Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 729 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

“a Silverblade, the Half-Blood. they pressed above his wildly beating heart, they could not keep back the hoarse, gasping groan that found its way to his lips. That voice gavo a slow, hollow-sounding. laugh, and the spectral shape seemed to in- crease in size, to move toward the awe-struck Indians as though about to descend to their level. For what? ‘‘ We believe! We have faith! Be not angry with us, thy r children, mighty father!” hoarsely cried the aged chief of the Gresventres. He shrunk back, but only for a moment, Then, leaping to his feet with something akin to his youthful activity, he jerked a gleaming tomahawk from the belt about his middle, mak- ing the weapon quiver above his head as he crouched for a leap upon the young Shoshone, ‘* To you we owe it, dog of a mixed breed!” he snarled, savagely. Silverblade sunk to his knees, his head bowir lower, until those un-Indian-like locks of blac hair formed a vail to his face; but this unfeign- ed humility had naught to do with the infuriat- _ edchief. If his ears caught those fierce words, his brain heeded them not, ‘* Peace, my children!” sternly cried that voice, ve Hold, Shooting Backward!” cried Red Leaf, springing forward just in time to arrest that aes arm and turn the glittering weapon aside, “Tf you say it, father,” muttered the old chief, yielding to that grasp, though his sunken eyes still shone redly. ** One mightier than I says hold, chief, If the Messiah wishes death, death will surely come at his bidding. Peace—he speaks!” ‘* Silverblade, son of Weenamoo, grandson of He-That-Fights-Long, child of the Mother ease !” slowly, sternly spoke that voice from the air. An inarticulate cry burst from the lips of the youth, He lifted his head. He flung up his arms, clasping his fingers rigidly together. His eyes rose to that spectral shape, but drooped again, as though unable to longer onduro that strange glow. ** Silverblade, you asked for a proof, and I offered you a test such as the white blood in your heart could better understand. You car ne that test. Now, do you still doubt?” _ “No longer, mighty father,” huskily answer- ed the youth, bow ng lower in his awed humil- _ ity. ‘‘ Pity—I believe—1l have faith!” .. Tt is well—more than well!” a proud, glad echo coming into the voice. ‘* There is far more glory in converting one such doubter, than in gaining a thousand followers who take all for granted, who ask no questions, who give no rea- sons for their faith! Now, Silverblade?” ‘* Mighty father?” . * But one shing remains to prove your con- version, and that shall be a final test of your rfect faith, Arise, go forth throussh the wide and, and spread broadcast the glad tidings! Tell unto all people in whose veins the red blood flows, to hd oe for the coming of the New Messiah! Bid them be ready for the work that shall be allotted each pair of bands, when that glad morning dawns!” “T will go, mighty father,” said Silverblade, rising to his feet. ‘‘I will bid them be ready, If they ask me when that glad day is to dawn, I will tell them—what, mighty father?” | | ** Wait, Silverblade,” with a majestic gesture, ** You came here a skeptic, you will go away a true believer. That is good! But you may meet others who find it hard to believe, and you must know what words to give them back when they question you, even as your lips questioned mine. Before you go, you must hear the mes- sage sent unto all his red children, by the Indian Messiah.” There was a brief pause, during which more than one of the delegation cast covert glances toward the youth, whose unfaith seemed bring- ing a far richer reward than their blind belief. Only glances, as yet, But when that awe-in- spiring vision should have vanished— ‘Children of the North!” at length spoke the voice, and the eyes of that illumined shape seem- ed ona from face to face, from figure to figure. “I see beforo me sons of the Mother Snake, I see wise chieftains of the Groeventres, the Bannocks, the s, and it makes the heart within my bosom throb with great 107; for now I know that the truth is spreading throughout the land, to the North, even as it has covered the ast the South, and the East, even to the Father of Waters. | ‘What I have revealed unto the Sioux, the Cheyennes, the Arapahoes, and many other tribes, through their