Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 520 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

> ~—— —_—- _ “ ‘pony into the stream up to his neck, he tumbled the body into the water, having first borrowed his blanket and knife. The current carried the dead Indian swiftly away, and the youth remarked: ‘*T thought fais would be better than burying him or leaving him in the motte for those who might come looling for him to find. ‘‘Now I guess I’ve thrown ’em off my trail; but I'll give them another riddle to guess, if ‘they should track the pony this far. ‘**Come, Red-skin, you must swim for it.” As he spoke he turned the head of the pony down-stream and the animal was borne swiftly along. After quite a long swim he went to one side where the water was shallow and rested his pony, and then again continued his swimming. This he repeated several times until he had left the fort a mile behind him, and. then he rode ashore at a point where the hard nature of the ground would leave no track. Dismounting, after a short ride, he gave the pony a rest, while he ate the breakfast he had been so longing for, and was delighted to find some crackers in the Indian’s buekskin pouch. Having satisfied his hunger and taken a drink of the cold water from the stream, Buckskin Bill muttered: ** Now for the Comanche village, and 1 guess they won’t killme when they know the news [ bring. **But Dan and Reuben must be saved, and I could never reach the settlement in time, while the settlers would not Gare pursue the Apaches into their own country. ** No, I must risk the Comanches, that is my only chance. ‘* And here goes.” Away went the pony at a canter, the youth knowing just which way lay the Comanche village, which he boldly intended to visit, in his endeavor to save his two comrades, Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter from the Apaches. ‘““It may be out of the frying-pan into the fire for the boys; but I’m going to risk it, even if they nab me too.” And the brave youth pressed rapidly on, the captured pony proving an uncommonly ¢g animal, which caused the youth to congratulate himself over and over again on the good luck which had fallen upon him. CHAPTER VIII. IN THE LION’S DEN. In his many wanderings about the country, Buckskia Bill had learned pretty well the points of the compass, where the settlements jay and the situation of the Indian villages. He also knew the hunting-grounds of both the Apaches and Comanches, and was, therefore, well able to avoid any ordinary danger that et beset his path. : ehad decided, and wisely, that if he went to the settlements for aid, the fate of Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter ,.would be sealed, for the Apaches would have ample time to get back to their villages, and once there no hope could there be for their prisoners. . So Buckskin Bill came to the conclusion to strike with all speed for the Comanche vil- e. ‘If I can make it a case of Kilkenny cats, Tm all right,” was his argument, referring to the fact that the Comanches and Apaches would fight it out among themselves. Having thrown the Apaches off his trail, or tried to do so, he had gotten rid of the body of the brave he had killed, and found himself, from -starved, tired, unarmed and on foot, with a g0od horse, plenty to eat and a bow and arrows, While what he had in view prevented him from feeling his fatigue. S0 well had he covered up all signs of the struggle in the motte, that he did not much fear pursuit by the Apaches, who, seeing the tracks of the pony, might think their comrade had gone Off alone for some reason, Or perhaps his horse had gotten away from him and he had pursued on foot, That they Would scent out the truth, Buckskin Bill did not believe, So on he pressed toward the Comanche village, where for nearly half a year he had lived asa t 7 captive, some two years before. re was after nightfall when he entered the » aountain range 10 which the village of the _ Comanches was located, and both his pony and - himself were very tired, for he had pushed on -all day at a steady pace, He had hunted with the Indian boys through those mountains, so. knew well just which trail ‘to take, and rode into the village unseen by any guard, for he had avoided the places where he Fos - -—_—— | knew the outposts had been located when he was a captive there. The warriors were many of them scattered about among the mountains, but there was a goodly number present, and they were gathered around the eamp-fires, smoking and telling of wondrous deeds performed. Straight up to the council-fire, built near the tepee of the head chief, Fire Eyes, rode Buckskin Bul. His hands were held above his head, and as he halted his pony with a word, every warrior was upon his feet in an instant. Having come to a halt, Buckskin Bill quietly surveyed the amazed Comanches, who looked as though one and all of them were about to spring forward and tear him from his pony. “The pale-face boy!” yelled Fire Eyes in a voice of thunder, ** Yes, lam your pale-face boy captive, Red Scalp, as you called me, and I have come back to your village,” replied Buckskin Bill in the Comanche tongue. ‘You left my village and my people. Why have you come back to die?” asked Fire Eyes, waving back the braves who seemed to desire to tear the brave boy limb from limb. ‘*T have not come back to die, but to keep the Comanches from dying. There is danger com- ing upon them.” The Indians started at this, amd Fire Eyes told the youth to dismount. He did so, and approaching the fire, coolly sat down before it, remaining silent. Vire Eyes sat by his’ side, and another great chief, Iron Arm, squatted upon the other side. Then the warriors took seats in the circle around the fire. More wood was thrown on, and every basilisk eye was upon the daring white boy, who had thus invaded their village. Holding out his hand for Fire Eyes’s pipe, which the chief held, Buckskin Bill took a whiff or two, with the intention of showing the Co- manches that he was upon a mission of peace. A grunt of satisfaction followed at this, and the pipe was passed around