continued the girl, sharply. ‘‘If you’re gentlemen, clear the way for two ladies. If not we'll make you.” As she spoke, as if by instinct the crowd fell back to right and left, the two girls struck spurs into their horses, and vanished in a cloud of dust, leaving behind them only a vague im- pression of beauty and freedom at which the miners gazed with stupid amazement. CHAPTER IV. THE ENAMORED CHIEFS, In a lonely pass of the Sierra, overlooking the valley of Dolores Station, Levrette and Chev- rette were slowly riding along. The pass was that known as Humboldt’s Pass, the mountains the Humboldt Range. ices bordered the p Overhanging poect and the wild goat and bighorn, not yet scar by the hunters’ long-range rifle, peeped over the lofty pinnacles down at the laz equestrians, who sauntered slowly along, chatting together in French. They were strange girls both, instances of how the wild nature is stronger than civiliza- tion. Spite of their conyent education, and the sight of all the t atey: cities of the East, they seemed to be perfectl nappy where they were, and to prefer the wild life to any other. Suddenly, as they were in the pass, a crowd of ragged, half-naked Indians sprung up, as if by magic, all round them, and before even the rapid Chevrette could draw a pistol, both girls were prisoners, with arrows, rifles and pistols pointing threateningly at their heads. Then Cat’s Eye, ping behind him a bran new scarlet blanket which he had drawn from the agent that morning, swept forward, and said, with a grim chuckle, in h: ‘ Much heap good, squaw. at tvink now —hey ? Chevrette cast a ence of inexpressible loath- ing on the chief. e disdained to use the In- dian tongue, alenough she spoke it well. ‘* Well, dog of a ,” she said, bitterly. ‘‘So ryan Ute hai gh are ae be ap Seay oO squaws, but they m guns at them. Go. “Phere is no aoe like a bte. 3 Crow’s Foot, who stood beside Cat’s Eye, seemed to be more of a brute. Stung by Chev- rette’s words, he raised the long lance he car- ried, and was about to deal the girl a blow with the staff, when Cat’s Eye interposed and pre- vented the blow. ‘** My brother must be patient,” said the wily chief. ‘“Itisno use to spoil a squaw, till she grows old and ugly. Leave her to me.’ Then changing his smooth flowing language to the imperfect English he used, he said: “Say, git off hoss, bymebye. S’pose no, I make you.” Levrette, the indolent and stately, had not spoken all this while. Now she raised her voice and demanded: ‘What do you want of us, Cat’s Eye?” ‘Want squaw. Want make fire, cook meat, nise par Ri, ted the Ute. e , then, why don’t you treat us civilly?” asked the girl, coolly. ‘‘ You must learn to pease a squaw, before she enters your lodge. is no way to do it.” Cat’s Eye stared at her a moment in surprise, and then burst into a contemptuous laugh, as he said: ‘‘ You t’?ink Cat’s Eye much heap fool but you see no. Git off hoss.” eh OM In a moment Levrette had whipped out a re- volver, with arapidity very unusual to her, and held it cocked against the Ute chief’s head. ‘Order your men back, or you die,” said the She well knew the man she was dealing 3 —_—— with. Cat's Eye was one of the few cowardly Indians, and he quailed under the muzzle of the . tol ‘e istol. Crow’s Foot was not to be daunted thus. ‘Shoot, squaw,” he said, roughly. ‘‘Crow’s Foot git two squaw then.” He had hardly spoken when Chevrette, who had been watching her opportunity, raised the. pis- tol she had stealthily drawn from her belt, and dealt the brute a quick rap under the ear, while his attention was directed to her sister. Crow’s Foot drop without a sound, like a felled ox, and the daring girl, scattering revol- ver shots all round her, dug the spurs wang aA in the mustang, and burst her way through the group that surrounded her. Cat’s Eye had instinctively dropped Levrette’s bridle, and the girl made haste to follow her sister’s example. The Indians, with loud yells, began to pursue, firing as they went, but it was evident from the first that they were firing wild, and not very anxious to hit. Cat’s Eye ordered them to shoot at the horses, but b e time he could give the order, the ariginth were out of reach of any thing but rifle bullets, and the rifles were empty. A moment later, a ds had disappeared round the base of the hill, and the discomfited chief saw that the prey had escaped him. He took his disappointment with all the stoicism of an Indian. A white man, under the same circumstances, would have made the air blue with profanity. Cat’s Eye simply squatted down on a rock by his partner in iniquity, and calmly waited the latter’s recovery. Crow’s Foot was not long in coming to. The Indian skull is thick, the Indian’s constitution strong. In a very few minutes the Ute chief opened his eyes, gave a stupid grunt, and then sat a : ere are the squaws?”’ he asked his com- rade. ** Gone.” Crow’s Foot gave another grunt, and relapsed into dissatisfied silence. ‘We must leave here,” presently observed the wily Cat’s Eye. ‘‘The squaws have gone to the 1 ges of the Echipeta, and they will be after us,” Crow’s Foot grunted again. Presently, he said: ‘Let us get horses and go on the Carson_trail at once. e riding chief is there, and we can kill him, and come back. By that time the Echipeta will be goi i here again and we may strike them in the back.” Cat’s Eye’s face brightened with pleasure. ‘*My brother has spoken well. e will seize the Station horses, this very night. The best will be left. Is it good?” Once more Crow’s Foot gave vent to the ex- pressive Indian grunt, which means any thing the warrior chooses, according to the expres- sion of face which accompanies it. Then the whole party rose and tram off down the , till they came to a which commanded a view of Dolores Station in the valley below them. There lay the station, silent and peaceful to all ap ce. The corral only contained about a dozen horses, instead of the usual crowd, and a cloud of dust going down the valley to- ward Austin, told that the miners’ party were off with the rest of the animals. The ‘‘ Pioneer ” Coach, lying idle in front of the hut, showed that its journey was over for the day, and the six iron-gray horses that be- longed to it, were feeding peacefully out of a trough in front ‘‘ Listen,” said Cat’s Eye, sententiously. “ The coach goes Lack to-morrow. Its horses are big ae and feed on corn. Let us take them “Good,” said Crow’s Foot. well.” ‘‘ And let us kill the men at the station,” Py sued Cat’s Eye, cunningly, “lest they trail their horses in the morning. Dead men’ can not go “They will run to the agent and report us.” Crow’s ph looked ity his com sigue with ad- miration. e rascality compe is respect. He could ap iate it fully. “ Look,” he said, pointing to the setting sun. ‘The time is come. The two white men will Le drunk to-night. Let us go.” Cat’s Eye nodded, and the began to ce- scend the mountain, together with the shadows of evening. 3 Meantime, in the adobe ge - i sepedren ion, a very snug little party of twow er- ei. Mr. John flandin’ of Kentucky, and Bae: William Grimes, of Ilinois (usually called Billy Grimes), were seated on the opposite beds, im - JOO com (E SAECO)