Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 57 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

ee P 2 Deadwood Dick’s Eagles. iS smooth, and rapid progress could be made. Insome | the reason that in all this awful roar and din he “‘ But, come! let’s go fer the old caboose, and see places, however, the Pooeine grew so narrow that it | never spoke a word; and neither did he seem to | what’s about her.” was almost impossible to. save one’s self from totter- | quail beneath the horrors around them, The dwarf Texan, Miaco, being in the lead, went ped water; it struck the tree with a jarring violence, | there, made the walking exceedin gly disagreeable. ashed away all our old,” said Belmont, with a look around at the deso- ate aspect. “Things seem rather dubious, just at present.”’ “And we can prepare to roost in the mud, for a week!” growled Miaco. ‘Ha! great God, Z’m shot!” They had approached to within a score of yards of Big John Wolf was one of the worst wretches of | waters only swashed and gurgled at the foot of the | the mysterious cabin, when the dwarf reeled and ruffian type anywhere along the border, and, as | tree. But to those in the branches it had been a fell, simultaneous with the crack of a rifle. i 7 ing over into the abyss. Old Buzzard, though a “‘leetle skeered,” as he | ahead, and Belmont, Old Buzzard, and Squirrel Sam ) iat Floyd, however, passed these places, with- | afterward expressed it, was brave, and his words of | followed at his heels. out difficulty, and safely. He was as sure-footed | cheer encouraged the others. | A covering of sticky mud had been landed upon y as &@ mountain goat. It was a narrow, dizzy path, On came the remorseless sea of boiling, foam-cap- | the Bar, which with puddles of water, here and ( which none but a man of nerve would have under- taken to traverse; yet, Flying Floyd hesitated not | and bent it half-way over, while great clouds of *‘I hope the flood has not w when he thought of the pretty burden in his strong | spray shot toward the leaden-hued sky. One mo- arms, even while his gaze was fixed upon the dog- | ment the whole tree would be buried beneath a giant ging outlaws. wave; the next the water would sink half-way down Step by step he advanced, not knowing whither | its trunk. the ridge trail would lead him, but bound to take the Fortunately the ordeal was quickly at In five brunette captive out of peril if it lay in his power. moments the great flood had spent its force, andthe j leader of a n crew, had won a wide-spread | fearful ordeal—the worst pull by the strong arm of “Great ham—I mean holy lava o’ Mount Pisgy!” notoriety for his cruelty, He was said to never for- | death that they had ever experienced. ejaculated Old Buzzard, catching the wounded get nor forgive an enemy, and Flying Floyd was One of their number, old Hooper Vandegrift, had iaco by the hair of the head, and starting back in aware that the mountain outlaws meant to follow | been washed away, and the remaining four were | the direction of their former camp. ‘ Back action, him until they had a suitable opportunity to peace more dead than alive. It was accordingly some time ye durned galoots, ef ye don’t wanter teetotally and punish hin. To kill him outright was evidently | after the falling of the waters, ere either of the sur- | wreck your constitution against a snag. Thar’s hor- not their desire or intention, vivors spoke. nets in thet condemned nest, wi’ sharp ey ae On, along the vy _ hurried the intrepid Old Buzzard finally broke the silence. jes’s sure’s thar’s music in ther argumentive een lieutenant, with rapid strides, scarcely noticing the ** Waal, feller-citizens, how do we stand? are we | uv a horse-wi’-long-ears!” frightful abyss that yawned upon either side, to fall | still hayr, or aire we sum’a'rs else? Aire we aire we, An instant retreat was made, for the one shot wags in to which meant certain destruction. or aire we not aire we? All on duty please answer | evidence enough that the mysterious cabin had an With Big John’s outlaws, however, it was different. | ter roll-call. Ar’ ye thar, Jim Belmont?” occupant, who was averse to receiving visitors at so They weakened in such places as this, and where ““ Present, all except a piece of my cheek, which a | early an hour in the day, if at all. Floyd walked. boldly across, many of them crept | stick. gouged out, and appropriated!’ grimly re- yho this occupant was, or of what breed or upon their hands and knees, sponded Belmont, nationality, chey had no means of learning. Some- This put them behind, out of -shot, and by “ Squirrel Sam and Miaco?”’ one, certainly, who bore them no friendly wey Ph quicke stride Deadwood Dick's Heutenant ‘* Both here!”’ replied the dwarf. else the shot that wounded Miaco never would have kept them there fora time. But his burden was a ‘“*And Hooper Vandegrift, the man of ‘thee’s an’ been fired. solid weight, and before a mile had been passed over, | ‘thou’s’?”’ Miaco was not severely hurt—only a slight perfora- b to tell upon his strength. “Is gone,”’ said Miaco, gravely. ‘The end of a | tion through the side, from which the b flowed till he kept bravely on, encouraged by the assur- | floating log struck him, and knocked him clean out | copiously, but not a serious or dangerous wound. ance, that iP he was not ng, the outlaws were | of time. Poor cuss hedn’t time ter say his kittenkiss- ey soon had the flow of blood stopped, and the not, either. They were ogging pesseveriPely. be- | ems. ‘Spect he never know’d what struck him.”’ dwarf was able to walk around. Sposa was come hind, but made no extra efforts to catch up with him. ‘‘ Then thar’s only four on us, eh?” pitched, and the four pards began to feel themselves As he hurried along, and turned this important fact “That's all. Waal, ther popylation o’ Flood Bar | more at home, only for the presence of the myste- over in his ‘anid: fe dawned upon him like a flash | war a leetle too large, ennyhow, an’ one demise ain’t | riously-inclined individual in the cabin, which Old that perhaps there Was a cause for their not being in | ter be regretted, w'en thet same demise war no less | Buzzard had christened Noah’s Ark. a hurry—that, te 3 trap was lying in wait for | a chap than an agent o’ Big John, the outlaw!” “I don’t see that we can do anything more than to the hog- ——_—_ : him, at the en ack into which they = t! do you mean to say the Quaker?” keep an eye on that shebang, and let her alone,” . | , calculated he must fall. ‘‘ Was no Quaker at all, but an agent thet Big John | said Belmont, that night, as t ey all sat in the door ** It's something, Pll antee!” the young man | sent down heer ter rob us o'jour a’riferous. But, I | of Miaco’s tent, and gazed off toward the forbidd thought, glancing over shoulder, for he had now | kept a watch onter his grab-hooks, ter see thet he | structure. “ We ain't strong enough to make a S| turned his back toward the outlaws. ‘ Danger is | didn’t get anything.”’ and bu'st in the door, an’ ain't got a cannon to bom- ; the word. Young lady, you have not yet told me “By Jove, thi surprising news. How did you | bard et with, so what is there left to do?” f your name?” find it out?” “ Nothin’ but —: watch,” replied Miaco, “though “My name is Nolie, sir—Nolie Waltonby. Iam, as “I do not propose to tell that. Let et suffice ter | I would mightily like ter know who's inside. Reckon ou may have guessed, partly an Indian, For ewes say that I found et out, Ihev a way o’ diskiverin’ | they'll hev ter come out, ’fore lon tho’, fer grub, have been a prisoner in the band of Big John, things wich sum folks don’t know nothin’ about.” onless they've got an extra s of pervisions and never until to-day, have I been beyond the Still hearing the water upon the bar below, the | aboard.”’ camp, from which you kindly rescued me, There is | miners concluded not to venture down until day- “Great ham—I mean Jerusalem Jinkens! don't a secret about my birth, but I won't speak of that, | light came. fret about thet!’’ said Buzzard. “I onc’t knew a fel- now.” they remained in their relative positions | ler, up in Montana, who war cornered in ther eend ‘No; conversation now is difficult; but I thank | throughout the whole wild drenching night, which | uv a canyon fer sixty-nine years an’ three hundred ou for your confidence in me, Iam known as Fly- | had been so strangely eventful. an’ sixty-four days and twenty-three hours, perzact- Floyd.” Morning at last dawned dully and gloomily, with | ly, an’ he actooaly subsisted on water all thet peer- ter that, little or eee was said. Deadwood | a slight cessation to the rain from a pour to a nasty | yod, ’ca’se he war afeared ter cum out fer fear ther Dick’s lieutenant kept dete edly on, his eyes gaz- drlasie. As soon as it was light enough, the four | Jnjuns would get him. Also once knew a man who ing steadily before him. On—on; then be stopped, | tree-top refugees began to look around them, before abruptly, and n to retreat. desce to lerra-jirma, which the water still cover- He had found the outlaws’ trap! And a triumph- | ed in patches, and would until the creek fell, ant yell from them told that they were aware of the “The Injuns hev got stormed out, or else thar f ° lived ter be two hundred an’ four years aged, an’ or after he got ter be thet old, he nevyer eet anything fer ther next century.” REL ORO ae ODO Te OMe ; As there was no telling in what way things might act. warn’t none!” said Old Buzzard, scanning the bluffs | shape, during their future stay at Flood Rar, the T he hog-back had gs ge terminated } to the east, by aid of his field telescope. “ Aire | four pards concluded to nightly post a guard, for, Below and beyond its end, for the space of forty | ye sure that thar war Injuns, Belmont?” | not. oe anything about what force might be feet, yawned a gulf frightful to contemplate. “So sure, thet I was induced to prick one’s throat | concentrate within the black cabin, they thought it Beyond this space or break in the path was a con- | wi’ ther end of my bowie-knife,”’ was the grim re- | a necessary precaution to be ready for an attack at tinuation of the ridge. sponse of the Virginian. “Guess the feller never | a moment's notice. nt Rapidly Flying oyd retraced his steps for per- | knew what struck him.” | ‘If thaire’s enny virtue in bone-aches, an’ premo- 1S, haps thirty yards; then with some inward exclama- ‘Waal, I guess the varmints konkluded we war | nishuns, an’ spasms down yer back-bone, I’m bettin’ an tion, he clasped Nolie closely in his arms, and | washed off, an’ so ‘ll wait till a more auspishus time | high thar’ll sum day or other be high times hayr in IW bounded forward at the very top of his speed. ter visit ther Bar, Ther dirty Vagabonds aire ther | Flood Bar, jest on account o’ thet Noaher’s Ark. le- T he daring lieutenant was about to attempt the leap- | dastedest, orneriest set 0’ pilgarlics thes side o’ Jor- | Durn my old sow’s last litter o’ pigs, but ther — ful ing of the frightful gulf ! dan. Great interlectual bam- I mean great gran- | equatorial snow-storm o’—I mean, this great 88s, daddies! ef I war as mean as a Vagabond dog I'd hide | zard wull dissect them w’at’s in ther pesky ranch.” at elt my hed betwixt my legs an’ hire out fer a museum yd CHAPTER III. curiosity.” _ Flood Bar one month later. Not as we have seen en. “Ha! by all thet’s wonderful, I’ve made the big- | it before, but now a lively mining excitement, with Big WHAT THE FLOOD BROUGHT. gest discovery of any o’ ye!” here shouted Miaco, | white tents pitched upon the Bar, upon the barren the Waar a frightful position was that occupied by the | excitedly. ‘ k! look! a cabin! a cabin!” 3 rocey shores of Squirrel creek, and even upon the his five pards of Flood Bar, with the knowl ge that an He pointed toward that end of the bar which nosed | bluffs and mountain side. the awful wave of water was rushing fiercely toward | out into the river, or rather the western end, for But the only cabin visible was that Black Cabin of , them, from the dam, down through the wild, sinuous | not only had the flood added greatly to the size of | the Bar, whose mystery remained unsolved. Since will gorge! The roar of the storm was drowned by the | the bar, but had made it an island by cutting in close | the influx of miners to the Bar, several attempts had ter one of the on-coming flood. The jar of | to the bluffs and wearing a channel through, thus | been made to break into the old pile of logs, but n!” ieavy thunder and the vivid.giares of Heaven's py- | dividing the river into two courses, which joined to- | without