Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 702 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

Blue Jacket Bill, Ruth Baxter with, when he made her his pris- oner. He quickly uncoiled it and made himself fast on the trunk of tbe tree. The wisdom of this act he recognized as soon as he found himself dropping off to sleep, for he awoke with acry and a spring, feeling himself falling, or dreaming that he was, But for the lariat he would have dashed down to death in the dense darkness of the canyon below. So the night passed away, and a dozen times did the lariat save the man from death. At last the dawn came, and he began to look about bim for means of ésca pe. He pulled some pieces of rock from the crev- ices, tied them to the end of his lariat and threw them across the canyon with a jerk, hoping to catch upon the limb of a scrub pine growing there, Again and again he threw the rock and drew it back uncaught, His arm was tired, and without food now, or water, for twenty-four hours, the strain upon him began to tell, strong as he was, Making another desperate effort he threw a rock and it went over the limb with a whirl, turning twice before it came to a stop. He could hardly restrain himself from a shout of joy at his success;.but, he did so, knowing his danger if found there. But would the end of the line hold? He drew upon it and it did so, Harder and harder he drew, until he was sure that it would bear his weight, and the snapping of a root of the tree warned him that the tree was also feeling the strain upon it, He saw that he yet had a danger to face, for he had toswing from his perch, holding on to the lariat, and be careful to catch bimself against the opposite wall, fifteen feet away s0 as not to be stunned by the shock. He tied the lariat about him, and stood upon the trunk of the tree which began to sag badly, and he knew would not stand his weight much longer. e saw that he would have a climb of some twelve feet up the lariat, and if it held him, there was hope for him, but if the end on the tree slipped, his doom was certain. Nerving himself for the dread ordeal, he slipped down on the tree as far as he dared go, until the lariat was drawn taut, and then with hands and feet ready to break the shock of the dash against the other wall, he swung clear, and not a moment too soon, as another snapping root admonished him. CHAPTER VI. THE LARIAT-THROWER. Wir a shock, quite severe, the daring man came against the opposite wall of the canyon. Had he not been fast to the lariat, he would have been forced to let go, and dash downward; but, he withstood the blow, and then his heart seemed to cease beating, as he waited to seeif the lariat would come loose, It held firm, though his weight stretthed it as tense asa guitar string. Without delay he nerved himself for the up- ward climb, But his strength began to fail him, and he found he could not reach the top, so he quickly looped the lariat about him, and after a long rest, again began to climb and got within a foot of the edge of the precipice. Another loop he took about him with the trusty lariat, and then rested even longer than before. Again he began the ascent. His hand clutch- ed ‘the edge of the rock; oneelbow was upon it, and there be hung, unable to go further, so ex- hausted was he by the terrible nerve strain. For a minute or more he rested; then reaching far forward on the lithe rope, with a mighty effort he drew himself to safety, But, bis feet yet were over the escarpment, and he could then not have moved an inch further if his life had depended upon it. He became dazed, and sunk into the insensi- bility of prostration, When he recovered consciousness, he still re- _— in the same position, and the sun on the estern horizon told bim that he had been there suspended for hours! ut he was safe at last—upon the firm land— and rising to his feet he approached the tree, on the limb of which bis lariat had caught. Then he saw how frail had been its hold, for the rock had turned twice around the limb and then had been drawn upward until it caught mg the lariat, where his weight had drawn it £ . A slackening of the lariat for a second would have been the cause of his being dashed to death! Hungry as a wolf, he knew hecould get no food there; but water he could find, so he un- wound his lariat and hastened away through the timber on the ridge until he came to a small stream running from a spring, Eagerly he drank the cool water, and as it was twilight looked about for a place where he could pass the night, for at dawn he must be on his way to find food; and more—to seek safety, for he well realized that he was in a dangerous neighborhood, : e found aspot up among the rocks, sheltered by dwarf pines, and scraping together the dead needles, he lay down to rest and was soon fast asleep. It was justafter dawn when he awoke, great- ly refreshed by his sleep, but very hungry, and he sat down to consider just what he was to do, He was afoot, with bis revolvers it was true, though his rifle had gone down with his horse, as had also his amniunition, and other traps which he had with him. Yet he dared not shoot any game then, as some one might be near, and the home of Set- tler Baxter was not beyond hearing. No; he must plunge into the woodlands and kill some game to get food. Having decided upon what he would do, he rose to his feet. But suddenly he stooped down with a slight ejaculation. There, coming along a trail which must bring him within arod of the pile of rocks where he was, he beheld a horseman, He was well mounted, well armed, and came along at an easy gait, unsuspecting harm, (Juick as a flash the man had made one end of his lariat fast to a pine, coiled the loop end and stood ready to throw it. On came the horseman, his horse not even scenting danger, and as he passed the spot where the otber lay in ambush, the coil was sha and settled down over the head of the rider, It wasa splendid throw and the frightened horse with aspring forward dragged his rider from the saddle, with a fall so heavy that he lay stunned and bleeding upon the