Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 484 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 Comanche Dick, and His Three Invincibles. ———S so astounded that he could neither move nor speak. ‘*T say, old hoss, what’s the matter?’ demand- ed the stranger, taking a step or two near- er. “‘ Nothing—nothing—only I’m a little hungry,” stammered out the New Englander, unconscious really of what he was saying. ‘‘Hungry!” repeated the other, with a snort- ing laugh. ‘‘I should think you’d eat ’nough to kill a half-dozen or’nary critters, I say, be you gwine to give this yer catamount a bite of that stuff, or have I got to help myseif?” ‘“Sart’inly, sart’inly,” returned Hopkins who was beginning to regain his self-possession, ‘‘°Scuse me, but you come down so rather sud- dint like, that I forgot my manners. You shall have the best I can give you.” The truth of it was, the gourmand was pretty well shaken up and frightened, and he was de- sirous of conciliating the stranger, who, he doubted not, would slaughter him, should he give him any cause for offense. Whoever the visitor was, he certainly made himself at home. Glancing around as if to make sure that they were alone, he threw him- self upon the ground, and produced a short black ipe, which *he began smoking, while his host hentia well every care upon the preparation of his dinner. ‘- What's yer name?” inquired the stranger, as he lazily puffed his pipe. ‘‘Tt is Ephraim Hopkins,” was the ready re- sponse of the New Englander. ‘“ I’m from the State of Connecticut, clus to the Massachusetts line—not fur from the Connecticut River—my daddy’s farm adjines Deacon Jones, and if you ever come that way, you must make a call on me. Arter you leave Hartfurd, you want to take the—” And he was proceeding to give minute direc- tions as to the manner in which his New Eng- Jand residence was most easily reached, when the stranger interrupted him somewhat impa- say ‘‘ Never mind thatnow. Whar yer come from last?” ‘*Galveston, Texas.” ‘*Did yer come alone?” ‘“Oh, no; my nephew, a very nice young man, came with me.” ‘‘ What’s his name!” ‘‘ Walter Middleton. A very good fellow he is, although I must say, I think he’s ruther over ventur’some at times, and I’m afeard he’s got into trouble now— Hope I haven’t offended ou.” : Hopkins suddenly paused, startled by the fearful expression which he saw flit over the demon-like face; but it lasted only for a moment. ‘‘Never mind; it wa’n’t nothin’,” said he; ‘¢ sometimes I feel like chokin’, but it don’t last long.” ‘“T only wish it lasted longer,” was the thought of the Yankee, which he would not have dared to utter for the world. ‘‘ Whar is this nice young nephew of yours?” ‘“That would be hard to tell; he’s gone; hain’t you heard the news?” abruptly asked Hopkins. ‘‘ What do you mean?” ‘* Why this here.” And he emphasized his reply, by pointing to the ruins around him. ‘‘ Hain’t you heard how that took place?” ‘Struck by lightning, I s’pose.” ‘‘ Struck by Injuns, you’d better say There was a party of them red-skins that they call Comanches, that came down here last night, set fire to this here building, or haciendy, tha was called, burned it down, and run off with the owner—” ‘* Who's he?” ‘© Comanche Dick they called him, but I never see’d him, and they run off with him.” ‘* Did they take anybody else?” ‘¢ Yes: that ain’t the worst of it—they tuk his wife, and a little purty Spanish sort of a girl, that was called Josepha Navarro—and right there I’ve got something to tell you,” added Hopkins, with a burst of confidence. ‘‘T’d like to hear it,” returned the stranger, who showed his interest by not noticing the steak that was now ready for him. ‘¢ That is the gal that we’re after—that is, me end my nephew, and we’ve come all the way from Galveston after her.” ** What did yer come after her fur?” ‘““She and my nephéw was engaged to be married, and he came back to Galveston to marry her, and when he got there he found that she was gone to Santa Fe, so he l’arned, and we went all the way there after her, only to find when we got there, that she was living out here, eer nner re ne se mmm with a feller they called Comanche Dick. Wasn’t that a purty pickle fur us?” ‘** Yes, ruther,” grunted the stranger. ‘*So we had nothing to do, but to turn back arter her, for, you know when a feller gits into love, he’ll do any thing. I tried to persuade him to give her up, but it wa’n’t no use, and so as ’ma sort of a guardian over him, I had to go along with him. Well, we got a tittle off the track, and afore we knowed it I s’pose we was across the Texas line, but we fetched around arter a while, and got here at last.” ‘* When did you git here?” ‘This morning, just when it was too late.” ‘* Where is yer nephew now?” ** He went off with three hunters to try and git the gal from the Injins. It’s my opin’on they'll have a purty hard chase afore 7 fie catch ’em, for they do tell me them Comanches have good horses and know how to ride ’em. Do you know any thing about ’em yourself?” ‘“‘Tve heerd as much, Why didn’t you go with ’em?” ‘¢'You see there’s a good lot of sheep out here, and there must some one stay to watch ’em, and they axed me to do it,” There was silence now for a few minutes, and then the stranger, who still smoked his black pipe said: ‘Yer’ sure thar wa’n’t no one but Injins inter this business?” ‘‘Of course not; but I forgot. Walter, that’s my nephew, always had his ’spicion of a white man, that he said was ten times worse than the Injins himself; and from what I can hear, I agree with him.” ‘What was his name?” ‘‘Manzal, I believe is what they call him. Do you know him?” ‘“Can’t say that I do, but I’ve heerd his name I think. Whatabout him? What had he to do with it?” ‘‘ Walter allers said that this ’ere white man that they call Manzal was at the bottom of the trouble—or was one of them that was at the bottom, fur I b’lieve there was another man be- sides him, and Walter says he never will be sat- isfied till he shoots this villain, and you can’t blame him much either; for, if a man should steal your sweetheart or mine, I think we’d feel a durned sight like him. What do you think about it now?” ‘Can't say, ‘cause I hain’t got no sweet- heart,” ‘‘*Wal, I have, and I don’t want no man to come shoveling around her, for if he does, he will shovel himself into trouble.” ‘‘ So they’ve gone after the gal, have they?” ‘¢ That’s just what they’vé done exactly.” ** When do they expect to get back?’ ‘‘ They thought to-morrer; but, my gracious, I shall feel glad if I see em three days from now!’ ‘¢ And you are here to watch the sheep?” ‘‘- Yes; they said they was afraid some of the Injins might come back and stampede ’em, and they left me here to prevent it.” For the first time, a sort of smile crossed the horrible-looking face of the stranger, and leer- ing at the Yankee a moment, he asked; **S’posen a half-dozen Comanches come tear- in’ down on you, shoutin’ and yellin’, what would you do?” ‘‘ Wal, you see I’ve got a good horse out there, and I'd oa bounce onto his back and you’d see some tall getting out of these parts. It would take a durned smart Comanche to ketch me, after I got fairly started.” The stranger laughed harder than ever. ‘‘You’re just the man; s’pose thar war only two Injins, or, fur that matter, only one—what would you do?’ Hopkins pondered awhile before answering. ‘Well, I think ’d make a run fur it.” ‘‘S*pose thar was one white man—like me, say? S’pose that Manzal, that you’ve been talkin’ ‘bout, should ’pear afore yer?” ‘“Oh, I’'d shoot him!” was the unhesitating reply. : ‘Wal, stranger, that same Manzal is here afore yer!” CHAPTER IX. THE COMANCHES, WHEN the wife of Comanche Dick and Jo- sepha Navarro fell into the hands of the Comanches, despite their terrible position, each had enough presence of mind to see that nothing could be gained by resistance, and they remain- ed quiescent for the time being. They were witnesses of the terrific encounter between Dick and his captors, and to them it was like the vision of some horrible dream, No word escaped either during its continuance, and they hardly realized what was going on until the entire party had left the scene of the con- flagration. s we have already stated, the Indians had gone scarcely a hundred yards when they halted and separated. The object of this was simply to baffle the pursuit that they knew would be begun. The smaller party carried the females with them, while the other had the desperate hunter in charge. Both the females had a fine Indian blanket wrapped around them, and they were taken on separate horses, each one being held on the back of the animal in front of a brawny red-skin, and both rendered perfectly powerless, so far as any disposition to help themselves was concerned. omanche Dick was bound and rebound again, from his arms down to his knees, so that he was little more than a log of wood in the hands of his captors, It was rather curious that while they were securing him in this manner, he ut- tered never a word, but acted like a man who had given over all hope. The truth was that his frame had undergone such a prodigious amount of exertion that a re- action was upon him, Like the famed Gymnotus, that expends its electric power in one shock, he needed a little rest to recuperate, and to regain the marvelous strength that still slumbered in his iron muscles, Although, for a time, he was within a dozen feet of his wife and child—as he called Navarro —yet he did not offer to exchange a syllable with either. He was in one of his ‘ spells,” and they both understood him well enough to make no communication with him at such a time. By and by he would come out of this strange state, and it would be like the rousing of the sleeping lion. If his first struggle was terrible, this would be tenfold more so, and neither of the females wished to witness it. So the party journeyed in silence, which was not broken when ick was carried in one direction and the females in another. Josepha Navarro came within a hair’s breadth of being killed by her own friends. When her party encountered the rangers in the grass, the meeting was so sudden that the red-skims were not given the opportunity of arranging their forces and maneuvering as they would have referred to do, and the shot fired by Black xeorge himself killed the Indian who had charge of Josepha, the bullet grazing her neck in its passage. The savage rolled to the ground, partly drag- ing her with him, but she speedily recovered erself, and was about to make a run for the lines of her friends, when she was seized by another, and placed beyond reach of the whist- ling bullets. he Comanches, it will be remembered, pre- ferred to move on rather than engage in the fight, and in a shorter time then might have been expected, they were under way again. It may as well be stated, at this point, that the destination of the entire party of Co- manches was one of their towns, something over a hundred miles to the south. Could they once succeed in reaching that point, they might con- sider their captives secure, but not until then was there any certainty of their not being wrested from them, If the females were once placed in the Co- manche village, nothing short of a cavalry charge could rescue them, and the nature of the case forbade that anything of the kind could be looked for. What the purposes of the Indian were regard- ing these captives can only be conjectured. There are at this time hundreds of prisoners among the Apaches and Comanches of the South- west, who have been there for years, and many of whom will probably spend their lives there. I+ is likely that the Comanches held no well- defined intentions regarding the females. They now wished to place them beyond all hope of escape, and for that reason they were seeking to reach their town before Dick’s rangers could in- terfere with them. There can be little doubt that death was in- tended for the leader of these hunters. He was so Well known, and the knowledge o7 his prowess was so extended, that his captors had the nat- ural anxiety to display their own bravery to their companions, and so, if possible, they were still more anxious to get him into their village as speedily as might be. After getting him there, and after showing him, like a captured tiger, to their friends. there can be no doubt of what would heve followed. Comanche Dick would die by the hands of his enemies, who would give him such a taking off as only these red-skins of the Southwest can ee ——EEE onan — gp lc ~~, ———— / -_ ——— -_~—