Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 661 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

- the prostrate Banner Ben, the Wildfire of the Prairie. | Kit was kept under guard out of hearing, and | on a crust of bread and cup of water—for the old man’s mental reflections were anything but pleasant, It is true, he had escaped death a hundred times, even when there seemed no hope. But this could not beso always. Had he been sure of Rattler being alive he might have had grounds for a faint hope even though the foe still numbered two-score and ten. But he could countupon nothing. The situation was, indeed, gloomy. Nearly another hour had passed when the counselors seemed to have come tosomedecision, for the old man was taken about four rods from the fire, thrown upon his back, his arms and legs extended and tied to iron picket-pins driven into the ground. In this position he was perfectly helpless,and from remarks that he overheard he” formed an idea of what his fate was to be, and made up his mind that his time to die had come. To him it seemed that nothing but the interven- tion of Providence could save him, and so his mind, like that of every other person brought suddenly to death’s door, reverted to the past, Rapidly the events of his mosteventful life were passing in review before him when suddenly his, as aiken his captors’, attention was diverted to a sharp, shrill voice down the canyon evidently engaged in a war of words with the guard on aut there. 5 “Tt sounds like a woman’s voice,” said Jaguar im. And together he and Panther Tail hurried away to inquire into the matter. In a few minutes they returned leading a sor- ry-looking mule upon which was seated an old woman in a faded calico dress, a red shaw] that must have seen ages of service, and an ancient- looking sun-bonnet. : Every outlaw uttered an exclamation of sur- rise, and the facetious Bracelets stepping up to aguar Jim, asked: ‘* What under the heavens have you, Jim, a mountain fairy?” ‘*She’s old enough to speak for herself,” said Jaguar, in evident disgust and disappointmert on seeing in the light the sharp and wrinkled face of a woman of fifty. ‘*T thank you, Mr. Importance,” the woman broke forth, pitching her voice in a high key and speaking most defiantly, ‘‘ ’m no tadey, but a livin’ sufferin’ woman-—-a wron and desert- ed wife that seeks the author of this wrinkled brow and this broken heart—the destroyer of my happiness and youthful beauty.” ‘*Old gal,” said Bracelets, ‘‘ this seems to me to be a queer place to seek a balm for your wounded heart and a wrinkled-brow dispenser unless Jaguar Jim there, or one of these red- skins, or myself, for instance, could be your balm-of-Gilead—” ‘* Villain! monster! heartless wretch!” shriek- ed the old woman, in a voice that the echoes of Moaning Canyon mocked in elfin glee, ‘I’m a married female woman, now! Somewheres in the wide, wide world—yes, please gracious, in these very mountains roams the destroyer,of my happiness and peace. But just to-day I heard of the monster in these ts.” ‘If you say so, old gal, I’ll have these men all stand up in a line so’s you can look ‘em over, and if you find your balm-of-Cilead in our ranks you shall have him. But what's his name?” ‘‘ Bandy—Christopher C. Bandy,” answered the woman. A groan pes ates to issue from the lips of it. ‘‘ Great whaley! you Kit Bandy’s wife?” ask- ed JaguarJim. f : ‘Yes, lam; and my name is Sabina Bandy, if you must know.” ‘Well, madam,” said Jaguar, “‘ permit me to inform you that your recreant lord, Kit Bandy, lies right over there flat on his back.” ‘Old Sabina glanced at the prostrate form, then with a mingled cry of sorrow and triumph . she sprung from her saddle to the ground, and oo af ~ a true to running to where Kit lay she bent over him, erying out — ‘Oh, Christopher! Christopher! Is it thus that I find you? Is not my warnin’ comin’ too ou? Didn’t I tell you that the judg- ‘ment of Heaven’d fall upon you when I re- proached you gently and wifelike for flirtin’ with Marindo Stoodt? I reckon you wish now you'd taken my advice and not caused my heart to break. Oh, you owdacious man! I never ought to forgive you, and yit I’ve a woman’s heart—a soft, gentle, bleedin’ heart.” 