Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 484 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

is - ah we ee a Se the sound, he judged that his enemy was about | a dozen feet distant. As stealthily as the creeping panther, Coman- che Dick drew himself through the opening, and began creeping toward the crouching Indian. t that instant a point of light suddenly glow- ed through the darkness, and he saw at once that the Indian had a spark of fire in his hand, with which he was endeavoring to kindle a fire upon the roof. The spark was so small that the red-skin placed his face down close to it, and carefully and softly | Thus fanned, his own face was | and it was with despairing sullenness thut he blew the blaze. pony revealed, and Dick saw his glowing eye- alls and dusky features, and he placed his head | nearly on a level with the roof. —_—————— Ce eee as to prevent any insidious approach from that direction. Cautioning his friends to be unre- mitting in their diligence, he left them for a short time, Alas! he was toolate! When he threw up the cover, or trap-door, he saw that one corner of the roof was in flames! For an instant, Comanche Dick stood appalled at the sight. Then he dashed back again, shout- ing for water. By the time he returned, bear- ing a vessel with the precious element in his hand, the flames had passed beyond his control, dashed it upon the fire. Almost at the same moment, several rifles were heard to crack from the prairie below, and The work of kindling a fire in the solid wood | the nt! fon ee of the bullets around his ears of the roof was found more difficult than the In- | causec | dian imagined, and he bent his face closer and biew the harder. him to withdraw his head more suddenly than he had thrust it out. ** The ** hacienda” was doomed, and the hun- At this time Comanche Dick was creeping to- | ter hurried to his friends below. ‘ward the unsuspecting red-skin, who had halted almost on the very edge of the roof, which was inclined at such an angle that it required no lit- tle care to prevent falling. Dick’s first intention was to grapple with the savage, and settle the matter with the knife; but the footing was so uncertain as to make it more than probable that he would be precipitated to the ground with his victim. So he changed his mind and drew his pistol. As he raised the hammer, he endeavored to suppress the noise; but the click reached the éars of the Comanche, who instantly looked up. Whether he saw his enemy or not can only be conjectured; but, at the same instant, the weapon was <lischarged, and the savage rolled struggling to the ground below. Dick hastily changed his position, for he fear- ed the shots of those below, who would be guided by the flash of the pistol; but they were so un- prepared for such a turn of affairs, that no shot was fired at him. Thinking that there might be others on the roof, he made a complete circuit, and carefully examined every portion; but the Comanche who had been tumbled off was evidently the most daring of his fellows, for none of the others had as yet attempted the feat. Some confusion followed the fall of the sav- age, but it lasted only a moment, when all was still again. Dick waited some minutes to see whether anything like it would be attempted, and then he descended through the opening, carefully closed it after him, and rejoined his friends below. He found that nothing had been attempted during his absence, nor would they have known of what took place on the roof, had it not been for the report of the pistol, From their peculiar situation, it was impossi- ble to have a light in the room, as the exact location of the loopholes would have been be- trayed thereby—so in moving around they were guided by their knowledge of thte configuration of the room, and by the sense of sound. ‘‘Where can the men be?’ inquired Mrs. Hampton, the wife of Dick. ‘Off ona hunt. I told them that they might take the day, or what was left of it, and I sup- pose they will hardly be back before morning.” ‘“‘If they would only return now,” cried Jo- sepha, ‘‘ they might rid us of this Manzal.” ‘What do you mean?” asked Dick, who un- derstood very well what was meant by the re- mark. ‘* He is outside; I know it.” ‘* How do you know it?” **T heard him whoop awhile ago.” Dick laughed quite heartily. ‘*- You must have quite sharp ears, for I didn’t hear it.” ‘‘ You heard it, but didn’t notice it. You are not so well acquainted with his voice as I am.” ‘‘T hope you are mistaken, Josepha, but per- haps you are not.” | ick only hoped it; he did not believe it. He bad suspected from the first that Manzal, the ruffianly persecutor of Josepha, was at the bot- tom of the whole business, and when the first ark of fire oe gpm on the roof, he prayed that it might be the villain himself; but he was too geat_a coward to venture upon anything that involved so much personal risk, When the Comanches first appeared, he care- fully scrutinized them, so far as he was able, un- der the expectation of recognizing his enemy. But, if Manzal was present, he was so well disguised as an Indian that Dick \vas unable to identify him. Although he treated the asser- tion of Josepha with no little levity, yet he placed more faith in it than she suspected. A half-hour of quiet followed, and then Dick concluded to make another tour of the roof, so ‘* It’s all up!” he exclaimed; ‘‘ the building is on fire, and we must leave.” ‘Hark! thatis his voice!” exclaimed Josepha, with a gasp of terror. Dick was not entirely unprepared for this turn of affairs. Hurrying through the lower portion of the house, he reached an opening—a sort of door—so arranged as not to be noticeable from the outside, through which he hoped to reach the rude sort of stables in which their horses were kept. There was no time to lose, and without paus- ing even to glance outside, he drew aside the door, ‘* Now, Josepha, close to me, and you next,” he said, hurriedly addressing his wife. The next moment, all three were on the out- side. By this time the light of the burning building was so great that it was like midday without; but it was no time for hesitation, and the three hurried across the intervening space. The distance to cross was perhaps a hundred yards. Fully one-half had been passed, when a