Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 484 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

— * is sk >. ~ = ‘ = * a* rP — ——_ pn nes Mats — ge etd el ee. ee — ‘er - =. ‘* a { * an —— a, DA», doe a ee : . 14 ——- skins, but although he strained his ears to the utmost, he could not gain the slightest inkling of what it meant. His fear was that the plan which he was cer- tain his men were going to act upon was sus- pected by the red-skins, but as they speedily re- sumed their progress, traveling at a slower rate than before, he had strong hopes that such was not the case. As they neared Hurricane River, Dick found himself growing nervous and ill at ease, He was confident that every moment was drawing them nearer a collision, and, fettered as he was, he was apprehensive of the consequences. Finally he determined on an effort to free him- self, and he attempted a feat, which, in his cooler moments, he would not have contem- plated. ‘‘ Marceda,” he called out, “have you your knife with you?” ‘‘' Yes,” she replied, not a little startled at the question. ‘* Let me have it—quick!” Without stopping to consider the strange nature of the request, she whipped it out and reached it toward him in the darkness. ** Here it is.” The Indian who held his wife, furiously struck down the outstretched arm, but, at that instant, the swiftly-grasping hand of Dick had seized it. Although the words which passed between the two were scarcely understood in the least by the Comanches, yet more than one was aware that some sort of communication had passed between them, and they instantly closed around the hunter to learn what it meant. Appreciating his imminent peril, the move- ments of Comanche Dick’s body kept pace with the lightning-current of his thoughts. The stiletto-like knife was scarcely in his hand, when it was thrust into his trowsers’-pocket, and his arms bowed behind him; and in this rigid position he sat when the next blinding flash lit up the earth and sky. In the next second he had leaned under his horse’s belly, and cut the thongs which it would have required hours to unloose with his unaided hands, Now he was free again. ‘* And I don’t care how soon they come,” he added, to himself. The next flaming sheet revealed to them that they were within a few hundred yards of the river, and the eagle eyes of Comanche Dick fancied he detected in that momentary illumina- tion of the driving rain, the figures of several horsemen walking slowly toward them. What he fancied he saw was certainly seen by the Indians themselves, and an unusual move- ment among them showed that they were mak- ing hasty preparations for the unexpected dan- ger which had come so suddenly upon them, Sensible that the crisis was upon them, Co- manche Dick shaped his mouth to utter the Rhoderie Dhu-like signal to his men, but, ere a sound escaped his lips, there came an appalling crash, accompanied by a vivid blaze that seemed to absorb everything, and almost every horse of the Comanche party was prostrated to the earth. The thunderbolt had burst in their very center! CHAPTER XII. TWO THUNDERBOLTS. Even in tkat supreme moment of danger, Dick was first to recover self-possession. He was stunned for a moment, but the sharp pain of the horse falling upon his feet aroused him, and he freed himself in a twinkling. Forgetting all about his friends so near at hand, his first thoughts were of his wife and Josepha, and he darted over the prostrate ani- mals and men, where he supposed them to be, calling them by name. The shriek of terror that had esca Josepha Navarro, at the bursting of the thunder, had made itself heard even to him, and, ere he antici- pated, his hand wasupon her, The rain dashin in her face, had already begun to revive her, an with a little assistance, she staggered to her felt, at the same moment that her saeco mother did the same. By this time, too, several of the Indians began to revive, and the horses commenced floundering and struggling. Brave as the Comanches always are, their first thoughts were of their prisoners, and those who first regained their senses made for them, shouting at the same time to arouse the others who had been prostrated more severe- ly than they. But now came the hunters. The fortunate catas- trophe was comprekended by them, and they turned it to advantage withouta moment’s delay, Si s were passed between Black George ‘and Dick like the flashing lightning, and the latter had scarcely risen to his feet when his friend was at his side. ‘* Save yer animile!” called out George, “* for ye’ll need him. Where are the gals?” ‘* Right by you.” At that instant, Walter Middleton caught up Josepha Navarro, and dashed away with her. Scarce an instant behind him was Dick, whose mustang had just struggled to his feet. When the animal wason all fours again, he held him and his wife upon his back. Shouts and whoops added to the raging of the tempest, made a perfect pandemonium, and the Comanches were fighting like demons. It would have been tempting fate for the hunters to have made a fight, when their object was to get the women off unharmed, so their whole efforts were turned toward extricating themselves. This was not done without severe fighting, and even Comanche Dick, with his wife held in one arm, and his knife circling in his other, found himself hemmed in. But his faithful lieuten- ants came to his rescue, and soon hewed the way clear for him. With the elements against them, the red-skins lost every advantage they had possessed, and in less time than we have taken to describe it, the whites were disentangled, and together on the 8 ew beyond. ** Where is Josepha?” suddenly demanded Dick, as the lightning-flash failed to show her among his men, ‘* She is safe,” replied Black George. ‘* But where?” he demanded, peremptorily. ‘‘We brought another man with us, and he has her. ‘“Who is he?” he added, only partly satisfied with the reply. ‘‘He is the man who has come aJjl the way from Galveston arter her, and, from what [ve Varned, he’s the one arter all that has more right to her than you.” Dick was only partly satisfied, but as several dr »pping shots began to come from the Coman- che party, and it was evident that the danger was still upon them, he turned his attention to the ng itself for the moment, ‘‘Give them a round or two if they ain’t satisfied,” he called, and in response the three men discharged their rifles toward the spot where the red-skins stood. All the time, the horses were walking