Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 56 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

Nick Whiffles’s Pet. 5 The trappers rapidly overhauled the smaller ca- noe, and as both parties were near the center of the stream, they came very near each other, ““As sure as I live,’ exclaimed Ned, in an under- tone, “‘ there is that man who headed the party four years ago. I think his name is Belgrade.’ ** It’s the same chap; he’s the one, too, that head- ed the attack on the Hudson Bay men, three years ago. He came near gettin’ killed at the time, and he’s powerftl savage on your father. Don’t let him know who you are.”’ : " Frans pit sea out the individual pckoke, Ag as e xaal o hismentostoprowing. “Ist ou, Nick Whiffles?’’ 4 4 “*T think if is,’ was the reply. ** Where bound?’’ “Down the river.” ‘Who've you got with you?” off 4 young friend of mine, a sort of visitor in these parts,” ‘ He ain’t one of them Hudson Bay men, is he?”’ ** Does he look like it?’’ ‘*Not much; have any of ’em been down in these parts since we cleaned ’em out so beautiful?” “I haven’t seen or heard of any. I don’t think they will disturb you any more.” ‘*I'd like to see ’em ry it—that’s all—I’d give a cargo of peltries if I could lay hands on that k- intosh that peer me such a trick four years ago. I heard he left the country after that.” **So he did,”’ “It’s lucky for him—I’ve heard tell, too, that he had a son that used to be in these parts, Do you know any thing "bout it, Nick?”’ ‘‘His son was in the boaf that time you and him came so near gettin’ afoul of each other.”’ ‘Wal, Nick, I'll give you a hundred dollars if wae show me where I can lay hands on that Mack- otosh or his son. I ain’t particular which one it ts, for you make the one squeal through t’other just as well as if it was himself.” a waved him good-by, and the two parties sep- arated, ‘* Perhaps, if I hadn’t grown so fast, that savage fellow might have recognized me, and then there’s no telling what might have happened,’’ remarked Ned, with a laugh. “He feels sore over the the trick we na Ae him that time. We'll take it easy on the river, so a3 to be sure of not gettin’ in thar ihe And now, let me swing the paddle awhile,” added Nick, reaching ro ‘*I feel the need of some exercise like a _e Ned consented, and while the hunter plied the implement, he lay back in the boat, meditating upon his errand, and upon its probabilities of suc- cess. ““Tcan not—can not live without her,”’ he mused, reflecting upon this charming beauty of the woods. ‘There never closed a night around me that I haven't prayed for the safe coming of this day ani now that it is here, I am full of doubt and misziving about the success of that which I have al- ig looxed uponas certain. I can only ask Heaven to be kind to us, as it has alwa s been in the past.”’ CHAPTER VII. THE BLOW. Waen night had fairly settled upon the river Nick Whiffles turned the prow of his canoe toward shore, and they landed on the edge of the dense forest, walked inland a rod or so, until they en- tere l a deep gorge. “I've camped here before,” said the old hunter, “and we'll kindle the fire ag’in.”’ ‘** Are there no Blackfeet near us?” ‘There may be in the woods, or on the river; but they can’t see this fire unless one of ’em stubs his toe and pitches over intoit. I find it rather cool to- night, and there ain’t much of a moon, so I'll do as I’ve done before.”’ In such a place it was easy to find fuel to last the entir> nizht. When this was done, Mackintosh produced a match-safe, and had the fire started in a twinkling. Then they gathered about the crack- ling blaze, and_while they ate their antelope-meat, discussed the all-important errand upon which they come. When the night had considerably advanced, they Stretched out, with their blankets about them, by the camp-fire. Calamity, who had spent most of the evening in yp at the feet of his master, now roused up, as if conscious of the responsibility that had suddenly been put upon his shoulders, and assumed an appearance of vigilance very com- forting to his human companions, ‘““He can be trusted as well as ever?” inquired el, “I think he’s a little better, if any thing,” re- plied Ni:k, wich no little pride. “He's more sus- picious than ever, and he ain't apt to wait so lon afore he puts his teeth into the legs of the ani- niles that come around him, Id trust Calamity sooner than any human I ever see’d.” Calamity was not forgetful of his duty, and he maintained faithful watch through the entire night. Nick Whiffles, as usual, slept soundly and sweetly until daylight, but the young man was so pang cupied with his love for and fear about Miona, that his rest proved very unrefreshing. He awoke several times through the night, and sat up and looked about him. On each occasion he saw Cal- amity whisking about, in and out among the trees, as lively and watchful as though his years were not rather heavy upon him. ; Once the lover arose and walked to the edge of the river, standing there a few minutes, and look- ing Out upon the unruffled surface. The night was quite dark, so that the faint moon gave only a din’ view of the gently-flowing river; but not a breath 7 | | | | of air was stirring, and the