Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 534 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

e* “| F \ \. , a | “J o "2 & , j a ‘ + oF . ' a i «} ; * , 4 , fh - eg S 5 : 7 ‘ | i Vg “ fr? t 7 if | 44 Ps r ne aie Ping £ aw 4 é ‘ ** Faith, an’ I am that!” Dick replied. *“Ohi well, you’ll have a soft snap hereafter. Yow’re the sort as will suit the old man. He’s a cranky sort of a fellow, but, once ye git on the right side of him, he’s a good man to work for, and will give you all you’re worth.” **Does he own this illigant place?” Dick in- quired, with all apparent earnestness, ‘You bet, and lots more besides. He’s rich as Croesus, they say.” * Got any childhren?” ‘*Nary chick nor child—no one but himself, an’ the hired help.” ‘Faith, an’ did yez see a well-dressed young man up this way, yesterday, a-lookin’ for a job? Dick inquired. ‘*No ‘There was no one around here inquir- in’ for work,” They chatted awhile longer, and then the stableman said: ‘* lve got to get some oats out of the granary, for the horses, and if you'll help me fill a couple of bags, Vil give yea cigar, and some prime old wine [ snuck out of the cellar, I stand in with the cook, an’ it’s a cold day when I get left for what I want to drink.” Accordingly, they entered the main barn, a gloomy looking place. In one corner, was a great bin, some eight feet square, by six in hicht, and built of planks, The top was covered by a heavy door, which could be raised with the aid of a pulley and rope, After the stableman, who gave his name as Jacl Hurd, had raised the lid, he said: “Give me your foot, now, and I'll boost you into the bin, You'll find a half-bushel measure there, and you can hand me out the oats, while I Gill the bags!” ‘*T don’t know about that, begorra!” Dick re- plied. ‘‘How am I to get out of the bin, shure, when 1 get in it?” ‘Pooh! that’s easy enough. The bin’s half full of oats, and you can get out easier than you can get in. Be careful, tho’, There’s a bottle of wine in one corner. Hand it outfirst.” Not doubting but what all was right, Dick gave his foot to Hurd, and was boosted to a sit- ting position, on the upper edge of the bin. The interior of the bin was dark, and Dick was deliberating whether or not he better jump into it, when he received a violent push that sent him tumbling down into the big box, and even as he fell he heard the door of the bin slam down, and le knew he was trapped. Down! down! he went, not to the level of the barn floor, but clear to the basement, bottom, where he landed square upon his feet. A prisoner was he, once more, and there rush- ed upcn him the unpleasant realization that not only was he once more in the toils, but at the mercy of. his bitterest enemy, Henry Hastings! For that Doctor James and Hastings were que and the same persons, there was no longertva reason to doubt, And that Jack Hurd was Blacktborn, seemed equally probable. Was this, at last, to be his tomb? Dick was wondering this, when he wasstartled by a voice, close at hand! CHAPTER IX. OUT AND OFF, LitTL® wonder Dick was startled at the sound of the voice, when, surrounded by the most im- yenetrable gloom, he had little expectation of earing a voice so close at hand. ‘¢ Well! who are you?” was the demand. Dick uttered an exclamation of astonishment, for he recognized the voice, ‘ood heaven, is that you, Jolly?” he ejacu- ted. i? You bet! Is it you, Dick?” ‘¢- You can copper your cards it is!” * Are you bound?” “* Nary bind!” “Then, strike a match, if you’ve got one, and release me of these ropes!”’ Dick, fortunately, had a good supply of matches, and soon, by aid of a brief light, had his pard free of the bonds. ** How in the blazes do you come here?” Jolly demand_d, grasping his friend warmly by the ‘hand. ‘You tell me, first, how you come to be here, and then I'll tell you my experience.” ‘Well, it won’t take long to tell you what I know about it!” Jolly laughed, ‘*J tracked the nigger as far as the villa, without discovery, asl supposed. Just then I encountered a mes- senger boy, and sent \ou a telegram, as I con- cluded to haig around the neighborhood for awhile, in hopes I could secure some further points. Aftera while, I