in silence. For some time. no word was spoken, and im- patient though he was to tell all he knew, Buck- skin Bill was determined to show the Indians that he knew red-skin etiquette, and some fifteen minutes had passed, after his taking a seat at the fire, before he opened his mouth to say why it was he had so fearlessly returned into the den of lions, CHAPTER IX, A FORCED COMPACT, BUCKSKIN BIL. knew that he had a dangerous task before him. That the red-skins felt unkindly toward him for having escaped from their village, he was well aware. : The failure of the party in their attack on the school-house, was also attributed to him, for he had been recognized by several of the young braves when he dashed out of the school-house with the boys at his back. ow, to venture back into their clutches was pean thing to do, and looked like defiance of em. ‘The Red Scalp is ready to speak,” said Bill, after awhile, he having been so named by the Comanches on account of his red hair. ‘*The Fire Eyes and his braves will hear,” responded the chief, who had taken quite a fancy to the boy when he was his captive. ‘A train of my people was going to their homes, and it was attacked by a band of Apaches, the bitter foes of the Comanches. ‘* Two pale-face braves were captured, but the Red Scaip escaped, ‘*'The two pale-faces are the prisoners of the Apaches, and if the Fire Eyes, the Iron Arm and their warriors, will say that my two com- rades can go free, the Red Scalp will fill their belts with Apache scalps, and their corrals with the horses of their foes.” ‘Can the Red Scalp do this?’ aske@d Iron Arm, “The Red Scalp talks straight!” replied Buck- skin Bill. ‘“ He is but a boy, a pappoose,” Iron Arm said with a sneer. “Yet he escaped from the Comanche village, and he has been on the war-trail,” the youth re- plied, Arm paused and many of the braves gave a look of displeasure. ‘When will the Red Scalp do this that he says?” asked Fire Eyes. ‘ Before two suns.” ‘* How can he?’ “Will the Fire Eyes set the two comrades of SS ra LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LL LL tit ‘tt a ea, Buckskin Bill, the Gomanohé Shadow. hes | 5. * ; » i — ee the Red Scalp free, to return to their people giving them their weapons and their ponies, and let the Red Scalp go too?” A silence fell upon the party for awhile, and then the chief asked: ** What is it the Red Scalp is to do?” ‘**Save the Comanches from the Apaches, and ambush their foes so that many, if not all, mast die, and their scalps, their arms and ponies wilj belong to the braves of the Fire Eyes.” “The Red Scalp bas spoken, and my warriors have heard!” the Fire Eyes said, All nodded assent. ‘* What says the lron Arm?” ** The pale-tace young man talks with a crooked tongue,” ‘Why has the Red Scalp come to your vil- laze, if it was to speak with a crooked tongue?” Buckskin Bill quickly responded. ‘*‘No. The Red Scalp could have stayed away,” continued the youth, seeing that his question had told on the warriors. ‘‘He need not have come to the Comanche village, to warn them of danger, but remained away and let the Apaches destroy them. ‘* He need not have risked his life to save the two pale-face captives, but Jet them die. ‘““The Red Scalp was a mere boy when he came here a captive. ‘*'You were good to him, and yet he longed to see his home, his people, his mother and fa- ther. “Tears came to his heart, for them, and one night he left your village. ‘He now comes back to tell you of danger, to ask you to save yourselves, your squaws and pappooses, and to let two captives of the Apaches go free, and you say that he speaks with a crooked tongue.’ This speech of Buckskin Bill had been deliv- ered in masterly style. . He had risen from where he was seated and had appealed to the circle of warriors with his earnest words, gestures and words. They were deeply impressed, and the Fire Eyes said: ‘* My warriors have hearts, ‘* Let the Red Scalp remain here, and if his tongue proves crooked, he will die. ‘“‘If his tongue is straight, then his white braves can go, but he will remain. ‘“*He must become a young Comanche brave, or die.” So spoke Iron Arm, and the nods of assent that were seen on all sides told Buckskin Bill that his words met the views of nearly all of the warriors. ‘* The Red Scalp has heard—what says hef’ So asked Fire eyes. ‘“*The Red Scalp will remain in the Comanche village, until his words are proven straight. ‘‘Then he wishes to go with his tavo white brothers.” ‘“His two white brothers can go; but be must remain,” returned Fire Eyes, who was anxious to make a Comanche brave out of the daring white youth. Buckskin Bill saw that he was in a pickle. He knew that he could not gain his point — and so he decided to accept the terms of- ered, He concluded that if he could get Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter free, he would be able to make his escape, as he had done once before, when he was much en er. ‘“‘Tll make ’em believed I’m tickled nearly to death over staying,” he said, and he replied: ‘“The Red Scalp has heard what the great chief of the Comanches has said. ‘He will remain with the Fire Eyes and his people; but the tongue of the Fire Eyes is straight and he will let the two pale-face braves ” ‘“‘The Fire Eyes has a straight tongue,” was the reply. ‘* Now let the Red eagt tell the warriors of the Comanches all that be knows.” Then Buckskin Bill told how he had been in the timber and heard all that the Apaches had said about going to their hunting-grounds and retending to hunt until other bands of their raves joined them, when they would make a night-ride upon the village of the Comanch flanking it, and attacking from an unex quarter, The Comanches grew very uneasy under this story of the youth, and all Jooked toward Fire Eyes to see the effect upon him. e chief was certainly deeply moved, and Buckskin Bill, seeing what an alayta his words had caused, muttered to himself: ** Pll just pile on the agony, and maybe they Il let me go, too.” So he doubled the force of the Apaches te .comicboo — Stet - “ et: = eee = ms ~ i =" 54 3428 , ie O Mm < -