Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 870 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

or Dave to a place of burial can be secured, Indian village of Walk- what has befallen their oave him send warriors on ductors. It’s a long, fifty but you are good for it. 34 may God speed you on e excited, and now thor- g ranchero, turned away n and set off on his jour- orway Nels, far up in the Ps ns, his brain in a feverish Jiirl of ex¢itemient, As he galloped away vhrough the silent hills, eye and ear on the alert for lurking danger, he made a careful review of the avents of the past two days; and, while thus engaged, it suddenly occurred to him that he had never once thought of Doctor Dave’s visitor, Ira Bondurant, while he stood at the dead man’s side. And now the queries arose in his mind: what was the object of his visit at Doctor Dave's? —where was he now?—-had he gone away with the man who bad taken him there, or bad he fallen a victim to the savages’ vengeance, also? The more he pondered over the matter, the stronger became the conviction that the visit of Ira Bonduraut at the hermit’s had something to do with the present terrible state of affairs. Just why this thought was forced upon his mind, he could not tell. Itseemed to come intui- ively—unbidden, There was nothing suspicious about the man, He bad the appearance of an honest and honorable gentleman, From the cause that led to the death of Doctor Dave, if there was any other than the pure evengeful cussedness cf the old man’s murderers, Van Temple turned his thoughts to the possi- wees of rescuing Alfa. Tosecure the assistance Df Norway Nels, a noted young hunter, and riend of his, was his first thought, That in- ividual was familiar with every canyon, defile nd trail in that part of Laramie Mountains; ut just what they could d», after they had ound the maiden’s abductors, against great ids must be determined when that time came, The ride before the young ranchman was a png and tedious one, through rocky canyons, c we - deep defiles, and over steep and broken ils. In ascending and descending the latter a dismounted and walked in order to husband ne strength of his noble horse. The sun crossed the noon line and swung wly down the western sky—too fast, however, br the eager, untiring young ranchero, On and on he pressed and, finally, be entered little park-like valley on the opposite side of rhich, nestled close in uncer the brow of a reen-clad bluff, he beheld the longed-for goal, be cabin of Norway Nels. Five minutes later he dismounted in the door- ard of the hunter’s home, CHAPTER V. THE ‘‘ RED RIVER ROGUES.” ““THERE it comes, Dau—an old roachback! lug him abaft the ear and I'll hold in reserve Roe fail to down the shaggy brute!” he speaker was Norway Nels, the Mountainer, nd his words were addressed to Dan Temple, 6 ranchero, Although scarcely out of his teens, oreey els was a splendid type of physical manhood, anding six feet in his moccasins, broad-shoul- pred, deep-chested, with great muscular limbs nd a large, finely-shaped head covered with rht-colored shaggy locks, he was a young ercules, indeed, is big, boyish face, bright nd intelligent, beamed with good-nature. His rge, blue eyessparkled with the light of a dash- , fearless, free-born spirit. He was dressed ina lsuit of buckskin, and armed with a heavy narp’s rifle, a pair of big navy revolvers, and huge hunting knife, Norway Nels, as the sobriquet implied, was a brwegian by birth, but he bad grown to man- od in America Where he had obtained a com- yn school education, so that no one could have d that he had ever spoken any other than the vlish tongue. Having drifted into the game regions when fifteen years of age, he became infatuated b the life of a hunter, and adopted that call- . After serving an nin ore antnsge as it re, of two years under an old-timer, he finally uck out by himself, and the name of Norway ls, the Big Boy Hunter, became noted in the Horn, the Wind River and the Laramie Hill ntry, not only on account of his skillasa ater, but for his great physical strength and onmitable courage, By the side of the Scandinavian giant, Dan Temple was a mere boy. The two were great friends, and