Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 534 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

os rhog ~, 2 ome” 12 Oe ETA ARS oa SS AES Sa ST a IR = AB ae a ice sg “ Deadwood Dick’s Death Hunt. -zled, for Sylvan’s pretty face attracted much attention from the other male passengers seated at the table. | After supper, Dick went on deck and smoked a cigar, and wuile there, he heard a great com- motion, forward, and cries of: °° A tight! a fight!” Something told him that Jolly Johnson was in some way concerned in the rumpus, and a few bounds brought him to the scene of the trouble, just as a cry went up, of— ‘* Man overboard! map overboard!” It was several minutes, owing to the crowded state of the fore part of the vessel, ere Dick could find out what the trouble: was, By this time, the man who had gone over- board, had been hauled up on deck, and proved to be no oné else but Jolly Johnson! Two other participants in the melee, had been handcuffed by the vessel officers, and were taken below, They were no other personages than Nick Noodle, and Jack Hurd alias Blackthorn, ‘* Your servant came near getting a watery erave,” the ship’s captain said, tappmg Dick on the shoulder, ‘Why, what was the matter ‘*Oh! the tough and the other negro, whom I have had put in irons, are a hard crowd, I’ve noticed they have been trying to pick a quarrel wath your servant, all day, and warned them to desist. But they didn’t appear to pay any at- tention to my orders, and a bit azo, 1 saw the white fellow step up and slap Jasper, as you call him, in the face, ‘Jasper promptly retaliated, by knocking down both the white tough and the other negro, In doing so, however, he slipped and fell, and then they both pounced upon him, and threw him overboard. ‘‘T saw the whole affair, and quickly threw ay ‘ .Jasver a life-line, which he had the presence of mind to seize, and in that way his life was saved!” ‘* What will you do with the two assailants?” ‘‘Keap them in irons until we reach Mel- bourne, and then turn them over to the authori- ties.” As soon as Dick could reach Jolly, he hurried him off to his state-room, and from among the assortment of disguises, a fair suit was selected, and donned, ‘“T thought I was a goner, for sure,” be said, “** but I guess Ive got some o’ your cat luck, Dick.” ‘* Why were you tackled?” “*T don’t know, unless it was because they- dis- covered that [ was not a genuine black, and suspected who I was, I gave ’em two sockdola- gers, right from the shoulder, that they wout . soon forget, anyhow,” ‘* Well, they'll not bother you again, while we’re on shipboard,” Dick intormed his pard, ‘* for the captain has had them putinirons, I haven’t seen either of them speak to Hastings, -and so, if they had any suspicions, I don’t think they communicated them to him!” Later in the evening, Dick and Hastings met ‘in the former’s compartment, and the second bout at poker was soon under way. - CHAPTER XIII, THE WINNING HAND. THE. good ship Gallant bowled along right merrily over the waves of the Pacific, encoun- tering nothing but fair weather from the time she left Frisco, until she sighted Melbourne. It was after dark, when she entered Melbourne Harbor, and dropped anchor, to await the com- ing of morning before steaming up to her pier. At the same time the anchor was sent a-spin- ning, Deadwood Dick and Henry Hastings sat at the table in the former’s state-room, playing what was destined to be their last game of poker, ‘together. ‘There ismy last thousand dollars!” Hastings said, grimly, as he slapped several bank-notes down upon the table. ‘If you win that, you beat me out of the last cent I have, in the world!” ** Sorry for you,” Dick replied, complacently, **but 1 believe it was your own proposition that | ‘we should play until one or the other was broke, ‘was it not?” ‘* Yes, so it was, see. My luck may change, Dea) the cards and -we’ll make our bets before we look at our hands. You are a card sharp, but I feel that I shall ‘win, this time!” Dick dealt the cards, five to Hastings and five -to himself. ‘* Now, then,” said Hastings, s oving forward shis money, “ there’s my money up. Cover it!” / But, I ain’t broke yet, you | Dick did so, Two thousand dollars was in the pot. | ‘* Now, if 1 show you that [ hold the winning hand, the pot is mine, 1 suppose?’ Hastings | observed, | ‘* Exactly. What have you got?” Hastings turned his cards over, | ‘* Three sixes!” he exclaimed, triumphantly. ' ** Very good!” Dick said, coolly, ‘* but not | good enough. Ihave a royal flush!” | ‘* That’s good, but does not win)” | ‘* How do you make that out?” | ** Because I hold the winning hand!” ‘IT failto seeit, sir.” , ‘Then, maybe you see it now!” the villain hissed, and, with lightning quickness, he pro- duced a cocked six-sbooter, and leveled at Dick’s heart. ‘Deadwood Dick, you’ve played well, but lost, and now, you die like the dog you are!” The next instant, there was a ringing report | of the weapon. | Dick Bristol partly arose from his chair, with a gasp, but sunk back again, and thence tum- | bled to the floor, insensible. ‘* At last!” Hastings gritted, as he left his seat, and hurried around to where the detective Jay as motionless as a log.» ‘‘ I gave him timely warning, and no one is to blame for his death but himself! I must get the money, and then leave the steamer at once. It won’t do for me to remain here until morning, under any cir- cumstances!” He quickly rifled his victim’s pockets, of everything valuable, and then, placing the weapon he bad fired. in close proximity to Dick’s right hand, he gathered up the cards, and slipped quietly frega the state-room, to his , own compartment, | O ving to the aoise consequent upon lowering | of the anchor, the report of the pistol-shot evi- dently bad not attracted any attention. In fifteen minutes more both Hastings and Sylvan were on deck, the latter heavily vailed. Approaching the captain, Hastings said: ‘* We would like to go ashore to-night, sir.” ‘* Impossible,” the captain replied. ‘* No pas- sengers will be landed before to-morrow.” ‘* But this is a matter of greatest importance,” the king of rogues assured, ‘‘ This young