Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 499 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

—- ————— ee In an instant Ab Sin’s eyes got a quick flash, and told Single Sight that he had found the man for whom he had been looking. “Two friends in the same game,” murmured ‘Tf the one in Red Flash war hyar, thar’d be fi three of a kind. Ho! going to sample some more Dolores death-juice, eh?’ And he walked forward, following the twain into the little har. As Single Sight was the last man Rico Rob looked for in Dolores, the sport was not subject- ed to an inspection, so he edged carelessly up to _ Ab Sin along the counter, When did you get in?” asked Rico Rob. ‘While ago.” ‘You came alone?” The Chinaman nodded and smiled. “The Old Harry was to pay after you left last night.” ‘*Whatee happened?” “The captain got choked, nothing more,” ‘“‘ erinned the giant. ‘Boy do it, eh?’ asked the Celestial, as his eyes flashed. “ No; but never mind who did that job; we'll take up that choker’s case a little further on in the game. The boy is here.” H Ah Sin started visibly, for Rico Rob had genuinely surprised him. “‘ He brought me down to-day,” the Red Flash giant went on. ‘‘ The captain is impatient.” Ab Sin nodded and his almond eyes twinkled. “This isno place for conference,” and Rico Rob lowered his voice, but Single Sight still heard. ‘‘ Where boy now?” asked the Celestial. ‘Where we can lay bands on him,” was the answer. ‘* Now, dash down your blood-stirrer and come with me, The sixth man is to be dealt with!” Ah Sin clutched the glass en the counter and threw back his head, as bo carried the liquor toward his lips. Ashe did so he caught his first glirapse of Single Sight who. seeing that there was nothing more to hear, bad just turned away. Quicker of sight than the giant, the Chinaman | _ saw something familia® in the One-Eyed Sporv’s outlines. __ * Who that man?” he exclaimed with a look at -Rico Rob. ._ . The giant turned but saw nobody, for Single Sight had passed into the gaming-room, and was +. mingling with its denizens. + Ah Sin appeared to be very easily satisfied for hedid not follow up his inquiry, but followed Rico Rob down the aisle flanked with tables, thence to the floor below and out into the street. If either of the pair had looked Lack they would ave seen a fearless sure-footed man at their heels, but why should they expect Single Sight e! 1¢ stables where Chickadee hotel called the Belvidere, porch on two sides. hment, and was of such a the rougher element of Dolores antly guessed the goal of the d toward the Belvidere. hat another play o’ the ) ght!” mentally ejacu- ve L Spc t 4 “yz didn’t e t to athen Fes but mn difference, gle Sieht turned to the . PS | + avec deft. and bor away like a frightened deer between the ¢ and weather-boarded houses She q t helped tomake up Dolores. _ Allat once he appeared on the porch of the little hotel. A moment later he opened the door and walked in. A lamp was burning dimly in the room he in- - -yaded, and his step caused a head to rise above the level of a desk in one corner. ‘‘ Where is Chickadee o’ Red Flash?’ queried S Single Sight. - ‘Tn his room asleep.” 4 ‘‘ Well, [am his friend and bedfellow. You f > back to your cot, Dado Dan. I can find < _ E yed Sport crossed the room, opened went u 5. wo nutes afterward he entered a small apartment whose only lig t was that which came in at the window from the half-moon in ee aang ‘A bed stood against the wall, but it was not “Where was Chickadee? ? : Sin Sight looked at the cot for a few id then shook his head; but instead of he | ‘oom he drew a revolver and leaned e wall near the window, a * ° Ae * ‘ os . ef ~ rr lle ~~ Ae fe . * a | EE LL ssn n nnn nnn nn nee eee een nn RRA the Oue-Eyed Sport as he watched them covertly. | | CHAPTER X. THE SECRET OF OLD FATALITY. Let us go back to Red Flash, back to the he One-Eyed port. —- ——s ridor with a low ceiling, or through a chamber of considerable dimen-~ions, There were some evidences of gold wherever he went, but they were not strong enough to at- man who bad come to the camp as Captain | tract a good miner. Ringbolt of the Great Gold Union, a scheme which we can say fictitious one in his own brain. He awoke the morning after his severe chok- ' | | Old Fatality Mine had been opened long be- here had no existence save a | fore the building of Red Flash, but by whom? No manin the gold *‘ city ” piet«nded to know! At last Captain Ringbolt reacbed a small ing by the masked assailant with the effects of , apartment which appeared to have but cne cut- it still with him. Despite Kico Rob’s advice he felt like hunting | up the owner of the gold ring, but_when he re- | flected that Rob was going to Dolores that morning, he concluded to postpone the encoun- ter. As we already know, he saw the stage depart with Rico Rob for its only passenger, and then with a satisfied smile at the corners of his mouth, he went down toa Red Flash breakfast which, with some of Yuba Monte’s whisky, made him feel like his old self again. Having thus treated himself, Captain Ring- bolt sauntered from the Beelzebub with a cigar between his teeth. He met a number of men who touched their hats to bim, for the rumor that he was a great | let, the one by which he hud reached it. ‘* This is the key to the secret!” he ejaculated. ‘“ Babette may have stood here a thousand times, but he never discovered the truth.” The Denverite looked at bis chart once more and nodded approval of his course. The floor of the cavern was littered with ieces of rock as they bad fallen from the pick. n two of the corners there were little heaps of stones, Captain Ringbolt went to one of these. His eyes had a wild, greedy glitter now. He hung the lamp upon a sharp rock above his head and removed the stones with his hands, After awhile he came to the ficor of the cavern; then, with his feet, be pushed the dirt man witha gigantic scheme had got abroad, | aside and brought to light an iron ring! and Red Flash was at all times ready to rush into anything