Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 47 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

+ ae es —— T i f _ Captain Nightingale Nat. +s) ward as if puzzled by the outlaw’s manner and the smile on his swarthy face. ‘‘ You are smiling, and by it you mean egg Why should I not love the man who is to befriend me? Tell me this, and then I will answer you.” ‘“‘ Just like the women in the city,” and Rafe Armstrong burst into a loud cuflaw, whose coarseness made the chasm ring. It made the girl blush and look indignant. ‘‘ Why it isn’t natural fur a person in your fix to fall in love with the foatel who did you all the harm he could!” the forest freebooter said at the end of his may 8 The hand which had left his arm now closed upon it again; and a face painful in its blanched eagerness was upturned to the deserter. Oh, tell me what you darkly hint at!” the girl cried. ‘* You do not mean—no! no!—” ‘“* Thet’s jest what I mean!” was the interrup- tion. ‘‘ Warn’t I thar? and oughtn’t I to know? Yes, my little gal, the man what has pretended to be your friend is the rascal who led the attack on Collyer’s train! He has lied to you. You may have heard of Captain Dave—” ‘Yes! yes! she told me that he would hunt ave down, and bring him to me to be dealt with as I elected.” ‘* Just one of his tricks!” laughed Armstrong. ‘‘He is Cap’n Dave himself. He’s pulled the wool over yer eyes completely.” The whitefaced girl did not answer for a - moment. She stood like a statue before the out- law, a look of incredulity in her eyes. Rafe saw that she doubted him. “T tell the truth, gal!” he said with an earn- estness that sent conviction like an arrow to her heart. ‘‘He is the vulture of these woods. We've hed a diffikilty; at loggerheads, you ** Now I know whom to hunt!” cried the pirl, seizing a rifle that leaned against the wall of the cave. ‘‘ My father’s blood calls for vengeance. A lie has kept me three long years from the th of justice; but now these woods shall ine a trailer as implacable as the Indians who inhabit them. Love you, Noel Gordon? No! There was a something that withheld my love. Now the mask has been torn off. I see in you that Captain Dave, whose villainy has made the wagon-roads through these forests red with human gore. Hear me, Heaven! and let the hand of Violet ae do the duty which the dead demands of it. Not one fiend shall escape!” The terrible oath whitened the outlaw’s cheeks, and he involuntarily shrunk from the irl who, standing in the strong starlight with and uplifted toward the firmament, looked like a young queen of tragedy. ‘“Not one? That takes me in!” muttered the white-faced wretch. ‘I wish I hadn’t sprung the subject!” Shri from Violet Collyer, he approached the dark fi in the shadows. Another step and he would tread on the hidden Pottawatomie. But the Indian’s eyes were upon him, and all at once a knife flashed for a moment in the starlight. With a wild — — here blade enter his flesh, and staggered e ; Ss Knife sprung to his feet to find the avenger’s rifle at his breast. He started back, hesitated a moment, and fled _— .* ravine, the fying iets But the fair avenger saw the flying , and before it could lose itself in the shadows, a flash lit up the little cave. ' Sharp e fell forward on his face! CHAPTER V. rt of Nightingale Nat's rifle, fired At the report 0 © Nat’s rifle point blank into Zimri Paddock’s face, a figure moving through the forest at no great dis- tance from the spot, came to a sudden halt, and a strange e on was ‘‘Tt came from the place whar I left the leetle *un!” said the person in the wood, in tones that betrayed much anxiety. ‘‘I’m not used to the crack of his weepin, so - can’t tell whether it war his. Howsomever, if the boy is attacked, I ess he will give the enemy the he’s got.” on The er quickened his gait, and was soon _ through the wood at no inconsider- able ““Tve heerd strange things pe he con- tinued, as he hurried along, ‘‘an’ it makes me sort 0’ about the boy. That skunk of a White Vulture would never hev teched a a blanket in Captain Rough's train if he had known who he war. Now we'll see a pretty partnership in these One wolf will go in with the other, an’ the boy’ll hev to look out.” At the pace which bore the speaker through the forest, he was not long in reaching the tree in aw but a short time previous Nat had been hidden. An ominous silence brooded over the spot. ‘* Nat, my leetile one?’ said the man, approach- ing the giant of the woods. ‘‘ Wal, ’m back again. ou’re uncommon still, ’'m thinkin’ !” But no reply came from the depths of the tree, and Shadow- Shot thrust his great hand into the hollow. It encountered nothing. ‘Gone! by hokey!” exclaimed the ranger. ‘“*He didn’t go away on his own account. et isn’t his style. Now ther’ll be somebody waked up hereabouts. Plates and platter! The cha what took the leetle feller hev stirred up the lion, an’ his name is Shadow-Shot, late of Il- linoy ” As the ranger withdrew his hand, he felt a slippery something which, though he saw it not, convinced him that it was blood. He stepped back and examined the und as carefully as the faint light permi , but the search did not enlighten him. ‘*Tt’s back to the train now,” he said, rising with a sigh of disappointment. ‘‘I war follered when I eft it, an’ the chap what took the boy will carry him back to Captain Rough.” Shadow-Shot searched no longer in the vicin- ity of the hollow tree; but tightened his belt, and began to retrace his steps. He believed that Nightingale Nat had been re- captured by one of Rough’s men, who would, of course, attempt to return him to his chief. A man had followed him and the boy from the train for the purpose of recovering the boy. Thus the ranger reasoned, but that he was wrong for once, the continuation of our story will show. At the place where the Vultures had fallen upon Captain Rough’s train a scene striking in its singularity, for that region, was place. The Vultures had ceased to plunder the wagons. With sullen looks and muttered anathemas, the outlaws were replacing many articles which they had a ae seized