Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 52 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

—_— ——— —_——- ee oo — — into a smile more than once, as he listened to his quaint comicalities and ludicrous expe- riences, and he answered every question put ‘to = a ready frankness that was pleasing all. It was easy to see, from the actions of all the parties, that Waufy, the hunter, was a favorite raconteur with them. After considerable pre- liminaries and badinage, he finally settled down into the recital of the following singular narra- tive: . Boys,” said he, ‘‘ I s’pose there’s some of you that remember ’Lije Havens, that used to trap with me something like ten year ago.” — Quite a number replying in the affirmative, he continued: a “He was about as tall, and slender, and good- lookin’ as that chap with the tall hat, a-settin’ back there by the door. Wal, me and him hunted together fur a long time, and it was nigh onto ten years ago that we got into the scrape I prepose to tell you about, ‘“We'd been up on the Yallerstone, and had had such good luck that we got ready to start fur the States two or three weeks sooner than usual, I remember there was plenty of snow pretty low down on the mountains, and here and there we could find a patch of it on the rairie, ‘““We had two hosses loaded down with peltries, besides a powerful heap on the animals we war ridin’, so that ef we could only git into Westport or Independence with ’em, we war sartin of makin’ a good thing of it. “Wal, we started, and hadn’t got fairly out from among the mountains, when we found the varmints war as thick as fleas all aboutus, It seemed that nearly all the warriors among the Blackfeet war on the move, goin’ to fight some of the other tribes, and afore we knowed it we had crossed their path. ‘‘ Sign got so plenty that we halted and racky- noitered, and it didn’t take long to find out ’ that we war in jist the biggest kind of a fix you ever dreamed of. I see’d there was no chance of gittin’ out with the skins, so I told ’Lije we’d have to cache the peltries. We hadn’t time to dig a reg’lar cache, so we rammed ’em in a- mong a lot of rocks, where we covered ’em up as best we could. “We ae had time to do that and no more, when, slap-bang went a dozen guns, and ki-yi! screeched a dozen throats, and we war in fur it. I see’d two of our hosses keel over, and the bul- at sung round our ears powerful peart, now I tell yer. ‘**Lije was built handy for runnin’ and there weren't many that could overhaul me, where I had a fair chance, and the way the dirt flew from our heels was a caution to bufflers, Both of us got nipped two or three times by their lead, but not ’nough to stop us, and as there was purty good cover all around, we soon give the ali » to the red-skins that were sailin’ down on us the hardest, and got a chance to wink and draw a breath or two. ‘“ As soon as we dared to speak, we held a council of war, and made up our minds that the best thing we could do was to get out of them uarters the quickest way we knowed how, for the varmints war so powerful plenty that there wa’n’t much chance of our keepin’ out of their way fur twenty-four hours’ hard runnin’, “'There’s one thing that was good for us; it was late in the afternoon, and we had only an hour or two’s dodgin’ to do to get a chance to turn ourselves. e could hear the Blackfeet yelpin’ and signalin’ all ’bout us, and I can tell you it was hard work to keep our tracks so coy- ered up as to give us a show for our scalps. + en it got fairly dark, ’Lije and me con-— eluded that the best thing we could do: h other was to separate, and each look out fur him- self, as there was a powerful sight more chance that way than by keepin’ together. ‘So we slid apart, andI hadn’t no time to think of ’Lije, fur the varmints war everywhere. As I hadn’t any chance of gettin’ awa m the varminis See . ood animal ie ide, I pa up my min get the skunks off my en- eee, and to lay by till the stormed blowed over. he Hts He ‘So when I found a little stream of water that came down from the mountains, I jist step into that and follered it down fur a hundre ards or more, fur I knowed there was’ fol- erin’ my trail through that stream. It was purty hard trampin’ through there, pitchin’ over | he stones, droppin’ down kerchug. into the water up to your middle, when it was