Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 59 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

<a - prowling about in search of food and ph oo upon the head of his ‘‘old sonage quite unknown to Bolly. The joke had been such a success that there was little doubt as to how it would work upon the Indians, althoneis but for the news Roaring Ralph brought in, the rangers would have con- sidered it rather doubtful if the payment for the gray scalp would be made. Bolly errit had recovered from his dazed state, and was so infinitely pleased to have his old chum along, that he readil y forgave Pandy’s practical joke, and beamed on him like a lover. Rocky Joe now reminded him that as yet they had not heard how he got on in the town of the red-men, so Bolly proceeded to enlighten his friends in that r t. The proclamation that we saw him take from the tree in the forest and place in his pocket with the avowed determination of fastening it to the lodge of the head chief of the Sioux town, he had carried along with him. It was a much more dangerous task for Bolly to prowl about the village than for the reckless Colorado er, seeing that he was not dis- guised in the least, but bya freet exercise of caution, he succeeded in avoiding all prowling Indians. To an experienced ranger, one who had fought and hunted with the the Indians for forty years, it was an easy task to pick out the lodge of the chief, Buffalo Horn, by means of the roughly drawn and colored pictures that adorned it. Having made sure of this, Bolly proceeded to fasten the proclamation to it in such a manner that the moon’s rays would fall full upon it when that | ary arose above the tree-tops. The next thing the ranger accomplished was to find out who the captives were, and where they were imprisoned. This he managed to discover, although he did not enter into par- eb regarding his method of finding out the ac ts. ‘*Thar hain’t wun amon ye, boyees, c’u’d gees ‘who they air. Pandy, d’ye remember et time w’en you an’ me war chased by nigh on a thousand o’ these Sioux, an’ how our hosses nigh fell under us?” ‘Bet yer boots I do,” answered Pandy. + , that young major, Hal Belmont, air ther man prisoner. Thet ain’t the wust o’ it. asc Mh got the commander’s darter thar.” ‘“‘Leetle May Hasly!” ejaculated the old trap- per chief, in surprise. “KE tly. How they ever kim in sich a fix I ’t got the least ijee, but the plain fack stares us in the face—thar they air. Probabl the young folks war out ridin’, and the re gobbled ’em up. Must ’a’ been prisoners a long w’ile then, fur this hyar air a long way from ther post.’ May Hasly! How the sweet name thrilled the heart of one member of the little company! Fortunately, Jack Holmes’s hat screened his face, and none of them saw the flush that dyed it crimson. He had loved the young girl, but seeing her preference for Harry Belmont, had gone away so that he might never look on her ace , well knowing that absence was the only thing likely to bring forgetfulness. And now May Hasly was a prisoner among the sav- age Sioux! Every noble impulse that slumbered in the young man’s heart leaped into life. He would heip to save them both and then go away again, plunging into the dangers of the wilder- ness, eg that he might not be a witness of their piness, ming events do not always cast a shadow before, and Jack knew not what was in store for ’ther,”—a per- CHAPTER IX. BORDER FIRE-BRANDS. MIDNIGHT had come and gone. The moon had wheeled high up in the heav- ens, and every object upon which her rays fell seemed transformed into pure silver. Innu- merable stars dotted the blue dome of heaven, winking and twinkling as if communicating the secrets of the heavenly spheres. A silence had fallen upon the Indian town, which was unbroken save by the bark of some cur who took an intense delight in howling at the mistress of the night as she sailed across the sky. tn the dense forest, and aaary the distant hills, the usual nocturnal chorus that is always found in the wilderness held forth in all its charming diversity. The howls of scores of wolves were supplemented by the hyena-like laugh of the coyote, and this delightful melody was occasionally rendered more inspiring by the shrill scream of the mountain panther, under, Through the woods, at this witching hour, ee ee Old Hickory. —_—s 2 eet eee ee — ee ee ee ee specter-like forms were noiselessly making their way. Occasionally they would pass some spot where the moon fell upon the ground; then it was appaxsps that, while two of the appeared to be Indians, the remainder evidently were prairie rangers. At length the slumbering Indian town lay be- fore them, with the soft moonlight shining on the many lodges and cabins. Here the midnight prowlers came to a halt, and an earnest consultation appeared to be going on among them. Then her separated, going off in three different directions, and with the understanding that they were to meet at this point again when the work they set out to do was accomplished. Pandy Ellis was the only one left. He in- tended entering the Indian town in search of his old weapons, stolen from the cache by the Sioux brave, Spotted Coyote. Each of the three parties had its mission. Bolly and Jack Holmes were to rescue the pris- oners after Blue Beans and his dusky friend, Powder Flash had set fire to the grass at the northern end of the town, where the lodges and old huts were packed hed closely together, and would burn like tinder. During the confusion that this threatening fire would cause, Roaring Ralph and Rocky Joe were to steal a lot of horses from the corral at the southern end of the town upon which they could make their escape, intending to return ina few days and hunt down the murderer of Tom Grampus. It was a spend arrangement, and providing all went well, they would be able to laugh at the Indians. As Pandy Ellis was going in on his own account, so to s we will follow him first, and see how he fared. After ta his comrades well off, the prairie prince himself glided toward the Indian vil . t was not over twenty yards from the border of the forest on this side, and the space between was filled with long grass that nodded in the goatee night breeze. There was little or no ifficulty to such a veteran ranger in approach- ing the wigwam town under these circum- stances, seeing that he had no guards to hood- wink, and the grass afforded excellent shelter. Before five minutes had passed, he was among the lodges. During the afternoon, Pandy