upon during the attack, The keen eyes of Captain Dave were upon them. He was commanding them to re various things; and was super- intending the righ ing of several wagons and was overseeing the refitting of the train. Moving here and there among the busy scenes a saab a number of Captain Rough’s men, who had sneaked back after the sudden lull in the fight to see the two leaders talking together like old acquaintances, and finally to mingle with their late foes. a a pete - ss i ay found shay questioned eager y Rough, concerning thc missing boy. e brutal man seemed much exercised over the youth’s absence, and more than once in no measured terms, he cursed the man who had lately appeared as Nat’s protec- tor. ‘The train can proceed now,” the Apollo of the woods said, coming up to Rough, who had been leaning against a tree for an hour, with aoe folded se his chest, and eyes i she rei of the mishap. Captain h did not abe: . Hiew Citing PS cago 4 Orie = appa ® the i p. ‘‘My men are no humor. The Indians would not have Look! I have i g, even the little worked five minutes longer. made them restore eve keg in the hindmost n. Open it for them, and let them fill them- ra 3 heer dan a Rough. ; egrets es ‘** No!” was the firm VR ve pan- demonium here in ching as i extniiben. There’s bad blood in my men; but little good in yours, captain, and the two streams would be sure to collide. We must te. Look at that old Pottawatomie yonder. He is telling his comrades how easily they could hamstring the oxen, and plunder the wagons which pond r reloaded. If you will not move, m ‘Then move it shall be!” Rough said stepping from the tree. “I’llcountmymen. I six- teen when you came down upon us,” In a few minutes the captain of the train had marshaled his force and counted thirteen. Three were missing: Nightingale Nat, Paddock, and Jack G a man whom the captain ustin, led a “‘ do-n ” whose absen better sty AE othing, ce was y. With su r which was ed in lowering brows an eyes, one ontiaws saw the expected prey about to be snatched from their 4 They could not fathom the rent ate oo gee ng) you Tag sen aptain ugh awa is, to valuable ae restored. Their pred shot angrily at the Apollo who beside the head wagon, holding Rough’s hand in his own. One by one the whips were recovered and again they cut the air and cracked over the heads of the oxen, It was now near daybreak. ‘Captain, Pll be up on the lake-shore by-and- by,” the chief of the Vultures said as he held Rough’s hand and looked into his face. ‘’Pon my word! if I had known who commanded this train, there would have been no attack. You can Fo straight through to the mines now; but you'll not find an ounce of gold there—not an ee ts Rough’ had ink] aptain Rough’s eyes a merry twinkle. " Gola! he schced. * Ain’t I getting lots of it for this trip?” ‘** Oh, yes!” was the reply, ees poemne by a light laugh. ‘“‘ But that old chap will cheat you out of it if 1 don’t outgeneral him.” ‘You must!” sé I will 1”? **'You will come as soon as it is done?” **Do you want me to join you sooner?” ‘No! no!” said Rough, quickly. ‘“Now, good-by, captain. I can’t hold my one off longer ; their growls get louder.” en the outlaw chief released the captain’s hand and sprung hastily to the horse which had carried him to the train. Vaulting into the saddle with the grace of a cavalier, he turned to his men, and in a tone of authority not to be disputed by the most dar- ing, ordered them to turn their faces from the wagons. Sullenly they obeyed. ‘* Now go!” he shouted to Rough. “ Give your brutes the command.” The next moment the wagons creaked and started on again, the grumbling of the wheels mingling with the blasphemy of the teamsters r to leave the Vultures behind. ptain Rough, mounted on a horse, put him- self in advance of the first wagon, and was ooh ag person who passed from the Apollo’s sight. At last the teams faded from the vision of the Wisconsin bandit; but the curses of the drivers and the rumbling of the heavy vehicles pro- claimed the route. ‘“Now, back!” Captain Dave said to his sul- len men. ‘‘A richer train than that will soon fall into our hands, Captain Rough and I used to be boys together.” There was no reply to his words. He seemed to feel the pulse of his discomfited party, and Hor § refrained from exciting it. ‘‘Oho! Captain — ” he said to himself, with a smile. ‘“‘ You think I couldn't read your ores Old fellow, I know you like a book. The idea of you going to Lake Superior, leaving that ae these woods, is the hight of absurdity. , you'll not lead your train a mile, you old double-faced villain! “There’s too much money trembling in the balance just now to keep you on the road to the copper mines.” The bandit captain was not ivy 3 in his pre- dictions, for the first streaks of day that illu- mined a Wisconsin forest found tain Rough riding slowly southward alone. train was not => wo eo ot rs os ag rumble had passed en ond hearing. The villain daourted his men in the forest, and was on the “ back track.” ‘*Dave Sepoy thought I was an idiot when he supposed I would f° on and leave the boy to be cared for by him!” muttered the ruffian with a smile. ‘‘I want the blood of that man who ee between me and the lad.” e eyes of Captain Rough the words fell from his lips. counter Shadow-Shot, All at once the report of a rifle startled the ree and he felt his horse sinking to the oun With a loud cry Rough leaped from the sad- dle, and raised his rifle; but before he could throw it to his shoulder, a tall ungainly figure sprung upon his path and a pistol was thrust into his face. “‘Shadow-Shot, at your sarvice!” cried a rough voice. “ The very man you want to see, accordin’ to yer talk. Now, cap’n, we'll com- pare piste hd mebbe we'll squar’ ’em afore were 7 Captain Rough looked into the flashing eyes of the tall ranger, and his face grew white. CHAPTER VL THE SONG IN PERIL. . MEBBE as how I dor’t know how to sarve e ’ ** What are you going to do with me?” Not let you go, of course. Now I can’t say that I hev any partic’lar ill feelin’ ag’in’ ye; but ed madly as e wanted to en- GOMIGDOOKS (E(@)