Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 70 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

. CHAPTER IV. THE ATTACK UPON THE CABIN. NeEp Hosmer stood for a few moments in con- versation with Hugh Fullerton and his wife, while the hunter made his observations from the room window, endeavoring to inspire hope in their hearts, regarding their child. He was attired in a huntsman’s suit, having started on a campaign that was intended to em- brace several weeks, although when hunting in the vicinity of Helena Fullerton’s home, it may be surmised that it would require the interven- tion of something extraordinary to compel him to spend many of his nights in the woods. e@ was of an erect, manly figure, about four- and-twenty years of age, with dark, neatly- trimmed beard, nose slight y Roman, with hand- some features, and a mast winning address. Just the one calculated to win the way to a maiden’s affections, it remained for him to en- counter, unmoved, all the fair ones of his own city, and then to lose his own heart away up in Northern Minnesota—as lose it he nétially id. Zip Smith remaining several minutes at the window, Ned finally asked: ‘* What’s or: Any thing wrong?” ‘*Confound it!” muttered the hunter, impa- tientl ; ? we're just too late.” “There are about a dozen of the varmints coming up the ravine.” ‘*Can’t we slip down in time enough to get out the other way?’ ‘“We might if there wasn’t a bigger party coming down on us from that way.” ‘Then we must wait until they go away.” ‘*'That’s it, but there’s no telling when they’ll do that; they may hang around for two or three days. ‘And then what will become of Helena?” asked the despairing mother. “So long as we can keep the Sioux here, so much greater will be the chances of her safety,” said Hosmer, in his soothing voice; ‘“‘so it will be a direct benefit to her.” ‘*But will she not perish, wandering in the woods?” ‘* No fear of that,” was the cheery response. ‘‘T am in hopes that when she discovers the con- c.ition of things, she will turn about and retrace ler steps to Alden.” **T hope so; but I fear not.” Ned now ventured to make an observation for himself, He saw, as Zip had said, something like a dozen Indians approaching, all on foot, walking promiscuously, but with care, while their upturned faces and gestures proved that the suspended cabin was the great object of in- terest to them. Looking in the opposite direction, almost the same sight presented itself, except that the party of red-s was a little larger, and they were somewhat closer. “Do you see any thing of Percy among them?’ inquired Hugh. ** Who is Percy?” was the reply of Hosmer. “He is my nephew, who reached here to-day, and was absent on a hunt, when we were com- lied to flee from the house.” ‘Oh! I have heard Helena speak of him. He must have been the young man I saw in their possession when they were leaving the house. I will look again.” Every member of the approaching parties was carefully scrutinized by Ned Hosmer, who aided: ‘* There isn’t a white man among them; both companies are made up exclusively of Sioux warriors armed to the teeth.” ‘“‘Then Percy must have made his escape,” said Hugh. ‘‘! am rejoiced to learn that. Don’t you think he has gotten away from them?” ** Perhaps so,” replied the young hunter, who thought the probabilities ten times as great that the unfortunate fellow had been brained by the erciless red-skins, within fifteen minutes of his ture. y this time the Indians were within a hun- dred yards or so, and Hosmer and Zip, who vere watching from op posite windows, con- cluded it best to withdraw their faces, as these same red-skins had a dangerous my of bringing their rifles to their shoulders, and firing wit L¢htning-like quickness. The old hunter cautioned Mrs. Fullerton “ oO keep away from the windows, the sashes ,vhich were raised, while he and the other two men knelt down on the floor, and held the muz- zles of their rifles thrust partly through the loop- holes, so that they could look and fire upon their foes as occasion might warrant. Keeping their gaze upon the red-skins, they saw the two parties meet in the ravine and con- pult together. They took care, however, to il SO mingle together in front of, instead of directly Beadle’s HalfDime Library. ‘‘ Kinder looks that way—hold on; he’s going under, the cabin, as though they were fearful | to shoot.” the contrivance might drop down upon their | heads. ** Don’t fire at ’em till I give the word,” said Old Zip, in an undertone; “ guess you’d better wait till I pop one of ’em over.” ‘‘ Perhaps,” suggested the pale mother, ‘‘ if you don’t injure any of them, they may be more tender to Helena and Percy.” ‘‘Get out,” was the contemptuous reply of Zip, who understood “‘ Injun nature” too well to be deceived by such appeals; ‘‘them var- mints have got thar blood up, and nothing but lead and steel will cool’em off. If I should go down thar and present each of them skunks with a hoss, rifle, blankets, powder, beads, knives, and five hundred thousand dollars in gold, each would turn round and skulp me, afore I could tell ’em they war welcome; that’s Injun, blast him,” added Zip, moving his rifle in a stealthy manner, as though he were seeking to keep some one in range; ‘‘and when they’re on the war-path they’re worse than so many ratile- snakes.” ; A carefullook at the body of red-skins assem- bled in the ravine’ would have justified the blunt-spoken hunter, for more downright hid- eousness perhaps was never congregated ina party of red-skins numbering less than fifty. Many of the Sioux are splendid specimens of physical manhood and vigor, and when in war- paint, although terrible to look upon, are not without acertain beauty, but some of the party were dwarfed, with long, filthy hair hanging down their backs, like the tail of a horse—some had their hair colored red and green, while their faces were ringed and streaked and daubed, with ocher and clay, until they looked like veri- table pS themselves. Quite a number had ragged blankets hanging over their shoulders, and there was an ap ance of filth about them all that made them the reverse of attractive. Besides this, without exception, all were ugly- featured. Many of the men had enormons noses and retreating chins; others possessed huge chins and no nose worth speaking of; some dis- closed frightful-looking mouths, with large white