hence it was. that in his dire ex- ae Dan turned to the big hunter first of all, On reaching the mountaineer’s cabin, after his long, hard ride, the young ranchero had the good fortune to find Nels at home. He lost no time in making known the object of bis visit, and his story was no sooner told than the young giant was up and ready for action; and, within half an hour after reaching the hunter’s home, the two departed for Big Horn Canyon wherein Nels thought it possible they might intercept Alfa’s captors. It was nearly dusk when they reached the canyon after a bard tramp over a ten-mile series of rough and rugged hills, and as the pangs of hunger were being felt, especially by Dan, the first thing that was offered as a means of food was a big bear that came walking down the canyon, The two were concealed in a fringe of bushes at the base of the bluff and, as the bear approached them, Nels uttered the words with which this chapter opens. Dan was to take the first shot, and Nels the second if it was necessary. When the bear was nearly opposite them Temple drew back the hammer of bis rifle. Its click caught the acute ear of the animal, and, with a ** woof,” it stopped and sniffed the air, ** Plug him, Daw’]!” whispered the hunter. Dan was in the act of sighting his rifle when a gun, a few rods to their right, rung out with a sharp report and the bear dropped dead in its tracks! Lowering his weapon Temple turned to Nor- way, a look of deep surprise on his face. So close had the report of the rifle sounded that at first he thought Nels, growing impatient, had shot the bear. But he saw at a glance that the youve giant was as much surprised as him- i hin fired that shot, Nels?” he quickly asked, **By whaley! I don’t know,” responded Nels, ‘but it was a thievin’ shot whoever fired it! I hope the red-skins— Ah! harkee, pard!” Footsteps were heard approaching; then the tall form of a white man in hunter’s dress emerged from the bushes and advanced toward the dead grizzly. He was a man of at least fifty years, with a short, stubby gray beard—a total stranger to Big Nels, but unquestionably a enuine borderer and hunter. But no longer esitating, Norway stepped from his conceal- ment and met the hunter face to face with the dead bear between them, It was the stranger’s turn now to be surprised, and it was reaeiy made apparent that it was most complete by lis stopping short and uttering the exclamation: ‘‘Sword o’ Gideon! shades o’ Hercules! do mine ole optics deceive me? or do I, Polar Sol, Cold Wave o’ the North, behold a part o’ the mountain dissolve into a man?” ‘* Are you Polar Sol?” asked Norway, a smile flitting over his broad, handsome face, ‘‘’m that identical ole walrus!” announced the hunter with a feigned sigh of relief, ‘‘and I’ll bet a homestead within a mile o’ the North or that you’re that Jumboian Infant, Norway els. ‘‘ That’s who I am,” replied Nels, ‘‘ and this is my pard, Dan Temple, whom you robbed o’ that bear. He war jist in the act o’ touchin’ trigger when you chipped in,” ‘“‘T am sorry, Daniel,” said the old hunter, “but I didn’t know there was a soul within miles o’ here cept my pard, Old Dismal.” “Then you’ve a companion?” observed Dan Temple, ‘* Here!” came a piping voice from the bushes, anda second stranger appeared on the scene— a low, rather heavy-set man with a round, full face, a small hooked nose and large staring eyes that gave him an owlish expression, ‘This 1s him!” said Polar Sol, as the man camo up, rifle in hand, a serio-comical expression on his solemn face; ‘tthis is mny pard, Dismal Dave, and I can vouch for him bein’ an Old Master when it comes to paintin’ things scarlet in a fight. He’s full o’ wisdom as an owl—not handsome, but miserable good company. We two are twins, ’cept that Dis. was born a cen- tury afore I war, For fifteen odd years we've hunted, and fit Ingins, messed and lied together till we’ve become one and inseperable as the union o’ States. For years we’ve been up in the Red River country, but a scarcity o’ game forced us to yank stakes and pull this wayward. Yes, gentlemen, we're Polar So) and Dismal Dave, the Red River Rogues, and our camp is around here in a rip in the mountains, and you’re welcome to its best. The parlor ’ll be thrown open to your sway and, while I roll up a supper o’ bear steak that’d make a mummy’s mouth water, Old Dismal ’ll give you a solo or two o’ operatic music on his chin, Dismal’s an old master with his chin. What do you say, boys? will you lodge with the Red River ues?’ ‘We'll be only too glad to,” answered Dan Temple, as the sibility of securing their as- sistance in rescuing Alfa occurred to him, So Polar Sol and Norway set to work to secure a portion of the bear for supper, Old Dis- mal and Dan looking onand discussing matters incident to their surroundings, While thus engaged, a loud, wolfish bark sud- denly burst upon their ears, It came from down the canyon, and was immediately follow- ed by a chorus of fierce yelps and houndish barks that seemed to emanate from the jaws of a hundred Cerberuses. Starting quickly, Norway Nels with one renbs of his big knife, slashed a large-sized chunk of meat from the bear’s baunch, then sheathing his knife snatched up the meat and and his rifle saying: ‘* Come, men, or we'll be devoured alive} That’s a pack o’ them cussed Montana-W yoming wild-dogs! They’re wuss than belted thunder— the most dangerous brutes that run tkese hills|”” CHAPTER VI. INTRUDERS IN THE ROGUES’ CAMP, DAN TEMPLE and the ‘* Red River Rogues,” as Polar Sol had called himself and companion, had often heard of the ferocious wild-dogs of the mountains, but had never seen one, Nels, however, had, and knew the brutes to be far more dangerons than the fierce timber wolves. Hunting in great packs theré was nothing they would not attack, from a man to a family of ferocious silver-tip bears, and so the oung hunter had no desire to meet them, but faptaned away followed by Dan and the two old hunters, Up the side of the bluff he led the way until he reached a ledge, above which some six feet, was another jutting out. 3 ‘* Pards, let’s mount this shelf,” suggested the young stalwart, ‘‘and watch and defy the rutes, Here, Dan’l, let me boost you up.” He lifted Teimple as though he were a child and without difficulty the young ranchero gaine a position on the ledge. Polar Sol and Old Dis- mal were helped in a similar manner; the guns were passed up and then Norway himself, aided by his friends, climbed upon the rock. This position had been gained none too soon, nor could it have been more favorable for a view of the defile before them. Drawn in the direction of the dead’bear by the scent of warm blood, the dogs swept up to the spot like an angry torrent. They struck the carcass at a run, and the foremost of the pack, which was full fifty strong, stopped so sudden that the whole pack was piled in a writhing heap over and around the roachback, For five min~ utes or more a desperate struggle ensued among the dogs, and when all bad regained a fvoting, not the half of them could get near the bear, But, rendered frantic by the smell of blood those on the outside leaped upon the backs of others, and thus endeavored to reach the carcass by clambering over the closely impacted bodies of the shaggy mass, And thus, like a great cal- dron, the pack kept boiling up from the outside and sinking down in the center, — “What do you think o’ that, friends?” asked Nels, turning to his companions, ‘‘ It’s the devil’s own stew-pot!” declared Polar Sol. | ‘“ And it’s a wonder, Sol,” added Dismal, ‘‘ that they didn’t get round and pick our bones, I’ve long heard o’ the Montana wild-dogs, but never dreamed o’ strikin’ the ugly brutes in this kentry.” ‘‘There has been a pack or two seen in this Territory, but not so far south as this before,” Nels explained. ‘Why not open on them?” asked Dan Tem- le. pe It would be a waste of powder and lead,” answered Norway, ‘‘ unless we have to go to shooting to save our bacon; but I think they'll leave when they devour that carcass,” And so they did; but it was more than two hours before the feast had been finished and the last of the dogs had departed. In the mean time, night had fallen, the darkness being deep and dense in the canycn. When assured of the dogs being beyond sound or scent, the four descended from their perch and started for the camp of the Rogues. 900 com (ele)