shout went up. The Comanches had discovered them. ‘“Go ahead and get out the horses!” called out Dick, to his friends, while he turned at bay. The two females lost not a second, and an instant later had dashed into the rude build- ing. But the Indians had been ahead of them. Not a horse was there. CHAPTER IV. A TIGER AT BAY. COMANCHE Dick was now a fury incarnate. Driven at bay, he was a man whom a dozen of his \ rig Mita on would have hesitated to at- tack! The Indians could have shot him down, but they had no desire to do so. They knew him, and their intention was to take the whole party prisoners, Throwing down his rifle, Dick drew his terri- ble knife, and circling it over his head, sprung aloft, and uttered a whoop of defiance. His blood was up, and he was ready to attack the whole party, if they lingered in attacking him. The white heat of rage gleamed in his eyes, and woe to the man who came within reach of that terrible right arm! The fellow had thrown himself across the path of those he loved, and while he lived none could pass him. The Comanches numbered nearer thirty than twenty; they had dismounted, and they came on foot toward him; but, awed by the terri- ble monace in his manner, they hesitated a mo- ment. ‘**Come on, you dogs!” he called out, in their own tongue, ‘‘ the white man fears you not, You are cowards! you are women! you stand like children! Why do younot prove yourselves warriors?” And again he flashed the fearful weapon ever his head, There was no empty boast in this; Dick felt every word of it; it thrilled through his veins, and he prayed that they would wait no longer, for he felt that he could not! ; There was something awful in his demeanor, as he braced himself for the onset of his ene- mies, The Comanche is no coward, and three of the foremost advanced simultaneously to the at- tack. As cool, and firm as the rock, stood the dar- ing hunter, with his knife clutched, and his eyes darting lightning upon them. The trio of red-skins came cautiously forward, with knives also drawn, When they were with- —_ 5 in a half-dozen feet, Dick could wait no longer, but, like the crouching panther, he lea to- ward them, His movements were made with marvelous celerity and irresistible force. The lookers-on could not follow the lightning like circlings of that long right arm. There was a wild whoop and he was between the three, raging like a demon. It was but an instant—the twinkling of am eye, and Comanche Dick sprung backward full ‘ eae feet, flourishing the bowie over his ead, ‘* Dogs and cowards, why do you stand idle? You are afraid! you are women!” A. wail of horror went up, as the red-skins saw that the three who had advanced to the at- tack lay doubled over each other, all dead, while their slayer seemed unharmed! Great as was the odds, Comanche Dick would have held his own and come off conqueror, had he been able to control himself; but cs now lost all reason, and became insane with his own con- suming passion. ‘** Dogs!” he shrieked, ‘‘ if you are afraid to come to me, I will go to you!’ And he sprung toward them. Instead of flee- ing, as would have been natural under the cir- cumstances, the Comanches scattered, so as to close around him, The daring fellow made a leap at the nearest, but tripped over one of the dead bodies and fell. Ere he could rise, a half-dozen were upon him, But what of that? He came up, like the lion bursting through the brambles, but his knife had dropped from his hand. and was held by another. Still he raged like Sampson, scattering his foes, by sheer strength, until he was clear again, and with his long black ‘hair streaming about his shoulders, and his eyes glowing with an unearthly light, he swung his arms like piston-rods, and still defied them, At this instant, a shriek was uttered by Josepha, who with her mother had emerged from the stable, in their vain searchings for their horses. ‘‘What’s the matter?’ he fiercely demanded, turning toward them. ‘* The horses are gone,” replied his wife. ‘*' Then I will get you one!’ With which he dashed straight through the crowd toward the nearest animal. In vain they attempted to interpose. He leaped over them, and vaulting upon the back of the steed, which was without saddle, he wheeled it around to- ward the point where his two friends were cow- ering, and almost broke its ribs with the fury with which he struck his heels into its sides. Even here there was a prospect of success, had not an unlooked-for obstacle occurred. The obstinate brute refused to budge a step, but _ on its hind feet, and madly shook its ead, Again Dick pounded its sides, but in vain, and still blindly furious, he dealt the brute a blow with his naked fist on the side of its head, which caused it to reel and totter to the ground. ‘Lie there!” he muttered, springing to bis feet and glaring atit. ‘“ HadIa knife, [ would slit you to fragments!” All this had transpired in an incredibly short space of time, but the Comanches had not re- mained passive spectators. At the instant the hunter vaulted upon the back of the horse two of them had rushed forward and seized Josepha and her mother. en Dick saw them struggling in the grasp of their captors, his whole soul was fired again, and he plunged toward them. But quick as were his movements, he had not one half the distance when a lasso settled over is neck and arms, and before he could stir, a second and a third closed around him like so many vises. Ere he could free himself, he was thrown violently upon the ground and over- powered. Now they gathered around him with taunts, but all the time taking care to bind him tighter and tighter. Thev spat upon him, and called him dog and coward; and among the most violent, Dick recognized, for the first time, the villain Manzal. The poltroon, painted and daubed like a Comanche, had taken good care to keep in the background until his foe was powerless. Had he done otherwise, he would have been the first victim, for Dick would have singled him out and passed by all others, in order to reach him! The two women were placed u a mustang by themselves; Dick was placed helplessly in front of a savage upon another, and the party moved away, jJustas tho conflagration of the hacienda was at its hight. When the Comanches had gone about a hun- 7 eM micboo | - ’ + te «