Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 707 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

-<3 12 The Red Sombrero Rangers. * Jist so.” ‘Two of ’em is women?” 6é Yas.” ‘¢ Waal, ef I hain’t in luck I never was afore,” ** How so?” ‘‘Yer see [come across, some six mile away from here, a place whar thar had been a big Camp. zy They was goin’ to the Red Valley settlement, I guesses, for they come down on ther up-trail across the river, ‘‘They also had a hot fight only two nights ago with Black Bear, and beat him off; but thar was a woman anda young gal kilt, along with half a dozen men of ther train.” ‘Waal?’ “Now I are ainquisitive cuss, and so I jist edigs fer curiosity ter see if thar were anything © value put in by mistake, and so 1 comes across the woman and the gal, and t’other dead folks.” 46 Yas.” ‘*“You say thar isa woman and a gal ter es- ¢eape?’; as,” “ Along with you, Buck, and a gent?” “e Yas.” *¢ He’s ther one who puts up ther dust?” ** He be,” ** Waal, them graves over on the river will furnish the women folks and men who is ter be deft in ther camp with them as is ter be really kilt,’ ** When was they kilt?” Two nights ago,” “Then they’ll do, so jist git yer pard and dig em up, and have ’em near our camp fer ter- night.” “TP Il do it; but what about ther gent and ther woman as gits away?” ‘*Waal, you and your pard, me and Buck, is ‘ter be ther guard for them wharever the gent wants ter go, but we is not ter show ourselves, only be near, if wanted, followin’ tha’r trail.” ‘* What are ther gent up ter, pard?” ‘* Lord knows, but he’s no fool.” ** T guesses not,” ‘“‘Here he comes now, for I told him [’d be here ter meet you, and he’d better come and talk it all over, as he wants no hitch about it.” As Trailer Tom spoke a horseman appeared lin sight. It was Mr. Baxter, the gray-haired protector of the ladies, ** He’s a old one, Tom, ter be in deviltry. ‘“* He oughter be thinkin’ o’ prayer and ther grave,” said Bricktop Jack as Baxter came in sight. ‘** My opinion are thet he hain’t so old as he looks and makes out, pard. ‘* But Pll interdooce yer,” and as Baxter rode up and dismounted, Trailer Tom continued: ‘‘Cap’n, this are my pard, and he hev got things fixed jist prime.” ‘¢ Yes, there must be no mistake,” was Bax- ter’s stern response, ‘¢' Thar hain’t a-goin’ ter be, cap’n, as yer will say when yer hears thet.song my pard here has ter sing, ‘¢Ae hev Black Bear and his band of Co- manches, thet same Black Bear bein’ a renegade white man, cap’n, and all ther stiffs wanted is already supplied, so yer see things is goin’ jist wight.’ ‘* It must be so,” and Baxter then listened to ‘the whole plan, his face flushing with pleasure as he heard how complete all was. Then be mounted his horse aud rode off again ‘to find some game with which he could join the little party later in the day. ‘* Even that young fiend, Redfern, cannot fol- low my trail beyond to-night’s camp, if, as I be- lieve, he is on my track,” muttered the man as he came in sight of the little train he was lead- ang to its doom at the next camping-place. CHAPTER XXIV. THE LONE SCOUT. COLONEL ROCKWOOD was just preparing to retire for the night when word came that Red- fern the Scout bad entered the fort and wished to see him if possible, ** Admit him, immediately,” was the colonel’s command, and when the youth entered he was not alone, for his companion was Lariat Dick. They were travel-stained and weary looking, and when they bad taken the seats the colonel motioned them to, he asked: ‘* Well, you look as though you had news, Redfern?” ‘‘T have, sir, and sad news it is, though I have the satisfaction of reporting that at last Blue Jacket Bill is in his grave.” ** Bravo!” cried the colonel, almost excit- edly. ‘* When was he hanged?” ‘*He was not hanged, sir, but murdered by Comanches,” ‘* What a pity; but how was it?” ‘“*T will have to begiu at the beginning, sir, since we left here,” sé Do so,” ‘* We took his trail, sir, at Blue Jackets’ Toll- Gate, and followed it until we struck a branch stage trail, when he sold his horse at a station and took the east-Pound coach.” ‘* Just as you feared.” ‘* Yes, sir; but trailing on coaches, railroads and-through towns is slow work, compared to prairie and mountain tracking, so it was weeks before we reached the home of Widow St, John and her daughter in the outskirts of Balti- more, ‘‘ Tt had been sold only a short while ago, and the ladies had started for the West, we learned, with an elderly gentleman,” ** An elderly gentleman?” “‘ Yes, sir; none other than Blue Jacket Billin a wig of white hair and gold spectacles,” ‘* The fiend!” ‘You will say more than that, colonel, when you know all,” ‘“*T am most anxious to learn all,” ‘*We again began to trail, sir, and tracked them to New Orleans,” ** South they went then?” ‘** Yes, sir, and remained there some days, and then took steamer for Galveston, going from there to San Antonio.” ‘* Tt strikes me, Redfern, that you are as good a detective as you are a scout.” ‘“*Thank you, sir! but I had Lariat Dick’s help you know,” was the modest reply. ‘Pray go on with your story.” “We reached San Antonio, Colonel] Rock- wood, to find that as there was no wagon-train northward for some time, the man bad pre- vailed upon a settler to join him, and witha hunter and a guide had started in spite of the danger, some time before our arrival, ‘* With the wagons of the settler and the am- bulance and horses we had no trouble following the trail and began to rapidly overbaul them, ‘* But we were more than a week too late, and yet we could not have moved any quicker from the time of our leaving here,” ‘*T car well believe that.’ ‘* We came upon their last camp, in a pretty motte, and there were the ashes of the vehicles, and the appalling sight of the bodies of every one of the little party, for we knew the number, ‘*The time that had passed, and the coyotes had disfigured the bodies almost beyond recog- nition, but we found the clothing of the ladies, the white wig and gold spectacles of Blue Jacket Bill, and enough to convince us that the pomencne had done their awful work but too well, ‘*My God! this is fearful,” cried Colonel Rockwood, with deep feeling. “Tt unmanned us, sir, for the while; but we buried the bodies and then came on our way, sir, to report to you,” ‘** You did right, Redfern! but to think that when that fiend incarnate met his end he should carry out of life so many innocent souls,” For a loug while they talked over the sad af- fair, after which Redfern and Lariat Dick sought the quarters assigned to them. After breakfast the next morning a soldier came to Redfern with the information that a man had arrived who wished to see the men whose trail he had followed from the lower country. The stranger entered and both he and Red- fern at once recognized each other, for the man was a scout in the service of the Vailed Lady of Mexico, ** Ah, senor, I did not expect to find it was your trail l was following; but I came on here to make a report of a strange discovery I had made, and seek the aid of the commandant in aiding two unfortunate women, who are in the se of the man you know as Blue Jacket ill. ciate sprung to his feet with a cry, and said: ** Quick, Benson, tell me what you know?” ** Well, senor, I was scouting on my own hook, for I left Mexico, you know, some time ago, and I came upon Black Bear, that renegade white man and his band. **T Jaid low and watched, for I knew they were up to some deviltry. ** Two days after I was hiding in some timber when a horseman came there whom I knew as Bricktop Jack, a great rascal. ‘*T kept in hiding and he was joined by a man 1 I did not know, ‘“‘T could not hear what they said, but soon after a third horseman appeared, a man well dressed, and with white hair and gold spectacles. ‘“‘ After a long talk they separated, going dif- ferent ways, and I moved off too, over to a ridge where T had left my horse, “That night I heard firing, and mounting and riding in the direction I saw that it was in the timber where I bad been, ‘‘T knew then that a train had been treach- erously led into a trap set by Black Bear the renegade, ““T kept a long way off, and saw them burn the wagons and the Indians ride away. ‘‘In the morning I visited the scene and saw the work of the red devils. ‘¢T took their trail at once, and after following it for some time, came to where a small trail branched off. ‘‘' here were eight horses in this, and I fol- lowed, ‘*T came to their camp at night, and creeping near, saw that there were two camps, neither one in sight of the other. ‘In one was aman, the one with gray hair and spectacles, and two ladies, ‘“In the other were four men, Bricktop Jack and his party. ‘‘T knew the only way they could take from there, so went ahead and lay in hiding. ‘‘The man and the two ladies, with a led pack-horse, passed, and a mile in their rear fol- lowed the four men, evidently a guard, but seeking to remain unseen by the Jadies. ‘‘T determined to see the upshot of this strange maneuvering, and so kept on the trail for a couple of days, until I tracked the party to an old, deserted mining-camp. ‘Then I took the back track, passed the scene of massacre, but noticing your trail, ard that the dead were buried, I followed it on to the fort.” ‘¢ Are you tco tired to take to the trail within the hour, Benson?” asked Redfern. ‘At once, if you say so, senor.” ‘Well, 1 will have a talk with Colonel Rock. wood, and then we will start for Devil’s Ranch, for I can find there, as miners, over a dozen of the people of the Vailed Lady of Mexico, and they will follow my lead. ‘Now to see the colonel, and then to take the trail] once more of Blue Jacket Bill.” Half av bour after, mounted upon fresh horses, Redfern, Lariat Dick and Benson rode away from the fort. CHAPTER XXV. THEY MEET. In an old mining-camp, in a cabin which had once been the ‘‘ hotel” of the place, sat two per- sons whom the reader has met before. One was Mrs, St. John, once known as Ethel Enders, and who bad married the youth whom nis rival Hugh Hammoud bad nearly given hia morte] wound. The other was Etbel her daughter. At last their eyes were opening to the truth, that their proffered triend, Trent Baxter was not all that he seemed. They had escaped the massacre in the camp by Black Bear, by the courage of Baxter as they were led te believe, and he bad led them for days until they had reached the deserted |mining- camp. But Ethel had seen him several times dro back oa tne trail and meet some one, and of this he bad not spoken, and then too she had ob- served bim after reaching the Camp, in conver- sation with several rough men. She bad asked him if others were there and he had replied in the negative, and now mother and daughter began to fear that all was not right, for they had both discovered that his white hair was a wig. The mother had not broken down as Ethel bad feared she would, but seemed to gain strength, now that other danger threatened them, and they determined to pretend not to suspect the man but to watch him closely. _ And this they did, Ethel, after they were supposed to have retired for the night, slipping out of the cabin, and creeping to the one near by where Trent Baxter had his quarters, To her surprise there were four men in there with him, and what she heard caused her to turn deadly pale and tremble violently. . Baxter was speaking and she heard him say: ‘Men, the old Jady can’t last’ long with ex- posure »nd hardship, and then the gir! will be- come my wife. Once she is, I can get hold of her fortune, and it is great,as I know. You stick by me, and I’ll pay you well. Two of you i oe SRS AS —