as cold as get out, too; but when a man 1s w fur his scalp, he ain’t noways partic’lar as to the pavement he treads, " “When I was walkin’ down-stream, I had to Beadle’s keep a sharp look-out fur the varmints, and I was jist gittin’ ready to git out the water; when ou’d better b’lieve I got scared; fur right there in the water afore me, I see’d the quarest animal you ever heard tell of.” ‘Please describe him,” called out Jabez Spikes, the rim of whose hat was so narrow that he could lean his head back against the wall without disturbing it. ‘‘I’m quite interested, by gin er if I ain’t!” ‘“Wal, sir, he looked jist like these picters of ee bears, and that’s what I thought he was at st—”? ‘“Couldn’t been that,” interrupted Spikes, their native clime.” ‘Nobody said it was,” growled Waufy ; ‘that’s what he looked like; he was a big ani- mal, andas white as snow. He was standin’ right in the middle of the stream, with his head turned toward me. I stopped with my shootin’- iron, but the varmints was too thick fur me to fire onless I had to, sol walked slowly toward him, swinging my arms and makin’ a big splash- in’ so as to drive him away. ‘““He never stirred till I was near ’nough to spit a mouthful of tobacco-juice in his eye, when | he gave a snort, dropped his head, made a heavy | jump up the bank, and galloped away, and then see’d what he was.” ‘What was it?’ asked Lieutenant Putnam, who was absorbed in the narrative. The hunter turned his head toward the handsome young officer, -and answered, respectfully: “A white buffler !” ‘‘ By ginger! I never heerd of such a thing!” exclaimed Jabez Spikes, tipping his chair for- ward, and clapping his hand upon his knee. ‘* You're sure of that, be ye? Have you ever seen him since?” ‘‘ Jist hold on; I ain’t done with the critter yet, 1 stood still in the stream till the buffler was out of sight, when I picked my way a little further down and then stepped ashore. ‘‘T was purty cold and stiff, when I got on dry _ land again, fur I tell you there was ice in that | water. I was standin’ on pebbles, where ef I only moved careful like, I could keep as clar of leaving a trail as the young fawn. I kept on these bles till 1 reached a clump of trees, when I shinned up one of ’em, like a squirrel. You see I thought I'd stay there till there was a chance of gettin’ out this muss, so I twisted up among the limbs, to sit still and listen. ‘*T knowed the varmints war lookin’ fur me, fur I could hear ’em whistlin’ and signalin’ to each other, and they war all around me. While I sot there, intendin’ to keep awake, I found I was gettin’ sleepy, and I had good reason fur it, you bet. Two nights afore I hadn’t slept more nor two hours, and the night afore ’Lije and me had been up all night gettin’ the peltries ready, and it wa’n’t no use; I dropped off to sleep. ‘Tt all went well ’nough fur an hour or two, when I woke up with a chill, and was so power- ful stiff that I thought T was froze stiff sure; but _Imanaged to draw my-legs out of the limbs when, afore I knowed it, 1 tumbled over and | cropped down out the tree. *"As I was goin’ down, I noticed somethin white under me, and Is’ it was a bank o snow, and I remember en chance of gettin’ hurt, soI wasn’t scart much. ‘‘ Down I come plump—not onto the snow, but onto the back of the white buffler, that I oe was passing under the tree at the time. al there! I’ve rid the wildest mustangs that ever broke a man’s neck, but that was the greatest ride yet. The moment I struck the critter I knowed what it was, and I re | myself ’round as quick as lightning, got a-straddle of him, and hung onto his mane. ‘ ‘‘The buffler I think was somewhat sur- prised,” continued Waufy, in his quizzical way; | ‘he think what | "abe und an interrogatory, to which I desire a 1 ? stood still a minute, as if to was best to do. Then he give a big snort, threw his head down and his tail up, and away he went Fa ety ies “You'd better b’lieve I hung on, and the crit- ter went like chain-lightnin’. I cotched glimpses of the varmints as we whizzed along, and crack bang went their as we tore by them, and some of the bullets come ruther close; but the parler never stopped, but went ahead like a cane, } ¥ _ ** Over whe vahe and bowlders he went till he t where the perarie was more level, and then let himself out. I doubt whether any of the varmints