lady, my niece, wassome time ago left a large for- tune, payable to her providing she laid claim to it within a certain length of time. We have ex- perienced much delay in getting to this country, andif my niece does not get to Melbourne in time to lay claim to the money, to-night, be- fore twelve o'clock, she forfeits the entire for- tune! ‘** Well, that’s bad, sure enough!” the captain declared, ‘* but I reckon you'll have to wait till the health officers comes aboard, which, most likely, won’t be until morning, It’s against rules to land passengers until @hey are in- spected,” _ * But, I tell you, we must go ashore!” Hast- ings declared, working himself into a passion, ‘‘ If we stay here until morning we will be the loser by ten thousand pounds, See here! you can give me a voucher to give to the health | officer, that we are all O. K., and that will settle the whole matter. Put us ashore and I'll give you five hundred dollars!” ‘* Impossible, sir. Can’t do it.” | ** Pil give you a thousand, then!” . The captain scratched his head and whistled. | A thousand dollars was a big sum of money, in his estimation. After deliberating a moment he went and spoke to the first mate. Finally he returned and said: ‘Well, it’s a risky piece of business to at- , tempt, but, as your business ashore is so urgent, | Vil try and accommodate you. So let’s have the | money.” j Hastings paid over the money without a mur- mur, Only too glad was he to get off that vessel | had the cost been twice as much. By the captain’s orders a boat was lowered _ and manned, and a few minutes later Hastings | and Sylvan were being rowed rapidly ashore, — | Joily Johnson saw the departure as he stood | leaning against the rail on the upper deck. ‘By gracious! What does this mean?” he | muttered. “T thought no passengers were to go | aoe to-night! Imustsee if Dick knows of ris! _ He hurried to the deck below but could find no | trace of Dick. and so descended to the state- room, where he found his pard lying his full length upon the floor, apparently hfeless. With a ery of horror jolly knelt beside his pard and tore open his shirt. — There was a small discolored spot over the | heart, but Jolly could find no bullet wound, Placing his ear over the heart he found that it still beat, but very fast. Quickly procuring some water he dashed it into Dick’s face. The result was that Dick speedily opened his eyes, and then, after passing his hand across his forehead, sevéral times, he staggered to his feet. “Another close shave!” he said, pressing his hand in the region of his heart, ‘‘ What is the matter?” Jolly asked, anxiously. ‘* Did you accidentally shoot yourself?” ‘* Accidentally shoot myself? Well, I should say not. I was playing a wind-up game of poker with Hastings, and had won his last dol- lar, when he drew a bead on me, and let drive straight at my beart. The bullet rendered me unconscious, and— Yes, by thunder, the rascal has rifled my pockets of every cent of money I had!” ‘* Worse than that!” Jolly replied, “‘for our game has flown. They just left the vessel for the shore.” ‘* Thunderation !” ‘“Tt’s true, That’s why I came to find you, to see if you knew anything about it. But, Dick, for the love of goodness, pray explain to me one thing that is a mystery.” ‘* What is that?” ‘* How is it, that any one can blaze away at your heart without killing you?” Dick smiled, ‘* Oh! it’s a little contrivance of my own,” he said, ‘* being a rubber and silk-inflated saucer, | which I wear over theregion of my heart. This saucer is inflated with compressed air, and ac- cordingly, when the bullet strikes the saucer, it does not penetrate, if the shot is square in front; it sinmsply rebounds without doing any damage, more than the shock it gives. When the bullet strikes the pad or saucer, it forces out the air around the rim, The saucer is held in place by two rubber strings. When the air escapes, the saucer suddenly contracts to about the size of a silver dollar, This contraction breaks one of the slight rubber strings, and the saucer is thence drawn across my breast, either to one armpit or the other.” ‘Well, by Jove! you’re a brick. Who else in the world but you could ever have conceived such a thing.” / ; ‘* Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know the contrivance has been the means of saving my life several times. But, we must not stand idle here. If Hastings has gone ashore we must give chase, Did Sylvan accompany him?” captain. i I wish to be taken ashore at once,” Dick said. ‘‘ Impossible, sir. We can land no passengers to-night, sir.” ‘But, you must. You have already sent two ashore, and [ demand that the same privilege be accorded to me and my valet.” ‘‘ Yes, sah! we demand, sah, dat de same pay lidge be concorded us!” put in Jolly, pomp- ously. ‘‘Sorry, sir, but I cannot accommodate you. It was only on account of a matter of life and death that I allowed those passengers to go ashore,” ‘* A matter of life and death, eh? Well, I should say so. Do you know that you have baffled the law, sir? That man when ashore isa fugitive from justice. Before leaving this ship he made an attempt upon my life, and suc- ceeded in robbing me of over twenty thousand dollars.” ‘* The deuce you say.” ‘*T am telling you the truth. Iam a United States detective, and I demand to be put ashore.” ‘*Can’t do it, sir. I have already imperiled my position by allowing those people to go ashore before the health- officer boarded us,” ‘* But, I tell you we must go ashore!” ‘Can't help it. You can’t go, unless you swim, I shall not land another passenger, to- night, and that settles that!” and witha digni- fied strut; the captain turned away. Dick was literally ‘‘ hopping mad,” and so | was Jolly, but, that was about all the good it | did them. “This is infernally eb sam !” Dick growled. Hastings will have full twelve hours the start of us, before we land!” ‘*That’s so,” Jolly replied, ‘‘ but, that ain’t the worst drawback: We have no money, even | when we do get on shore.” ‘Oh! Pil attend to that. LIhavea couple of unset diamonds with me, that will sell at sight, “Vos f ‘*'Then, come.” They hastened on deck and sought out the —_ ~~ an