Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 523 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

that, having gained a precarious foothold in the numerous crevices, now climbed and clung to the rugged surface of the mountain wall. An inward impulse urged Tommy the Kid to poke inquisitively among these vines; and after a brief search, his perseverance was rewarded by success, For, lo! the boy’s hands encountered a fissure in the apparently unbroken wall—an opening amply large enough to admit the body of a man, and through which, without doubt, Cool Carl’s gang had disappeared with their prisoners, Here, at last, was a solution to the mystery; and Tommy the Kid viewed the result of his sagacity with a complacent chuckle, However, the young trailer did not waste any valuable time in marveling at his strange dis- covery. His mission was to find and rescue the prisoners, and without hesitation, the bold youth advanced into the secret passage, The tunnel was scarcely wide enough for a man to pass comfortably, and so low vaulted that a person must needs stoop slightly while walking; which inconveniences served to make progress exceedingly difficult. The floor of the passage was rough and irregular, and sloped gradually, which fact led the explorer to believe that he was descending into the very bowels of the mountain, _ Tommy the Kid advanced slowly and noise- lessly, for he felt it was essential to exercise the utmost caution. He proceeded in this way for perhaps five minutes, though to him the time seemed much longer, Suddenly a bright light, gleaming in the dis- tance, told the end of the passage was near at hand, Dropping upon his hands and knees, the sleuth crept stealthily over the rocky floor. Coarse words aud laughter came floating to his ears, and told him tbat the gang was close at hand. Inch by inch, the Jad advanced, until at last he reached a position where he could look out into the lighted space, Tt was a stirring scene he looked upon. What seemed to be an extensive underground cham- ber was dimly illuminated by a number of torches, thrust into niches in the walls, which flared and flickered, giving unto everything a weird and ghostly aspect. Near the center of tho cavern, Cool Carl’s satellites, five in number, had thrown themselves carelessly upon the rocky floor. Their only duty being to guard two helpless prisoners, a task by no means arduous, these fellows were proceeding to make the most of their leisure, A greasy pack of cards was being deftly manipu- lated, while a suspicious-looking black bottle traveled incessantly around the circle, and helped to make their position endurable, na dim corner of the chamber, Tommy the Kid could barely distinguish the forms of the two prisoners. he bit Reginald Ray was lying upon the floor, se- curely bound, while Rachel crouched sobbing by her uncle's side. Map. At sight of the poor girl in distress, the spy in the tunnel could hardly suppress his indigua- tion. His chivalrous rature prompted him to hurl himself upon the ruffians tcoth and nail; but sober afterthought speedily banished this rash impulse, and prevented so foolhardy a movement, Secure from observation, the young trailer crouched in the friendly shadows of the passage, and calmly contemplated the situation, He had ferreted out Cool Carl’s secret rendezvous: it now remained for him to rescue the Rays from the gambler’s clutches—a task by no means easy of accomplishment. Had he known the whereabouts of Algernon Arnold, the boy would have immediately called him to his assistance; but he was by no means certain of finding the Dandy Sport. Tommy the Kid boldly resolved to attempt a rescue, alone and unaided. : It was an undertaking of such magnitude thet most men would bave shrunk back ap- alled, but the young trailer was undaunted. orn and bred amon? the rough-and-reacy men of the mines, Tommy the Kid knew not the meaning of fear, The youth’s plan was to first reach the side of Reginald Ray, and release him from his bonds, ‘wo heads were better than one, he reasoned even if one belonged to a tenderfoot. Tommy intently regarded the group of ruf- fians, who were devoting their entire attention to the game—and the bottle, utterly. uncon- scious of the proximity of a spy. The frequent quantities of liquor imbibed by the players, was beginning to take effect, for they grew more ex- cited and quarrelsome as the time wore away, ? —ew Zhe Dancy sport. burned low; the flickering lights glowed more feebly, while the fautastic shadows gradually deepened, The watcher observed this fact with pleasure; for the darker the cave, the less diffi- cult his seemingly impossible task. After waiting for some minutes in a state of indecision, Tommy the Kid now resolved to act without further delay. Seizing a favorable op- portunity, he moved courageously forward, ‘* Fortune favcrs the bold,” and the daring spy wes lucky enough to find the fickle dame in good humor. Noiselessly gliding from the*’entrance to the tunne}, the sleuth flitted over the rocky floor like a phantom, seeming a part of the shadowy wall itself. So engrossed were the five ruffians in their occupation, that they failed to observe the audacious movement. Fora moment, Tommy the Kid hugged the wall, scarcely believing he had escaped dis- covery. Then emboldened by success, he rose to his feet and made another movement in the direction of the captives, But alas! for Tommy. Inthe semi-darkness, he failed to observe that an empty keg lay directly in his way, and his first knowledge of the obstacle was when his foot struck heavily against it. : With a sharp cry of dismay, the spy leaped quickly to one side, then slipped, and landed un- ceremoniously in the very midst of the startled croup of card-players, Five shouts of astonishment escaped the lips of Cool Carl’s subordinates, and blended into one discordant how], as men, cards and bottles flew in all directions. Fora moment there was ths ludicrous spectacle of bodies, arms and legs tossing in wild confusion. Tommy the Kid was the first to recover bim- self; and he scrambled hurriedly to his fect, just in time to escape the brawny arms out- stretched to scize him, The youth darted toward the opening, bent on immediate retreat, for he saw the foolhardiness of fighting against such fearful odds. But he was not escape so easily! Cool Carl’s men were between him and the passage, effectually cutting off his retreat, . For an