Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 725 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

pleasure, as he said: tinued to believe that his ng Dick, Fawnee ill’s Pard. He wheeled his horse quickly to behold rifle muzzles over the rocks on the trail be had come, while half a dozen horsemen bad ridden in be- bind bim, so that all escape was cut off. A mockiog laugh greeted Pawnee Bill, as he came toa halt and stood at bay, a revolver in each band, ready to die there and then if need be. Then again the mocking laugh, followed by the words: **'You have killed my man Lariat Joe, Pawnee Bill, but I have thirty men hemming you in, so do not be a fool and force me to kill you.” “What do you wish with me?” ** To take you prisoner.” ** Who are you?” ** Do you surrender?” ‘*T can see no other course to pursue, for it is plain that the odds are dead against me,” ‘“They are, and you are wise. Hand over your weapons to a man whom I will send for them,” i ‘‘T can do nothing else,” was the reply. Pawnee Bill knew that it was instant death make the 0p, pee break, , To surrender then he would at least have the hope of escape. hat Lariat Joe had meant what he said, that Don Desperado was the man who had entrapped him, he did not believe, for he had seen the Mad Cowboy drop dead, as he believed, from his chair in the cabin of Senora Gabriella. Still that he had fallen into the handsof the — of the Rio Grande he could readily be- ieve, aoe your man, and I will surrender,” he said. to CC A man geben Pe ie as he left the shelter of | the rocks, Pawnee Bill saw that he was a Mexi- can. | He handed over his rifle, sword and belt of arms, and said: **T see that you are the Raiders of the Rio Grande.” “Yes, Pawnee Bill, and I am your sworn enemy, Don Desperado,” said a voice, and to the utter amazement of the prisoner the Mad Cow- boy, whom he had surely believed to be bere to from behind a rock and confront- im | CHAPTER XVI. THE THIRD TIME. . TaAt Gordon Lille was completely non- pied at beholding before him the man he lieved to be d goes without saying. © The Mad Cowboy seemed indeed to possess the tenacity of a cat in clinging to life. But there was no mistaking the man, there ‘were no more like him. It was the Mad Cowboy, Carl Grafton, and no ether, be he known now as Don rado or any other name he pleased, | “So you are not dead,” said Pawnee Bill, with the utmost coolness, taking a look in the face of the man, and speaking as though not in the least surprised. ‘No; the poison you put in my cup failed to do its work; asI had been such a hard drinker it lost its effects,” ‘* The poison J Bill indignantly. ‘* So I said.” yh The young man was in a quandary. He wishe to fling back the cha that he would poison a man to get rid of him; but he did not know but what the woman had not been able toescape, and believing him out of harm’s had said he did it. — a “Kw put in your cup?” said Pawnee to protect ber he replied: | , poison, steel or lead, you are a Lard man to kill, Don Desperado, for I su you are pleased to be called by that name now?” ‘ Yes, Iam Don Desperado, But bow did you escape?” “Did not the wife of your predecessor ex- e esca Thinking | into some admission Pawnee Bill merely replied: ‘‘T am glad she did,” eg be a plan to entrap him : d “* Well, we will not stay here to bandy words, : for 1 am in dangerous territory I know. ‘‘[ sent one of my band, a Texan, to entrap you, and I have done so,” | The face of the young scout flushed with ‘Thank Heaven my wife is not injured “Who said so?” and the outlaw scowled as he 6 was lying at the perado wished, to make him feel all that he could of misery. ‘**I mean that my man captured the messen- ger that Captain Vail sent you.” Pawnee Bill laughed, and replied: **One should not speak ill of the dead, Don, but that fellow lying there had not the sense or pete to capture one of Buckskin Charlie’s Cow- oy Rangers. ‘Now had you been the bearer of that letter it would have been different, for I admit your cleverness, as this is the third time you have most cleverly captured me; but that other cut- throat, no, not he,” Don Desperado was angry at the slip he had made so said: ‘*Then you do not believe that your wife was thrown from her horse and badly burt?’ ‘*See here, Don, you are only getting into deeper water, for the letter came to me sealed, and so how did you know its contents? ‘*Oh, no, you wrote the letter, for I have heard that you were clever with your pen and could imitate any bandwriting. ‘* My wife is all right, Don, and will be bot on your trai], mark my words if she is not,” Don Desperado had overreached himself, and with an oath said: ‘** Well, Pawnee Bill, I have'you safe, and shall take you to my den, ‘* Then I shall make a raid into Texas and woe be unto the dwellers at Paradise Ranch, for I shall hit them hard. ‘*T live now only for revenge, Pawnee Bill,” ‘* Yes, and you'll die for it some day; but as I cannot help myself I must endure what you put upon me,” ** You take it coolly.” * Oh yes, for it’s a long Jane that has no turn in it, Don,’ and Pawnee Bill smiled as sweetly as though he bad not the slightest care in tne world. ** Well, you come back to your old irons,” was the savage response of the outlaw chief, and oy called to one of his men to bring the mana- cles, They were brought, the handcuffs, and anklets with a chain, and the scout was thus secured in his saddle, for the manacles abcut the wrists were made fast to the horn of his saddle, The party then filed out of the canyon and went into camp over on a range not far away from the trail, leaving the body of the dead man, he who had faithfully ea teneue. his duty at least, be it what it might, lying where he bad fallen under Pawnee Bill’s shot. With the score of men with him Don Despera- do did not care to be discovered in Texas terri- tory. He had come for one purpose, the capture of Pawnee Bill, and