7 Here the —- burst into a peal od lau Sond urping upon them like a tigress at abina Screamed out: | “ ‘‘ Laff, devils! hyenas! mock the woes of a poor old woman that’s rid night and day—livin’ *, + 2 2. months to find her gallivantin’ flirt o’ a hus- band.” < Sabina, he’s did ’bout his last flirt,” said Ja- guar Jim, ‘‘ for we are goin’to give you a di- vorce, and if you'll call around in the mornin’ with a box or bottle vou can scrape up and save his ashes if you want them.” . ** Men—noble red-skins,” exclaimed Sabina, in | an humble, pleading voice, ‘‘ give me up my | husband and I will take him far away to earth’s | remotest corner.” ‘“‘We’re sorry, but your request can’t be granted.” Sabina bit her lip, evidently to keep back an outburst of grief, and turning, she walked away to where her mule stood, took from the saddle an old beaded reticule, returned to the fire, and seating herself produced pipe and to- bacco and began smoking, as she observed, to ‘* stiddy my narves.” Her performances were a whole circus to the red-skins, who gave their attention to her en- oy thereby delaying the execution of Old it After she’d smoked a few minutes Sabina knocked the ashes from her pipe, and took from her reticule a bottle from whith she drank a couple swallows, then rose and started back to her mule as if for something else, leaving her reticule on the ground by the fire. Scarcely was her back turned ere an officious little half-breed Mexican, named ‘Tanza,” seized the old laay’s bag and proceeded to over- haul the effects therein. The contents of the bottle from which she had drank was rum, and Tanza finished it at a gulp, smacking his lips with a gusto. Then hedrew from the reticule a |. dirty handkerchief or two, an old rusty dagger, some scraps of bread and meat, and, finally, a package Weenped in paper. In an instant the pl a had been stripped off, leaving a curi- ous-looking box in the half-breed’s hand. He turned it over and over. He held it up and called the attention of every one to it. ‘*Reckin it’s a box o’ cosmetics,” observed Bracelets, facetiously. : ‘Rip itopen, Tanza,” shouted Jaguar Jim. Outlaw and savage curiosity had beenaroused by Bracelets’s and Jim’s remarks, and all gath- ered around the smart half-breed, who soon be- gan tearing at the box to get it open. Sabina, who was watching him out of the corner of her eye, all of a sudden dropped down flat upon the earth. Scarcely had she done so when there occurred an awh, terrific explosion over by the fire. So terrible, indeed, was it that the very earth seemed rent into fragments and hurled into chaotic darkness, while down through the Egyptian blackness of space rained the dirt, dust and gravel of a shivered world. CHAPTER X. RUIN AND DESOLATION. DARKNESS figney supreme in Moaning Can- yon, for the explosion of Sabina’s package had swept away every vestige of the camp-fire. fe da and outlaws were hurled everywhere, and for awhile it seemed that no one had es- caped death; but, finally, a moan was heard in one direction, and then another, as if coming from the legendary spirits that dwelt in the shadows of the grimold canyon. _ Several minutes after the explosion Jaguar Jim recovered his senses, and crawling out from under a heap of dirtand débris peered around him. But he saw nothing. All was wrapt in Stygian gloom. The air was full of suffocating dust and a peculiar, sickish odor. From every direction, however, he could hear groans and cries like wails from the bottomless pit. But the outlaw’s mind was confused. He could not tell whether he was upon earth or had been transported to his proper sphere in another world. He endeavored to collect his thoughts, and finally a vague recollection of the ast crept into his mind. He recalled his hay- ing been in camp in Moaning Canyon, and the curiosity manifested by himself and friends in a package belonging to Sabina Bandy. He also recalled the fact that, while-the package was being examined, a thunderbolt sudden fell upon them, and from that instant on all was a blank. How many hours, days, months or years had elapsed since these events he had no means of knowing; but while meditating over the strange and mystifying situation, he heard a voice calling him. He recognized it as Brace- lets’s, and at once answered: ‘‘Here, Bracelets, am I; where are you?” **Right here, I guess,” was the response; ‘but what’s wrong, Jaguar? what’s the matter? SSS — 9 where are we,on