Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 518 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

_ : mes, Dublin Mike’s face seemed to say that he felt decidedly relieved. ‘“T am glad to hear it!” he exclaimed. aie | told you right at the first that you wouldn't get much wealth out of us.” ‘¢ Where are you bound?’ **To Red Bluffs.” ‘¢ Any particular business there?” ‘¢ Yes, a leetle private business.” ‘¢ Are you in much of a hurry?” ‘Well, yes, I reckon we want to get thar as soon as we kin.” ‘‘Sorry for that, for I have made up my mind to have both of you. pay a visit to our ranch up in the mountains,” the road-agent ob- served with courtly politeness. The travelers looked amazed at this intelli- gence. ‘Oh, I mean it!” the outlaw exclaimed. cs! | am not joking. We will make you comfort- able, and as long as you do as we want you to, you will find us jolly good fellows.” Dublin Mike tried to remonstrate but the out- jaw would not listen, and five minutes later all were on the road to the outlaws’ retreat. CHAPTER X., THE DEMAND. THROUGH a sort of an Indian trail winding amid the rocks, stubby pines and scraggy oaks which chiefly made up the vegetation of this wild and desolate region the road-agents and their captives proceeded. They requested the Snow White Bird to mount her horse, but when Dublin Mike asked if he should follow her example, the outlaw chief replied that as he seemed to have a good pair of legs there wasn’t any reason why he shouldn’t use them, and then he added, with a chuckle: ‘‘ Besides, if you walk along with me we can beguile the way with cheerful conversation,” at which remark the prisoner could not help mak- ing a grimace. ‘If you are perched up on a horse you will be lonesome,” the road-agent continued. ‘‘ And then some fool idea might come into your head to try a bolt—to escape, you know, and if you did, it would be about a million to one we would fix you for planting so quick that you would never know what hurt you.” ‘I’m too much of a gentleman to argue the pint with you, so I will walk,” Dublin Mike replied. he outlaw chief and Dublin Mike went on in the advance, then came the girl; right bebind her one of the road-agents, mounted on Dublin Mike’s horse, and the other two outlaws brought up the rear. They were on the road for a good hour, the trail twisting and turning aboutin an extremely culiar way, as though the original makers of it had taken pains to make it as difficult to fol- low as possible. At last they came toa lonely ranch, situated on the side of a high hill which commanded a view of the valley beneath. Both of the captives looked around them eager- ly when they came upon the little level space in front of the cabin, et as if they hoped by lancing down in the valley to recognize some Familiar objects, but in this, to judge from the expression upon their faces, both were disap- pointed. The inspection had told them though that the outlaws had selected their retreat with some skill. The cabin was a rough one-story shanty ‘built out of logs, and after the style common in the Southwest, consisting of two apartments with a passageway between them, all under one roof, ; It had been built under the shadow of the trees growing out of the billside which hemmed in the northern and eastern side of the plateau; to the south was the narrow ledge, up which the “trail came, and on the west a steep descent ran ‘ : ” - si i ‘ —_ ' a4 & ou ‘ ¥ ve . a" . ye “A . er j Ne ° e 4 ie $ < ‘ s ; ‘ \ 4 2 . : f } id - ® a %, e ae Pd ?< a Pays Ys, vw f c 4% 72°. . - as » at te ry ee bal , Wart CF ad Aa ys > - amortal hope toward the valley, fully half a mile off. There was only one way to reach the cabin— by means of the trail, and a human could go no further than the house, for the steep hillside could not be climbed by human feet, nor could to descend in safety down the rocky wall leading to the ravine below. And as the cabin nestled amid the shadows of the pines, as we have said, it was impossible for any one to discover it from the valley, even with the aid of a powerful glass. . _ From the hillside, just beyond the cabin, a limpid spring came gurgling