got so blamed thirsty —- bw —— _ _ ——— ae ee that I couldn’t stand itany longer, and ven- tured as far as the back door of the villa, and asked for a drink of water. ‘*It was arash thing to do, I know, but I was so dry that I was nearly choking. The boss of the house was in the kitchen—a gray- bearded old cuss—and after sizing me up pretty sharp, he gave me a colored goblet, and told me to go wrastle the pump, ‘Not suspecting any mischief, I went and did so. The water was deliciously cool, and I drank two glasses. I know I did this, and that is all Ido know. When [ returned to conscious- ness, I found myself in this dismal pen, bound hand and foot. What sort of a place is it, any- how?” **T allow it was originally built for a gran- ary,” Dick replied, *‘ but there don’t seem to be any grain init now—not even grains of com- mon sense, or else [ wouldn’t be here.” He then went on and narrated his experiences, since he last had seen Jolly. * Well, we’re ina bad way.” the latter con- fessed, ‘‘ Light some matches, and let's see What our chances are of getting out.” This was done, anda hasty examination of the place was made, The sides of the bin were built of matched, two-inch plank, and the cor- ners were mortised. The foor was of heavy flag-stone. The door or lid at the top of the granary, was fully sixteen feet above the bottom. There was alsoasmall door at the bottom, but this was securely fastened on the outside, Plainly, ‘hey were ina prison of extraordi- nary strength, There was a ventilator at the top which let in a meager supply of air. Well,” Dick said, when the matches had gone out, “ ve got into a good many scrapes, but none where | more deserved to be kicked than in the present instance. If TV’d had the sense of a catfish Vd have known I was ventur- ing into a trap. But, here we are, and I don’t see as there is any use of crying over spilt milk '” ‘** Then, you don’t see any chance of our get- ting out?” ** There is only one chance that I can see!” Dick replied, ** And, what is that?” ‘* Dig out—cut our way out, with our knives!” ‘**I have no knife, Mine was taken from me, as was the jewelry you sold me back and what money | had!” ’ “ That’s bad!” Dick said, ‘t However, I have a couple of thousand dollars about me, and that will carry us a good ways if we succeed in mak- ing our escape. But, it will take a good while to cut a hole of sufficient size to admit of our getting out.” ‘“That’s so. But, that seems our only salva- tion. Do you think Hastings will vacate the villa?” ‘“Yos, What Iam afraid of is that he will take the boat which leaves for Australia, to- morrow, at four o’clock. If itisin our power, we must escape from here before tbat time.” ‘** Then, let’s set to work at once, We will take turns at the work so as to progress fast. Is your knife sharp?” “You bet, I never carry dull tools, except those that bark and bite!” Dick accordingly set to work, with a will, at cutting his way out, He soon had made enough splinters so that Jolly built a little fire out of them, on the stone bottom. This produced enough light to see to work by. For hours the two men took turns at working, and, at last, bad one wide plank cut in two, Another similar cut, and the dismembered portion of the plank could be forced outward, without much trouble, “So, after a short rest, the work was resumed, the chips and splinters serving to keep the tiny fire a-going; and several hours later the other slit was cul across the hard plank. Then, both Dick and Jolly united in giving the disconnected piece a fearful kick, and were rewarded by seeing the plank go flying out into the basemeut, leaving a large aperture through which the two friends at once crawled out of the bin, into the basement. Here another difficulty was encountered. The doors of the basement were locked. It did not, take long, however, for Dick to pry off the fastenings and soon after, they es- caped from the barn, and were free! onsulting his watch, he found they had been all night and the better part of the day, in effect- ing their escape. t was already two o’clock, Pp. M! As Dick had predicted, the villa was locked, ‘ Py ae y* : - ; ’ ’ 2 f >} mde § - Rt, ey Ae ane Y 4 tik i ‘ak ie wan . i ‘ oe dy t Val ‘i= tp ‘ + . - >| ‘ 5 .