deep, hollow silence of the solitude soothed his troubied spirit, and going back to the camp, he lay down and almost instantly fell asleep. On this day they expected to reach the vicinity of the Blackfoot village, and, from the present in- dications, a desperate game would have to be played before the jewel could be abstracted from the treacherous hand of Woo-wol-na. It was well that the lover had brought Nick Whiffles with him, for alone he had already worse than failed. “If I had counted ween any double-dealing like this,’’ said he, “I would have brought a force with me that would have compelled him part of the bargain,” ‘“I don’t know as it would have done,” replied Nick; ‘“‘when a red-skin finds he is outwitted, he’s apt to get desperate and play old Harry.” ‘What would hedo?”’ “If he found he couldn't keep the gal, like enauem he'd _ his tomahawk into her heat, so you could- n't get her.” e two men loitered purposely on the way, so as to make sure of giving the North-west Company abundant time to get out of their reach. This was easily done, and early in the afternoon they caught a of the returning canoes. Nick paddled up be- side them to learn whether there was anything worth knowing. He was told that Woo-wol-na was there, and it was of him that they had purchased the valu- = lot of peltries that they were carrying back with em. Several cautiously-put questions failed to discover that sans Sem anything about Miona, The Indians had probably taken care to keep her out of the way of visitors, as it will be remembered that five years before no signs were seen of her or her mother when the Hudson’s Bay men made their visit to the same place on the same errand. These indications, although very slight, were pro- nounced favorable by Nick iffes, and Ned Mack- intosh was not a little encouraged by his statement to that effect. ‘You see, if Woo-wol-na is there, I kin go straight into the village without any d ’ or sarcum- ventin’, and I kin find out for myself how the land lays.” if But he will be there to resist you none the less, You know his son?” “Yes; he’s an ugly young cub; he hates me like piso, and would rather put a ball through me than not.”’ The afternoon was about half gone when the two men came opposite a small creek, which put in from the northern side of the river, and which was not the one that drew Ned into captivity. Nick paused opposite it, and remarked: You've seen it before, Ned, but notice it now.” **One glance will tell me all I can know about it,”’ here plied, looking in the direction indicated. ‘‘ Why should I feel any special interest in it?” ** My idee is that after we start, instead of going up the river, we'll go up the creek.’ ** What is to be gained by that, as we shall have to return, or make an overland journey for a long dis- tance.”’ ‘One reason is that I think I can throw the var- mints off the trail, as they wouldn't be apt to think of our doing such a thing; and then by making a tramp of about thirty aes I kin strike another stream that will take us into the south branch of the Saskatchewan.”’ ‘* If that is the case it is the thing we should do by all means,’ replied his young companion. “I never knew that such a thing were possible. How near are we now to the e?” “It is something like five miles from here: I’m goin’ to take you within a half-mile or thereabouts = then leave you while I go ahead and racky- noiter.”’ ‘At night-time?”’ “That's the time to go prowlin’ ’round the home of the varmints, fur you mustn't forgit they’ve got as eyes as you, and the hardest part of a scout’s business isn’t to see, but to keep himself from being seen,” At last re, point was reached where the rendez- ep to perform his vous was to lace. Whiffles ran the canoe close in beneath the unde wth, where there was no likelihood of its being seen from the river, and cau- tioned his friend to be careful about permitting him- self to be seen by any passing up or down the river. When they were close to the village, it was by no means improbable that some of the leadin Indians might be near at hand, and the presence o a stranger so near the village would be certain to excite suspicion on the part of Woo-wol-na. “TH leave Calamity with you, as I don’t need him,” said the hunter, moving away; “ the pup has g eyes, and he'll be good help to you in watchin’, and don’t git impatient if I ain’t back afore the night’s one. A minute later the trapper was making his way through the woods with the long, steady stride peculiar to him, There was a thoughtful expression upon his face, for none realized more deeply than he, the momentous errand upon which he was engaged. The distance was short, and he was not long in reaching the Indian village. He walked boldly in among the lodges, and inquired for Woo-wol-na, but to his surprise learned that he was absent. When he asked whether he was hunting’ or fishing, and when he would return, he found no one able to an- swer his question, After some pointless palaver, he made inquiry for Miona, as he said he wished to speak with her be- fore passing through the village. The answer to this was the same as the reply to the others. No one could tell where she was. Nick was fairly taken aback for the time. He had _——— not