Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 661 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

-—_ for him, and taking the reins of Rose’s horse started off down the valley followed by Old Dead-Eye and the two savages, Cuba Dan, the fifth man who had been order- ed back to camp to please the whims of the girl, watched his friends until they were out of sight, then turned and rode slowly away in the direction he had come. Nor were Cuba Dan’s eyes the only ones that watched the departure of Doctor Gwynn and his party. From cover of a clump of willows a hundred yards away a pair of eyes that burned with the light of a consuming rage and passion had witnessed all that had transpired on Willow Bar. They were the eyes of Banner Ben. Within five minutes after Gwynn had left the cavern the brave boy, stung almost to madness by the blow Gwynn had dealt him, plunged into the river, and swimming out into the stream from whence he could have a view of the river for some distance above and below, was enabled to see the course the fleeing villain had taken, and at once started in pursuit, having previous- ly registered a vow in the presence of Harry Tatanove that he would trail the scoundrel down to death. i - He kept close along the bank until he was en- abled to leave the river, and as soon as he was ‘upon land he moved along at a more rapid pace, But owing to the deviation of the path Ke was compelled to follow, Gwynn had so gain- ed upon him that when he again came in sight of him—the doctor—the escort under Old - Eye had already ae ge him, making the odds too great for the lad to attempt Rose’s rescue, having no weapon but his trusty knife. From his concealment, however, he watched every movement of the foe, and when he saw Rose being carried away against her will, it was as much as he could do to restrain himself from rushing out upon the enemy. Another thing that added fuel to the flame of his wrath was the sight of hisown pony, that had been taken from him, ridden by the man whom G n had called Cuba Dan. at to do the boy could not determine. Had he been mounted and well armed he could have decided upon some course of action: and when he finally saw all the foe, except the one on his pony, ride away, he quickly made up his mind to have his horse, and once upon its back he could follow the enemy to the utmost ends of earth. He was fully satisfied that the renegade would return to the village, and as there was but one way back, and that through the canyon they had come, Ben quickly saw that he must get in ahead of the fellow and attack him as he passed, So like a deer he sped away toward the mouth of the canyon, keeping well under cover of rocks and bushes, He reached the passage ahead of the outlaw, and ran on until he came to where the passage was quite narrow, where he stopped and secreted himself on a ledge over- hanging the defile about ten feet from the ground. And there he lay like a young panther waiting for his prey. It seemed so long before Cuba Dan appeared in sight that the boy had almost given up his coming at all; but when he found his patience was to be rewarded he summoned every energy for the contest. All unconscious of danger, the renegade came swinging along at an easy gallop, but as he ap- proached the narrow B game where Ben was concealed he slackened his animal to a walk. In another moment he was under the ledge, and then, with the lightning quickness that a hawk darts down upon his prey, the boy shot from the ledge and landed astride the pony’s croup behind the renegade, around whose body he clasped his arms with the hug of a young griz- aly, grasping his knife in his right hand, Frighten by the additional load that had dropped so suddenly upon its back, the pony made a frightened leap forward, and its strug- gling burden, losing their balance, fell heavily to the earth, and then began a desperate strug- gle between the man and the boy, The outlaw was taken at such an advantage that he could do little else than kick and floun- der in vain attempts to release himself from the enemy’sembrace. To and fro across the nar- TOW passage arnt oa ge be srr themselves against the rocky walls like cag gers against the iron bars of their prison. Ben held his knife in such a position that he could not use it to any advantage without re- leasing his right arm, and this he dreaded to do, through