Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 442 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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et ee ——™ — the timber, and toward the spot where Leon and Humpy had entered cover. | Fran:zisco could not have spoken had he wish- ed, for he had been gagged in a most painfyl manner; and, before he had recovered himself, Big Foot was beyond hearing distance. With- out lingering, he sped as fast as was possible | after the herd, which was then half-way to the | horse to the utmost in an endeavor to reach the | swell of the bend, his own horse being in the stampede. | He knew that the ranch, the lives of his em- joyer and Leon, and indeed those of Big Foot Vallace and himself, were in the greatest peril for the words and manner of the scout hac proved this, and he was not the man to magnify danger, or give false alarms. Consequently, Francisco made fast time; but, long before he gained the ranch, the animals had all been cor- raled by Captain Lem, and the latter was dis- covered by the herder, striding fast to meet him, and apparently much excited, “What in thunder gave the beasts the stam- yede, Francisco? Where’s Pablo and Garcia? reat snakes, I say, what’s up? Have you seen Leon?” ‘Big Foot Wallace stampede the horses, Senor Lemuello. Pablo and Garcia are spies and traitors. They tied me hand and foot, and gagged me, and I should not be here now but for Senor Wallace. ‘‘ He says bad Mexicans are up the river, and Garcia and Pablo knew they were coming. The big scout has galloped fast up the Leona. I have not seen Senor Leon since morning; then he rode up the river with Humpy. Big Foot has gone in search of him.” Captain Lem stood motionless, and with a look of anguish and the most dread apprehen- sion upon his countenance. His whole form presently began to tremble when he recalled the oath of vengeance that had been sworn by Juan Cortina, and felt that the blow was now about to descend, and that it would crush out from his life all joy and pleasure, leaving it a barren waste. He was too weak to reach the ranch without the support of Francisco. The old soldier seemed prostrated in mind and body, but the faithful vaquero lost no time in making fast the doors and shutters, and then, loading all the fire-arms and pacing them upon the table, with an ample supply of ammu- nition, he grasped a rifle and took a position for favorably watching the approaches to the cor- rals and the dwelling. Night had by this time enveloped the earth with a dusky mantle, it being much darker within the bottom-timber than outside on the jlains—indeed it was too dark to distinguish a omnes form unless one was near the same. The stars were thick and bright, however, and with- in the openings one could perceive objects quite plainly. Besides this, Francisco knew the moon would soon rise. Whether this would benefit either party re- mained to be seen. Finally, much to the herder’s delight, Captain La Grange threw off the weight of despair that had ruled him, as much as was possible, and with set teeth and grim determination, clutched a rifle and strode toward the door, proceeding to cast aside the oaken bar. But Francisco as his arm and drew him to a loop-hole, pidding him, in a whisper, gaze outward. The ranchero gave utterance to a groan of the deepest anguish, for he beheld Humpy crawling toward the dwelling, as if the utmost caution was necessary to insure his safety. The little negro had accompanied Leon. Where, then, could the idolized nephew of the captain be? his questioning thought shot through the r man’s brain like a red-hot shaft of steel, and a heavy groan escaped him as he clutched at the log wall for support. CHAPTER IX, AGAINST FEARFUL ODDS. THE great heart of the giant scout was filled with gravest anxiety in regard to the safety of the two lads, when he sped along the border of the timber in his daring and dangerous trip to ascertain the true state of affairs in connection with the pride of Captain Lem’s heart and his own; to wit, little Leon. And more than anxious was*Big Foot when he caught the sound of firearms, and he decided that the youths had, for some rash and inexpli- cable reason, made halt at some seemingly favorable place which they had thought easy of defense, and that they were now, from that | cover, defending themselves. Second thoughts, - clear ground. Bluff Bill, the youngsters could have evaded the bandits, or at least kept out of rifle range, had they so wished, And absurd it was to suppose that Leon La j i Grange, who was intelligent beyond his years | and who had never as yet encountered human foes, would run any needless risks. Besides, the old scout well knew that Leon would tax his ranch as far ahead of the outlaws as was possi- ble, in order to warn bis uncle and have every- thing secure to stand or repel an assault, These most natural reasonings plunged Big Foot into a very perplexed state of mind in re- gard to the cause of the firing. Most certainly the bandits were not within rifle range of the youths when he had first perceived them, and judging from the condition he had believed the animals of the Greasers to be in, he did not deem it possible that they could have lessened the distance between them and the lads. It was true that he had no means of knowing in what condition the ponies of Leon and Humpy were, but it was not reasonable to sup- pose that the boys had run them to any extent— certainly not throughout the day. There was only one way to account for their having halted or having been forced to take an advantageous position and there defend them- selves, and that was that one of the ponies might have met with an accident. This was the decision arrived at by the old scout, but in spite of it, he remained just as much concerned as before. Not for a moment did he dream that the ban- dits had met other enemies than the two help- less youths, as the Bend Ranch was the last on that border, there being not another within twenty miles, and no cattle on that range what- ever, except within the bend. Consequently, there would be no occasion for a body of cow- hunters to be in that locality; and as for mus- tangers, it was not the right season of the year. There was mystery and death ahead, how- ever. Of this Big Foot was satisfied. And from the fact that Leon and Humpy were probably in some manner concerned in it, he spared not his faithful steed, which fairly flew over the ground as if life and death depended upon a moment’s time, as, indeed, he felt, they