that promised to increase its wealth. ‘** The fools never found this!” he cried, ‘* This _ scheme beats the Munchausen stories about the Great Denver Gold Union; it Coes, by Jupi- Of one of the men he met Captain Ringboltin- | ter!” quired the way to the fatal mine, and the miner-tough volunteered to show him. There was a gleam of eagerness in the cap- tain’s eyes and tions abcut the mine, about the men who had died before Babette because they had held it, about its yield and its legends. He was told that Red Flash took but little stock in the worth of ‘Old Fatality,” that it had been worked to death before Babette took it, and so forth. Tho shaft was reached, and the man pointed Captain Ringbo't to the heavy windlass that stood over the opening, with the rope and bucket that hung below it. “Ts the shift deep?” ‘‘No. Thar’s a ladder along the wall—see?” answered the man. The Denverite cazed down the staft some minutes in silence. Attached to the ponderous frame of the der- rick was Chickadee’s claim as proprietor of the mine. A smile twinkled in the captain’s eyes as he read it. ‘‘ T believe I'll go down,” he remarked. ‘‘Thar’s nothin’ to prevent ye,” was the an- swer. ‘ You'll find lights on a shelf at the bot- tom of the sbaft. Thar’s no water in the mine; it’s as dry as the Dolores trail.” The man from Denver thanked his guide as he moved off, and the next minute he was alone at the shaft of the fatal mine. ‘“‘Tyve been wanting to get back here for ears!” he ejaculated, ‘“‘ By Jove! I am near he biggest bonanza of my life, and with a good report from Rico Rob, the whole thing will ae into my hands. I’ll go down and see how it looks.” Captain sing pow swung himself over the edze of the shaft, caught the ladder firmly, and began to descend, | ‘This is better than being chased by @ one- eyed demon!” he chuckled, ‘It is better than being robbed by a boy, too, ha! ha!” He was not long reaching the solid ground at the bottom of the sbaft. There was a dim light there, but not enough to let him do without a better one. He remembered the miner’s words, and searched for the mine lamp until he found it. Lighting it, he drew back from the sbaft and took a piece of paper from his bosom. ‘‘T’ve got to get the kang o’ this bonanza be- fore I can go ahead!” he exclaimed, as he spread the paper out on his knee and began to examine it {ntently. It contained a diagram which looked like a labyrinth, it had so many dark lines, and here and there were figures and little arrows which seemed connected. ‘‘Touess T can master this place!” Captain Ringholt cried, getting up. ‘‘ They don’t take much stock in the value of Old Fatality in Red Flash. The fools! that is because they don’t know anything about it.” A few moments later the man from Denver was exploring the mine with the lamp he had found at the bottom of the sbaft. Every now and then he would throw the light against the walls and i ct them for a minute, then he would push on again into some new cor- » , \ - ’ L | . e et * . ’ he . > . * faa! » walle 4 tine ” - = f= ie s +. s ht? Mee. A. » e plied tho native with ques- | Captain Ringbolt got a good grip on the rusty ring and pulled away till a door in the ground opened and revealed a dark passage. “This is the El Dorado that has cost a dozen lives, and which will cost ancther befcre to- morrow night!” he cried. ‘'‘ihis is wealth it- self. And it is all mine, if I say so!” He took the lamp down and made its light penetrate the opening. It seemed quite ceep, but the light could not reveal the bottom. ‘“T am all alone. Nobody has followed me, for Red Flash takes no stock in Old Fatality ha, ha, ha!” laughed the sport from Denver, end then he deliberately lowered himeelf into the opening with the mine lamp hanging from his arm. He dropped but did not fall far, and when he alighted he stooped and crawled through a low passage for some distance. After a while he could stard erect again and the lamp revealed a chamber with rough walls and a hard floor. Captain Ringbolt walked toa — certain corner and kicked the earth away. Anotber iron ring! This time a display of his strength did not bring to doo another trap, but it produced a small box bound with iron which he lifted from the ground with some difficulty. The lid came off with a growl and with eyes that seemed to blaze, the Denverite held the lamp over the box. It was nearly filled with dark locking nuggets of all shapes. ‘“They haven’t been touched since we went wate OF he cried. ‘* This is the gold chamber of the biggest bonanza under ground. By Jupi- ter! a mine like this is worth guarding for years with the dagger. Ah! here is the document we left behind—the one that ccentains the names of the six original ciscoverers. True itis that na- ture had made these underground chambers but we develcped them. The Erctherhcod of tbe Mystie Mark stumbled upon this El Doredo.... Let me see list.” Re he. 7 the nuggets‘and drew forth a roll of ; aper. _In the light of the lamp he saw il -be writing signed by six names, all in poor chirogre; by. _ ** Wheres are they now?” & exclaimed. “ Let me sce: Tiger Tom—dead! BRocmerang Pill— ei obo ge ge ee Solid Sam— ost—probably dead. ico Rob, living, anc ‘Redfield’—here!” MENKy: aPe Captain Ringlolt called the roll to the end, then replaced the paper inthe tube, shut the box and dropped it back into the opening. “This is worth waiting and fighting tor!” ba ejaculated as be replaced the earth until no traces of the treasure remained. ‘‘:’ve pot nothing to do now but to gohack and spin yrins on the porch of the Beelzebub till Rico Rob comes back. Then we'll show the one-eyed rob- ber that he can’t throttle‘ Redfield’ and es: ape. After this the wind-up of the big gold game!’ Captain Ring! It turned back and the follow- ing moment be was moving toward the main shaft. But he had to emerge from the secret opening where he had lifted the door with the iron ring, before he could walk straight to the mouth of the mine. Comic .S! JOO €or . me ' e he tookatin tube frem amc DS er er ts ce — . —