instant the lad stood irresolute. The brains of the ruffians were not so muddled as to prevent them from comprehending how matters stood, and now they made a concerted attack upon the audacious intruder. Tommy the Kid, dismayed, retreated to the wall. He still possessed the pistol given him by Algernon Arnold, and as he sprung backward, he drew the weapon and fired point-blank at his assailants, The foremost ruffian threw up his arms and fell heavily to the floor. His comrades kept on. Determined to fizht to the last, Tommy reach- ed the opposite wall, only to find himself at the opening of asecond tunnel. Hastily recocking his weapon, the boy retreated into the passage, where he paused, and with ready pistol awaited the advance of his enemies. The latter had come to an abrupt halt; the fate of their comrade had taught them cau- tion. Crouching in the gloomy tunnel, Tommy the Kid watched and waited, his heart throbbing with excitement, He could hear the sound of voices in eager consultation, followed soon after by a rumbling sound, as of a heavy object being moved. Then suddenly the light at the mouth of the passage disappeared, Everything was in dark- ness. Tommy the Eid was at a loss to understand the meaning of this. Cautiously he advanced, anxious to learn the movements of his fors— advanced until his outstretched hand touched a wall of stone, that, stretching across the en- trance to the tunnel, effectually blocked further progress, Then 16 was that the luckless lad comprehend- ed the fiendish ineenuity of his enemies, and knew that he was n helpjess prisoner—entombed alive in the heart of the mountain! CHAPTER XI. SILVERTON’S VENGEANCE. Ir was an abrupt end unexpected termination to Canyon City’s merrymaking, when balf a the scene like an avalanche, charging among the startled ci izens with a fury that was irresist- ible. Still standing upon the extemrorary platform, Five minutes passed, and the neglected torches | Algernon Arnold sharei the astonishment of his CO rr nn errant — EPPO, hE PO te fo rer vas -————re ee ee ee friends. Before he could make a movement to descend from his risky position, the assailants were upon them, Dashing swiftly across the lighted space, the horsemen shaped their course, straight as an arrow, for the spot where stood the Dandy Sport. Crash! The rickety structure went down like a tenpin before the terrific shock; while Arnold suddenly found himself taking an involuntary plunge through vacancy, Down he went-——dropping plump into the arms of a rider, at that instant passing underneath! The horseman was a tall, powerful fellow; and as the sport landed unceremoniously across the saddje, he dropped the rein, and clasped bim tightly in his arms, at the same time putting spurs to his steed, and giving a prolonged w histle that rose, loud and clear, above the noise of the melee. lt would appear that Arnold’s capture was the chief object of the attack; for when tbe evidently prc-arranged whistle rung out, every horseman evinced his desire to escape from the scene as speecily as he had ceme. Owing to the terror-stricken condition of the Canyon Cifyites, this feat was by ho means difficult; and in less than two minutes after the first furious charge, the mysterious band wes riding awey like a whirlwind, bearing the wizard pitcher in their midst. Precipitated headlong from his elevated position, Algernon was partially stunned by the fall, and lay motionless in the grasp of his brawny captor. The latter wes quick to take advantage of the young man’s helpless condition, and, with wondcrful dexterity, passed'a stout thong around his waist, tightly pinioning his arms, an So the Dandy Sport, on regaining possessicn of his faculties, found himself as powerless as a child. Speedily leaving the camp behind, the bond of marauders rode into the gloomy precincts of Spint Canyon, and without once slacking rein, thundered recklessly over the perilous trail. As may be imagined, Algernon Arnojd wa; greatly surprised at the novel position in which he now found himself, Adventures were flow- ing upon him thick and fast; but this latest escapade was much more exciting than plearan:, and its meaning too obscure for the young n.an’s comprehension. Who his captors were, where they were taking him, and for what purpose, he could only leave for the future to reveal), Down the gloomy canyon cashed the strange cavalcade the hoof beats of the horses awaken- ing weird echoes among the mountain walls, Not a word was spoken, until, when fully a mile had been traversed, the leader suddenly blew a shrill blast—a signal that caused every rider to instantly rein in his steed, Then a number of torches were produced and lighted, and by their feeble i1adiance, the prisoner was enabled to gain a faint inkling of bis whereabouts, Eagerly, Algernon Arnold scanned the faces of his captors. He could readily discern the features cf those nesrest bim, as they made no effort to conceal them; and as te gazed, the sport saw with surprise that the_ surrounding men were not utter strangers. Many of the faces he had seen before, that afternoon, among the citizens of Silverton; ay, More than one man he recognized as members of the base ball nine, to whom he was imstrumental in adminis- terine a crushing defeat. A faint gleam of the truth now began to dawn upon the young man’s mind, as he anx- iously serutinized the men from Silverton. Stearn aud voiceless, the party gathered akont their captive. The wizard pitcher was uncere- moniously bundled frors the horse, and mece to stand erect, with his back to the canyon wel). Algernon could see from the stern and Nneyy demeanor of bis captors, that something serious was to follow, but tha young collegian sliowed none of his customary coolness to forsake him. With the utmost indifference, he regarded the gave who gathered areund him and plarcd in ominous silence, Arnold was the first to break the ice, ‘“Gentlen.en, this silence is growing monoton- ous,” he declare’. $s Why don’t you say some- thing, and not stand here staring like a pack of dumb brutes? I am fairly bublling over with anxiety to learn why I am torn away froma scene of festivity, and brought to this lonescmo place, If you want me to participate in PNn- other celebration, why I hee most emphaticall to be excused, as I have already had fun enoug for one night.” A stalwart, bearded fellow. who had that afternoon acted as captain of the Silverton, 7 (2) 900 nN