Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 520 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

Buckskin Bill, the Comanche Shadow. 7 ee ———eeeOoeeoeoeoeoOeS=~$<$@pS Ne eeeeS—S—S—Ssssssvww_waeSaOTo- CHAPTER XII. IN SUSPENSE. From his point of lookout Buckskin Bill had seen the battle, though he had not been an actor therein. He had seen skirmishes, had beheld men die, but never had he dreamt of what an Indian battle would be, and he stood almost appalled at the sight. Fire Eyes had called out to him to follow, when they had rushed out upon the Apaches, and he had done so. In the heat of victory Fire Eyes had forgotten all about him. But Buckskin Bill was thoroughly awake to the situation, The deai and the dying were about him, horses and men lay in heaps, but he was looking for the prisoners. As the mass of horsemen swept on, Buckskin Bill beheld a group of horses huddled together, and the moonlight revealed two mounted men. ee Ho, Dan! ho, Reuben!” shouted Buckskin ill. The prisoners had been unwilling spectators of the combat. They had heard the arrows flying about them, and Reuben Carter’s horse had been slightly wounded, while Dan Ellis had been slightly clipped in the shoulder, hen the Apaches turned in flight, their rds had become struck with a panic and had eserted them, while the pack-mules, in alarm, had huddled close about them. “Pard Dau, ef we only had our arms free, we could skip now pretty lively,” said Reuben Carter. | “Yas, but as it is we will get took by ther cowards, and it’s a case 0’ out o’ fryin’-pan inter fire,” replied Dan. “Yas, but we is done fer, as we can’t guide our horses with our arms tied, and we’d lkely starve, ‘*'We is in a bad fix, I tells yer. ‘** But, Lordy! how them Apaches is a-goin’,and hain’t ther Comanch’ everlastin’ly a-racin’ ’em?” Just then came the calling of their names by Buckskin Bill. The two men looked at each other in a startled way, and Dan Ellis said in a whisper: ‘‘) tell yer, pard, thet boy is dead, and thet it is his ghost a-callin’ us, for it’s Bill’s voice.” ** Leastwise it sounds so, Dan.” ** Where are you, Dan, and Reuben?” As Buckskin Bill called out, he came running toward the spot where the two prisoners were seated upon their horses among the pack-mules. ‘* Here we is, Pard Billy, what is left of us,” replied Reuben Carter, while Dan Ellis said: oa ‘i guess it’s ther boy and not his ghost arter A moment more and Buckskin Bill dashed up to them. But there were a dozen Comanches at _ his back, who had not joined in the chase of the Apaches. ‘Ho, Dan, and you, Reub, ’'m glad to see you, and I guess you'll get free all right, so cheer up, as Fire Eyes has promised to set you free,” said Bill, walking up to the two men, while the braves encircled them and looked on. “What in thunder is you doing bere, Pard Billy?’ asked Dan. *‘ Tl tell you, pards,” and the youth told all that had happened to him, since he had run away from the train when half asleep, and how he had decided, when seeing them in the hands of the Apaches and learning of the intention of Thunder Face to attack the Comanche village, to risk everything to try and save them. ‘You is a noble lad, Billy Middleton, and Vll stand by you until jedgment,” said Dan Ellis. “Tm with yer, pard, fer Billy hes done more than a squar’ thing fer us; bet I'm afeer’d it are no use, as Comanches is all-fired liars.” ‘But they won’t let me go, though they will you. ** Pm to stay and become a Comanche brave, you understand, and you must so tell my folks, when you get back.” ** Yes, We'll tell °em, when we gits back; but we hain’t goin’ and leave you here, Buckskin and you kin jist gamble on it.” * Why not, for you can go now, or when Fire Byes says so, and I will stay here— until I can get away,” and Bill added the last in a whisper, fearing there might be some Indian listening who could understand English. “T sees, Buckskin, and I guesses it’s about eet rte igi ”' Can be did; but when is we ter et go, for these ro is hurtin’ me con- EPR : yes will soon return and then heek ak wiih ‘¢ But now I'll ask these braves to take you to Death-Killer, the medicine chief, and maybe he will let them untie you.” Buckskin Bill then asked the braves stand- ing about to take the prisoners to Death-Killer, an‘ they did so, But old Death-Killer was in ill humor. He had hoped for the scalps of all of the Apaches, and was told that only about three score had been taken, with hope of a few more during the chase. Buckskin Bill bad been under his ¢are when a captive in the village, and the old medicine chief had found him more anxious to go hunting and fishing with the Indian boys, than to ac- company the squaws when gathering roots, herbs and flowers or the rude medicines he concocted, Buckskin Bill had often felt the weight of the old man’s stick, when handing him a poison root instead of one that had medicinal qualities, Still, he had sorely missed the boy when he had escaped, and now looked daggers at him when he came and asked that the two prisoners of the Apaches should be relieved of their bonds, The youth begged, but Death-Killer would not listen, and ended by letting Buckskin Bill feel the weight of his stick. ‘* Don’t git the old varmint mad, Billy, for we kin stand it,” urged Dan. ‘Yes, for if yer hadn't ’a’ dodged that blow with yer head, it would hev knocked yer silly,” Reuben Carter added. “Lordy, I don’t mind that, for I got used to them when I was here long ago. “T nearly poisoned him by mistake one day by putting some poison bark into the pot where he was making sassafras tea. “He thought it was sassafras, and drank a swallow of it before he found it out.” “Then I caught it, I can tell you; but wait until Fire Eyes comes and he'll keep his word to me,” said Buckskin Bill. jd Death Killer had eyed him sharply while he was speaking to the two prisoners about him, though he did not know what he was saying. But he shook his head ominously and Buck- skin Bill laughed while he said: ‘‘ [hope he won’t want to make me a medicine- i oy as he