Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 52 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 eee eee SO Ce SO mitting vigilance, to make their way through the rt pape of danger in which they were involved. So the party started, taking a general north- west direction. Spikes, with his buffalo, acted as the advanced guard, while the lieutenant and Adrienne followed close in the rear. The ‘* Phenomenon ” did not forget his training, and he looked something like a colossal dog walking obediently behind his master. Their way led through quite a varied country, ‘consisting of wood, prairie and hills, at every part of which they were liable to encounter -their inveterate enemies; so, each and all acted as sentinels. After passing through a partly-wooded cover, they reached a hill, without trees, and on a boundary of a rolling prairie a mile or two in breadth. Spikes being at the head, was on the point of descending the other side, when he suddenly paused, looked an instant, and then hurried back again. ‘* What is it?’ inquired his friends, in no little idation. ‘* A whole party of Indians, on horses.” ** Let us — carefully out of sight, and then they will ride by.” Fp they saw me, and are coming this way. They were going to the west, and made a turn the minute they saw me.” ‘“* Let me see.”’ Lieutenant Putnam stealthily made his et forward until he was able to peer over the hi without risk of being seen. It only needed a single glance to see that <r ears were well grounded. Something ike twenty Indians were seen a half-mile away, pre straight toward the very spot on the where the whites had halted. ‘*Can it be that they have seen us?’ was the question our hero asked himself, “or is this only an accidental turn from the direction they have beer following?” Knowing the vigilance of the Indians, and their extraordinary keenness of vision, he be- came eonvinced that they had really descried _ Jabez, and were coming toward him at a leisure- ] op. vie a few moments they would be on the hill, and then the case would be desperate, to say the least. Flight was out of the question—they could only defend themselves. ** See that your gun is ready,” said the lieute- nant, as he coolly examined his own weapon. ‘‘ Dearest Adrienne, you will have to retreat a distance, so as to be out of reach of the flying bullets.” ‘‘ No,” said she; “‘ have [ not a gun. I will stay here by you, and will try to do my part in the battle—” ‘“* But, it must not be,” interrupted her lover. ‘* Suppose a stray shot should reach you.” “* Nomore likely than that it might strike you. No,” she added, in a low voice, and with a look of unutterable love in her eyes, ‘‘I shall stay by you; if yow fall, J do not wish to live.” CHAPTER XIII. THE LAST EXPLOIT OF THE WHITE BUFFALO. GINGER!” suddenly exclaimed Jabez Spikes, ‘* what a set of fools we are!” The two men were lying on their faces, with loaded rifles in hand, looking over the crest and waiting until the Indians came near enough to be upon. Adrienne was a few feet below them, with loaded also in hand, and acting, as she playfully observed, as the ‘‘ reserve.” The turned the respite to good account, by cropping the grass which grew rather sparse- ly around them. The red-skins continued galloping straight on- ward, and were now no more than a quarter of a mile distant, when Jabez made his suppressed exclamation. The lieutenant looked inquiringly at him. ‘*Pm going to put the Phenomenon forward, and let him act as the advanced guard.” ‘*T don’t see what good that can do.” ‘**T will soon show you.” | The same chirruping noise was made, and the huge animal lost no time in striding up to his master, ‘*Go down there and eat the grass,” he com- manded, pointing over the hill. The brute looked bewildered for a moment; but when the command was repeated, he walked re se! Pn the slope toward the open prairie on ‘This may lose you your property,” whisper- ed the lieutenant. ** And save your lives; isn’t it worth it?” It was a great trial for the Yankee thus to imperil the prize upon which he had staked so Beadle’s Half-Dime Librar i ——ee much, but he did it cheerfully, not more for his own sake than for that of his friends. Still, our hero failed to see what good was to be accomplished by this prosesdites and he had little hope of escaping the red-skins who were bearing down upon them, unless the first sally should stagger and turn them to flight. Nearer and nearer approached the red-skins, whose faces could now be distinguished as their bodies gracefully rose and sunk with the mo- tion of theirhorses. The lieutenant was ey aiming his rifle forthe purpose of sending a bul- let among them, when the whole party abrupt- ly halted, like a squad of cavalry at the word of command. Their faces were turned toward the hill, and they were looking intently in that direction. **Do they see us?” asked the lieutenant. **No,” was the same whispered reply; ‘‘ they are looking at the Phenomenon.” For a few seconds only did the Indians sit thus motionless, when, with the same unanimity of movement, they wheeled at right-angles and galloped away. nd the danger of our friends Ww as : Neither of the two men moved or spoke un- til the Indians were far beyond all danger of returning. Then Jabez rolled over on his back kicked his angular legs in air, and laughed, and laughed, and laugh ‘‘It was the Phenomenon that did it,” he finally got breath to exclaim; ‘don’t you un- derstand it?’ It was finally made clear. The Indians, when at a distance, seen something suspicious on the crest of the hill, and had ridden forward to ascertain what it meant. No doubt they ima- gined, from the glimpse thus obtained, that it was some white hunter and his horse making his way toward his trapping-grounds—so they rode forward to pay him their compliments. When a nearer approach revealed to them the white buffalo quietly feeding off the grass, they naturally inferred that no white man could be in the immediate vicinity, and without taking the time to look further, they changed their course and continued onward in the direction upon which they had originally started. This was quite an exploit indeed, and reflect- ed no little credit upon Jabez Spikes, who, as will be admitted, had displayed a shrewdness more than once such as would hardly be ex- ted from one in his situation. The incident demonstrated in a more impres- sive manner, the never-fleeing danger which constantly hung over our friends. Through a country which abounded with such ferocious red-skins, they were to make their way, in all so enom for several days. When the Indians had vanished for some time, they resumed their journey, and continu- ed it without further incident until past noon. By that time Jabez was hun ain, and began = pe re for something would answer or ; During the afternoon they had seen buffalo and antelope more than once, but had not turn- ed from their course; but when they caught - ny of a half-dozen buffalo, browsing near the ellowstone, Jabez told his friends to remain where they were, while he would show them another use to which the Phenomenon could be put. This was soon shown. Walking carefully be- side his animal, he kept his body interposed be- tween himself and the buffaloes on which he was stealing. When about a hundred yards separated the parties, the animals raised their heads and looked at the approaching stranger, as if to inquire his identity; but they had evi- dently seen a white buffalo before, and after staring at him a moment, they resumed their browsing, contented to wait until he should join them. Nigher and nigher approached the Phenome- non until the right point was reached, when Jabez gave the order in a low tone for the ani- mal to halt. As it did so, he sunk down upon one knee, and took deliberate aim at a young bull, that looked lump and in good condition. He had learned from Waufy at what part to aim, and when he pulled the trigger, the e, with a spasmodic start, pitched forward and rolled over in his-death ny, while the others, with snorts of terror, thundered away at the top of their speed. abez had made a selection, and when they came to dress and cook some of the choice steak of the buffalo, they found it rich, juicy, tender, and luscious as the most fastidious epi- cure could ask. Proceeding with the same caution, the night came without any other alarm, and they hal in a piece of dense timber, where they concluded not to start a fire. The blanket which Adri- enne had been furnished with made her very comfortable, while Jabez and the lieutenant re- lieved each other through the night, and in this way secured an all-sufficient rest for both. The next day without any thing wor- thy of particular note. Jabez Spikes, as usual, took the lead, while the lieutenant and Adri- enne spent many delicious moments together. The peculiar situation into which both had been thrown, deepened their mutual interest from the beginning, and the time came when Adri- enne was compelled to acknowledge to herself that her heart went out to him, and that the world looked all dark to her without his pres- ence by her side. Those moments when the impending danger brought them closer together were sweet and never-to-be-forgotten ones to both. They in- creased the growth of the all-potent ion up- on the part of both, but Lieutenant Putnam was too honorable to take advantage of his position. He felt that, although he could not restrain the affections of his heart, yet his duty to Colonel McHavens forbade that he should make any on advances ‘before first obtaining his con- sent. And so, hand in hand, they went along, hap- py, hopeful and trustful in the future. © third day saw the trio well advanced on their way. The Yellowstone was vailed from view by the intervening woods, but they could hear the dull roar of its flow, and knew that they were on the right eourse. On the left a range of mountains towered far aloft, and as the sun sunk behind them, they had seen their peaks were covered with snow. The wind that came from them was so chilly and penetrating that all shivered, and Lieutenant Putnam was apprehensive that they would be caught in some snow-storm. ene had halted in a sort of wooded valley with high hills on every side of them, exce t toward the river. This did not shut out the wintry wind, and Adrienne, even with her In- dian blanket wrapped about her, felt its effects. ‘* | think we shall have to have a fire,” said the lieutenant, after it had grown fairly dark, and the cold seemed rather to increase ot dimin- ‘Ginger! I never was so shaky in my life, except when I had the fever and ague!” ex- claimed Jabez, his teeth rattling like castanets. ‘* Do you think there will be any great risk in kindling a fire?’ ‘* N-n-no!” he chattered; ‘‘ we haven’t seen a sign of an Indian to-day. Ill gather the fuel, and you get ready.” The Yankee set about it at once, while our hero cleared away a place that was greatly pro- tected by the dense undergrowth, and then pro- duced his match-safe. ‘* | have but one match left,” said he, to Adri- ray with a laugh, ‘‘and suppose that misses e ‘*T would not kindle a fire then,” she replied. ‘We may need a fire more to-morrow night than we do now.” ‘‘Our case will not be hopeless,” returned the pean officer, ‘for we may get it from our gun- wa a So, in his cheery manner, he assisted in the la ome rage and, when every thing was ready, rew his match upon his coat-sleeve, carefully inclosing the tiny flame with his hands, so as to protect it from the wind. [t flared up brightly, burned freely and then cn i expired, leaving them in utter dark- ness All were in dismay, What was to be done? ‘Never mind; we'll the s,” said our hero, with a gayety which had little reality about it. ‘“‘ Hold on,” said Spikes. ‘I used to carry matches in ny Rocket when the night was dark, and I had to take my lantern to see the way to Ann Stiggens’s and back again.” — He fumbled around for several minutes. “T have got a half-dozen pieces,” he said, “but it will be jist my luck if they haven’t any phosphorus—Ginger!’ One of them suddenly flashed out in the dark- ness. The lieutenant was terpatd and a few minutes after they had a brig f, warm fire, vigorously burning. ~« re was no lack of fuel, and so every thing seemed prosperous and pleasant. Adrienne a herself up in her warm blanket, and lay down to her prayers, her meditations, and her quiet slumber. **{ do not feel sleepy,” said our hero, to Jabez, “‘so I will sit up the first half-night with you, = then you can take your slumber— ello EGOMUE CS} IOO —s _— s . “ er pt