earth or in Hades? What means them groans? what happened, J aguar? didn’t something bu’st?” : ‘* Bracelets, old pard,” replied Jaguar Jim, **vou’re dazed; I see now that we’re right here in Moaning Canyon amid darkness, ruin and death—victims of an old woman’s cunning. Don’t you remember that package that that smart-Alec, Tanza, took from her bag? Well, that was a package of a new-fangled explosive called vitro-glycerine. I fully realize the fact now,and I hope Tanza does too. That pack- age exploded in his hands—that’s what’s the matter with us.” ‘*Oh, it is?) When did the explosion occur? It isn’t exactly clear in my mind.” **IT can’t say, myself, to the minute, but should say some time within the present year; but I’m goin’ to try and strike a light and see what damage has been done.” He found his match-safe intact, and after groping about in the darkness some minutes he gathered a handful of dry pine needles and twigs and lighted them. The light revealed a fearful hastly sight. Near where their camp-fire had n was a great hole inthe earth. The face of the overhanging rock had been shattered, and from under the heap of fallen spalls pro- truded the arms and legs of three or four red- skins, who had been hurled against the rocks ~ and crushed to death. With the exception of these there was nota man within forty feet of where the explosion occurred. Some of them were almost stripped naked. The stakes to which Kit Bandy had been tied down were still in place, but the old prisoner was gone—so was his wife—so was the mule. A fragment of the officious half-breed, Tan- za, was found on the ae side of the can- yon plastered to the rocks. Panther Tail finally crawled out from under a dead savage and pile of brush some distance away, bruised and bleeding—a sorry and dis- tressed-looking specimen of an Indian. Fully half the crowd had been killed and wounded and their arms and accouterments scattered all over the canyon. Fortunately their horses were picketed out at the upper end of the pass else their casualties would have been still greater. As soon as those who had escaped severe in- juries had repcrted to camp a search for the rest was begun. The dead were buried and the wounded were wrapped and strapped to ponies, and then, while the night still lingered, the de- feated and woefully dejected band took their departure for other quarters, and once more Moaning Canyon was given over to its fabled spirits. CHAPTER XI. IN CLOSE QUARTERS. THE life of Ben Banner was doubtless saved by an accident which nearly cost him his life. He and Old Rattler had, during the fight with the savages, become separated from their friends, but fighting side by side with Spartan roc fay they contested every inch of ground with the foe. But forced by overwhelming odds to retreat, they did so with their faces to the enemy. They were driven back up the river onto a dark and rigs wooded elevation and while fighting there Ben’s feet stiddenly gave way beneath him and he sunk downward into a black abyss of unknown depths. A cry of horror escaped Rattler’s lips while the red-skins uttered a yell of triumph as the boy disappeared from sight. he abyss was fully fifty feet dcep and quite narrow. Its sides were festooned with a cur- tain of creeping, clinging vines. In these Ben became tangled as he went down and grasping them, his fall was broken and he landed, un- harmed, at the bottom of the rift half-buried in a web of vines. The savages stopped on the edge of the abyss and peered down into its dark depths, but they coda ses nothing. They listened but heard nothing, and to make sure he was dead they began-to drop great stones into the chasms in hopes of pris, © him. With a deep, hollow boom the missiles landed in the bottom of the rift, but ensconced under a proveong ledge, Banner Ben laughed at their futile efforts to crush him. Finally, when the shower of stones had ceased, the lad crept out into the rift and began to wonder how he could get out of there. A thought struck him and he crept silently down the defile. He had to move carefully—feel his way at every step for fear of other pitfalls. He had mane but a short distance when he found that the abyss ended at the river’s edge, the bottom being almost flush with the surface of ®) rr 8 . A‘ (oy @) a 4 comic - ° \ i > ae - : “ S ‘. - e#¢ _ = ( | . (@) | | tw