counted upon any such rebuff as this, and he did not know what it meant; but that it meant some- thing he had no doubt, and something inimical to her for whom he was searching. He remained a half-hour or more doing his utmost to learn something, but failing altogether. Finally he concluded to return to Mackintosh with his re- port, and defer any further attempt to penetrate the mystery until he could see Woo-wol-na; when, un- expectedly, he encountered the chief face to face. Nick at once demanded to see Miona. Woo-wol-na’s reply was but a single sentence—but it struck Nick iffes like a Minie rifle-ball. He turned white staggered back—then recovered himself, and listen to the chief’s brief but emphatic words of explana- tion. Without another word the old guide strode omer into the woods to tell Ned Mackintosh the fear- ful tidings. CHAPTER VIII. THE GRAVE VISIT. Nick WHIFFLES was not a man to cultivate the niceties of spegeh, and when he came in the pre- sence of Ned Mackintosh he quickly uttered the words that were upon the end of his tongue. ‘**T see’d Woo-wol-na, and he tells me that the gal is dead |” ' “WuHat!’’ demanded the young man, recoiling and staring at him, as if he doubted the evidences of his senses. ‘That's what he says, but I don’t believe it; curse his picter!” The lover drew a sigh of relief. “How you startled me! Tell me all you have learned about it.”’ The hunter then proceeded to relate what the reader has already learned, adding: ‘*He said that Miona died a week buried near the village, and if I wan would show me her grave.”’ ** What did you say to the scoundrel?” “It came to me so sudden like, that I b’lieved it, and started to see you; but as I come through the woods, I had time to think of it, andI made up my mind he had told me the biggest kind of a lie.” “But, Nick, maybe they have killed her, rather than let her fall into the hands of her friends,” said the horrified Mackintosh, who could scarce control his emotions. ‘‘A week ago! why that was the day she met you!” ** Jess so; and that’s why I know she isn’t dead —leastwise of no disease. Thar’s this about it: they’ve been expecting me, and the ape Rig var- mint has got up the story to put me off the track, thinking that I would give up all hope of gettin’ her, and leave her to become the wife o d Bear, seein as you was out of the way.” **Do you think Miona is in the village?”’ “No; she can’t be now, at least,” “Where is she?” *“*T don’t know; Woo-wol-na has took her to some place and left her in the keeping of some one—where she’s goin’ to stay till they think there’s no danger of looking euy more for her, and then she'll be turned over to Red Bear.”’ ‘*Heavens!”’ exclaimed the excited Mackintosh, oO, and was him, he “what an outrage! I wish I had an army to wipe out that nest. What pleasure it would give me to do it! How are we going to find where she is?” “I think it can be done,”’ replied Whiffles, with his old confidential manner. “If she is kept as a sort of aly hee somewhere, I se she will be visited by Bear?”’ ‘Exactly, and all we've got to do is to watch the varmint, or some of the rest, and foller ’em.”’ “That's itl’ exclaimed Ned, quite delighted; ‘after all if may be the best thing in the world for us, and make it all the more easy for us to get her out of their clutches.”’ ‘“* All very well—but this sort of work has got to be done most ty by Calamity and me, fur when a trying to find the trail of a wolf, and a pack « wolves are huntin’ fur your own trail, there's api .o be a condemned diffikilty in the way.’ It had been gradually growing darker while the men were talking, and they now sat down in the wood, close to each other, where their words would not be likely to attract the attention of any who ight be lurki B near. ey had plenty of food with them, but both were excited to think of food or drink. They could only discuss the unexpected phase which the matter had taken, and the best way of overcoming the obstacles that now were in their path. Further thought only served to convince Nick Whiffiles of the truth of the ay ee he had ex- pressed regarding Woo-wol-na. man who under- stood Indian character as well as did he, could hardly be e ted to make a mistake in such a matter. He knew that the hearts of both father and son were set upon gaining this priceless jewel as their own, and they were ready to do anyt to ac- complish that purpose. Nick had doubted the honesty of the Blackfoot chief at the time he made the promise years before, and he had now not a particle of doubt of his intended treachery. There was one advantage gained by the whites. The manner of Nick when he pacaived the startling announcement from Woo-wol-na was such as to con- vince the chief that his words were believed, and consequently that all attempts would be given over by the friends of Miona, looking to the ob possession of her. Nick determined to work upon this vantage-ground, and, with characteristic sagacity, he resolved to con- firm the Blackfoot in this impression. He told Ned, that on the morrow he would visit the village again, would ask to see the spot where Miona was buried, and would so act as to remove all suspicion from the mind of their enemy, s’ ~~. JOO EGomie <S- €O