Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 58 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 “If those girls get back to the steamer,” said Roche, ‘‘my cake will be dough, for I dare not remain much longer in the country. I have reason to believe there are enemies following me; in fact, I know of one to-day, but he’s safe now within the cool embrace of the Missouri.” ‘* Who was it?” asked De Ramee. ‘* Colonel Aylesworth.” It was Pauline’s turn now to start, and the cry that arose to her lips could scarcely be restrained, ‘* But,” continued Roche, ‘‘ I am afraid there are others that know what Aylesworth did; and so I’ve got to move further west, but Vl swear I can’t go without that girl, Josie. I thought once I could make her love me, but after breathin’ volumes of love and nonsense in her ear, and makin’ a fool of myself in general, she coolly informed me that she wanted time to consider. The fact of it is, she’s a genuine flirt, and has been using me to quicken the impulse of some one else—that Frank Bassett I think. But she needn’t trouble herself about him, for she will not get him, for have her J will; and now to business: s’pose they have escaped, and ot back to the steamer, can’t we raise sufficient orce to capture the whole?” “Tl can command a force of five hundred Sioux under Sitting Bull in twenty-four hours,” said Nogle, ‘‘and, with my own force, we could eat the steamer and crew up; but how many Big Horns escaped our little trap?’ ‘None that | know of except Frank Bassett, Foghorn Phil, and the captain. But, Bassett is safe by this time, for a number of our friends were concealed on the boat to capture it when- ever a favorable moment was offered.” ‘Captain Rh ’s safe, also,” added De Ramee, with a nken laugh, nudging Roche in the side with his elbow, ‘for 1 went over to their boat and coaxed him ashore, and—well, you know the rest.” The three villains laughed, then drank from the bottle again. ‘* Oh, the accursed wretches!” whispered Ana- mosa, a fierce, revengeful fire burning in her eyes. ‘Tf we could only have got Foghorn Phil out of the way,” Nogle continued, ‘‘ we would have one powe enemy less to deal with; but our scou so | Bumble, is out arter him, and it may be he'll rake in Foggy’s hair.” ‘* Thank God the villains are deceived there,” said Pauline. ‘Yes, indeed: Bumble and Foghorn are inti- mate friends,” replied Anamosa, ‘‘and while they have been acting as scouts for their respec- tive parties, they have been spies on the same es’ movements in the employ of—well, no matter who it is.” After some further conversation in which high words ensued between Nogle and de Ramee, in regard to the matter of paying the latter for his service in pee 8 ag the maidens, the three arose to leave the island. They staggered away to the upper end of it, De Ramee going before. They had no more than reached the margin of the island, when the females heard the sharp erack of a pistol, followed by a oe and the fall of a y: en they heard Nogle say: ‘*Thar, Roche, we no er use for De Ramee, and to save him blowin’ on us, it’s just as well to have him mum.” ** Oh, girls!” whispered Anam ‘“*De Ramee has fallen a victim to his wickedness. Nogle has killed him, and God only knows what they’ll do next—but hark!—what is Nogle saying?” ‘* Hi ho, what have we here, Roche? A canoe as I’m born todie! Mebby Grill was right about seeing a man and wimin round here.” “\What a blunder!” exclaimed the Indian maid; ‘‘they have found our canoe, and I am afraid it will lead to our discovery. But if they to searching the island, let us run around the d and spring into their canoe and pull out for shore—ah! they are searching theisland this minute. Come, girls!” Quickly and silently the three fernales crept through the undergrowt: to vvhere the villains’ canoe lay. They involuntarily paused upon the beach, and started back with a shudder, for be- fore them laid the murdered Alf De Ramee, his handsome wicked face upturned to the pale moonbeams! But, recovering from their sudden horror, they passed the y and sprung into the canoe, Anamosa having first sent her own adrift. ‘ Thon the dusky maid dipped the paddle, and the canoe shot out into the river. Like maddened beasts the two drunken out- laws plunged through the undergrowth and reached the upper side of the island in time to seo their canoe, with the three women, glide into the shadows of the west shore, — oS 8 2 ee ee ee ee ee ee i ee ae ee ee SY ER EE 2 ee ‘*Curses, ten thousand curses upon the fates, Roche!’ burst from Nogle’s lips; ‘‘them girls were on the island and have escaped in our canoe! Blind fools we were; I shall call for some of the boys to bring a canoe and we'll te the jades. Hullo-ah, down thar! hullo-ah, sa hd He was answered from the west shore, and in afew minutes a canoe put out toward the island. The instant the three females reached the shore, three men came from the woods and met them. ‘* Anamosa?” called one of them. ‘* Ay, ’tis you, Mr. Bumble,” replied Anamosa, ‘** Yes; me and Foghorn Phil, and Colonel Aylesworth.” A cry burst from Pauline’s lips—a cry of joy, “es the next moment she was in the arms of her over. In a few words Anamosa acquainted Phil and Bumble of the manner of their escape; then, when the outlaws began to yell for a canoe, Bumble answered them, and having spoken a few words to his companions, he sprung into the canoe, paddled alon moved out toward the island. He soon had the raving outlaws aboard, and was ordered to pull lively toward a certain point on the shore, Bumble did so, but before the shore was reach- ed, Nogle informed him of the object of their ie and haste. e shore was soon reached and the three landed, Then Bumble uttered a low whistle, when Foghorn Phil and Aylesworth approached them. ogle challenged them, but before an answer could be given, the two confederates were seized, borne to the earth and gagged. Then they were disarmed and bound. ey were too much under the influence of liquor to offer resistance, though they appeared to regard the whole affair as a joke, knowing that Bumble was the most active in the matter. When they were com- pelled, however, to enter their own canoe again accompanied by Foghorn Phil and Bumble, and followed by Aylesworth and the two maidens in another canoe, something of the real truth be- gan to dawn upon their bemuddled brains: they ad been betrayed and entrapped ! The party, with the captives, headed toward the Hs ga side of the river, and they were scarcely out in the moonlight when a recogni- tion of different individuals of the party occur- red, and if the outlaws were rised on find- ing themselves prisoners in the hands of Fog- horn Phil and Belzy Bumble, Colonel Ayles- worth, Pauline and Josie were almost dumb- founded when they discovered that Nogle’s companion, addressed as Roche, was no other than Roscoe Rhymm, captain of the Big Horn Traders! The party soon reached the east shore of the river unobserved by the traders on the island below ; and having landed, made their way down Milk river. They soon reached its mouth, then turned down the Missouri. Half an hour’s jour- neying brought them to where Dick Trout and the rest of his companions had tied up the flat- boat to await their coming, he having defeated the Indians without the loss of a man in the conflict on the boat. The party of men and women were taken aboard the raft, when another meeting of silent love and joy took ‘peng between two loving hearts—those of Frank Bassett and Josie Mark- ham. With inward rage Captain Rhymm wit- nessed the joyous meeting of the lovers. He knew, now, beyond a doubt, why it was that own devotions had been unrewarded by osie. As he sat a prisoner upon the boat, among those who, but a few hours before, would have Mage 4 obeyed his mandate, he thought over his defeat and its probable result. He finally came to the conclusion that he had only been arrested for being caught in company with Nogle; that no one knew of his complicity in the abduction of the girls; nor the part he had taken in the attempted massacre of his own friends at the island, besides many other dark crimes that Y pF iapever behind the vail of years. So he calmed his emotions. with the belief that he would soon be set at liberty, if not restored to his command of the boat. CHAPTER XIV. AT THE BAR OF BORDER JUSTICE. THE scene is changed and the time early morn. It is the morn following the night of ‘events just narrated; and the scene is a group of men, among whom are three females, seated in a circle under some forest trees on the south side of the Missouri river, about five miles from the mouth of the Milk. It was a court scene > _—- —— ——— 5 —— Beadile’s Half-Dime Library. upon