Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 5 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

the youth had removed the wraps from about her form, and gazed down into her sweet face that was white with fear and wild with terror, he knew at once she, like Grace Manville, had been the victim of some foul plot—no doubt of the same villains who had abducted Grace. As soon as she had been relieved of the heavy blankets in which she had been bundled, Myrtle rose to a sitting posture and gazed wildly around the snow-walled room, and then up into the handsome, assuring face of Vagabond Joe. ‘Oh, Joe!” she exclaimed, as if half in doubt, a this not a horrible dream? Where am I, ” oe ‘‘ Right, slap here, Miss Myrtle, in the snow- house of us hunters and settlers. Just you git up and mosey to our fire, and warm yourse f, for you must be nearly froze to death.’ “Oh, no: Iam not at allcold. I have been so terrified that I couldn't get cold. But, Joe, what became of my abductors? Did the wolves get them?’ ett hope so, Myrtle, though I don’t know for rtain. ce an at, inadorable mercy!” exclaimed Bildad alt rushing headlong an the camp: “Myrtle Grey! what does this mean, child? Who war it what tied you in that bush? Speak out, child, that I may seek the wretches and de- stroy them, soul and body—ah!” and the old man ceased for want of breath. “IT know not who my enemies were,” the girl replied. ‘I only know that two men seized me last night when returning from spelling-school, and carried me away. They were both white men, as I could see, in disguise. As soon as they were outside of the settlement, they placed me upon a hand-sledge and dragged me along all day and night through the storm—halting only now and then a few minutes to rest or eat a cold bite. They expressed great anxiety to reach Ishtahaba’s encampment up the river some- where; but the storm and deep snow were too great for their endurance; and when night again closed in they could scarcely drag their wearied feet along. To add to their peril a number of wolves gathered around us and began to bark and howl, oh! so dismally. My abduc- tors became greatly alarmed. I could hear them talkmg, though they spoke in undertones. heard them say they would be devoured if they continued to worry with me and the sledge.” ‘The demons!” hissed Bildad Meeks; “I'd like to git them claws onto ’em, and Id not leave a speck of ’em!” and the old man clutched wildly at space. continued Nettie, Wephed 2 beards ine mal arrange- ‘when ments to desert me, and endeavor to escape the wolves while they were devouring me.” **Oh Lord!” groaned Meeks. ‘I begged them to save me—to let me go free,” Myrtle went on, ‘‘ but they would not do this, and under pretense of saving me, they tied me in the tree, knowing full well, for I heard them say so, that the wolves would gnaw the bush down; but, while the beasts were thus engaged, they would have time to escape.” e inhuman monsters!” exclaimed Old Bill; “Td like to jot them down on my list of stiffs anc will if ever I git a squint along my gun-bar’l re Did yo the men before, M i u ever see the men ore ’ asked Joe. So eyereh! ‘No; they were entire strangers to me, but—” ‘‘ By the lamentable fact! the Indians have got both the elk team and Grace Manville!” ex- ~ imed Fred Manning, rushing into the snow- uf. An exclamation of the dee regret burst from every lip, for most all had hopes that Grace had not been captured, but merely stepped out, But now, all was dashed to earth, and a shadow of gloom settled over the little y’s spirits, — ‘We may overtake the devils that sneaked in here and wook Grace away while we war fightin’ the wolves,” suggested Bildad Meeks, springing to his feet. “Yes, if we start in time,” added Fred Man- ning, &Go keerful, boys,” cautioned Old Bill; ‘‘ we Son't want to qomness ee and eave Myrtle onguarded, as we di r Grace. ~ No,” said Te eond Joe, “let's keep what we've got, and get all we can. Half of us ought to stay here and d camp, while the others go in pursuit of Grace. I’m ready for work.” It was unanimotfsly decided that Joe should remain in camp, inasmuch as he wae already, nearly exhausted. Four others were detailed assist him in guarding Myrtle, when the — led by Neutral Bill, set out upon the trail Grace’s ma which led away directly to- ward Ish ba’s encampment, Vagabond Joe. The