avail. The blinds and door and walls were — eet- rotecnnics, made the night and the situation all the | gether at the southern termination of the bar. erforated with rifle loopholes, and every attack had low more wild and awful. The miners gazed quickly in the direction indica- been met by fire from the inside, with more or less In the tree-top the five miners crouched, hugging | ted, and to their astonishment beheld, perched safe- | loss of blood to the miners. ship hard to branches, for they were fearful that the tree ly down upon the extreme western end of the bar, a A couple of hundred of these eager, excited ° ans would be snapped in twain by the shock of the | fog cabin, all in perfect shape, and intact, as it had | humans were there, of the male sex, who were toil- ~ hit water, or mayhap be uprooted, and carried on down | been fetched by the flood. For it must have sailed ing for gold in Squirrel gulch; every foot of the Bar the the gorge. down upon the rush of water, else how came it here? | had been leased by the Four Pards, at an enormous oad- **TLookee out; she’s comin’ surg out Old Buzzard The dnor was shut, and the two windows which | figure, they only retaining enough of the soil to keep ‘ _ from the very topmost branch. “Hear her roar} | were visible to the miners from the tree-top, were | them busy. Every foot of the Bar was undergoing a yd’s Great ham-bo—I mean great Jerusalem! et reminds | securely blinded by strong oaken shutters, | search, with pick, pan, and shovel; miners were re me uv the roar w’at emanated frum a young buffler Whether this habitation was tenanted or not was | working close around the Black Cabin, but no one 1d? bull I heer’d on, once, w’en he sat down ontera | a question, and one which was of vital importance to | after the several repulses, made bold to pry into the | Canady thistle, Hold ter yer constitoochins, my | the four miners of Flood Bar. And they proposed | secrets of the mystery-enshrouded habitation. posies—cling to yer cross like a red-hot y, an’ | to investigate the matter, and accordingly descended Miners were srospecting in the bed of the two creek rno never let et be et thet water washed ther Injun hate to the ground. | channels, and up the mountain sides, and even into uk ill out o” your calendar! Moses thet in ther—I mean By all ther legal technicallities uv ther Blackstone the dark ravine through which Squirrel Creek poured 1em, _ holy Moses! Hayr she comes a-yoopin’! ju ction, this aire one o’ the funniest o’ funny down from the north. ; ills, And it was even so. } things !’’ said Old Buzzard, as they all stood upon the Belmont had started a weigher’s business in his ck is ) With deafening roar, outrivaling Heaven’s own ground and gazed toward the mysterious visitor. | tent; Buzzard derived profit by bringing game into ot to artillery, the water came bulging in a greatroar into | “ Who evyer heerd o’ a cabin sailin’ down thru ther | market; Miaco, who really was the best scholar and | the wider ravine which the miners had christened | mountains an’ landin’ at one’s feet, when ye war jest | business man of the pards’, kept office, and bought idly Flood Bar—came lea on like some angry monster | in need 0’ one? Great ham-bone thet chalked old | and sold ‘claims’, for the firm of Belmont, Squirrel ver- | wrought tothe pitch of fury by the warring of the | Jon— I mean great grandaddies! Kf thes ain’t an | Sam, B and Co.,"’ Miaco being the “‘ Co." The elements. The ers pee from their retreat | age o’ wonders an’ blunders, may my old carkuss be | And things grew livelier, daily; rumors of now saw all this revealed by the flash of the lightning— | u , fer fertilizing purposes!’ | strikes at Flood Bar brought in men from ever as of saw that the t flood was nearly as high as they, ‘It is remarkably strange, indeed, and a miracle | of the Hills, and women too; two enterprisi di- upon and then, with muttered prayers, waited. how the habitation ever rode the torrent without be- | viduals had built a hotel; a st line was started one Squirrel Sam was the est man of the lot, for | ing totally wrecked,” averred Jim Belmont, from Deadwood; saloons had their inauguration f the eoOMmrebDookKs-com