Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 487 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

: He ate a good supper, sharing it with Turk, and then sought the cot and went to sleep. The storm came up and the wind howled about the cabin, but Ned was not in the least disturbed, and arose in the morning greatly re- freshed. The fire had burned low, and the cabin was very cold, so he hastened to throw on some wood, and glancing out of the window as he did so, uttered a ery ot almost terror. The whole country was knee-deep with snow. Ned stood like one struck dumb with amaze- ment, His uncle had urged him not to attempt to re- turn so late in the fall, saying that the snow must soon fall; but Ned felt confident, and, against all advice, had started. Had he taken the way back which he had come, he would have been all right, and reached his camp on time; but, anxious to learn all he could of the country, he had boldly taken a new way, got lost, and worst of all, found himself snowed-in in the mountains, Far from any human habitation he knew that he was, excepting the hermit’s hut that then sheltered him, That his hfe would have soon ended, but for the lucky finding of the trail that led to that cabin, he well knew, for he could not have lived without shelter and food. Long he stood onde e and then, nerving himself to accept his fate, he set to work. Turk looked up into his master’s face wonder- ingly, and Ned said: Well, Turk, we are in for it, and are here fora long time, I fear, unless a thaw follows soon, and gives us a chance to go on our way.” But Turk seemed to be pleased with the fact that they were then safe, and yelped his satis- faction, ‘But for this cabin, Turk, we’d soon die,” and Ned built a fire with the wood at hand, and was glad to find that the next room held a good supply. Not enough to last one-third the winter he knew, however, and he felt that he had to go to work, As he opened the door, an elk, resting in the shelter of the cabin, bounded off; but, quick as a flash Ned seized his rifle and dropped him. ‘* We'll not starve right off, Turk,” he said, cheerily, and went out and dragged the elk in. pare he fed the ponies but sparingly, as he said: ‘* It may be six months this will have to last you, ponies, so go slow.” The chickens, half-frozen, still remained upon their roost, under a shed, and Ned determined to bag them as soon as night came, for as there were half a hundred of them he saw as many days’ food ahead, During the day the storm continued, and Ned made himself useful in setting things to rights as he wished them. He saw plenty of wood not far off, trees that had been felled, and others that had been blown down, and an ax was in the house, so he felt no fear of freezing. The next day the storm had ended, but the snow was three feet deep on a level and it was yey cold. ith pieces of blanket he made himself some gloves, and a working coat of the same material, while he also manufactured some leggings and stout moccasins of deer hide. Thus equi he cleared a path through the snow to a fallen tree, and went to work with an ax, All day he worked hard, and at night caught the chickens, killed and picked them, throwing them on the roof in the snow to freeze and keep, as he did dlso the elk meat, Thus the days passed away, the snow began to disappear, and Ned hoped he would be able to venture on his way once more, But on arising the next morning to start, he found another storm threatening, and deter- mined not to start, though he took his rifle and went in search of game, having seen several deer in the valley below. Mounting his horse he rode in chase of them, | and readily got within range, the animals seem- | ing to be ravenous with hunger, having been | overtaken by the snow storm before they could get to a more congenial locality. Ned managed to kil’ three, and these were | quickly taken to the cahin, dressed, and hung | up for food, The ponies did not seem to like their confine- ment any more than did Ned; but they had to | put up with it as-their master did, while Turk appeared perfectly contented. spring of water was just under the cliff, so Ned congratulated himself over and over again rr Nevada Ned, the Revolver Ranger. ee ee upon his good luck, and sat in the doorway of his cabin that night grimly watching the ap- proaching storm. He had plenty of coffee and sugar, if not wasted, some crackers for an extra occasion, corn to make bread of, when he had ground it in a hand-mill he found in the house; some bacon as a relish, and which he also discovered there, salt, pepper, and in the garden-patch were onions, potatoes, beets and cabbages, none the best, as they had been planted by the former owner, and grown up uncared for; but still Ned was not in a fault-finding mood, and they would do, and he had gathered them. As for fresh meats, he had his elk, antelope and chickens, and he had not forgotten Turk in dressing the animals. ‘ We are in for it, Turk; but I guess we won't starve, for if our supplies give out, we have three horses in the_ stable,” and Ned closed the door against the freezing blasts and driving gl and reconciled himself to what was before im, CHAPTER XVII, NEVADA NED’S DEADLY AIM. To follow Ned’s career through the long days and nights of that cold winter, would be but to repeat the story over of each twenty-four hours, for little change did he know. The wolves were wont to visit him often by night, coming over the frozen snow, and Turk showed no anxiety to go out and interview them on such occasions, Ned would practice upon them now and then, but he did not care to waste his ammunition. His hay and meat getting low, he was forced to kill one of his ponies, to leave enough for the other two, and the boy wisely cut off from the animal some choice steaks, to put away for him- self and Turk, should his supply of deer-meat give out before the snows melted. Fortunately, however, he was only forced to EEE EEE — “ a volvers and a knife being in his belt, where her could reach them with his left hand. His face was bearded, his slouch hat drawm down over his fierce eyes, and his look that of a man ready for any deadly work. His horse was a fine one, as were the other two animals, and they were led by lariats caught in their bits and looped over his saddle-horn, One of the horses