Indians had taken the precautionary measures to conceal the real strength of their force by stepping into each other’s tracks; and to Old Bill, who was fully posted in Indian cun- ning, this act was fraught with some meaning. ‘* Blast thar ornery picters,” the old border- man said, contemptuously, “they must think that I’m a sardine. I reckon I know thar’s been a dozen or two of them ‘long here ’stead of one or two. I’m no sleepin’ beauty to be catched in sich a trap as that.” So saying, the old trapper left the trail, and keeping far from it, made his way toward the Indian camp in a roundabout way. They moved briskly on until the light of the enemies’ camp- fires burst upon their view, reflected in dazzling brightness by the snow. ey hung around the camp for quite awhile, and in the course of an hour or so they saw a score of Indians enter the camp from the east. ‘*That,” said Old Bill, ‘‘ proves what I told you. If we’d ’a’ follered that trail up, we’d’a’ been ambushed and taken in outen the cold. Great Moses! if we’d about a baker’s dozen of men with iron vertebras, we’d charge that camp. But as we’re only six, I reckon we'd better wait and watch. Id like to tally a stiff or two to-night. I’m on the war-path now, bigger’n a Crusader that fit for the Holy Cross. ou see, boys, it’s as I told you it would be, growing darker; the clouds are bunchin’ up again, and [ll miss my ess if it isn’t stormin’ away like fire and fury inside of an hour. If it does go to stormin’ in, I’m goin’ to do somethin’ desperit afore I go k to camp, or bu’st the brichen. I can’t leave here knowin’ that glorious young woman’s in the demons’ hands. And then, there’s Captain Howard; he must be got out of there, someway or other. Oh, I tell you, boys, we’ve got our hands chock full of business! Hunting deer’s no- whar with this kind of sport, though I ’sure you it’s not so dashed funny to Miss Manville and Cap. Howard.” ‘Well, what’s to be done, Bill?’ demanded a impatiently; “‘I’m gittin’ cold standin’ ere.” ‘*Oh, well, I reckon we’d better go back to the camp and take it cool,” answered Bill, changing his mind. ‘*Cool, the dickens! we’ve been takin’ it with the mercury ranging pretty low; and the way that rising wind yowls and rants above the forest, it doesn’t promise any better soon.” ‘It don’t, for a fact, Bildad; it beats all crea- tion how this storm hangs on; but then, it’s nothin’ when a feller gits used to it.” ** No, in course not, when he’s frozen stiffer’n a poker, dast it!” snapped the president of the school-board, out of patience with the weather and their continued troubles. Neutral Bill led the way back to camp, where their arrival without Grace Manville threw a cloud of disappointment over the spirit of Vag- abond Joe. e trapper-boy had entertained strong hopes of her rescue; and he had been telling Myrtle what a noble, high-born lady his late protegee was, and describing her beauty of face and soul in such emphatic and glowing terms that Myrtle thought she must be a crea- ture of some other spbere. The spirits of the whole party had been con- siderably clouded by the capture ef Grace and the unpromising state of the future. Bildad Meeks became morose and irritable—finding fault with everything—particularly the keen at- mosphere that interfered with the comfort of his long, sharp nose; and the condition of the weather in general, which, along with the Indi- ans, would cut short his supply of venison for a bond 3 uld feel littl thy f nd Joe co eel little sym y for the = entleman, since he had been ot hard on him in that school affair the week previous; yet he maintained a very respectful attitude toward him. Old Bill, however, whose thoughts ran wild with his tongue, cut right and left without ree regard as to where he struck. This was a habit acquired by most old bordermen through — of ee * Don’t growlin’, president,” he said, re- provingly, “‘ about the Lord’s join’s. ‘This weather is intended on purpose to work out some earthly good, now mind.” ‘Yes; and the result, I'll bet will be that we'll be froze to death and murdered by the In- ” replied the president. “Bah! talk bout cold weather; this is jist good and healthy,” averred Bill, with a sly at Fred ae “Why, man, I see’d it so cold once that a big, roarin’ blaze of a fire froze into a solid chunk, and a man’s breath would fall to the ground as