fear of losing the advantage he held in the struggle, The outlaw succeeded in Banner Cuba Dan was a much heavier man than Ben, and the latter finally began to realize that the struggle must be speedily ended or the foe would outwind him. So, gathering every energy for the final struggle, he watched his opportunity, and when it came he released his arm and, with a turn of his wrist, pushed the knife into the pit of the renegade’s stomach to the haft, to which he still clung with an iron grip and arms rigid as steel. The renegade dropped his revolver and en- deavored to pull the knife from his body. He clutched frantically at the boy’s hand, which he lacerated fearfully with his nails. But his ef- forts only served to twist the blade in his body and increase his dying agony, and finally he was seized with spasms of = and died before Ben could scarcely release his body. With the perspiration pouring from his face, his hand easding. and his body covered with dust and dirt, the boy sprung to bis feet. Breath- ing a long breath of relief, he wiped his brow and up and down the canyon. He saw his pony cropping some bushes about forty rods away. Placing his thumb and finger between his lips he blew a few sharp notes that reached the ears of the animal and at once brought it galloping down the pass to his side. The trained beast seemed almost human in his manifestations of joy at meeting his young mas- ter, who talked to, and caressed him, with the — affection of one beloved friend for an- other. After this ans of the two old companions Ben appropriated the renegade’s belt, in which was a revolver, every chamber of which was loaded. A second revolver he found on the ground with but two empty chambers, and thus |. armed he mounted his pony and oped away down the canyon, his head athe unkempt hair flying in the cool breeze that drifted up from the south. As he approached the river his ears were sud- denly greeted by a voice calling from the bushes: =, “erp Srscmaerayri om Ben!” e w rein for he thought he recognized the voice. Glancing in the aiepotion whence the call had come he was rejoiced to see the tall form of Kit Bandy step from the bushes and advance toward him, his face aglow with radiant joy and happiness. CHAPTER XV. A RIDE INTO THE CLOUDS. ‘HEAVENS be praised! Banner Ben dost live!” exclaimed Kit, as he advanced, and tak- ing the boy by the hand pulled him out of his dle and almost shook his arms off in his un- bounded joy. ‘“My dear old pard,” Ben said, “let me say CoA ee by you; but what of the other boys, ‘‘ Ah, me, Benjy, sighed the old man, ‘‘ that wasa dreadful fight. Poor Burch and two of them hunters that joined us the day before were slain on the battlefield. Old Rattler is over at Camp somewhat banged and broken up. I left him with two friends busily engaged in engrav- in’ & monument sacred to the memory o’ Ban- ner Ben, The old buccaneer thinks you’re dead —says you fell into a chasm and war killed. Now, can you tell me anything *bout Harry?” Yes; he’s in a cave up the river seriously wounded; nor is this all, Rit: Jessie Hampton, Harry’s Sweetheart, has been well,” ‘‘ Horn-blast that tumbled old Jericho! tell found alive and me something more that’s good—go on: you’re full o’ revelations as the Mormon ible, Benjy!” Ben briefly narrated all he knew of Jessie Hampton, the meeting at the cave, the fight with the foe, the flight of Gwynn and the girl to Willow Bars and from there on horseback. ‘Then, by the Olympian gods!” exclaimed Bandy, ‘‘I musta’ seen Jessie and G n as I came up the river. I war not close to ’em, for they turned into Longhorn Canyon before they got tome. A white man and two Ingins were follerin’ at their heels. Boy, that varmint is Deore ing that girl off. What shall we dotosave er ‘* You go, Kit, and care for Harry Ashmore, and [I will go bring that gal back. I’ll foller them to British out o’ that man’s power.” ‘* Oh, it’s sinful, Benjy, that I hav’n’t a hoss. to go with you. It'd just be luscious fun for you and me to warp it to that gang; but if you go alone, Ben, be careful, for you'll have four . getting out his re- you. J volver and fired two shots overhisshoulder | ‘‘1 know that, Kit, for I was in sight when at his adversary, but both went wide of | they rode away. But I’m losin’ precious time, their mark and struck the walls of the pass, They’ve new ten miles the startof meand ‘ ’ x. FF ts : Site i > Py Jae i a | ~ ee - yo . Ben, the Wildfire of the Prairie. Columbia but what I’ll have her ‘|'and was deli poten. which in places seemed c ; 13 it’ll be a long ride to overtake them. Oh, my! if I could only scale yonder hight and cross over that mountain range, five miles’ riding would take me twenty miles into the Longhorn.” And the boy glanced up the side of the moun- tain that rose on the right inte the gray clouds of heaven. ‘‘Lord, boy, you couldn’t go up that steep afoot, to say nothin’ o’ ridin’ up; but don’t let me detajn you longer. Go bring back the gal, boy, buf be careful, and may God speed you.” Bon sprung into his dle and waving a good-by to Kit was off like the wind, down the valley. ie aoe as he had disappeared from view Old Kit turned and walked down to where G had left his canoe, He was about to step into the craft when a tiny bark with a single occu- pant glided into view from behind some willows and turned in to the shore where Gwynn’s boat lay. The occupant was a girl. It was Singing Bird, whom Bandy recognized at a glance as one of the two maidens in whose behalf the battle of the previous evening was fought. The girl was not at all surprised at Kit’s pre-' sence for she had seen him before she came in sight, and recognized in him the brave old friend who, with Banner Ben, was the first to rescue her and Fawn-Eyes from the power of Jaguar Jim and Panther Tail. ld Kit greeted her in a kindly voice, saying= ‘**My dear gal, ar’n’t you afraid to venture down this way ag’in?” ‘‘ There is danger, I know, sir,” she replied; Ben who, the “*but I came to look for Banner wounded man at the cave told me had gone in pursuit of White Medicine.” ‘“*Banner Ben just rode away, my child, on the track o’ that miserable white villain that’s run away with Jessie Hampton. Ben’s a brave and darin’ boy, and if he ever overtakes that white physic he’ll splatter him all over the hills. The boy’s blood’s hot and nothin’ but Gwynn’s blood’ll cool it. But he’s a Joe-dandy o’ a nice boy, andif I wara pretty gal like you, miss, [ad love him till my flutterin’ heart had bu’sted with joy.” Binetiee Bird blushed crimson. Her eye-lash- es drooped and a confused ile that spoke sama? than words to Old Kit, flitted across her ace. But before she could make any reply to the old man’s remarks, there came to their ears a savage yell from down the river. It was im- mediately followed by the crack of rifles and the sound of flying hoofs. Stepping into the doctor’s canoe both Bandy and the girl paddled their boats out a ways into the river, then swung around to the shore again a few rods below and pulled in under some drooping willows that screened them, most effec- tually, from view. ‘*T’m awfully afraid that boy Banner Ben’s a with trouble,” said Old Kit with a dubious 00 ‘* Oh, I hope not!” replied Singing Bird. Parting the bushes before them they peered out across the valley. As they did so a low ery escaped the girl’s lips, for she saw Banner Ben on his pony flyin up the valley pursued by a. score of mounted Tunlans teased of Stooping It was all Bandy could do to restrain the ex- cited girl from leaping ashore. He had no fears of the red-skins harming her, but he was afraid the presence of the gir might peopandine the life of the boy by detracting him from the course he had no doubt planned to elude the pursuers. Ben was quite a distance ahead of the red- skins—a distance the old detective felt he would be enabled to bold with his fleet-footed pony. But a new danger suddenly appeared from another direction. Just as he was about to turn into Snake Canyon he discovered no less than thirty plumed warriors coming down the defile toward him at a gallop. ‘“Horn o’ Joshua!” exclaimed Bandy; ‘the lad’s cut off! Hecando nothin’ now but come this way and take to the river. But, see! he turns toward the mountain steep! what does he mean? He must be mad! Great Lord! he dashes up the base o’ the cliff! He means to es- ane th way, but the attempt will cost him his. e Sure enough, the young dare-devil had turned tely spurring up the steep ac- almost perpen- It was an undertaking that none but: one driven to a last extremity for his life would dare attempt, and Bandy eved that the d te boy had ht that means of death rather than fallinto the of the exasperated. “Oh, the wild, crazy boy!” the old detective _ ‘com ‘S.con cboo