had scouted near the town, and discovered many things that might have esca eyes less keen than his. Among other things he had noted the position of the corral, the lodge which the war- rior who had stolen his weapons from the cache called his own, and, in a general way, was able to give information even to Bolly and Roaring ph who had been inside the precincts that very night. e made his way directly to the lodge over which Spotted Coyote reigned: Indeed, he reigned alone, for it had no occupant, saving himself. Spotted Coyote had once possessed a squaw who labored under the high-sounding name of Moccasineh—who had ed of too much whisky. r which, Spotted Coyote had lived alone. He could now get drunk when- ever he pleased, or rather, when the stock of liquor permitted the luxury of a “ drunk,” with- out . tongue-lashing and perhaps other punish- ment. When Pandy Ellis came crawling so stealthily into the lodge, the warrior was far gone in a drunken stupor. Pandy roy ized this fact, judging by the smell of whisky, and the Indian’s heavy breathing. He was a trifle disappointed, for he could not kill a drunken Indian, but he took out his knife and made a slit in the fellow’s greasy hunting- shirt, just above the heart, which would te him how near death he had been, when he once more regained his senses. From the belt of the drunken Sioux, Pandy took his old revolver, and lying close by was the long rifle that had served him so fait ully for many long years. He laid hold upon these weapons eagerly, and then he made his way to the open air; then, as he turned his eyes toward the north, he could see a faint light, that became brighter with each second. By this, he knew that Blue Beans and his Indian friend had fired the half-dried grass beyond the village, and probably a lodge or two, in addition. Presently oh, flames sprung into view above the outer ; and quickly a frightened ell was heard; an Indian brave dashed through e town, his greasy garments on fire, his lodge having been the first to flash up and disappear before the devouring element. The scene that ensued was a perfect Pande- monium. Warriors, chiefs, squaws and pap- 7 - —_— pros aroused from their slumber by the rapid- y-increasing shouts, ran here, there and every- where, lending the aid of their voices to increase the racket. The chiefs gathered some of the men, and set to work fighting the element that threatened their homes. Pandy had not been idle, but after that first sweeping glance he had hastened to decamp. As he hurried across the little stretch of level land that lay between himself and the rendezvous, the keen ears of the prairie prince caurl:t the, sound of horses snorting and moving towed the’ south, and from this he judged that Bolly and Roaring Ralph were at their work. How the others would succeed he could not even =m but, much depended upon them. When andy reached the rendezvous, there was no one at hand. The furore in the village “Ate more deafening with each passing sound. Then the sound of hoofstrokes broke on his ears, and, by the aid of the rapidly-increasing light at the other end of the place, he could see a cavalcade coming toward him. There were nine horses in all, but only the two leaders were mounted. Another half minute and the steeds were safe within the shelter of the forest, and Bolly and Roaring Ralph beside him. Their mission had been accomplished, but not without an adventure, for, meeting with a brave just as they gained the corral, he had to be di of before they could go on with the business that brought them there. The quick alarm to the North had caused them to hasten, but they had arrived all safe. Blue s and the Indian chief crept around the outskirts of the village, and finding the wind in their favor, rapidly set to work firing the grass. The success of their undertaking has already been chronicled. So rapidly did the alarm follow that the two firebrands were com- pelled to make a detour in order to reach the rendezvous. To Jack Holmes and Rocky Joe came the real adventure of the night. They had found the prison lodge and rescued the gallant major and the three were on their way to the lodge in which the young girl was confined, according to Hari y Belmont’s account, when the fire broke out. ‘ The glare soon became so bright that the suc- cess of their mission was d ired of. At this critical moment, a figure ing out of a lodge as if in alarm atthe rising shouts and the roar of the already-great conflagration, came face to face with them. It was no Sioux warrior, but, a white man, dressed in border style. Rocky} Mountain Joe recognized in him the murderer} of the old ranger, Tom Grampus, whose death they had sworn to avenge. All else was forgotten in this supreme mo- ment. Giving an almost inarticulate cry of mingled we and satisfaction, he leaped upon the desperado like a panther, threw him violent- ly to the ground, whispered some words hoarsely in his ear, and then plunged his bowie into the Several dusky had sped past, but th ver us gures , but the Indians seemed to have no eyes for anything save the fiery demon who threatened to wipe their village out of existence. The rescuers crouched low in the dark shadow for several minutes. Then, as about all of the re rr inmates seemed to be fighting the flames, their path lay before them without an obstacle in it. Another minute and they were at the lodge ei out by the soldier, as that in which May asly was confined. Jack Holmes took it up- on himself to enter, as the major seemed too ex- cited for steady work. The young hunter quickly reappeared, and with him the post-commander’s daughter. Jack at once resigned her to the soldier, and it was Belmont’s arm that assisted her along. Their route to the rendezvous was clear, and, led by Rocky Joe, they shortly reached it, to find Arena chafing at the long delay, and on the point of ordering a reckless charge on the town. Now that all were safe, a hasty mount wes next in order, and with old Pandy at the head they started through the forest, leaving the blazing village in their rear. CHAPTER X. THE STRUGGLE IN THE MOUNTAIN CANYON. THE sun was sinking to rest in a glowing bed of crimson and gold. A gentle wind, that in- creased in force as the night drew nearer, rust- led the long prairie grass, and blew in the faccs of those who galloped so madly onward over the level stretch. Far down in thesouthern horizon a black bank of clouds could be seen that gave indications of (ECO AMIE ENON) cS (E()