carried a man’s saddle, the: other an old lady’s saddle, and this fact the more convinced Ned that something was wrong when Jack Hollis had a hand in it. ‘* They say that he and Nick Sloan took tothe Overland Trail as road-agents,” Ned muttered, as he eyed the one-armed desperado, who had halted his horses not thirty paces from the bowl- der, behind which stood the young Gold King, a cedar bush hiding him completely. ‘‘ Ah! there he comes now,” Jack Hollis said aloud. Ned was on the alert now, and watched for the coming of the one the desperado waited for. ‘Tf he don’t bring the gal, he'll hev ter go. back arter her—but he hes got her!” The last words were uttered triumphantly and then Ned heard steps rapidly approaching along the trail, and a voice called out: ‘*T’ve got her, cap’n, and nobody see’d me.” ‘She hain’t dead, be she?” asked Hollis, ‘‘No, I has her muffled, fer she’s got a voice like a bugle, and this are no place ter be caught stealin’ a gal in.” ‘You'll hev ter carry her, fer I can’t, with my one arm,” ‘*She’s got ter ride, ef I tie her on ther horse,” and throwing ashawl off the head and shoulders: of the one he carried, he said: ‘*Come, gal, yer must go with us and no screechin’, onless y2r wants yer throat cut,” Ned saw a young girl of eleven, with a face that, though alarmed, was very lovely to look upon. ‘Tt is Nick Sloan that has her, and I guess it’e: my chip in,” Ned muttered, drawing his revolv- make a few meals off of horseflesh, before he | er from his belt. was able to start upon his journey, It had seemed years to him, that long winter in that lone cabin, and he fairly yelled with de- < o when he mounted his thin horse, and start- ed off one fine morning in spring, his pack-ani- mal coming behind him at a slow pace. Here and there green grass had sprung up, and cropping this, and with exercise, the ani- mals picked up rapidly, while Ned was forced to do as Turk did, live on fresh meat alone. His coffee and other peowalons were all gone, his vegetables, too, and Ned said to himself: ‘* I never knew how much a fellow could eat in half a year until I had tried it,” It was rough traveling yet, though he had waited as long as he dared, and he made slow progress, while, not knowing exactly where he was, he had to go a great deal by guess-work. One afternoon Ned, to his great delight, came upon a well-beaten trail. He could see that it had been but lately trav- eled, and more, there were hoof-tracks that showed the iron horseshoe, proving that they were not Indians, Still Ned was cautious, and riding into a thicket of mountain cedar, he dismounted, hitched his horse, and calling to Turk to follow him, went forward on foot to reconnoiter, con- vinced that he was in the vicinity of a camp of some kind, but whether the village of red-skins or the mining-camps of pale-faces, he could not yet tell. A growl of warning from Turk caused him to quickly seek shelter behind a huge bowlder only a few steps from the trail, As he did so a horseman came in sight, and he was leading two animals. It was just before sunset, and the man’s face was visible by the light falling full upon it, and Ned recognized the man at a glance, and just in time, for he was about to call out to him, seeing that he was not an Indian. ‘Tt is Jack Hollis!” hoarsely whispered Ned, addressing Turk, whom he motioned to keep quiet. ‘Curses on him! he sh’u’d hey been here by this time! ‘Wonder if he’s been nabbed?” growled the man, and his evil face worked savagely. “Yowre up to some deviltry, Jack Hollis, and T hope ll know what it is,” muttered Ned, re- garding his old enemy, whose one arm was & strong reminder of the boy’s deadly aim. ‘‘Dve changed much in two years, grown tall, and as black as an Indian, ‘* Wonder if he’d know me?” and Ned was half tempted to step out from his place of conceal- ment, He saw that, Hollis was armed well, three re- In answer to the rude words of her captor, who held firmly upon her hand, the young girl said, indignantly: ‘* Let me go, sir, or it will be the worse for you, as I have friends who will kill you for car- rying me off.” ‘*Gal, you is wu’th a big fortin’ to us, and we don’t intend ter let yer go. ‘Them fellers in ther mine will pay Dig money to git yer back ag’in; but if they don’t, ll raise yer as my child. ‘* Come, let Nick help yer on yer horse ard no buckin’ and screechin’, fer it are onhealthy here fer us, and we'd kill yer afore we'd give yer up.” There was something in the face of Jack Hol- lis that told the girl, young as she was, that he meant just what he said, and she buricd her face: in her hands and said; ‘Oh, don’t carry me off, you wicked man, or I shall die!” ‘*Come, Nick, gag her if she’s goin’ ter yell!” fiercely said Jack Hollis, and in obedience to the command, Nick Sioan seized her in his arms and was wrapping the shawl about her face, when Ned siepned forth from behind the bowlder. ‘ Nick Sloan, let that girl alone!” and as Ne- vada Ned spoke he fired. Few men would have taken the chances that Nevada Ned did, in firing at the max while he held the girl in his grasp; but the boy knew well his aim, while he also saw that the desperado’s eyes had caught sight of him and he was drawing a. weapon, too. A cry broke from the lips of the girl at the shot, and the arms of Nick Sloan were waved wildly in the air as he staggered back from her and fell heavily. . Whether Jack Hollis supposed there were others following the youth, or recognized Neva- da Ned, or was most anxious to escape himself, is not known, but certain it is that he cast loose the lariats from over his saddle-horn, and, re- leasing the two animals thus, wheeled bis own horse about, as though on a pivot, and went fly- ing down the trail. To hasten him Ned sent a bullet after him, though with no intention of hitting him, and at the report he saw Jack Hollis dig his spurs deep into the side of his horse and disappear from agoe around a bend in the trail. vevada Ned knew that there was nothing to fear from Nick Sloan, for be had shot to kill, and his aim wus true. ; His bullet had erasbed into the head of the desperado, and stone dead he lay as the boy stepped up to him. “Ts he dead?” asked the young yirl in a whis- per, gazing at Ned with as much awe as she felt. for the dead form at her feet, ~ “. ~ —— = — ae “4 pan =" — Ste a =i —_—— zz