teeth; while still others had narrow, ferret-like faces, and others were deformed in their broad- ness. Even Zip, who was accustomed to aborigines, noticed the exceptional ugliness of the party. ‘‘ Tl be skulped if such a set of skunks hadn’t oughter be shot on sight.” he palaver of the red-skins with each other lasted but a few minutes, when they gave utter- ance to a series of howls and whoops, intended to taunt those within the cabin. Turning the whole battery of repulsive faces upward against the building, they brandished their guns, tomahawks and knives, and num- bers swung their blankets above their heads— and then shook them out toward the cabin—a gesture that is one of the most insulting a Sioux can make to an enemy. Then their howls were of the most aggravatin character, and one pock-marked, broad-face red-skin, with a broken nose, stepped in front of the others, and deliberately fired his rifle Paty gas open window, after which, as if to show his contempt of his white foes, he raised his thumb to his nose, giving a regular cat-call, as he made his ugly face ten times more ugly, by contorting it. like an angry child. ‘* Blast yer! if yer must have it, there she is!” exclaimed Zip Smith, as he sent a bullet, clean and clear, through the skull of the Sioux, and tumbling him. backward to the ground, as dead as dead could be. ‘* When a man invites me as strong as that, I'll accept the invite, if he is a warmint,” he re- marked, as, turning away from the loop-hole, he roceeded to reload his piece. ‘‘ Ef either of you ellers see a chance, blaze away.” The words had scarce left his mouth, when the s report of Hosmer’s rifle was heard, almost simultaneous with the death-yelp of his victim. “That’s purty good, you ne keep up that t, and bime-by they’llstop sassingus. 1Jwon- er whar Persimmons is?” “TI trust he is safe,” was the sad response of Mrs. Fullerton; ‘‘the Indians do not seem to have him with them.” ‘Dunno ’bout that,” said Zip, squinting one eye out the loop-hole. ‘I’ve an idee that that ere red-skin, with his hair painted yeller, and with green and blue spots and rings over his face, is Persimmons in disguise. The feller has kinder got his gait, though I don’t see his eye- ‘*Can it be possible?” gasped Mrs. Fullerton, who took the badinage of the hunter for dead earnest. OO OO OL EEE eee eee ea rr eee aaa lll a, As he spoke, the savage referred to discharged his pee — such acote Fag age ; - the bullet passed through the very loop-hole from which Zip had caishalte. we his rifle while loading it. “That settles the whole matter,” said he, with a triumphant expression of countenance. “In what manner?’ inquired the surprised Mrs. Fullerton. “Tf Persimmons had fired that gun at the loop-hole, he would have popped over the red- skin standing right behind him—so you kin rest assured that that ain’t Persimmons.” In the meantime, the Sioux were keeping up a dropping fire, discharging their guns into the windows, and aiming at the loop-holes, in the hope of finding some one unawares, though they had lost a couple of their num- ber, they did not seem affrighted in the least— but kept up their whoops and tantalizing ges- tures, as continuously as ever, retreating to the opposite side of the ravine. ere, after burying about a score of shots in the planking of the cabin, they suddenly divided into two parties pe sem and vanished from view with the speed of magic, carryimg their dead with them. “ What is the meaning of that?” asked Fuller- ton, who was not a little amazed at what he had beheld. ‘‘ One of the tricks,” replied v4 ‘*be careful to keep — heads away from the winders, or you'll get ’em bored.” The whites were not kept long in doubt_re- ding the intentions of the Sioux, who had ppeared in such a curious manner. The first warning came in the shape of a rifle- shot, fired from the opposite side, and at a point somewhat above them. ‘Keep down your heads,” called out Zip: ‘*they’re on top the other side.” Just then, the lynx-eyed hunter discerned the upper part of an Indian’s head ring over the edge of the rocks as if to see the result of his shot. Zip rested the barrel of his og on the edge of the sill, holding it so far back that the muzzle would not be likely to attract notice. He held his weapon in position long enough make certain of his aim, and then pulled the rigger. ‘ or ha the same time the Sioux ducked his ead. It did not appear again. This warrior was a leading one in the tribe, and many mourned his untimely taking off. ‘* Do you think they are all there?’ asked Ned Hosmer. ‘‘ No; there’s a lot over our heads, trying to ope whether they kin git a crack at us from there. ‘*‘ Are you sure we are invulnerable from that direction?’ inquired Mr. Fullerton, looking rather anxiously around. ‘Ef them varmints kin walk with their heads down like flies, why I s’pose we’ll see ’em purty soon comin’ down the rocks—but Pll send you word when I see ’em.” Several dropping shots came from the opposite side of the ravine, but the result was nothing, as the inmates of the cabin in the air were so gel protected that they lost all apprehension of anger. At the same time, the Sioux had learned the danger that ever menaced them, and became: more cautious in their movements. Ned Hos- mer and Old Zip caught sight of a sneaking 1n- dian face and both fired at the same instant, but the scamp was too quick and got his precious head out of the way before the bullet could reach it. Then followed several hours of watching and trying to outwit each other, during which not a single gun was heard, and an oppressive silence rested upon ravine and mountain. The Sioux prowled about and resorted to ovary. artifice to take the defenders off their After crawling along the cliff above the cabin, and finding there was no possible way Of reach- ing it from that direction, they gave Over that attempt and entered the ravine again. : Here a careful survey of the structure satisfied the red-skins that there was no earthly means by which they could the aérial ship. If they could fell a number of exceedingly tall trees against it, they might swarm up the limbs; but then there were no trees in the ravine, and it was left to them either to plant some acorns and to wait for them to grow, or to transport some to this spot, Y grown, and topple them over against the building. Lut carefzi delieraiion showed such serious CECOMNMUCE OOO) “S