forth, so that if the outlaws were provided witi sufficient pro- visions, they could stand a siege, for the nature of the ground was such that t or four well- -when everything goes rightly, bu “he 3 re, Cool Colorado in New York. ee SS ee armed men would have a good chance of “‘ hold- ing the fort” against a small army. “This hyer is our ranch!” the outlaw chief exclaimed, as the party halted in front of the cabin. ‘* And it is a daisy, too, I think you will allow.” ‘‘’Peers tome that we are further off from Red Bluffs than when we ran across you,” Dub- lin Mike observed. ‘' But it is gitting dark, and as 1 can’t make out the lay of the country from hyer, mebbe I am wrong.” ‘‘Oh, we are nearer Red Bluffs than you think,” the road-agent leader replied. ‘ This is a pretty high hill—higher than you imagine, and when all the conditions are favor- able a man with good eyesight can see a long ways. ‘Yes, ten or fifteen miles, I suppose.” ‘‘Oh, further than that; a man can see to the moon, sometimes,” The outlaws indulged in a snicker at this re- mark, which seemed to them to be extremely witty. ‘¢ Now, then, we will talk a little business in good, plain United States language,” continued the road-agent leader. ‘‘ Just as long as you two behave yourselves, and don’t try to come any monkey-shines, you will find us to be the nicest gang of galoots that you ever ran across; but if you should attempt to cut up rusty, we can be the ugliest crowd you ever saw.” ‘*Oh, well, we ain’t the kind to make any trouble,” Dublin Mike hastened to exclaim. ‘* Well, I hope so. I hate to use harsh meas- ures, particularly with a woman,” the outlaw remarked, The prisoners were placed in the right-hand apartment, and then, after disposing his men so as to completel "iene the cabin, the road-agent captain entered the room in which the prisoners had been confined. By this time the shades of night had fully de- scended upon the earth, and the outlaw chief lighted a candle and placed it in a rude sort of candlestick, made by cutting a potato in half. The apartment could not boast of much furni- ture, for all there was in the room was a_ bed made out of pine branches, with a couple of buffalo-robes spread over them, and some small boxes which served for seats. ‘‘ Now, sit down and make yourselves com- fortable, while we have a little chat together,” observed the outlaw, waving his hand with a hospitable air toward the boxes, and he placed the candle on a flat stick, which had been stuck in between a couple of the logs that composed the sides of the cabin. The girl sat upon the rude bed, Dublin Mike took } a ieee of a box, and the road-agent fol- lowed his example. The prisoners looked at the outlaw inquiring- ly, for they fancied they were to be Tayercd hear explanation of why they had been cap- tured. The proceeding was something out of the usual run, for the men who take ‘‘ toll” on the road, a8 @ rule never trouble themselves with prisoners. ‘In the first place, how may I call your name, pilgrim” asked the outlaw. ‘* Billy Taylor,” “Ah, yes! I thought I never happened to run across you before,” observed the road-agent, ‘The lady, though, I have had the pleasure of seeing, and any one who has ever had the chance of meeting the Ute princess, Snow White Dove, would not be apt to forget her,” and the outlaw powed in the most gallant manner to the girl. The half-breed was not moved by the compli- ment, and gazed at the speaker with a stolid ace. “T hope this air chance of making your ac- uaintance ain’t going to cost us too dear,” Dub- lin Mike observed, shrewdly. ‘* Well, that depends more upon you two than it does on me,” the outlaw replied. “T am a very quiet and easy-going fellow like many another man of my kind, when I get ugly I am a terror. _“ Of course, both you and the lady here are too sensible not to know that we toll-gatherers haven’t taken the trouble to bring you to this ranch of ours for nothing.” Dublin Mike nodded, as much as to say he was not surprised by this information. ‘*We have got a little game to play, and we reckon we are just the boys who can play it, right up to the handle, too! ** Now, do either of you two happen to knowa rustler named Sioux Sam?” Dublin Mike appeared amazed, plainly betray- ing by this face that he knew the man, and even : . : ~ . . 