Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 580 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

—————— = - CHAPTER XVIII. THE LONE RANCH, Upon the frontier of Texas, not very far from the Rio Grande, and not very many leagues from San Antonio, was the ranch of the Texan scout, Lone Star Luke, A man of the prairie he had found hima house far from the habitation of other men. He had certainly selected a beautiful part of the country, for he had located in a bit of hill land through which wound a crystal stream. Then there was timber in pleuty for firewood, and a valley in which large herds of cattle could feed, with boundless prairies not far away. The scout had built a comfortable cabin of three rooms, all in a row, and the center was larger by far than the other two, The cabin was stout enough to be a fort, and it was built under the shelter of a cliff, the sum- mit of which could only be reached by a crevice near the building, for it was a spurof a hill that stood above, rising like a huge castle above the ridge about it. From the sides cf this cliff the scout had built a stockade wall some ten feet in hight, and along the inner side ran a shelf along which a man could walk and command a vie-w outside. The stockade inclosure was V-shaped, ending at the point in a gate, and in the several acres of spaee within was room enough for a large number of cattle. There grew about in the inclosure, also, plenty of grass, and a bend of the stream ran under the stockade wall which thus gave plenty of water, should the place have to stand a siege. The cabin commanded the entire inclosure, so that a party retreating therein could keep at pay a considerable force. one Star Luke had evidently prepared for war in time of peace when he settled there, and his wisdom in doing so had several times proved correct, when a band of raiding red-skins, or robbers from across the Rio Grande, had at- tempted to driye off his cattle or destroy his little home. The herd of cattle and ponies had been trained to come at the call of a horn, or be driven by several dogs, and they would come on a run and be safely housed within the inclosure in a very short while, after hearing the note of dan- er, : Some hundred head of cattle, tw06-score Ponies, a flock of as'many sheep, with some ogs and chickens, and half a dozen fine dogs, comprised the live stock of the scout’s wealth, Within his cabin there was an air of comfort and neatness, a home-like look that was very in- viting. ? One wing was his own room, and here he had a bunk, a book-shelf, table and couple of easy- chairs, while a lamp swung over the table, The center room was the kitchen, eating- room, and place where the scout loved to sit on cool evenings before the huge fireplace. The third room was where Wool, the negro factotum of the scout, slept; and here also was stored the provisions and traps of the place. A shed ran along the front of the cabin, and made a pleasant place to sit and view the scenery spread out before the little home. Here the dogs were wont to assemble, and in a large tree to one side the chickens would roost at night, presenting altogether a very home- like picture for a Tone prairie home, far from other habitations of men, At night the herds of cattle and ponies would feed about in the glen near the stockade, and the well-trained dogs would stand guard around them like a line of sentinels, In the daytime two herds could feed on the prairies, and Wool or the scout would be on guard from the top of the cliff, from which an enemy could be sighted for miles away, Such was the home of Lone Star ae and toward it one pleasant afternoon were riding pan horsemen, while a pack-animal was led be- ind, As they appeared over a rise in the prairie far off = the horizon, a dog that was lying upon the cliff sprung down the steep pathway to the cabin, and barked as he ran. “ Hello, Watch, what you see, honey?” said a negro, who was eating dinner, which he had just cooked for himself and half a dozen dogs that were waiting their turn to be fed. The dog that,had been on watch upon the cliff gave another sharp bark and ran back up the athway. The negro at once grasped a field glass and a large horn from a shelf and followed him. As he reached the cliff he saw the two horse- men far away, and turned his glass upon them, ** You got good eyes, Watch, for dere is some- body comin’, sure, A The Outcast Cadet. ee ee - ** But I don’t hab to blow my horn and start de other dogs out ter run in de stock, fer ef I hain’t mistook dat am Massa Lone Star comin’, ‘* Waal, it are time he were here, as he say he would be gone ’bout t’ree months, and dey was gone by Jast week, ‘* Yes, it are Massa Lone Star, and he hab a pard with him, so I gits a good dinner for ’em, soon as I see ’em a little closer.” After a while the negro seemed convinced that there was no doubt as to one of the hcrsemen be- ing his master, so he waved his sombrero around his head three times, gave a yell that rung out far across the prairies, and went down to the cabin to prepare dinner. He was a tall, wiry-forred fellow, straight as an arrow, end with a bold, intelligent face, He was dressed in buckskin, even to mocca- sins, and wore a pair of revolvers and a bowie knife in his belt, for even with such good guar- dians as were the dogs he was not to be caught unarmed, A large-brimmed sombrero covered his head, and upon it, in no unskillful manner was paint- ed a skull and cross-bones in white, a red hand, and devices of various kinds, It seemed as though Wool wished to be con- sidered by the few who knew him as a Hoodoo man. By the time that he had cooked a good dinner, and one most tempting to bungry men, the horsemen were visible coming up the valley. There were venison steaks, potatoes and onions, for Wool kept a vegetable garden going, and other things to tempt the palate. He ran down to the stockade gate, accom- peated by all of the dogs except Watch, who ad returned to his lookout on the cliff, and greeted Lone Star and his companion as they rode into the inclosure, ‘* Now, Pard Dick, this heur nigger are Wool, and he are a man clean through, would fight a buzz saw, and risk his life ter save a human in distress, ‘* Shake his hand fer it are honest to ther pone. ‘* Wool, this are my pard Dick Darling, and I owe much to him in the way o’ gratitude and we is ter live tergether here, so jist do yer best ter please him, for yer’ll take to him kindly yer kin bet. ‘* Now give us some grub and then tell me how things has got along since I went travel- in’?”