Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 442 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

eee we PSE Sa —E => summa ee — —— cormmit, Under the impulse of momentary | had done all this might still be at the camp. In madness, he pulled the trigger. that case, they might mutilate and burn the A loud report followed. dead ! Bluff Bill fell, as if stricken with death! | All was now bustle and confusion. , The chief Humpy sprung to the prostrate form of his | ordered a return up the river, to capture the victim, and examined his head, at which he had | despoilers of his camp. There was really no aimed. He perceived that the wretch was only | further occasion for the war-party to remain at stunned. | the ranch, now a smoldering heap. Nothing His first emotion was one of thankfulness | was to be gained, except the herd of horses and that he had not slain the brother of bis mas- | mules; and already braves sufficient had been ter. But soon another feeling had possession of dispatched after these, | | him. herefore, leaving but two warriors to await A wild whoop sounded, and turning his head | the coming of their comrades with the horses, and gazing through the screen of bushes, Humpy | the war-party, with fierce yells, sped down to discovered the Comanches riding fast and di- | the river, forded, and hastened on their way to rectly toward him. the camp; taking with them the wounded In- They had heard the report and seen the smoke | dian, who had brought the news. from his pistol. There was no use in his attempting to remove Bluff Bill. Hecould not lift one-half his weight, The negro boy sprung into the shades with a wild and strange expression in his eyes. It was but fate after all. Retribution had overtaken Bluff Bill. The miscreant was doomed! Once in the power of the Comanches, it was impossible for him to escape them. | The giant scout and his companion was great- ly relieved at the departure of the red-men. Their first act was to crawl up on tho pair that remained, and end their war-trail; scalping them, and then casting the corpses into the river. Hardly had this been accomplished, when they heard the rumble of many hoofs ap- proaching the corrals; and beheld, as they peer- ed through the foliage, the ten Comanches who had been sent after the stampeding herd, ver thoughtful of the safety of others the These had, in their midsv, a captive, whom dwarf had placed the pistol of the outlaw in the | Wallace and Francisco did not at first recog- hand of the latter, pointing the muzzle toward | nize. the wound. | The surprise of the savages was great, when He wished the savages to think that Bluff Bill | they saw that their comrades were gone. One had shot himself, so that they might not search | of them hastened to cross the river, and gaze for the person who had fired the pistol, and | over the west plain. thus discover Captain La Grange and Leon. The captive was, although transformed in ap- Humpy rushed to warn his master, but he | pearance, then identified as Bluff Bill; and Big reeled in histracks as he caught sight of the | Foot could not but rejoice that the Indians had taken the wretch off the hands of those he had | so terribly wronged. He knew that Bill La | Grange was doomed—that Captain Lem and lit- | tle Leon would never more be molested by their cowardly and villainous relative. Bluff Bill’s career was at an end, Bluffing would not count in the game in which | he would now be forced to take a hand. Death | blankets and saddles. The old ranchero and his nephew were gone. They had vanished, leaving no sign of which way they had been spirited off or the cause of their departure. The negro boy was completely nonplused, but soon he recalled the presence of Bluff Bill, and decided that he must have had a hand in the abduction. He was greatly «distressed, but ; was before him, and death by torture. it was atime for actions, not words. Kneeling The brave, who had sped over the river, gave down, after having procured a torch, he ex- | a peculiar whoop, which brought a yell from amined every inch of ground in the ‘ open.” the others, who fled toward the stream. The But the light was insufficient, watchers knew tl at the signal meant the war- Humpy could see no sign whatever. party were on the west plain. Infuriated, and with an anguish of heart the Away from the sight of our two friends, sped most torturing, the boy rushed back to gain ' the Comanches with their captive; the latter a view of the plain. the picture of despair and horror. There he saw Bluff Bill, bound fast upon a ‘* Dog-gone my ole heart,” was the remark of horse, in the midst of ten Comanches. Big Foot, ‘ef Bill La Grange hesn’t gut ter the He had that much, at least, for which to be | eend of his rope I’m a kiote! But, how in grateful. Humpy was rejoiced that the ruffian ; thunderation did ther reds light on him? Any- was beyond all power to further harm those | how I’m glad he’s bin skuped in. whom he had vowed to find, even though he | ‘‘Thar’s a good show fer we’uns ter save must search the bottom for miles in doing so. | ther stock now, Frisco. Come on! We can’t Yet, he was nearly insane from anguish and | do nothin’ hyer. Hit won’t be much of a job grief. ter slap up another cabin, an’ we-uns orter a thank the good Lord fer fotchin’ us through all O. K., an’ without losin’ a ha’r,” CHAPTER XVIII. Francisco needa ne second order to leave : the ranch, and seek Captain Lem and the two vesamarbaspeetia te Sa ba boys. He and his tard had not gone far when Yes, Bend Ranch was in ruins, they spied the herd, at a stand-still, on the The main portion of the war-party, with which | northern side of the entrance to the bend. Both were the chief and the leading braves, danced | hurried on to the little ‘‘open” in which they around the burning cabin in mad and exultant had left their friends, and their concern was glee. | great when they found only the saddles and Both Big Foot and Francisco witnessed this, | blankets. but the old scout had often gazed on similar and Captain La Grange, Leon, and Humpy were even worse scenes. _ gone! For a long time this was kept up, the searchers, Big Foot