Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 520 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

> 2 Buckskin Bill, the Comanc in a buckskin suit, much the worse for use, and wearing moccasins and a sombrero ornamented wita tarnished silver embroidery. His form was slender, wiry and yet athletic, and his face clear-cut, fearless and intelligent. His bronzed complexion, torn moccasins and eeneral appearance indicated that he had some- thing of a rough experience of late, and his face was pinched as with hunger and suffering. But his look was dctermined, his blue eyes bright and piercing, and he tossed back his long, yeliow hair with the air of one who defied dan- ger and hard luck. He had no weapons of any kind, and it seemed strange that he should be there upon the wild prairie with no means of defense about him, ‘‘I’m about as tired as I am hungry; but it will be a good twenty-four hours before I can get anything to eat, though I can sleep, and with no fear of nightmare from overeating,” and he laughed lightly. He was lovking about for a bed upon the leaves, when he happened to glance out upon the prairie, ‘* Lizards and wildcats! look a-yonder!” He stood like one paralyzed by what his eyes rested upon. : dle was in a small timber motte, where the trees grew quite thick, and through an opening he had gotten a glimpse of the prairie beyond. W hat he saw was a large body of Indians on horseback, and riding directly toward the svot where he was, He realized the situation at a glance. He was a mere boy, unarmed, alone, many, many wiles from the nearest settlement, and in a clump of timber a couple of acres in size, sur- rounded by ed vant which for a long distance allowed no shelter from observation, should he attempt to fly for safety. It was near nightfall, for the sun was just upon the horizon, and the Indians, some half a hundred in number, were coming straight to the timber. They were not half a mile away, had just come over arise in the prairie, and, should he leave the covert of the woods, he would be in- stantly discovered. It was a perilous situation in the extreme, and one to try an old borderman’s iron nerves. ‘*Holy smoke! I’m-a dead duck, sure as shootin’,” said the youth with a long-drawn breath, ‘‘Scalped in ten minutes, by Grandfather’s Clock, Pll be, and coyote pickings in the morn- in Ru fio spoke calmly, yet he realized fully all that he had to face. His thoughts traveled fast, as he looked about him for some means of escape, though it seemed hopeless. uddenly he glanced upward, and far up a tree he beheld a spot which seemed to offer a chance of safety. A large branch, torn off by the wind, hed caught in a crotch of the tree. Could he reach it, he might find a hiding-place, He could but. try, and try he did. Up the tall trunk cf the tree he went, with the agility of a cat. At iast he reached the branch, shook it, and finding it firm, stretched himself out upon it at full Jength. “‘Tt’s lucky I’m hali-starved, for it makes me thinner,” he muttered with grim humor, The branch was nearly as large as-his body, and so would shield him from observation be- low, especially in the gathering twilight. Then the leaves hed dried upon the branches, end itin a manner protected him. Fully forty feet above the ground, and having to lie in a cramped position,and at the same time be careful not to roll off, his situation was not an enviable one. But. be lay there awaiting the coming of the Indians. . * my glad I hav’n’t got any weapons,” he said. adding: ‘*I wouldn’t know what to do ‘ith them here.” ‘he Indians were on horseback, and riding direstly toward the spot where he was, “They are mighty cautious; but I don’t want to scare ’em,’’ the youth remarked, as he saw them separate and form a circle around the timber. * Then they advanced and rode in from all sides, ‘* Good evening, gents.” whispered the boy to himself, in the same reckless manner that seemed to be natural to him, “Vm as glad to see you as if Pd run a vail in ay foot.” he sun had now gone down below the hori- zon and the red-skins went into camp in the rd i mr a einen enna nn nEnEEEEEEEEEEESEEEEEEEEEEEn | —— - - timber, the chief taking up his quarters just under the tree in which the hoy was stationed. ‘* Apaches,” he said shortly, recognizing what tribe they belonged to. ‘“‘Lordy! they’ve got two prisoners—yes, jor Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter of our outfit. i hey'll salt °em Gown sure as shootin’,” he mut- tered. It was true; the red-skins had in their midst two prisoners—men whose appearance indicated them to be Surdermen. They were securely tied to their horses, but upon reaching the timber were unfastened and made to dismount. Then they were tied fast to the tree in which the youth was hiding. The red-skins quickly staked out their ponies, sent sentinels on duty, and then built a fire to cook their supper by. The smoke came straight up into the face of the hiding youth, nearly suffocating bim, and the effort to keep from coughing was terrible. ‘‘T wish I could save ’em,” muttered the boy, referring to the two prisoners, and he added in his quaint way: a hain’t so langhin’ safe myself, I guess, for they've got me treed, that’s certain. ‘T could scare ’em into fits if 1 dropped down on their heads with a healthy yell; but, I guess l’d get the worst of it. No, I rather like this roost, and I'll crow when daylight breaks and they git. Lordy! just smell that boilin’ bulfalo- meat! Oh! but it smells good, and yet Pll not ask for any. I doesn’t take supper: when I’m not invited, even if { know I would be wel- come, ‘‘ That’s the same band that surprised us, and I guess as they’ve got Reuben and Dan all the other boys was killed. ‘¢+T wish I had a fish-hook and line; I’d get me a piece of boiled buffalo, soon as they got through eating. , And thus the boy made his comments, taking the ludicrous side of everything, in spite of his deadly peril, One by one the warriors gorged themselves with the roasted meat, and then went off to the spots they had chosen for their night’s slumber. The chief rolled his blanket about him, and, without giving a morsel of food to the two pris- oners, laid down to sleep almost at their feet, as they sat, still bound