? and the scout dismounted at the cabin door, while Dick Darling following his example, evidently much surprised at the very comfort- able home of the scout and his black pard Wool. CHAPTER XIX. THE TRACKERS. To describe the scene on board of the little schooner, when the captain, and two officers and the crew awoke from their drugged sleep, after the orgie with the scout would be utterly eeaeible. ne of the officers, whose name was Barkis, was the first to arouse himself from his stupor. He felt cramped, his head was aching fear- fully, his lips were parched and he was a very wretched man. He got up, looked about him and saw that the cabin lamp still burned though it was broad daylight, ® went to his comrade’s bunk to arouse him and found some trouble in doing so, and then awakened the te who bactant dazed. Going on deck he found the crew in a state of mind that was very miserable, and repentant after their night’s debauch. A call from Brewer, bis comrade, took him in haste back to the cabin. There he discovered that not only was the scout not in his bunk, but the prisoner was gone also, The scout hada way of getting up early al- ways, and he had said that he meant to leave at dawn, and would hail a shore-boat, But the prisoner was gone though he had been chatted pee bunk, and also ee ancd. This looked suspicious, especially as the s was known to be his friend, eppe Then it was found that one of the crew was missing. It was Travis the wrecker, and the skipper laid the escape upon him rather than the scout. The captain and the officers then went ashore, and while the former reported his arrival and the happenings of the voyage to the authorities, the latter set about trying to discover some trace of their fugitive prisoner, The chief of police asked them a number of questions about their prisoner, to all of which he received rather unsatisfactory replies, and it Seemed evident that the nature of the crime com- ait yy : is » er)! ™*, ee ~~. - il mitted caused them a desire to keep it a secrets for some reason best known to themselves. The offer of the chief also to give them detec- tives to work up the case was refused, and they started forth to track the fugitive themselves, They got their traps from on board the schooner, and having no further use for the cap- tain bade him farewell, and looked up obscure quarters in which to stop for the time they were in Galveston, They also had a notice put in the papers that they had gone on to Mexico to report the escape of their prisoner, and then cutting off their beards they disguised themselves in other ways as best they could and began the search. They first went to every boatman to find out if one had been employed on the night of the prisoner’s escape in carrying him to the shore from the schooner. Their work proved useless, and so they had to try some other plan. bey found out that Lone Star Luke was pretty well known in Galveston, but had not been seen by any of his friends, or at any of his old haunts, The scout’s chara¢ter was above reproach they found, so they were compelled to keep a civil tongue in speaking of him as one who could be bribed to belp a murderer escape. ‘‘ We must not give it up, Brewer, for there is too much money at stake in it for us,” said Bar-- kis to his companion, as the two sat together in their room at the boarding-house where they had sought quarters. ‘Yes, the man must be found, if we expect to get the reward,” answered Brewer. ‘*T think we had better try a new plan.” ** Find the wrecker.” * Travis?” > Ost Why?” ‘I think he was the one who aided the fellow to escape.” ‘6 T don’t.” ‘ ‘* You think it was the scout?’ ‘6 Yes,” ‘* Well, my idea is that the wrecker just got the gig, which was astern, took the man ashore and brought the craft back with a shore-boat.” ‘* And the scout?” ‘* Was doubtless drunk and asleep as the rest of us was.” ‘* Well, let us look for the wrecker.” ‘* Tt will be best,” ! ‘‘He’s evidently at some sailors’ boarding- house, and maybe there we'll find the prisoner too,” ‘‘Then we'll begin the search to-night,” They divided their forces, each going a differ- ent way, and were to meet again at their rooms about midnight. Barkis came in first and sat down to smoke his pipe and await the coming of his companion. It was not very long before he heard bim coming up-stairs, and then his ears told kim that he was not alone, There were two steps upon the stairs. A moment after the door of the room opened and in stepped Brewer, The man who accompanied him was Travis the wrecker, Saf “You've got him? cried Barkis joyfully, springing to his feet. **'T bas,” ** 'You’ve done good work, mate,” ‘* And intend to do better.” ** How so?” ‘Keep quiet and I'll tell you all.” ‘* Where dia you catch him?” ‘“Tll tell you that too; but now get out the bottle and something to eat, for Mr, Travisis to be our guest to-night, and we'll rig bim up something to sleep on,” and the wrecker was: told to fake a seat, which be did with the air of a man who was uot pleased with the position he found himself in. CHAPTER XX. ON THE RIGHT TRACK, “Mares, Pll tell you just how I found our friend bere, and he was not long in coming to terms when he heard my argument,” said Brewer. ' “You see, [ went into a Sailors’ boarding- house, and I saw playing cards at a table, with his back toward the door, this gentleman, ‘‘ He bad a new suit of clothes on, but I recog- irae him, although he bad shaved off his beard 00, ‘‘-You see bis face looked so white where the beard had been, that I knew it had been cut off recently and had not tanned up again. ‘‘ T sat down near him and watched the game,