soon as it came from his lips, frozen into solid balls uf ice ” “Oh, the dickens!” retorted Bildad, mecredu- 19 y ““you don’t mean to tell me this fora fact anor I'll swan I do, Mr. Meeks; it was that co ** And you see’d the fire freeze?” “Yes, I was right thar, and took my hatchet and broke the frozen b all up into little chunks. ’Bout this time ‘long come a pack of Ingins, and what do you suppose I done? Why sir, I took them little bits of frozen fire an traded them to the Ingins for peltries. I made the tarnal awks believe the frozen fire war diamonds—frozemfirum diamonds, I called ’em, and they didn’t know any better. Golconda! you'd ought to ’a’ seen their barbarious eyes glitter as they fingered the jewels over and over; and danced and hollered till it seemed as though they war goin’ to bu’st ’emselves. I al- most wept to see their savage innocence crop- in’ out in sich demonstrations of childish joy. f it hadn’t been pra an Ingin’s honor to rue back in a trade, I'd give ’em back their peltries and axed their forgiveness.” ‘* What a conscience you have,” observed Bil- dad. “Yes; it’s the way with my folks—runsin the blood. But, arter the Ingins had gone through lookin’ at their jewels, each one keerfully rolled his up in the very heart of the bundle which he carried at his back. This done, they all sot down to eat a bite before resumin’ their jour- ney; and the fust thing I knowed the smell of burnin’ fabrics smote my nasal nose, and then I see’d smoke isshooin’ from every Ingin’s bundle. The next instant a little blaze of fire darted its red tongue outen the folds of each blanket. You see, president, the frozen blaze had thawed out, oe bert: and other combustionables in the blanket fed the flames, and in two seconds the top-sail of every -skin was afire. By the New Jerusalem! if ever thar war a lively time, it war then and thar. You'd ’a’ thought an eagle had lit on them reds’ backs and war dig- pin its pizen talons into their very brace- rds. They war skittish, I MD oesca to you. They didn’t know the cause of t spontaneous combustion, and I did. Thar’s whar J had the advan ; and so I laffed and laffed till I shook every stitch of clothes off of me. It’sa fact, Mr. President.” “Oh, human depravity!” groaned Meeks while the rest of the audience burst into a of laughter, that had much to do in dispelli the = from their spirits. ‘* But that’s not the coldest spell I’ve see’d, Mr. Meeks,” Old Bill added, when the laughing had subsided. “The Lord forbid!” exclaimed Meeks. “The -Lord works his sovereign will, Mr. President,” Bill went on; ‘‘ but, what I was goin’ to tell you war about the cold weather I s’perienced up in Russian America, nigh the north pole. e air war stiff it was so cold—so stiff you couldn’t hardly crowd rer way through it; it’s a fact, Mr. Meeks. party of Alaska Ingins and North Polers got into a fight, and they fit, and hey fit till they killed each other all. I happened over the battle-field—ar- ter the battle, of course—and what do you sup- pose? Why, sir, thar stood nighly every man, stiff and bolt-upright—deader’n last year’s posies —all leaning on a red staff.” ** A red staff! Holy horrors!” ‘Yes, a red staff, president; but it was frozen blood. When an enemy rammed his lance into an enemy, the blood streamed out and froze in a stiff, curved stream before the wounded man could fall; and so thar he stood, leanin’ on his own blood, Why, sir, their war-yoops and death-yells hung on their lips in soli’fied form. Gracious Peter! it makes me shudder to think of it. It was offil Oe ert this is noth- ing to be com with that spell.” ‘And you lived through it?’ asked Meeks. ** Arn’t I here?’ replied Bill. ‘Yes, yes; I'll admit you are; but I’m afraid that spell of cold weather affected your regard for the truth, if you ever possessed any.” Before Bill could reply, the report of a rifle stung through the night. CHAPTER XVII. CUDMORE’S HEAD RECEIVES A ‘* JOLT.” THE report of a rifle called those within the snow-hut to the outside in an instant; and 47% ad inguiry it was found that a lurking enemy been seen near and fired upon by the d. Neutral Bill and Vagabond Joe, both appre- hensive of d , at once © arrangements to meet the foe should they make an assault upon camp. The was, as Bill had predicted it would be, overcast with gray, fleecy clouds, and the Eom Oe Echooksrcom