- o bd . ; ~ mee *, : ‘i w See if, = : 9 . me _ Se ee oe ee ome ee Deadwood Dick’s Death Hunt, © | etait « A and the shutters tightly closed, and there were no signs of life, about the premises. ‘*They’ve gone, you bet!” Dick averred, ‘and, ten to one they’re now on board the Austrailian steamship; so, no time is to be lost!” ** You’re right!” Jolly rephed, “If they get away this time, we shall indeed be baffled!’ They hastened to the nearest street car, and started for Dick’s disguise room, When they reached this, they disguised them- selves—Dick as a U. 8. lientenant, regular army, with uniform, blonde wig, side-whiskers, and heavy mustache; while Joily made up as the officer’s colored servant. Each character was well taken, each outfit was complete in every detail, and secure as a disguise, Dick made a dashing- looking lieutenant, while Jolly’s make-up as an African gent was perfectly natural, When they were all fixed, and the other dis- euises had been hurried into a large sachel, the two wman-hunters started, post haste, for the steamship dock, When they reached the steamship office, a great disappointment greeted the two avengers, The second Australian steamer of the week had left a half bour before, and was now only dimly visible to the naked eye, far down the barbor, owing to a slight fog. Hastily looking over the passenger list, Dick found ‘‘Henry Haskins” and ‘‘ Letha Love” registered as among the passengers, ‘*They’ve goue!” he said, to Jolly, ** but not so far yet, to escape our vengeance. Let’s see if we can’t bire a tug, to run down and over- take them?” A search was hastily made. And at last one man was found, who agreed to put them aboard the Gallant, for one hundred and fifty dollars. Dick quickly accepted the offer, and while the tug was getting ready, he purchased tickets to Melbourne, for Jolly and himself, In half an hour, they were off, The tug was called the Daisy, and deserved the name, for it sped through the waters ata rapid rate of speed, and soon San Francisco began to grow dim in the distance, ’ Then, as night settled down, the city disap- peared from view altogether, Luckily the moon came up, full and bright, Bar lit up the dancing waves with beautiful effect. {t was after midnight ére the Gallant was overtaken, and Dick and Jolly received on board, There were few other than the crew on deck, and the majority of the passengers were none the wiser for the arrival of the young man- hunters. Down in his state-room, Henry Hastings would not have slept so undisturbedly, it is probable, if he had known that his two sworn and deadly enemies were so near at hand, Dick and Jolly were assigned a state-room to- gether, and not long they remained out of their bunks, for both were greatly fatigued. They could but congratulate each other, how- ever, that they had succeeded in thus far out- witting their enemy, after all. CHAPTER X. THE VERY MAN AND WOMAN, Ir is perhaps unnecessary for us to say that both Dick and Jolly slept soundly; and when they awoke the next morning, dressed, and weat on deck, they felt greatly refreshed, 2 ed The Gallant was well out to sea, by this time, and although the morning was clear and sunny, the American shore was only faintly visible in the distance, The Gallant was one of the largest steamships plying on Western waters, and had been especial- ly built, and admirably equipped for the accom- modation of an extensive passenger traffic, Everywhere about the vessel scrupulous clean- liness was a noticeable feature, while the majority of the crew were sturdy, good-looking fellows, who seemed to take a pride in keeping themselves looking respectable. ' As yet, neither Dick vor Jolly had experienced the least feeling of sea-sickness, although they- found several miserable-looking passengers 0 deck, who had evidently been contributing their ‘+ quota ” of experience to the care of the sad sea waves. Neither Dick nor Jolly had ever been on salt water before, and they thoroughly enjoyed the change. ‘* Well, here we are!” Dick said, as they seated themselves on the lee side of the ship, ‘* bound for a strange land we know nothing about,