the border—a court convened for the trial of men who had violated the laws of man. The party is composed of the survivors of Big Horn Traders, Pauline Afton, Josie Mark- ham, Anamosa the Indian princess, and two prisoners. The latter are Nat Nogle and Ros- coe Khymm, who, with scowls of vengeance and scorn upon their faces, sit in the center of the circle, their limbs bound. After the preliminaries of the trial had been made, one Henry Wing, a stalwart hunter of grave demeanor, stepped from the circle and confronting the prisoners said: ‘* Nathaniel Nogle and Roscoe Rhymm, you | are now about to be tried by a court of border the shore, then turned and | TF ——————— justice for grave oe of which I hope you will both prove yourselves clear. You, Nath- aniel Nogle, are to be tried for complicity in the abduction of ’em two gals, and fur the murder of Alf De Ramee.” Nogle grew pale and his lips quivered. He was about to speak when Wing continued: ‘““And you, Roscoe Rhymm, in whom we have all placed unshaken confidence heretofore —you are to be tried for several offenses. The fust is the betrayal of us fellers into the hands of the Indians last night at the island. The second is the attempted murder of Colonel Aylesworth up the river age and the third is the attempted murder of your lawfully wedded wife. If we don’t produce evidence enough to hang you on these charges, you'll be handed over to the Government to be tried for some meanness at Washington City, on or about the fourteenth of April, five years ago.” By this time, terror was written upon every feature of Rhymm’s face. He knew something of the stern, relentless character of these bor- der courts. He knew that, where the evidence was strong, punishment was swift. There was no appealing the case to higher courts, save to the of But to conceal his emotions, he said: ? : ‘Gentlemen, this is a contemptible mockery of justice. It is not within the jurisdiction of such a self-appointed court of ignorant men, on Judge, 1 call th ‘Judge ca e prisoner to order,” said Foghorn Phil. . ; ‘* Order! order!” cried Judge Dick Trout, who had been appointed jndge in reality, and who, in his buck-skin ermine, assumed the res ns- ibility with a seriousness and gravity of de- meanor which told that he had the matter deeply at heart. ‘‘If the prisoner has any- ary to say, let him speak to the p’int.” ‘**T am not guilty of one of the preferred charges, and I defy you to bring a man that will swear that I am,” said Rhymim. ‘Very well, Mr. Rhymm,” said the judge. **'We are now ready for the trial, and will call a witness on the first charge; Belzy Bumble?” ** Here, yer honor,” answered Bumble. **Step forward and be sworn.” Bumble advanced and was sworn by the judge, who then said: ‘‘Mr. Bumble, you’ll now state what ye know about Roscoe Rhymm being in league with our enemies.” ‘“Wal, judge,” said Bumble, ‘‘I war in the employ of the Milk Riverites as scout, and one y I heard both these prisoners make a bar- fain with Alf De Ramee to kidnap them gals, en I hearn them make some ’rangment ’bout entrappin’ all the Big Horn Traders, and con- fiscatin’ their cargo, trade it to the Indians, take the proceeds and the gals, and slope to regions unknown. Captain ymm and Captain No- gle were in constant communication with each other, Jake Du Busk being Rhymm’s right-hand bower in your party. As soon as I found out that these two men were cag Ys stayed in the employ of the Milk Rivers to keep watch on their captain, and to defeat his wicked plans; and think I have done some good by it. And so that’s my story, judge, in a nut-shell.” Bumble sat down and a breathless silence en- sued; it was finally broken, however, by the judge, who said: ‘If thar’s any other that wants to testify on this charge, let him git up and spit it out,” But no one appearing, the ju continued: ‘“ Thar ’peers to be no one, so we'll take up the second charge—that of the attempted murder of Colonel Aylesworth, yesterday. Foghorn Phillip, what aes you to solemnly swear on this case?” ee Phil arose, was sworn and then said: ‘Yer honor, yesterday as we war comin’ down the river, as ye all know, a shot was fired from shore and came mortal nigh lettin’ the daylights outen the colonel. We all up with our rifles, as ye know, and let blizzer into the bushes where the shot come from, and the next com JOOKS_- Com