2 ‘¢, 9 ay (Wis, an Dy oe ua? ~\ Hi y - in tn * ames — “4.4 é' a og A” ° . « * r the stolid half-breed maiden showed by the quick flashes of her dark eyes that Sioux Sam and she were not strangers. ‘‘ Aha!” exclaimed the outlaw chief in a tone which betrayed great satisfaction, ‘‘1 see b your faces that you are both acquainted wit this cow-puncher. ‘‘T suppose you know too that Sioux Sam is in Red Bluffs.” Dublin Mike cast a quick White Dove as much as to as admit the truth or not. The road-agent leader was on the watch though and detected the look. ‘‘Oh, come, none of that, you know!” he ex- claimed. ‘‘No use, Mister Billy Taylor, to attempt to pull the wool over my eyes, for 1 am a man who is up to snuff, every time! ‘¢T know that you are going to Red Bluffs ex- pecting to meet Sioux Sam there!” he declared. ‘‘T am posted in regard to the little love affair between him and Miss Snow White Dove. The fact is, Sam and myself are tip-top friends; we pot pretty full together last night, and he let out e expected this lady every day; and he owned right up that it was on the programme for a wedding to take place as soon as you got in town, miss. The stolid face of the Indian gir! gave no indi- cation of how she was affected by this announce- ment, but there was a peculiar gleam in the dark eyes which were fixed so steadily on the masked face of the outlaw chief. In her heart the Ute princess believed that the stranger was speaking falsely. Of course she had not known Sioux Sam long, and yet she was satisfied from what she had seen of him that he was not the man to allow himself to be so far overcome with liquor as to mention her name in a public place and reveal, too, toa tana the tender tie which existed between em. ‘‘Darned if I thought Sioux Sam would give the snap away!” Dublin Mike exclaimed, as if he was annoyed at the imprudence of the young man. ‘‘ Well, he was a little full as I said,” the road- agent chief remarked. ‘‘ Now, I will admit freely I am a man who is on the make, and when I got wind of this picnic I thought I saw a chance to make some ducats out of it, sol fixed things to capture you two; Sioux Sam gave me the points, never thinking, of course, of what I would be up to. ‘* Now, Miss Snow White Dove, you are help- less in my power, and if you want to ever see your lover again Bhs, must do as I say.” ‘‘ What in thunder is your little game anyway?” exclaimed Dublin Dan, as if bursting with curiosity. ‘‘T want to know the secret of the Hidden Mine—the Utes’ treasure-house, where they got the red bullets that they used when the whites first came into this part of the country.” A look of blank amazement appeared in Dublin Mike’s features, but the inl’ as stolid as that of a graven image. ‘You possess that secret, Snow White Dove, and you must reveal it tome, for I want a chance to help myself to some of the nuggets. ‘“‘If you refuse to speak you shall never see Sioux Sam again!” The girl shook her head slowly. af cannot reveal what does not exist,” she said, lance at the Snow- whether he should CHAPTER XI, AN OBSTINATE WOMAN, ‘¢ Wat do you mean by that?” exclaimed the road-agent leader, sternly. “Exactly what I say,” replied the girl, dis- dainfully, evidently not in the least impressed by the manner of the stranger. ‘The story of the secret mine is a fable—no such thing exists.” ‘‘Bosh!” eried the outlaw, engrily, ‘‘ I know better than that. ° ' ‘‘The red bucks of your tribe used to bring in the golden bullets, until they found that the whites were getting crazy over the matter, and then they stopped, for fear that all their hunt- ing-grounds would be overrun by the pale- — faces.” “Tt isan idle story, I tell you,” the maiden replied. i Ask any of the Utes, and they will tell you so. ‘4 long, long time ago, when I was a child, sometimes a few small nuggets—the red bullets which you speak of—would be found by some hunter in search of game, and be would bring them into the white settlements; but there is no icb s face was