having sent Lariat Joe upon his mission, he went to meet him upon his return with his victim, He had copied the writing of Captain Vail perfectly, and knew tbat such a call as he sent A er ring Pawnee Bill with all speed to see 8 wife. So it was that the night before Lariat Joe was expected back he bad crossed iato Texas with twenty of his men and sought a hiding-place a few miles from the Red Canyon Pass, The next day, so great had been the pace which Pawnee Bill had kept up on his way to Paradise Ranch, the two bad come along, and ry Ming Don Desperado and his men guarding e 7 That any man would have been captured under such circumstances can be well under- stood. So over to his camp went Don rado with his prisoner, and there remainee until nightfall, when at a rapid pace the party started for the Rio Grande. y They did not spare their horses, they had re- covered their game, and before dawn Don Desperado was safely across the Rio Grande and climbing the trail to his den in the moun- tains. | CHAPTER XVII. THE ** LITTLE WONDER” ON THE ALERT, DarinG Dick was a born border boy. _ He had “ fought Indians,” mounted behind his father on horseback, when be was but seven years of age, and he had been reared to under- stand all there was in wood and prairie-craft. Flee, the Combo, bad been ae bean ip any thin or he n greatly attack to the bright and daring boy, and an apt pupil he bad found him to be, | Then, too, he had the benefit of the teachin of every cowboy in the band on his father’s teach him his studies, but Dick preferred a pis- tol to a pen any day, following a trail to doing an example in arithmetic. , He wished to make history rather than study t. Then came May Lillie to Paradise Ranch as * governess, and to the surprise and delight of his parents, Dick was interested in his studies. He found in the young governess one who could ride and shoot as well as he could, and could throw a lariat with the best man in the Cowboy Rangers, She could follow a trail at a gallop, and knew no more what fear was than did a grizzly bear of the Rocky Mountains, So it was that she showed Dick in her firm, but sweet way, that there was much for him to learn outside of prairie-craft and Indian-fight- ing. Sbe interested him in history, geography, and his otber studies, and the two became, as Dick expressed it, ‘‘ like boy pards together.” ay had their hours for study, and they were seldom broken in upon, | Then came play and recreation, and so it was that she had tamed the wild youngster without his discovering the fact. But his parents noted it and rejoiced that it Was So. | The behavior of Mad Car], the coming of Gor- don Lillie and his capture and rescue had broken in considerably upon the studies of late; but then, the governess said that when October came they would all get down to work again, so that at must enjoy himself as best he could mean- while. Not a thought entered the minds of any of them that Mad Carl was * hi alive, and so no shadow fell upon Paradise Ranch, Tbe Comanches had made no late hostile move- ments, and there seemed to be no dread of Mexi- can Raiders since the death of the two Don Des- perados, Captain Vail was continually buying cattle, and thus adding to his enormous berd, and his band of cowboys was increased accordingly, and were divided into three camps, so as to surround the grazing unds, while Buckskin Charlie was captain of the gallant Rangers. To visit the three camps each day was Dick’s delight, and he always took home with him a lot of game for the table, One afternoon, some two months after the departure of Pawnee Bill for his command, Dick extended his ride far beyond the camp of cow- boys situated toward the Red Canyon. He rode on, looking for game, and beholding a deer upon ot istaut bill dismounted and crept up to get a shot. He reached the hilitop, expecting to find the deer grazing over the ridge, withim easy range, and was prepared to fire. when, instead of the game he was after, he saw that which made him spring back out of sight. Then he cautiously. approached the ridge again ata point where there were some bushes, an peered over. What hesaw wasa number of borsemen in camp. They were in a valley, their horses pick- wo near, and they were gathered in groups about, — Dick always carried a field-glass with him, one which his fatber had given him a year before, The focus was fixed at once and the glass turned upon the group of men. ** Mexicans!” a glance that they were neither dians, Then he looked again and said: “They are Mexicans, and lll bet my rifle against a spur that they are tte Ruiders of the Rio Grande. They came here last night, and are waiting until to-night to make a raid, and our ranch is to be the first one they hit; but, exans por In- maybe I am wrong, for there are only a dozenin — sight—too small a force to tackle our Ranger Cowboys. ‘‘T reckon they know of a wagon-train com- ing, and are here to head it off. | _ “Yes, they are near the Red Canyon, through which it must pass, and doubtless have a senti- ne] there on the watch to call them. ‘*Now if I could only head that train off! But, which way is it coming, I wonder? That’s uttered the poy) mecogalang at the trouble, for I don’t know; but I must do © something. “It will be dark in half an hour, and it will take me three hours to ride to the cowboy | camp, and all of four more before we could get back here, and still longer if we waited tosend Let me on if for the boys from tbe other camps, take another squint at those fellows,” Fs ‘ P fi point of death he would have suffered that much | ranch, He raised the glass to his eyes again and took ioe y ‘ , < = SA _. More keenly and that was just what Don Des-| His mother and father had endeavored to ! a long survey in silence. if | 7 ; jag? 2) ! j ’ , | , : A; (Ps 7 da ea > "he i ' | ” ' . +f ; ‘ . K see | | . | ' | : . . t i " 9 Wat a) ‘ ‘4 " . U4 ! aay N! . hat “ aripha’ heen 7