to the tree. Soon after the whole camp was in repose, and the youth from bis lofty perch found it difficult to keep awake, though to drop off to sleep and fall to the ground would, he knew, be certain death. CHAPTER II. BUCKSKIN BILLY. In a lonely part of the Indian Territory, upon the banks of a beautiful stream, there stood the home of the youth whose perilous situation has been described in the foregoing chapter. It was an attractive home, the best in the scattered settlement, and there dwelt Dr, Middleton, a worthy settler in that wild land, and his family, consisting of his wife and three children, a son of twenty, a daughter of eigh- teen and the hero of this story, Billy, a youth, at the time be is presented to the reader, in his fifteenth year. ‘ Billy bad been born upon the plains, so to speak, for his birthplace was the Indian Terri- tory, and it may be that this fact made him a natural rover, When but half a dozen years old, he could ride a mustang, and shoot a rifle, and as he grew in years he was wont to stray off alone, with his dog and gun, get lost. about four times a year and have the whole settlement out hunt- ing for him, when he would turn up of bis own accord from some unexpected quarter. His frequent acquaintance with a strap in his father’s hand, did not cure him of bis wandering propensities, and he kept it up until one day he got lost in earnest, for he was pened up by a band of Comanches and carried off, The settlement turned out to hunt him up, but be could not be found, Indian signs were discovered, and as weeks went by and Billy did not reappear he was set down as dead, and all the old women had the satisfaction of saying: ‘* I told you so.” But Billy had a way of saying that he would always turn up all right, and he had the satis- faction of proving his— ‘I told you so,” by one morning appearing at home, just before breakfast, mounted upon an Indian pony, dress- ed from head to foot in buckskin, and all the pepe feathers and toggery of a full-fledged In- an, | His story was soon told. He had been captured by the Comanches, and carried to he Shadow. their village, ' where he had been kept a prisoner for months. Billy was shrewd, and he had appeared more than happy with his captivity, and, a boy as he was, did not trouble the red-skins much, So one night he decided to leave. | For weeks he bad laid his plans, simply and skillfully, and, creeping out of his tepee In a drenching storm, had coolly gone to the corral, stolen a pony, and armed only with the bow, arrows and lance of the Comanches, had set out for home. The pouring rain had effaced his trail, and when the morning dawned he was eight bours ahead of pursuit, he well knew, and so had no fear. From that day the youth wasa bero in tke settlement, and settlers gave him the name of Buckskin Bill, which has clung to him through all the years that have passed since then. Proud of his name, Billy Middleton took great pains to always wear buckskin, and his mother and sister kept him supplied with a handsome suit. After his experience with the Indians, Buck- skin Bill was considered, young as he was, an authority on matters pertaining to red-skins, and his parents, though anxious when he went roving off alone on the prairies, bad abound- ing faith in his ability to take care of himself. There was a school in the settlement, which Buckskin Bill attended, riding the five miles from his home to the log cabin every morning, and, a hero among his schoolmates, he was anxious to be looked upon as ahead in his lessons and so studied hard to keep at the honor-end of his class. His father had bought him a rifle, his brother had given him a revolver, his pony was the one which he had brought from the Indian village, and so he was well fixed. One morning, upon his way to school, Buck- skin Bill suddeniy came across a trail that caused bim to halt, dismount, and examine if. ‘‘ Inguns, sure!” he muttered. ‘‘ And there are just thirteen of ’em. ‘“ Mother says that Is an unlucky number. ‘‘T eness I'l] see what them reds are about, so near the settlement.” So saying Buckskin Bill set about following the trail, and in balf an bour came to the conclu- sion that the Indians were concealed in a timber motte ahead. He knew that the log-cabin school was buta short distance away, and he supposed the In- dians were lying in wait to dash upon the place when all the children were within and thus get a large number of young scalps. So Buckskin Bill crept back from his point of observation, made a flank movement and was soon at the school. He was late, but went up to the teacher, who was also the parson of the settlement, and said: ‘‘ Parson Green, there are Ingun.” “Indian, William, Indian—I—n—d—i—a—n, Indian, not I—n—g—u—n—Injun,” corrected the dominie. Ladle “Yes, sir, Jndian—well there are Indian signs about, for I struck a trail of thirteen nies and they are over in the island motte, just waiting for us, I guess.” ‘‘ My son, this is startling news, indeed. ‘““T will at once dismiss the school, and—” ‘No, parson, I guess we can do better than that.” ‘“ What can we do!” ‘‘ Well, sir, they will have to cross the prairie for nearly half a mile to get here, and I can go ont and watch for them, and we can just give them a sur rise party.” “Why, William, what do you mean?” ‘Well, sir, the large boys are all armed and there are sixteecu of us, and you, sir, and me Can just lay for the reds and when they think they think they are creeping up onus, We will give | them a salute.” ‘Ah, William, you are an old boy, and I fear will one day turn to war. : “But I am a man of peace, and [ will not advise in this matter, other than to say we had better all leave and elarm the scttlement.” “No, sir, for finding us gone the Indians could escape before Lhe settlers rallied, . “I fix itall right, sir, if you will let me, and—” “Do as you think best, William, for as this is a question outside of books T yield to you in It. “Thank vou, Sit,” and Buckskin Bill hastily told the school children what he bad seen, and what he felt sure was the intention of the red- skin raiders. Then he got the girls in one position away ‘from the windows and doors, and placed the fifteen boys who had weapons, ranging from ttt tc | 900 comic S