ground, The horse, as the one in ambush had seen, went to the end of his lariat, the other end being hooked in the belt of the horseman. Quickly sprung the lariat-thrower from his ambush, and dashing down the rocks he bent over the prostrate form of his victim. ‘*[T guess bis neck’s broken, so I have nothing to fear from him, **T’ll see what he has of value about him, and his rifle and revolvers will come in well— Ha! there hangs a haversack of food to bis saddle- horn,” So saying the man quickly rifled his victim’s pockets, took his revolvers from his belt, and his “aac from the saddle-horn and swung it on his ack, Then he mounted the horse, and as he rode away dove deep into the haversack of food, which was well filled with edibles sufficient to last several days, a canteen of /liquor being also stowed away in it. ‘*T am ib luck. | ‘* My patron saint bas not deserted me,” he said grimly as he rode along at a sweeping gal- Pp. And there in the trail for over an hour lav his victim, bleeding froma cut in the head and un- conscious, But the flow of blood at last revived him and he sat up and looked curiously about him, His neck felt sore and ‘he placed his hand upon it, and then felt the cut in his head. ‘‘T was caught with a lariat and jerked heavily from my saddle, ‘* Ah! I bave been robbed of my weapons, my monéy, my horse and all, ‘Who was the robber? ‘‘ Whoever he is, he is gone, and I must take his trail as soon as I can get back to Settler Baxter's and—but bow dizzy I feel,” and press- ing bis hand to his head he went staggering elong upon the trail. Two hours after Lariat Dick tottered up to the settler’s home and fell like one dead upon the piazza steps. _-_l CHAPTER VII. A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES, THE scene changes to a mining-camp in New Mexico, which rejoiced most appropriately in the name of Devil’s Ranch City. It was not a ranch in the acceptation of the term, unless the herding together there of hu- man beings like cattle could suggest the idea, It was not a city in any acceptation of the word, for it was but a series of cabin hamlets, where miners dwelt, and was really but a group of camps stretched out in a valley which rap through a mining country, But as the home of devils it was a success, for seven out of every ten men there were of a des- erado turn of mind, and a fugitive from justice, Saloons were frequent, and gambling dens, where all kinds of games of chance were played, were upon every band. There were targets for rifle and revolver practice, a race-track half a mile long, and various other means of amusement and for losing one’s cash in betting. ; The most important structure in the and this was imposing only in being in Ranch, was the ‘* New Mexico Hotel.” Its ‘* boss,” as his name read on the sign, was one by the name of Senor Du Val, whom most every one believed to be a Mexican, for he spoke with a slight foreign acceut. But Senor Du Val was an American pure and simple, and played the “Mexican dodge” for reasons he found convenient, He did not look unlikea Mexican, dressed im the style of the country, and wore moccasins, & fact that allowed him to be present when his servants least expected it, He was a good Jandlord, and kept bunters and caterers out constantly for bis hotel, where a good table was always to be found. He had the reputation of not being afraid of even the patron of the camps, Satan, and could take care of himself and manage his hotel with- out advice from any one. , The stage-coach eastward had its terminus at Devil’s Ranch, and was wont to run out once & week and arrive as often, and the going and coming thereof was an event for the miners, Fow of them got letters, or wrote them, and some of those who did used names not put down at their baptism as their own, It was safer for many of them not to keep up a correspondence, Still there was a mail to and from Devil’s Ranch semi-weekly, and some of the miners re- ceived letters from home, and wrote back of their success or failure in making a fortune for their loved ones, : There were a precious lot of desperadoes in the camp ever ready for a fracas, and often the found some one to oblige them, and the result was that the graveyard of Devils’ Ranch grew apace in numbers with the city, And intosuch a town one Sunday afternoom came an itinerant parson, ‘ He came walking along, a knapsack on his back, on which was painted a white cross, and a staff like a sbepberd’s crook in one band, & gun across his shoulder held by the other. It was a double-barrel gun used for killing game, rather than eemping enemies. His face was clean-shaven, bis hair cut close as though he had just escaped from prison, and he wore a somber suit, top-boots and a plug hat, He wore glasses with a slight bluish tint in them, and came along singing a hymn in a voice that was really zich and musica], He either scented the supper at the New Mex- ico, or had received advice from some oneas to the best place to go, for bis steps were straight for Landlord Du Va}’s hotel. Some of the “‘ sinners” gave hima wide berth, a few followed-him, joining in with his singing, and others jeered and shouted at bim. But he Yreacbed the New Mexico and his heart was gladdened by the welcome given him by Senor Du Val, who told him be bad come to va right place for good living and to save souls, He registered as Ebenezer Freeze, and began work at once. His fine singing, pointed preaching, and uni- versal good-humor, with his hammer-and-tongs wey of going for a sinner, made him popular in Devil’s Ranch, and the miners chipped in liyely whenever he passed his hat to help along*the good cause, For some weeks bad Parson Freeze been at Devil’s Ranch, when one Sunday at noon a horseman rode up to the New Mexico and told the peon who took bis horse to give him a good feed and every care. He was a fine-tooking man, ranging upon fifty, with a face that was full of character and such as only the possesser of a noble nature — could wear. He was greeted in a pleasant and respectful manner by landlord Du Val, who then went lace,, vil’s corr 900ks-Ecom