probably did. Darker grew the shadows, and before Big Foot reached the vicinity of the spot where he knew that the youths must have entered the timber, the shades of night had fallen. The*noted scout was not one to approach the point of probable conflict without due caution. Such had been his haste that he had not once made halt to listen. Had he done so he might have caught the sound of the war-whoops of the Comanches, which, had he heard them, would have at once explained to him the cause of the firing. Before coming too near he guided his horse into the timber a few yards and listened intently. All was still, The victorious whoops of the Indians had ceased, and they were skulking after signs of their foes in silence, having by that time slain and scalped the trio of Mexicans who had sprung from their horses into the river and striven to escape by swimming down-stream, But as the old scout was now impatiently about to urge his horse onward once more, his practiced ears caught a sound of the moving of the branches and the dull, but regular, tramp of a horse along one of the paths that led from the river. Reaching cover as soon as possible, and as near the unknown equestrian as he could with safety, Big Foot again halted and strained his senses to the utmost. He knew that the horse which approached was controlled and rid- den, and he was also able to decide very closely the point at which the horseman would emerge from the timber. But the latter did not ride forth from the screen of bush and branch, as Wallace had ex- pected he would. Just the opposite, for he halted within a few yards of the hiding-place of the scout and re- mained still and silent. Big Foot was more than puzzled this time. He was indignant and furious. His anxiety was too strong and actor to permit him to re- main inactive while the fate of Leon La Grange was in doubt, Yet the old scout was at a loss what move to make. Soon he became desperate and drew his re- volver,determined to spur forward and drive the stranger at the muzzle of the weapon out into Justas he had thus decided, how- however, in considering this probability, made | ever, he detected the approach of a number of it seem unlikely. “» to ta De —— '° Indeed, he felt satisfied that | night-riders, who were just keeping within the | a - + eer, as -_- ~-e- a shades of the timber, thus proving ihn. (Levy feared to ride on the open plain. The mystery had deepened. Of whom were they afraid? Certainly not of the two boys from the ranch. These must be the Mexicans, whom he had seen, But, why were they thus cautious? Why were they riding through the thorny thickets? This was strange to the scout. Stranger events were, however, soon to hap- pen. By the sounds, there must be about a dozen of the Greasers thus approaching, and Big Foot was directly in their path, should they keep on in the course in which they were boavetane Yet he felt no fear for his personal safety. He was sure, too, that the single horseman, who had ridden up from the river, belonged with the band that were nearing him, and that he would join them. ae was soon to know that he was correct in this, When the party reached a point near where the lurker was, the latter emerged suddenly from his covert, as has been recorded, and con- fronted the astonished Greasers. Big Foot was thunderstruck as well. He recognized Bluff Bill the instaut he heard the villain’s voice! He was still more astounded when he beheld little Leon, senseless, as was evident, and held in the arms of his dastard uncle, a captive! At once he realized the object of the raid. It had been organized for the purpose of tak- ing captive Leon and his uncle, through the in- fluence and money of Bluff Bill, who, as Big Foot then began to feel assured, must be con- nected with the infamous outlaw, Cortina. No doubt the captives were to be taken to Mexico, and then the bandit chief would fulfill his vow of vengeance; and, when both were thus removed, Bluff Bill would step into the fortunes of both. All was now plain. It was almost incredible that any man could be so de- praved and merciless, but the proots were be- fore the old scout. Neither could he doubt that the ranch was to be attacked, and the stock stolen for the benefit of the bandits. The words of Bill La Grange, which were roy audible to Big Foot, proved that _ the band ad encountered hostile Indians. There was, then, danger on both sides. But, from the first moment that the giant scout beheld the captive and unconscious youth, he had vowed mentally that he would rescue him, or at least make the attempt, even were he slain in doing so. And this, as we have seen, he accomplish- ed, Had he so willed it he might—and, were it not for jeopardizing the life of Leon, he would— have ‘cleaned out” the yellow outlaws to a man, for no half-score of Mexicans, and especial- ly demoralized and startled as they were, could have stood the charge of that powerful man, incensed and nerved as he was by the scene, and by the words of the miscreant Bluff Bill. As it was, Big Foot could have put an end to the criminal career of the latter, and then have escaped as readily as he did, but ke believed Bill La Grange was destined for the gallows, and that he richly merited an ignominious death. The bullets whistled thick around the scout as he dashed toward the river, and into the shades. Before going far, however, he recalled the words of Bluff Bill in regard to their having been attacked by Indians. Then, too, he remem- bered that not more than half of the band he had seen on the plain had been present at the meeting with their leader. From this Big Foot concluded that doubtless the missing ones had been slain in the fight. Then it occurred to him that he was still in a position of danger. Not that he thought of such a thing in connection with himself, but he was anxious to convey little Leon to the ranch, and thus relieve the mind of Captain Lem, who would be nearly insane when Francisco reached the corrals with intelligence of what had hap- pened, But, as the Mexicans had come from up the stream, which had been the scene of the fight with the Comanches, it was reasonable to sup- pose that the latter would be on their trail, and not near the pointat which he was intending to cross the river. It would have been foolish to have returned to the bend the same way in which he had come, asin that case the Greasers might have gotten him foul. Besides, it was much nearer to ford at once, and make a bee-line over the plain to the outer swell of the bend. comicbooks Cc iia