intended to when I was here be- ore. “Pm a-thinkin’ you won’t stay ter git yer diplomy as a Injun Doctor, billy,” Dan Ellis said with a laugh. ‘‘No, give him a dose o’ his own harbs and skip.” growled Reuben Carter. ‘there was no sleeping that night in the Indian village, for it had by no means been a battle in which the Apaches had alone suffered for a number of Comanches had also been killed and wounded, and the women and children were howling inan appalling manner over their dead husbands and fathers. The scalps of the slain Apaches had been taken, and every wounded Kpachs had been slain and also scalped, so that between sorrow and hatred for their foes, the village of the Comanches had become a perfect pandemontum, As forthe two prisoners, and Buckskin Bill, | they could but await the morrow, and the re- turn of Fire Eyes, to see what was in store for them, and they made the best of a bad situation by trying to sleep, for Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter had been taken from their homes and placed ina tepee to await the coming of the chief. CHAPTER XIII. THE PLEDGE OF A COMANCHE. THE defeat and punishment of the Apaches, under Thunder Fire, their greatest chief, was coinplete and severe, All knew that it was from heaving their in- tended attack made known to the Comanches which enabled them to prepare for their re- ception and ambush them. Once they had started in flight, they were soon rallied by their chief and faced to form a compact mass, and this the Comanches could not break. Several desperate charges were made by Fire Eyes upon the retreating Apaches, and the horses of the latter being fresh, while those of their foes were well worn down, and also know- ing every foot of the country, the advantage was with the Comanches, in spite of the superior number of, their enemies, Then, too, the Apaches had been defeated when they had hoped for a grand victory, and were greatly demoralized. Here and there an Apache would fall, and his comrades be unable to save him, ; . (hy The Apache never scalps his dead enemy, and the Comanche could therefore, by doing. so, reap a harvest of red trophies. aving driven their foes across the river, the Comanches, leaving but a small force to trouble them, set off on their return to the village. Their dead and wounded were brought with them, and when in the afternoon Fire Eyes and his horses appeared, there was a commingled howl of rage, sorrow, end triumph. The victorious braves were greeted with shouts of welcome, while the dead were mourn- ed for most boisterously and their hatred for their enemies found vent in savage cries. ‘‘They is worse than a lunatic asylum turned loose for a picnic,” said Dan Ellis. ‘* They is clean crazy, that’s a fact. ‘“ But now we'll know what is ter be did with us.” Reuben Carter responded. Just then Fire Eyes came toward the tepee, and Iron Arm was with him, The latter had a wound upon his head, which Death-Killer had been dressing for him, and he was in an angry mood, as his tace showed. Buckskin Bill came out of the tepee as they approached, and said, addressing the two Chiefs: ‘Did the Red Sealp speak straight, when he told the Fire Eyes that the Apaches were coming to his village?” ‘Yes, the Red Scalp has a straight tongue. “ Are these the comrades of the Red Scalp?” asked Fire Eyes. “Yes, and they suffer from the cords upon their feet and hands. ‘‘ Will the great chief not see them free, as he has promised ?” Just then, and before Fire Eyes could reply, Iron Arm spoke up quickly with: “The Lron Arm knows these men, they are the bitter foes of the Comanches.” ‘Did the Iron Arm expect to find them his brothers?” asked Buckskin Bill, while Dan Ellis, who had a smattering knowledge of the Comanche tongue said: ‘‘Reub, things looks bad for us.” ‘The pale-face braves are the foes.of my people,” Fire Eyes said, fixing his piercing gaze upon the two prisoners, “You bet we hain’t in love with yer,” Dan Ellis responded, and-received a warning look from Buckskin Bill, who then said: “The pale-faces are’the friends of the Co- manche, for has not the Red Scalp saved their village from the Apaches? ‘But the Comanches are the foes of the pale- faces, and will not bury the tomahawk.” “The Red Scalp can stay; his life can be spared, but the two braves of his pou should die,” and Iron Arm glanced at Fire yes, The chief seemed ill at ease. He had given his word to Red Scalp, and yet be loved bloodshed too well to let the two men he now held in bis power escape bim. What could he do but break his word. Both Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter were re- eagnized now, by scores of Comanche braves who gathered around them, as men who had had been the deadly foes of their tribe. They bad seen t! em in battle, and in the settle- ments, when beating hack Comanches that raid- ed the houses of the settlers Many a Comanche had failed to return from a hunt, or a war-trail, and the two bordermen were known to have prevented some of them from doing s°. Now they stood before them, bound, helpless, prisoners, and only the presence of their chief protected them. The thoughts of the red-skins seemed to be fullv read by Buckskin Bill and the two scouts, The youth had acted for the best; be had taken the only course to save the two men, and he ha‘l trusted in the honor of an Indian, Was the ebief going to fail him? It certainly looked so, and angry at the treachery of Fire Eyes, he said earnestly: ‘* The Red Scalp is but.a boy in years, ‘*‘ He is hardly old enough to be a young brave; but he came to the village of the Fire Eyes to warn his red friends of their foes coming to at- tack them. “THe risked his life to come, and ell he asked was that his two pale-face brothers should go free, ‘he Comanche braves did not capture my two brothers. “They risked not their lives to bring them — here. “But they got them when their hands and feet were tied. “They got with them pack-mules, Apache nies, blankets, arms and many scalps, and the Red Scalp only asks that his two brothers be set