chosen envoys, I now make - glear to your minds and hearts. Listen, my chil- 2 y Fatih : dren, and treasure the message I give you for your people! ‘‘Through more generations than there are bairs in my beard, Phave gazed in sorrow upon the troubles whicb bave rained upon the red- men, I have seen them driven from their homes, from the graves of their fathers, from their hunting-grounds, I have seen them dwindle from great hosts, to mere handfuls. I have wavched the whites spread and spread until they threaten to occupy all the land, leaving not room for a moccasined foot to stand alone! And seeing all this, the heart has turned red within my breast, and now I am an Indian, like the children I see before me. ‘Why have I held back my hand so long? Because war is an awful calamity, and one that a peaceful heart abhors above all things! But when it comes to a choice between right and wrong, iunocent and guilty, the true and the false, there can be but one choice: and I have made mine, after carefully weighing both sides, ** Wide as this earth may seem to mortal eyes, it is all too narrow for both red-man and white to occupy, side by side, One or the other must go, and when that point is reached, the end is plain enough! ‘‘The Great Spirit was wise. He gave this portion of the earth to his red children, He page the white faces on the other side of the ig salt water, and gave to them men of black skins—buffalo-soldiers—to slave for them in the fields, ‘‘That was good, If each color had remained content with the share bestowed, all would have remained well. But the white-faces grew greedy for more land, and they swarmed across the big waters, They came to this country, and saw that it was richer, more beautiful than their own. And so seeing, they coveted the land, Then—this is to be the end! J ‘ Chilaren, hearken to my words! Catch them in your ears, and cover them carefully over until they bave taken strong root in you brains, ‘“ When we look back, all seems dark and under an ugly cloud. The air is full of death, of raves, of bones that tell of battles where the fiving were too few to cover the. dead from sight, from the hungry jaws of the skulking coyotes! ‘This is what our eyes see when they turn backward, but how is it when we look ahead? Listen, my children, and heed well the words my lips now let fall! ‘* All is sunlight and joy and ce! There is no death, no fighting, no cold, no starvation there! No darkness, no ugly clouds! All is peace and plenty! The prairies are covered with wild horses, with buffalo in countless numbers, even as before the accursed pale-faces came v ith their fire-spitting weapous! There are antelope in millions! There are deer, and elk, and goats —everything to make the heart of the hunter beat high with joy! “There are no graves, for those of the white man have been buried far out of sight, and those where the red children of the Indian Messiah once rested, have been ah tee each one giving forth a strong and healthy warrior, a fair squaw, or laughing pappoose! From salt water on one side to salfé water on the other side, all is living, joyous, contented, all is ce, for the red-men once more possess the whole earth !” The voice ceased, and after a brief pause, au almost simultaneous cry burst from the lips of the Indians who had so breathlessly listened to ne one who drew such a perfect picture of savage iss, Only Silverblade was silent. He alone re- mained bowed, for he had not yet recovered from the terrible shock that spectral shape had given his incredulity. “Great father,” said the medicine-man, voic- ing the thoughts of nearly all of the one 7 who bad followed him on this pilgrimage. ‘It is a glorious picture thy voice bath painted for thy poor children, and great wiil be their happiness when all this comes to pass, They have suffered much, and suffered long; must they grow sick at heart with still further wait- ing?’ CoThey must wait until the time is fully ripe for my coming,” and as it spoke, the strange voice grew harder, sterner, colder, **And will that coming be long delayed, oh, Messiah?” , ‘““Why has it been so Jong delayed? Why have I not come to bring eternal life and never- ending peace to my red children, do you ask, Wah-pa-doo-tah? Because of the unbelief which curses many of the red-men! use I know, as you ought to know, son of the mighty Sioux, that were I to come in mortal shape, there are men of red blood who would gladly sell my life \ ‘ ' ™ & an PR *, <n a | to the pale-faces for a single extra ration! There are red-men who would barter may life fora single swallow of firewater!” “ Surely not, great father!” “Surely yes,” with increasing sternness, ‘‘ 1 can see them now! I can see them serving the pale-faces, some among the renegades even bear- ing arms against their red brethren! Some of them killing with arms given them by the soldiers, scat ing with knives paid for with goods stolen from the faithful red-men, who are so weak from starvatiou that they know not how to fight back! ‘* All this I see, andeven more! I seemen with red skins, who smile upon their brothers’ faces, but who scowl at their backs. Men who are Indians in all but heart. Men who are called ‘friendlies’ by the whites. ‘* All this 1 see now, but when I look ahead, I miss them! And that alone gives me heart to wait and hope, as I wait and pray, that all true hearts may come to the light in time to be saved, But while I am forced to wait, by these unbelievers, let my children act in my stead. ‘How shall we know what to do first, Mes- siah?”’ asked Red Leaf. ‘*Go to my chosen representatives, and act as they advise. Go to Sitting Bull, to Kicking Bear, to Short Bull, to Big Foot, to Red Cloud, . When they say strike, strike swift and strike hard!” The light was fading, the figure growing dim, but the old chief of the Grosventres sprung to his feet, crying aloud: : ‘*Great father, may I speak one word?” CHAPTER IV. SHOOTING BACKWARD SEEKS FURTHER LIGHT. ALREADY the spectral light had grown so dim that the outlines of the Indian Messiah seemed melting away, leaving bardly the semblance of a human shape visible, but at that cry, the light grew stronger, and once more the venerable shape stood revealed to those eager eyes, ‘© What more does Shooting coldly demanded the voice, ‘* Time is passing, and there are other hungry hearts to be filled with words of glorious trutb.” - ‘May I speak plainly, mighty spirit?” almost meekly asked the old savage, his head bent in reverence, his hands crossed over his heart, ‘Speak, but be brief, Shooting Backward. Many others are praying for light of the Messiah, and he must go. What is it you wish @” ‘¢T have seen and heard enough to fill my heart and brain, father, but Shootin Backward is old, and his skull may leak on the long trail back to his people. If he does not receive more light, will there be enough left to satisfy all who come to read the truthf Will they not think there is still dust in their eyes, and ask more time to wash it away?” ‘¢ You have heard the truth, chief. Tell them what the Messiah has spoken, and if there are still unbelievers, Jet them perish in their blind- ness. ‘‘Butif among the blind, should be the few still dear to the heart of Shooting Backward? He bas one rquaw left. She is very old, like her chief, but cnce she was young an If she fails to see the whole truth, simply because Shooting Backward turned away from the Mexsiah before all shadows were cleared out of his brain? Must she perish, then?” ‘¢ You are not an unbeliever, my son?” ‘“No,. I believe, and I have faitb. More than enough jor one, but is it enough for so many ? Will it jast until my whole tribe recognize the truth? They are‘not many, now, but the Gros- ventres are still great warriors, and know how to fight,-if fight they must. Still, great father, ittle mere light will be a very good thing for us all, Is it not so, my brothers?” He turned to cast a glance over the rest of the delegation, and with hardly an exception, the response was as he wished, | P Shooting Backward speaks good words, at father. Give us more light, and then we will not lose the right trail,” ‘ ‘¢ What do you wish to hear further, my son? slowly asked the voice, ~ ‘‘ Shooting Backward is very old, He bascov- ered much ground since he became a brave He has gone on two visits to the Great Whit in the big village, where they make soldiers, He had his eyes with him, each time, and they saw so many wonders that they never ba close in sleep.” ‘You went to Washington?” “Tf the Messiah says so, so it must be,” Imeakiy bowed the old man. ' “It was where they ape laws and soldiers, where the White Father 7 + . comely. In, the eyes of her chief, she is still very precious. _ | time to — ackward wish?” _ Father, © ae ue, °F a4 va ' > & _ : i. y iy ey ” 2“ =) ye Wy . * y ve 7 oe o~