north- wardata moderate gait. Thestorm had nearly spent its fury; the flashes of lightning were fewer and lighter, and the fall of rain much less than it had been a short time before. By-and-by, as the party moved along, Coman- che Dick heard the voice of Josepha, and became aware that she was in the party. He then re- peated his inquiries, and learned what had taken place since he had been carried a prisoner from the hacienda, and he welcomed the young man as cordially as he deserved to be. When Josepha was picked up by Middleton, and carried beyond reach of the fight, she sup- abs very naturally that it was one of the 1unters who had done her that favor; but when her deliverer pressed her to him with a fervent embrace and kissed her again and again, she began to wonder what it all meant. George,” she said, suspecting his identity, ‘* what’s the matter?” ‘‘Tt is not George,” was the answer, in a dis- guised voice. ** Jake then.” ‘Tt is not Jake at all.” ‘Well, then, Eph—” ‘ Nor Eph either.” , i scream escaped the girl, and she struggled. ‘Who has me?” it 5S Now our hero had a nice little plot arranged for the edification of his dear friend, but it all failed through his own remissness. When the thought flashed through him, that he was hold- ing Josepha Navarro in his arms, she for whom he had suffered so much, and for whom it were a pleasure to peril his life at any time, and that she did not suspect his identity, then it was that his self-command forsook him, and pressing her again convulsively, he said: ‘*T am Walter Middleton.” This was uttered in his natural voice, so that there was no mistaking it. For a moment, Josepha was silent, and then alow cry of joy esca her, and she returned the warm embrace and kiss again and again. ‘‘Can it be my own Walter? Yes, I know it is! Howcame you here? I thought you were dead! They told me you were! How cruelly they deceived me! How I have suffered!” ‘* And what were my sufferings, when I came to Galveston, and found that you were gone, no one knew whither, until after long inquiry I heard you had started for Santa Fe. > Vee" Comanche Dick, and His Three Invincibles. ae Secs ne 4 ‘*Did you follow me?” ‘Why such a question?” And again a warm kiss sealed the utterances of their lips. During this hasty interchange of words, the mustang of Middleton had been walking at a slow rate. He had wrapped his large blanket around her so as to envelop her entire form, and thus he held her like an infant close to him, and securely protected against the rain, which, as sa have shown, was rapidly decreasing in vio- ence, They had reached this point we say, far enough for each to understand the other, when Middle- ton became sensible of his imprudence in thus leaving his friends for so long atime. Im case of pursuit from the Comanches there was every danger of being cut off and recaptured; and even if that danger was not threatening, there was still the probability of their becoming lost to each other during the darkness, So he turned his horse around, and guided by the sound of the voices, er rather the voice of Dick, which just then was particularly loud, he speedily placed himself among them. As soon as it was felt that the great danger from the savages had passed, there was an intro- duction between the parties, and an explanation given of the peculiar situation in which more than one of them was placed. The animals of all were thoroughly tired, and they were humored as inuch as possible, not be- ing required to advance ata faster rate than a walk. The fall of rain entirely ceased, but the dead darkness remained, so that it was impossi- ble to distinguish each other’s forms. Had there been any sort of shelter at hand, they would have lain by until morning, despite their prox- imity to their enemies; but, as all was open prairie around, and not a tree even, ad had no choice but to plod homeward through the night —homeward to the ruined hacienda, where they were not certain of procuring a covering for their heads from the driving storm. The hunters were so inured to hardships, that the night-ride scarcely affected them. lt wasa trying ordeal to all of them, but there were two in the ey who were supremely happy. Need say who they were? As the mustang walked slowly along, Middle- ton saw that his blanket was gathered closely about the loved form of Josepha, and holding her face close to his own, they had no difficulty in making their words heard by each other. And what passed between them then and there, our pen would profane by attempting to narrate. A great wrong had been done by which they had been separated, but Providence had brought yr thing right, and they were together again. All night long the party tramped northward. After midnight the inky gloom was never once relieved by the slightest quiver of lightning. Onward the horses stepped, all traveliug as if they were stone blind. Not a star shone in the sky above, nor was there the twinkle of any camp-fire to guide them. Under such circumstances even the skill of the hunters availed them nothing. Having once turned the heads of the mustangs in the right direction, they could do nothing but trust to their blind instinct, and allow them to go whither bg chose. hen they crossed the stream where the pur- suers on the previous day had been given a glimpse of flying Apaches, it was so swollen that it was both difficult and dangerous, and not a little time was spent in its passage. Hour after hour dragged by, and still the mustangs pressed onward, until finally the day dawned, and it was found that the sagacious animals had continued in the right direction and had made good progress toward the hacienda. A clump of timber was reached during the forenoon, where a halt was made, a fire kindled, and their clothing thoroughly dried. Many of the party were nearly famished, and Comanche Dick went off upon a hunt, from which he re- turned, bearing the carcass of a young buffalo, which, if not in the best condition, still made them the best dinner they ever ate, Both men, women, and animals thoroughly rested, the journey was resumed; but the dis tance was so great that a second night was spent upon the prairie. But the third day brought them within sight of the ruins of the hacienda, i Here a new surprise awaited them, which re- minds us that we have neglected Ephraim Hop- kins altogether too long. CHAPTER XIII. EXIT MANZAL. Wuen Ephraim Hopkins was thrown head- long by the infuria ram, he was startled: Word >= 4 iy * ae 7. ele r —* — — ~~ —