Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 520 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

oe 8 Buckskin Bill, th free, and be allowed to return to their people. The Red Scalp will stay with his brothers. ‘‘ He has spoken.” The Fire Eyes and his warriors had not moved during the earnest appeal of the youth, Now, when he finished, the chief was about to speak, when Dan Eilis said: “Pard Billy, don’t make ’em mad with, you, for you’ve done your duty to us, and no mis- take.” “Yes, let ’em kill us, fer I hain’t heerd 0’ a man hevin’ two times ter die,” Reuben Carter replied, he chief knew not what was said; but he turned to Buckskin Bill and said sternly: So a pale-face braves are the foes of my ople. : “Their hands are red with the blood of my braves. ‘* They must die,” CHAPTER XIV. THE DEATH GANTLET. ‘ At the words of Fire Eyes Buckskin Bill was about to make some hasty reply when Dan Ellis said quickly: ‘‘ Don’t make it wuss for us, Billy.” i youth checked himself, and then he re- ied: “Oh, my pards! if I had only suspected this I would have acted difierently. ‘But IL believed the chief would keep his word.” ‘You has got your idee of Injuns from books, Billy, and it’s strange thet yer hev, as yer was raised among ’em. ‘No, no, Injuns is born liars and cut-throats —it’s the’r religin,” Reuben Carter said. Angry at the talking of the scouts, which he did not’ understand, Fire Eyes called to Buck- skin Bill to follow him, and left seven men to gee to the safety of the prisoners, until they were needed for the sacrifice.. Without a word Buckskin Bill obeyed. His heart was full of trouble, but his brain was busy plotting. He would do all in his power to save the two men. Before going to the tepee of the chief he beg- ged him again to let the scouts go. But Fire Eyes was firm. Then the youth tried the cupidity of the man, and promised him a vast quantity of presents, if be would release them. The chief would not believe the youth, when he promised to go to the settlements and return with them. “The pale-face foes of my people must die,” he said ever and over again. Buckskin Bill was almost in despair. Just then old ‘Death-Killer came to the tepee of Fire Eyes. The Death-Killer held great power. He was the ruler of the village, as it were, while Fire Eyes was the chief of the warriors. Death-Killer’s long hair was snow-white, and this added to his influence among his people. He was vot much over threescore, but yet his form was bent, his limbs feeble and his voice shaky. *: The Death-Killer is welcome,” said Fire Eyes, rising as the old medicine chief entered. “The Fire Eyes is a great brave. “He has gained a great victory over the ene- mies of his people,” said the aged medicine- man. ‘The Apaches fled like leaves before the wind from my braves,” boastfully replied the Fire yes. “And the Fire Eyes took two prisoners from the Apaches?” said Death- Killer. “T thought that was what old Roots and ey, was coming to,” muttered Buckskin ill. ; ‘Vos; the two pale-faces are foes to my peo le,” “They should die.” “They will die—the Fire Eyes has spoken,” was the response. ‘* And the Red Scalp?” ‘Does the great medicine chief, Death-Killer, wish the Red Scalp in his tepee?” And the Fire Eyes was in hopes of a negative reply, for he wished the youth for his especial use. “The Fire Eyes has spoken. “The Death-Killer wishes the Red Scalp, for his limbs are growing feeble.” Buckskin Bill groaned. He remembered the stick of the old medicine chief, and that as an herb and root gatherer his lot had not been a happy one. He had to go into the woods with the old man dig for roots, hunt for herbs, and carry them all red oe —_———- to him to pass upon as ‘“‘ good medicine” or ‘bad medicine,” and, kept constantly under Death-Killer’s eye, he would have little chance to get off with the young braves fishing and hunting. But, with the threats to kill Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter staring him in the face, he dared not say anything. “The Death-Killer can have the Red Scalp. “ Let him be taken to the medicine tepee and bound until the two pale-faces have died,” Five minutes after Buckskin Bill was bound band and foot, and was lying upon a buffalo- robe in the large tepee of the old medicine chief, to be thus kept until after Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter had been put to death. From that moment, when thrown bound into the medicine tepee, Buckskin did not close his eyes, until he heard the gathering of the red- skins the next afternoon for the grand enter- tainment, to them, of kiliing two pale-face pris- oners. . The howling of the warriors in the dances, the moaning and crying of the squaws and children who had lost husbands and parents, made the village akin to a lunatic asylum during the long hours of the night. Buckskin Bill felt that he could do nothing to save his comrades. Young and hopeful, he still hoped that Fire Eyes would keep his word and Jet them go. But in this hope Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter did not enter. They well understood Indian character, and resigned themselves to their fate. There was one thing about Dan Ellis which his captors had not taken into consideration. That was his remarkably small hands and feet. Possessed of hands and feet that might be envied by a woman, in spite of his tall and mus- cular form, he had managed to slip them from the bunds whenever he was not under the eye of bis captors, and he had planned with Reuben Carter, while they Were prisoners to the Apaches, to free him, and then the two would make an effort to escape. When in the tepee in the Indian village, Dan Ellis had loosened the bonds of Carter, and creatly relieved the pain he had been suffering from having them so tightly tied. As for himself, his own limbs had not swollen, and, freed