gave a long and piercing yell, as a who had been dispatched after the fugitive | signal. me Mexicans, returning one by one, except those; Faintly to his ears came an answer, in the who had been shot. Exultant war-whoops shot | peculiar manner used by the dwart. from the lips of many, as the returning braves They hastened in the direction of the sound, circled scalps about their heads the moment they struggling through the undergrowth. came in view. The little negro had, until the arrival of the But there came an interruption to the dance. | scout and Francisco, searched far and wide for A solitary Indian, who was evidently seriously | the ranchero and his little nephew, but without wounded, staggered from the bushes, uttering a | success. When he heard the signal at length, low and peculiar outcry. The warriors instant- | he well knew from whom it came, and answer- ly pmediny about him. | ed it, rejoicing and relieved that at last he would e spoke with difficulty, making many signs | have assistance in seeking for his friends, and gestures, and often pointed toward the | While anxiously waiting, after having given camp of the war-party. the answering signal, Humpy glanced across the ‘That red hellyun hev come from ther camp,” | gully, on the bank of which he stood, and was whispered the old scout. ‘‘ He air tellin’ his | struck with the strange appearance of the pards how we-uns hev escaped, an’ how ther | trunk of one of the trees. It seemed to him on guards hey bin shot an’ sculped. ' : | further examination of the same, that two bears 6 Dog-gone it! We-’uns must ha’ missed him | must be leaning against a sapling. But it was in ther ’citement. They’re b’ilin’ mad now, | very difficult to distinguish objects in the shade. but hit won’t do’em a bit of good. Lay low, He then heard the approach of the scout, and Frisco, an’ we'll see what’s ther nex’ thing on | descended the gully, giving a yell to Big Foot ther p’ogramme!” to let him know where he was. Climbing up A vengeful yell was heard, when the wounded | the opposite bank, the negro boy found himself brave had re all that had occurred at the _ hear the yrange object he had previously camp since the departure of the war-party. It _ noticed. He stole cautiously forward, and gave was possible—or they thought—that they who . a cry of alarm, which was quickly followed by —_———_—— rs rr a - — ee 15 -_— —— eee ee ee COO rrr Oe re one of the most joyous surprise, as he rushed onward. At the same moment, Big Foot Wallace and Francisco came up, The three stood before the fast-bound anc gag- ged forms of Captain Lem and Leon, but they could hardly believe their senses. The captives were struggling fruitlessly. it seemed strange not to hear them speak. Soon, however, they were cut free, and the gags removed, ‘‘ Jumpin’ Jehosiphat!” was the exclamation that escaped the old scout, in his great amaze- ment, All was soon mutually explained. Big Foot expatiated somewhat on the several strange and marvelous escapes, and recommend- ei an immediate saddling up, and that all hands start at once to drive the herd down the river to the Frio, for the Comanches would, more than likely, put in an appearance again, and stealevery animal. All agreed to thi. sug- gestion, and preparations were at once made. Captain Lem was astonished on hearing that his unnatural brother had fallen into the hands of the indians, He would have been better sat- isfied to know that Bluff Bill had been slain; for it gave him a shock to think of one, who was after all his brother, being put to the tor- ture. Yet, it seemed that the Fates had thus decreed; and it was some consolation to feel that they would not again have their lives and liberty in peril, or be torced to undergo the pain and pri- vation that had so la‘ely been theirs, from the same source. There is but little more to be told. The herd was driven to a place of safety, a number of rancheros accompanying our friends back to the bend, a few days after, There were no signs of Indians at the ranch, but the trail of the war-party was discovered at the entrance of the bend, thus showing that they had been in search of the herd and their escaped captives. The camp of the Indians was visited, and there evidence was found of the tragic en that had overtaken Bluff Bull. , Captain La Grange was assisted by his friends in the erection of another cabin, and the stock was driven back to the bend; although Big Foot ad- vised strongly against it, asserting that Ceptnin Lem would, before much time should elapse, iind out that Cortina, the “‘Scourge of the Rio Grand,” had not forgotten his oath of vengeance, or the fact that he had lost a score of his follow- ers through seeking it, But the old ranchero was stubborn, and was much attached to the old ‘‘ locate;” and the consequences thay appear later, of his persisting in remaining at Bend Ranch, when there was every reason toexpect a raid upon it, with Cor- tina in person as leader. In closing, we will say that Big Foot Wallace was a frequent visitor at the ranch, and that Humpy was voted a hero, and praised by all. The giant scout, however, was almost constant- ly in active service; Cortina having invaded Texas with the largest force of desperate bandits ever under the command of any one man in the two Americas. THE END. DIME DIALOGUES AND SPEAKERS FOR SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS AND HOME ENTERTAINMENTS. Dialogues, Nos. 1 to 32 inclusive, 15 to % popu- lar dialogues and dramas in each book. Each vol- ume 100 pages 12mo, . Speakers, Nos. 1 to %4 inclusive. Each speaker 100 pages 12mo0, containing from 50 to 75 pieces, YOUNG PEOPLE’S SERIES, Dime Book of Winter Sports. Dime Book of Summer Athletic Sports Dime Gents’ Letter Writer. Dime Book of Etiquette. Dime Book of Verses, Dime Book of Dreams. Dime Ladies’ Letter Writer, 0° Fortune Teller. Dime Lovers’ Casket. Dime Ball-Room Companion. Dime Book of 100 Games. Dime Chess Instrucéor, Dime Book of Beauty. :e™ The above books are sold by newsdealers everywhere, or will be sent, post-paid, to any ad y dress, on receipt of price, ten cents each. 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