Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 484 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

<4 2 pone IV BEAR NT EN A George, slapping his Lorny palm upon his knee, “it ain’t the perairie.” ‘*Be you sure of that?’ inquired his compan- ion, who answered to the name of Long Eph. “Ef I ain’t, then may my ha’r be raised by the next Comanche.” ‘Yas, ye’r’ right,” chimed in Jake Jaggerton, speaking for the first time. ‘“‘It’s nigh onto a half-hour, when we fu’st thought we see’d the moon comin’ up, and sin’ that time, the light has growed brighter, but it hain’t spread a rod either way.” ** That's the ijee,” added Black George; ‘* don’t ye see ef it war the perarie-grass, the thing The prairie was mostly of the rolling kind, and their animals regularly ascended and de- scended the swells until several miles were pass- ed, when the horse of Black George, which was slightly in advance of the others, threw up his head with a snort of alarm, and came to a sud- den halt. The other well-trained mustangs did the same, and horses and riders stood as motionless as statues cast in bronze. This meant danger, and the rangers com- prehended the situation at once. Not a word was spoken, but all three listened. Naught but the soft rustling of the night-wind came to their would have spread out like a fan, till by this | ears, and in the darkness which surrounded time it would have been a mile wide?” There was logic in this, certainly, and the | ril, them,they could detect no shadow or sign of the But at this moment, between them an three rangers were satisfied that the light was | fire, outlined like ink against the lurid glare of wot caused by that much-dreaded thing, a prairie-tire. ‘‘ But skulp me ef [ wouldn’t be a little better pleased ef it war the grass,” remarked Eph, a moment later. “Why so?” inquired Jake. “As nearasI kin judge, that ’ere fire lays gpour ten mile to the north’ard, and ef you'll take a tramp for that distance, toward that ‘int of the compass, it’s my opine ye’ll strike Fro hacienda of Comanche Dick.” Curious it was that the other two had not thought of this untilit was mentioned by their eqmpanion! Comanche Dick, as the singular character was known inthe far Southwest, a full generation ago, was their own leader, and they were return- ing to him, at this time, when the light in the northern sky caught their attention. The three hunters, thus briefly referred to, were all Americans, as was their leader. Having fought side by side, for a number of years dur- ing the Texan struggle for independence, with Comanche Dick, they had withdrawn with him, and retired to a chosen re in New Mexico, where they lived such a wild, wandering life as was precisely suited to their tastes. Black George was a short, iron-limbed fellow, eatly resembling in physique the famous Kit Parana except that his complexion was so dark as to raise a strong suspicion of the purity of his blood. Long Eph wasa thin, attenuated, muscular fellow, fully six feet and a half in hight, with a ellow, cadaverous countenance, and hair as ey and black as an Indian’s, his eyes glittering and scintillating with an almost unnatura brightness. ; Jake Jaggerton was a compromise, so far as general appearance went, between the two. He was of ordinary hight, and, as there was nothing extraordinary or peculiar in his appearance, we pass him, at this point, without further notice, What was rather a coincidence, the ages of these three men did not vary by so many years. Their long association had seemed to run their dispositions into something like a similar mold, and, whether it was in the hand-to-hand en- counter with the fierce Comanche or Apache, or the wild excitement of the chase, or the monoto- nous ride through the Staked Plain, or over the burning prairie, there occurred no jarring word of discord between them. ‘“T b’veve the old placeis goin’,” said Black George, in reply to the remark of Eph, as the three started their mustangs on a walk, ‘‘and, as luck has it, we’re too fur away to have a hand in the matter.” ‘‘That’s bad,” added Jake, unconsciously urg- ing his horse into a gallop. ‘ Dick can take care of himself, but what'll become of the old wo- man?” ‘‘Tsn’t she as good as him?” almost fiercely demanded Eph; ‘but the gal—thar’s whar the diffiixilty is, What’ll become of her?” ‘Poor critter! She’s had her sorrers, but it looks as though she ain’t done with ’em yit.” ‘‘Oh! if we war only thar,” fairly groaned Black George. ‘It’s a good ten mile, every inch of it.” ‘¢ And afore we kin pass it, with these yar mustangs ready to drop with the trampin’ they’ve had to-day, the whole pack of yellin’ Comanches will do thar worst.” But it was not in the nature of the men to remain idle when there was any scrimmage in which they could mingle, or when there was any friend who needed their assistance; and, although their mustangs were excessively tired from their day’s hunt, yet the three now thun- dered over the prairie, with the apparent fresh- ness of coursers just starting upon a race. All this time the lurid light gleamed in the northern horizon, like a beacon signal calling to them to hasten, for every moment now was of inealculable value. | the horizon, they detected the forms of several horsemen, riding nearly in a direct line toward them.” ‘** Comanches !” whispered Long Eph. The word was scarcely uttered, when the three rangers were on the ground, with rifles cocked and ready for the encounter. The tramp of the approaching feet could be heard, when suddenly thay ceased, The red-skins, too, had scented danger. For a few seconds there was absolute silence, and then a single rifle, fired by one of the Comanches, broke the stillness. As quick as lightning, almost simultaneous with a peculiar whistle of Black George, the three mustangs dropped flat upon the ground, their masters imitating their example. The sagacious brutes had long since learmed that when bullets were flying like hailstones about them, the safest position was upon the earth, and the instant they comprehended that they were in an ‘*‘ Indian scrimmage,” they did not forget the lesson that had been taught them a long time before. At the very instant of the discharge of the red-skin’s gun, Jake Jaggleton fired at the spot where he saw the flash of flame. A frenzied shriek told the result, and the prairie-fight was fairly opened. The Comanche of the Southwest is one of the most formidable foes that the hunter or settler have to encounter. Possessing the most remarkable skill in horsemanship, his bravery is unsurpassed by even the Texans, who for somany years successfully resisted the over- whelming hordes