of his bonds, when not watched, he had kept the blood circulating freely in his limbs. Had they had a longer time in the Comanche camp, the two daring men might have gotten a chance to escape; but the night passed away without their daring to make the attempt, and the next morning they were told that they were to do it. ‘Tts all up with us, Pard Reuben; but Pm durned ef I don’t surprise them red varmints at ther last minute and take Injun comp’ny along with us out o’ ther world, and I only wishes you was in as good trim as | be.” But Reuben Carter was not. He could not free himself of his bonds as Ellis could, and his limbs were greatly swollen and painful. He was a man over fifty, while Ellis was bare- ly thirty; but he said: ‘‘ Pf I gits ther chance ter kill, Pil j’ine yer, Pard Dan.” Thus they sat through the day, wondering what mode of cruelty the red-skins would find to kill them by. Toward the sunset hour they saw the Indians all assembling together in the open space in the village, and forming two long lines, a hundred yards apart. | “Pard, we is ter run ther gantlet fer our lives,” said Dan coolly. “Then that kills me, as I hain’t able ter run far or fast; but you kin, Dan, and you is deer- footed as | knows, and maybe you won’t sur- prise ’em.” “Well, I'm a-gittin’ old, and I guesses my time has come; but you is young and kin fight fer life, pard—yes, it is ter be ther death gantlet, Dan, as I sees, and if means sart’in death ter me,” and the old borderman sadly watched the preparations of the red-skins for the deadly race for life. —_—_-— - —— CHAPTER XV. RUN DOWN. Wuen the warrior guard came for the two rong a Reuben Carter did not have to feign ing lame, for it really pained him to walk. | But Dan Ellis Liye on purpose and suffered uo pain. e Comanche Ehadow. got inter a fix yerself bye . . aa . an 2] i ry » 4 *, t ’ ‘ j * , = as ate . ve ey — 3 “ ~ f ty Lf a ’ a t ég° * eer - he Sa - —, The eyes of the two men took in the situation at a glance. | They saw the Indians divided in ‘two lines, ex- tending several bundred yards in the broad space between the tepees, They were some two hundred feet apart, and there were chief's, warriors, squaws and chil- dren. There were also innumerable dogs, gaunt, hungry-looking animals, which were unmerci- fully kicked whenever they came within reach of a foot, whether it belonged to a warrior, & Squaw or a child. Ata distance beyond the line stood a group among whom were Fire Eyes, Death-Killer and Iron Arm, and toward these the pesouds were led, arid reaching there they beheld Buckskin Bill in the background, and he was also secure- ly bound, as they were. ‘‘ Lordy, pard, I believe they is going to make Billy run, too,” said Dan Ellis. Reuben Carter shook his head sadly and said: ‘They has no mercy; boy or man it’s all the same to them.” At the other end of the line, some four hun- dred vards from the group, which was to be the starting point, a mustang was staked out with a short lariat. This animal was to be the goal to be reached, and the prisoner who could get to him, mount, and ride away, was to be allowed to go unmo- lested. * This was what Fire Eves bad considered being generous, although the mustang had no saddle nor bridle, and the man rc, eee reach him would be unarmed end withdut food, Had he considered it possible for either of the prisoners to reach the mustang, he would never have shown such generosity. The prisoners were led to the group, and told what they were to do, while a band of half a hundréd young bucks, armed with knives, stood near to give chase and cut them to pieces, should they catch them. Their bonds were then taken off, and poor Reuben Carter stamped his feet, as though try- ing to get up a circulation, with a hope of mak- ing the run. But the pain he suffered convinced him that he was doomed, ““ Billy, you has acted nobly by us, but you has ‘I'm gittin’ old, and I’m weak and sufferin’ so I has got ter go under, so I says good-by, lad, and ef ther time do come when yer kin avenge me, don’t let it slip. ‘© Good-by, Dan, and luck ter yer, pard, and I believes yer’ll hev it. “Bf yer gits through don’t fergit ter raise Comanche hair fer me now and then, and re- member whar yer left Buckskin Billy. ‘* Good-by.” The voice of the ola borderman was firm ashe spoke, while Dan Ellis was choked up and he could not at first reply. But then he said: “Pll git thar, Reuben, pard, and you'll not be forgotten when I gits on ther trail 0’ red-skins, “Good-by, pard,” and the young scout turned and limped into line, while Buckskin Bill’s eyes were riveted upon them with a look of deepest pity and sorrow blended. In his heart was Sympathy for those two brave men whom he had tried so hard to save, while his brain was wild with thoughts of revenge against the treacherous Comanches. As Fire Eyes guve the word to go, @ cry broke from the lips of Dan Ellis, and he shotaway like an arrow from a bow. He knew that Reuben Carter must die, thathe had no power to save him, and to .remain and “sae with him would be utter madness, and so e made up bis mind to strain every nerve to es- cane. Buckskin Bill was amazed to see him almost fly as he did, although he knew that Dan was said to often outrun an ordinary mustang in & race, The Indians were also surprised, and upon the trails of the two, like @ pack of wolves, boun ed the half a hund braves, armed with knives, while at their heels ran a great crowd of hungry dogs, joining in the sport, as it was to them and the Comanches. . y After seeing Dan Ellis bound away with such heart, turned his gaze upon Reuben Carter. He was struggling along, doing his best in the mad fight for life, But close upon his heels came the pack of red- skins and dogs, and seeing that he was to be overtaken, the brave rman turned and faced them, ” ? . . 4 gut cl re. . I