Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 51 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

- — Will Macdonald spoken of by his two companions, Albert and Fred. He had started with Ranty from camp that morn- ing, but they had separated shortly after leaving it, with the agreement that they should meet at this spot and return together. ‘*He’s gone on some, wild goose chase or other and don’t know that it lacks only an hour of noon,’ muttered Will, looking off up the river as he spoke. ‘Here I’ve been half an hour if I have a minute, ao I was late, and fe hasn’t put in an appearance ye _ He put one hand to his lips, and whistled shrilly on his finger, but there was no answer. ‘“*T shan’t wait any longer, anyhow, for I’m. as hungry asa wolf. I'll drive a stake here, and leave a cartridge shell on top. of it, so’s he'll know I’ve been here, and won't wait for me, and then I'll go for camp.” | It took but a short time to arrange this, and then invari up the brace of partridges he had killed, he started. His course lay Grecyy up the small stream which, where it emptied into the Red, was perhaps a dozen yards wide. <A brisk walk of two miles, and then he came to a sudden halt. The land was low here, and the timber extraordi- narily thick and Jarge, The boy looked about him a moment, as if at almost a loss as to his exact ** loca- tion,’ then he turned back from the stream. “T came very near passing by,” he thought; ‘‘ but at nto looks just like everything else here, any- ow 9 After going a few rods, he came to a monster syca- more, with a hole burnt out of its side, from the te up nearly four feet. This had been “ en- rged and improved” and a slab from another sycamore fitted in for a “ door.”’. This Will removed, and entered. | — This yt 3 sycamore was a mere shell, nearly as large on the inside as on the out. One or two holes were cut nish higher up to let the light in and al- low the smoke to escape. Various things were scat- tered about, but no sign of any of the ay ts “Well, that’s odd, anyhow,” mused Will, as he ‘built a fire on the remains of aformer one, “‘ They must have found more game than I did, or some of them would have been here before this.”’ He prepared a dinner ample for himself and his three companions; and waited long and patiently for oo appearance before he decided to eat without them, **T should like to know what keeps them,”’ he thought, half-aloud, as one o’clock came and the boys were still absent. ‘‘TI believe I shall go back by the river where Ranty said he was going when we separated this morning.” e started off in that direction. As he neared the river, he struck the wide, fresh trail left by the sav- The boys had been in the country but a few days, in truth they had only come to this present place the day before; and as yet had seen no > of Indians, notwithstanding what the old trapper had told them at the settlement, and boy fashion, they had thought but little about them, their minds being fully occu- pied with something else. But here in the soft ground was the plain impress of moccasined feet, pan te, small, mule-like track of a drove of Indian nies. a hades of Jupiter!” Will muttered, as he exam- ined them. “It’s been a party of Indians, as I’m a sinner! Can it be possible—” He broke off sud only, and commenced a re-exam- ‘ination of the tracks. Long and patiently he search- ed, but the prints of no other feet, save those already discovered, rewarded him. He followed along the ‘trail, but had gone only a few yards when he heard the rapid hoof-strokes of gallo ing horses, _. -“*Somebod know what a rid- den h travels kes he a teked, plan ing back en horse trave e,”" mu : c c in the direction from which he had come. “ i uess I'd better sit down and rest me a few minutes! And with this bit of facetiousness, Will darted into the thick undergrowth, and took up a position where he could watch the trail. An instant after two savages, mounted on fleet ponies, came palloping along. They passed the boy’s hiding-place like a flash, but adozen yards further on they came to a sudden ‘halt, and sprung from their seats to the ground, and commenced examining an object, which up to this ‘time, had escaped Will’s notice, It was a short stake driven into the ground near the center of the trail, and into a split in the top, made by a light blow from a tomahswk, was drawn a piece of white-birch bark, perhaps a foot square. t was this piece of bark which had attracted the Indians’ attention. Will saw them detach it from the stake, and examine it critically, turning it this way and that, talking busily, and almost excitedly at times, as they seemed to discover something new upon its face. At last one of the Indians straightened up, and drawing his hunting-knife from its sheath, said some- thing to his companion, and started at a half trot, directly toward where Will was ge “You old sinner!’’ muttered Will, irreverently, squeezing himself into the smallest ble space, and loosening his revolver. _“‘ [don’t know what you want, but if it’s any thing of me, I'll try and accom- modate you,” The boy an to think he did want him in good earnest, for the savage came within two y of him before he halted. But he appeared utterly ob- Tivious of Will’s pro . He was intently eying a birch tree at the foot of which he had stopped, and after he had satisfied himself as to the best spot from which to strip a piece of bark, he commenced the operation. The Boy Rifles. —- —__ ——- ———_— It seemed to Will that the savage must hear the thumping of his heart, It sounded to him as loud as the puffing of a steam-engine, and when the red- skin would step around siill nearer to him as his work would occasionally require, it would rise in his throat, till it nearly suffocated him. Twice he ought he was discovered, and started to raise his revolver, when the next act of the savage would re- assure him, At last the workman seemed to have gotten a strip that suited him, and with a guttural exclama- tion of satisfaction started back toward his compan- ion, The latter had returned the piece of bark to its original position in the top of the stake, and then the two sat flatdown on the sward and commenced a drawing of some sort fe aye the new strip. Will nearly stretched his neck off in his efforts to watch the proceeding, but it was very little he saw, so closely were the savages bent over their work, At last they seemed to have arranged it to their satisfaction, for they placed it beside the other on the stake, and mounting their ponies, set off on the trail at a breakneck pace, Will waited till they were a safe distance away, then he ventured from his hiding-place, and ap-. roached the stake. He detached both pieces of ark, and again proceeded to his hiding-place. Then he spread the largest piece upon his kees, and pro- ceeded to examine it.. But after a five minutes’ scru- tiny, during which his face underwent the test of the severest scowls, he had failed to advance a jot toward understanding the picture before him. At the right hand corner of the bark were drawn in outline, twenty-four Indians, as was shown by each one wearing feathers in his hair. In the front ranks of these was a smaller wearing a hat, and carrying his arms full o pong ere Will could not make out. These were facing one way. Close behind taem was marked out a stream with a smaller one emptying into it. In front of them were burning four small fires, and still a little further in front and up, some birds were flying in the direction of some mountains at the left of the picture. Just at the base of these mountains was a small stream that emptied into the main one at the extreme back of the picture. Near, and a little above one of the savages’ heads, was a round disk, and about his feet, and extending nearly to his waist, was a cloud of dust or smoke. The other strip was smaller, and contained.much less drawing. On it two Indians with horses’ ears in place of their own, and they were following a Aras] amr trail. Behind them, near a stream, was a thi ndian in asitting gory and upon each side of one of his arms was placed a stick, a thong going round the whole, From his mouth to the ears of the two Indians was drawn a line. The only remaining thing in the picture resembled a retry sheet of paper, with a lot of hieroglyphic- looking characters thereon. These Batic of bark Will rolled up carefully and consigned to his pocket. “It’s my opinion, whoever that was intended for, won’t get it, unless they get me along with it, which I presume they wouldn’t hesitate to do if 1 gave them achance. I've a great mind to follow ong the traila ways. I guess, if I keep my eyes abou me, I can see Indians as soon as they can see me.” This resolution grew stronger in Will’s mind as he pondered it, and finally he determined to carry it out. He didn’t go boldly out in the center of ‘the trail, but kept under cover of the bushes, sometimes rei, quite delours to do so, however; but he had decided not to give any savages who might be fol- lowing a chance to come on him unawares. He had not proceeded more than half a mile in this manner, when he came to a spot where the trail led through a thick streak of unde wth. At the edge of this he stopped, electrified by hear- ing voices. A moment’s listening convinced him that they were Indians. With a cat-like tread, he entered the brush, and picked his way carefully along im the direction from whence the sound proceeded. A few steps brought him to the edge of the trail. Dropping upon his hands and knees, he crawled along a few feet further, till he had attained the shelter of a prostrate log, then raised slowly till he could peer over the - Within a dozen yards of him were two savages; ery pe two he had seen a half-mile further ack, They had both dismounted from their ponies, and one of them held in his hand a bit of paper, as Will could plainly see from his hiding-place. It resem- ee a leaf torn from a memorandum or acconnt re) ‘* Now what in all that’s wonderful are they doing there, and what have they been doing ever since I saw them before?” wondered Will, in astonishment. “At the rate they went off, they could have been ten miles away before this, and I only wish they were! Hello, the other one is going to have a hand in, Ce ! ay nee if it isn’t some more of their hiero- g cs?” e other Indian now took the paper and turned it over, upside down, and in every other conceivable shape, coping up a continuous talking and gestu meanwhile. en he tore it in two pieces and let it sail ua ~ the we! - yd i ve a at that, or my name ain’t W Macdonald,” thought that young gentleman, as he watched where the paper caught and hung ina thorn-b “That’s right, old jabber-boxes; mount your ponies, and travel!” dressed to The latter part of this solil was ad the de ret When the last clatter of their horses’ hoofs had died away upon the wind, the youth came out and picked the bit of paper from the 3 — thorn-bush: It was genuine writing-paper, and Will’s eyes grew round as moons as he saw that some words were penciled on it in Albert’s hand- writing. ‘*Here’s something that amounts to something! Now if I can only find the other piece. It went off here, somewhere.”’ He stepped along a few feet t the bush. Yes, there it was sure enough, lod against a little tuft of grass. With fingers that trembled in spite of himself, Will picked it up and fitted it to the other piece. Tt read as follows:, *Ranty is taken prisoner by the Indians. We think they are going to.take him toward the moun- tains—perhaps to a camp on Beaver Creek. We are following to see. If you come across this to-day, come on; if not, wait. ALBERT and FRED.” CHAPTER V. THE BOYS ON THE TRAIL. A WILD, tem ous, gloomy night was settlin over the Red River country. From horizon to ho zon stretched a dull, y mass of watery-look clouds, that went scudding before the blast, ever anon spattering big drops from their tattered edges in their flight. The wind soughed dismally through the darkening forest, and shrieked, and moaned, and howled around the hilltops and over the naked rairies, as if the spirit of ‘‘ Old Nick” himself had aken —— of it; a night in which the campers- out of the Red River country looked to make every- soars aspen secure before they turned into unks. Standing under the woods, on an elevated piece of ground that overlooked a densely wooded valley were two motionless figures who paid not the slightest at- tention to the fierce threatenings of the coming sterm. In the every instant deepening darkness, it required sharp eyes to detect them from the tree-trunks among whic a stood. But suddenly there was a slight motion on the part of one of them,a warning “’Sh,” and the next instant the spot where they stood was unoceu- pied, the figures had vanished! At the same moment a shadowy shape flitted among the trees a few yards away, and that also vanished ! Vanished but to rea an instant after, an up- right, motionless form, so close to a t tree-trunk that it seemed a part and parcel of it in the dark- ness. “* Tf I didn’t see ——- or somebody then, I'm grandly mistaken, that’s all,” soliloquized Will Mae- onald, for he it was. “ Maybe they think I'm nap- ping, but they'll find their mistake.’ For fully ten minutes he stood there, his body mo- tionless, but ener faculty on the alert. Suddenly there came to ear a sound which he was con- vinced was not made by the wind. The darkness had deepened so rapidly that objects were not distinguishable half a dozen yards away. Will strained his eyes in a vain endeavor to pierce the gloom, and looked long and intently in di- rection from which he fancied the sound had come. But no moving object came within range of his vision. * Fred,’’ said a low voice, which Will recognized” with a start as Albert’s, “* Fred?’ “What you want?” responded Fred’s voice from. out the gloom, and the next instant will caught sight of a shadowy shape moving along, eee !” he exclaimed, in a low, eager voice, “ Oo s!’’ “Well, if this don’t beat any thing I ever saw!’ exclaimed Fred, as the two came up. “That we should run across you here! It’s too good luck to have come.”’ A dozen questions were asked and answered in a breath, as the trio huddled together under the tree. It was, indeed, a most fortunate encounter, and seemed little short of a miracle. ‘*Rarty is safe yet,”’ said Albert. “ The Indians. are camped right close by. We thought you were one when we first got a glimpse of you ten or fifteen minutes ago. But, how did you happen to come on? You must have found our ‘ letter.’ “TI did,” replied Will. ‘‘ And you can just comsider that I have done some tall traveling since that, too. to be here. I took a regular Indian trot about half the way. I found where they'd camped at noon, and saw some more of your ‘sign’ there. I went to the sycamore for dinner, and haven't had a mouthful of any thing since.” ‘Well, here,’ returned Albert, fumbling about in the dark to get into his pocket. “* Here’s some roast- ed rabbit done up in a piece of birch-bark. It’s one we cooked this noon.”’ “ Epluribus!’’ cried Will. ‘“‘ And now, while I eat, I want to hear all about the whole thing.” They seated themselves on the gnarled roots, and while Will munched his meat, Albert related the particulars of Ranty’s capture that they knew. “They'd got him when we first come in of them, after’we crossed the river,”’ Albert continued, shifting his rifle to a new spot across his knees. ‘‘They had his hands tied behind him, and they were jabbering away like a flock of We thought first, of going to the sycamore and waiting for you, and then we thought if we did they would get so much the start of us, that, like as not, we couldn't follow the trail. They didn’t have horses for all of them to ride, or we couldn’t have kept up. And it turned out that Ranty wasn’t wounded atall. But he pretended he was awful lame, and so they put him on a horse with one of the Indians. We haven’t been here but a few minutes. When we came up and saw the Indians were preparing to we commenced skulking round to find a good: pave, GOmichboo S) c (0) —