chased-us; but, if they did, I know it didn’t do no good, for that buffler went like the White Horse of the Peraries. ‘*T held on as best I could, and I s’pose I rode near a mile, when the ve such an on- expected shy at somethin’ that l rolled off t’other ee side, and laid on the ground till daylight. When I come to, there I was, with no peltries, no hoss, and no ee It would ’ve gone purty hard with me if *Lije hadn't found me’bout noon, He had been smarter nor me, fur he had held fast to his ;and had managed to get hold of an ‘Indian hoss that war a powerful sight better nor both of ours. I got on with him, and we hada party rough time, but we hung round the neigh- rhood till the varmints had cleared out, when we cotched some more hosses, dug out our cache, and got our furs to the States all right.” CHAPTER IL. | A BRILLIANT SPECULATION, — THE hour grew late: The neighbors who had dropped in to the *‘ Travelers’ Rest,” uall dropped out again, until, besides the landlord, only the three individuals who have been intro- duced to the reader, remained. ; They became quite sociable and well ac- uain with each other, and when Jabez ikes made a move for retiring, he was assign- the same room with Waufy the trapper, while pg a Putnam was allowed a room to him- self. “This arrangement suits me extensively,” re- marked Spikes, as they prepared to follow the landlord, with his two stumpy candles in hand. ‘‘T have something highly important to say to Mr. Waufy in private. a ; ‘‘Waufy,” looked as if he did not comprehend what his room-mate meant; but he followed along without comment, while Lieutenant Put- nam bade them good-night at the head of the stairs and went to his own apartment. Spikes waited till he and the hunter were in the room, and the door fastened. Somewhat to the surprise of both, they saw two beds at their disposal.” ‘‘ Stiggens is puttin’ on airs,” said Waufy, af- ter looking around the room for several minttes. ‘* Pm‘ glad he done it, ’eause it might be danger- ous for you to sleep with me.” ‘“Why so?” asked Jabez, in astonishment. “I git to dreamin’ sometimes; the other night I thought the Blackfeet war comin’ down on me sure, and I set upa yell, smashed the head- board, and threw the wash-stand out the window afore-I woke.” ‘‘Do you think you'll go into the wholesale cers business, to-night?’ asked Spikes, in some alarm. ‘No; I feel kinder peaceable; if I should get in my tantrums and raise the war-whoop, the best thing you kin do is to jump out the win- dow; you'll be apt to land on your legs, while if you take other way, you'll be purty sure to strike head first, and if you have on that stove- pipe it might get bruised.” ‘Shouldn't wonder if it would,” replied the New-Englander, as he very carefully removed his head-covering, and as carefully brushed the nap in the wrong direction, and restored it to his head again. ‘See yer,” said Waufy, ‘you said you had somethin’ to say to me.” Tce” The trapper took a seat on the side of his own _ bed, so as to hold an easy position, while Jabez thought there wasn’t | Spikes = his stove-pipe back from his head jammed his hands deep down in his pockets, an paced back and forth across the room. ‘Yes, sir,” he added, as he looked down at the bare floor in front of him, as he walked over it. “T have something highly important to con- verse and consult and advise with you upon.” “Go ahead,” responded the somewhat Impa- tient trapper. ‘IT listened with an absorbing interest to the narrative which you recited a while ago, in which a white buffalo played such a conspicu- ous and highly Saas part. I was very much interested indeed in it, and now I want to ‘uthful response. Spik aren sha d faced h ikes short and fae im. | “Did Rohl eee see a really white buffalo e ‘Yes, sir, I have, and so ‘ve other hunters. “'That’s honest and true, now?” “Tn course it is,” replied Waufy, who seemed hep gras interested in his eccentric compan- on. ‘“Have you seen that same white buffalo since that first interesting occasion you mentioned?” “Think I have, but wouldn’t swear to it. Two years arter, me and ’Lije see’d five bufflers, one morning, eroppin’ grass near the same place, and one of ’em was as white as milk. We both concluded he was the same critter, but we could- n’t be sartin.” ‘What's become of your companion on that occasion ?”’ JOO Eom @ cS COL "Lee,