of Mexicans that swarmed down upon them. A more independent set live not upon the earth; they are ready at all times to fight any and all comers, and after drubbing a party of Mexicans who were struggling with a band of Texans, they have often turned about and pitched into the latter with equal gusto. The Comanches on the present occasion num- bered fully twenty, a fact of which therangers were well aware, although, from the disadvan- tageous position of the former, they did not un- derstand the weakness of their enemies. But each one had encountered a foeman worthy of his steel, and a fierce fight was the inevitable sequel. ome fifteen minutes passed, without another shot being fired, when the red-skins gave evi- dence of impatience—such an unnatural thing on their part, thet the shrewd hunters suspected at once that there was an equally unusual cause for it. There was some reason for their wishing to hasten onward, although they were not the ones to show any cowardice on that account. The red-skins having dismounted, one of their number crept forward for the evident purpose of reconnoitering the position of the rangers. On his hands and knees he cautiously advanced, now and then pausing and raising his head, after the stealthy manner of a wild animal, In this way he crept along until he was with- in a dozen feet of the crouching form of Black George. Even then neither combatant suspect- ed the presence or proximity of the other, until the almost inaudible gliding sound of the In- dian’s knee betrayed his precise position to the hunter. The latter had his pistol in hand, with the hammer raised, and his arm moved, so as to bring it round to the front, while he peered in- tently through the gloom, to catch the first glimpse of the red-skin. No doubt the Comanche hela a suspicion that every inch he advanced increased his peril; for, during the space of the next five minutes, he did not move a muscle, holding himself in rigid, mo- tionless silence, to catch some inadvertent be- trayal of their positions on the part cf the whites. But these were as careful as they, and he discov- ered nothing Comanche Dick, and His Three Invincibles, i Another step was made by the Comanche, and he slowly arose to the sitting position by gradu- ally straightening hisarms. This precise move- ment was suspected by Black George, and when the skull of the red-skin came between him and the dark sky, he distinctly caught the outline and instantly fired. The two were so close together that there could be but one result, and the ear-splitting screech of the Comanche was followed by his death- throes. Without pausing to'reload, Black George roll- ed over and over several times, so as to carry him several feet from thespot. He nad not been an instant too soon; for the jet of fire from the muzzle of his pistol betrayed his position to a dozen malignant eyes, whose glances were flit- ting hither and thither through the gloom, for some such signal as this, There was the simultaneous crack of four rifles, and as many bullets plowed their way throvgh the dirt and grass, where, a moment be- fore, they would have plowed their way through the body of the ranger. Black George heard the rasping of the bullets, and smiled grimly as he rammed another charge down his pistol. ‘* Hf Vd only laid thar—but I didw’t !” In the meantime, the other rangers were by no means idle. Knowing their horses would re- main quiescent where they were crouching, they gave no further thought to them; but in the same stealthy manner as their comrades, they crawled away in precisely opposite directions, They had some apprehension that the Coman- ches would discover their weakness and attempt to surround them: and to give them an exagger- ated idea of their strength, they separated, moy- ing from the center, where their horses were crouching, like the radiating spokes of a wheel, Until the shot of Black George, and the re- turning fire of the Comanches, neither Eph nor Jake could discover their location, although they had carefully maneuvered up to that time. There was too much risk in their firing, before they could be certain of accomplishing some- thing; and although they had strong suspicions of where the red-skins were lurking in the grass, yet they patiently waited the opportune mo- ment, Long Eph had a way of gliding over the poms that resembled the movement of a serpent more than anything else, Precisely how it was done, it would be impossible to say. He seemed to lie perfectly flat upon his face, and with a sort of swaying motion, glided forward with a noiseless- ness which was marvelous. In this manner he passed perhaps a couple of rods, when he became satisfied that he was ap- roaching one of his enemies, although it was impossible to distinguish anything through the long grass. But the sound which caught his ear was like the sigh of a person—an indiscretion Which the most broken-hearted ranger would not commit at such a moment, and which be wondered at an Indian making under the circumstances. Thus warned, Eph advanced with all the skill of which he was capable, until through the ob- scurity he Weanareees discern a horse, crouched upon the ground, with his head raised as though not quite enough certain of the character of the approaching object to give his master the alarm. It was at this moment that Black George dis- charged his pistol, and, for the instant, drew the attention of all the Comanches toward that point. Taking advantage of this momentary diversion, Eph slid along the ground, and in an instant was beside the mustang of the red- skin. The animal neither snorted nor gave an symptoms of alarm, although, from his well- known sagacity, there can be no doubt that he saw something was wrong. He continued as motionless as though it were his own master that was maneuvering around him, and scarcely turned his head aside to glance at the stranger by his side. This indifference upon the part of the most suspicious of animals, in fact, gave the man some uneasiness; but it was quickly explained. Long Eph had placed himself in the most deli- cate and dangerous situation of his life; for, upon the other side of the mustang, was crouch- ing a stalwart Comanche, only awaiting for the proper instant to crush his foe. The ranger became aware of the proximity of the red-skin from the slightest of taps which he made upon his mustang’s shoulder, for the evi- dent purpose of soothing him, and which be- tra ae his own presence to his enemy. . he instant Eph discovered this, he became satisfied of the tactics his enemy intended to pursue, and prepared himself accordingly. The . | . al N Ai ‘4 in Tin | 1 . ut be ~