Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 729 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

Silverblade, because he owed him far too weigh- ** All eyes open, lads!” came the loud, fierce tones of Dave Darnell. ‘Here’s the hoss— cri pled—look out for the Beagle!” ** Look out for both!” howled Tom Frinkle, shrilly. ‘The rope was cut! I saw the knife fall! Kill the thrower, but take Horton alive!” **That sounds like love thy brother, even as thyself, doesn’t it?’ muttered the border detec- tive, with a low, bitter laugh. ‘‘ Wouldn’t you just love to hug yonder rascal, David Wood- bridge?” ‘* David Woodbridge is dead. blade, the Ghost Dancer.’ A hostile, yet you valle of sparing the lives of your enemies?” an incredulous echo i in his sub- dued tones, ‘‘ For they are your enemies now, Davie, even as they have been mine all along. They'll never forgives you pulling me out of the noose, back yonder!” Silverblade touched an arm, whispering lowly as he turned from the valley ‘toward the rocky ©xpanse above and beyond them; ‘**Come, brother, It issafer, up yonder. The will soon be climbing up hera, and bloodshed is not good when it can be avoided, If I, an In- dian, can bold back my hand, surely you, a white man, ought to be as merciful! Come, brother: he. whose knife cut the rope, asks it. Almost any other appeal wouid have failed, but thet death-monient was still too near at hand for even the fiercely angry detective to refuse. Ard so, making as little noise as possible, the two men increased their iiatencod from the savagely cursing gang. Long before this, both footmen and those’on horses, had come upon the scene, and reading at least part of the truth in the badly-crippled con- dition of the horse, already keen eyes were searching for the fugitives. For now, that they had time to collect their scattered wits, one and all knew that Big Horn Buck had been rescued from the rope by a friend. ‘* Ready to fire at a flash, boys!” harshly cried Dave Darnell, as he gained a point several rods beyond where they had come upon the crippled horse, ‘‘ Here’s a damp stretch, and if they’ve took leg-bail, [’ll mighty soon find itout! Ready —eyes on every side, now!” Striking a match, the giant outlaw lit a fire- ball, and holding this close to the ground, he passed quickly in zig-zags from side to side of the narrow valley, looking for atrail. But long before be could have fully satisfied all doubt in this manner, a shrill ery broke from the lips of Tom Frinukle. ‘* This way, boys! They’ ve taken to the rocks! Now we have got ’em!” That fiercely exultant outburst was deliber- ately invited by the Border Beagle. 6 had yielded to the strange appeal made by I am Silver- ty a debt to refuse what was esked asa personal favor. But he was resolved to let the gang have at least an inkling of his present where- abouts, for reasons which he hel¢ in reserve for the time sin When nearly half-way to the rocky crest, the two friends came to a halt once more, crouch- ing in the shadow cast by a pine tree, watching the movements of Dave Darnell as he searched the valley by the red glow of his fire-ball. For several minutes they remained thus, making keen ears do the service which darkness denied their eyes, and as they waited, the hot assions of the detective gradually cooled down. Not that he lost all thirst for vengeance; he bad suffered far too much during the few bours Tom Frinkle and his hardly less vile associates had held bim in their pitiless grip. But he began to see that there was a wiser, surer method of pun- ishing the criminals than by meeting them in open fight, with the odds of ten to one against the right, even counting in Silverblade, Still, while resigning all thought of bringing on a pitched battle, Horton resolved to let his enemies know that he bad not sought safety in headlong flight, as the majority of the gang evidently fancied, With this end in view, he felt around in the darkness beneath the pine tree, until his fingers closed upon a loose stone weighing several unds, And then, giving a low hissas warning to Silverblade, the border detective flung the stone to the left, and down the hi] 1. The missile struck upon a bare rock with a sharp concussion, bounding off to phar {brough a scrubby pine, making sound enough to draw that shrill yell of vicious triumph from the lips of Tom Frinkle, At that cry, Silverblade sprang erect, giving a curious gasp, much as though he had cast aside a crushing burden, and for the first, time could breathe freely. ‘* Good!” be hissed, almost savagely, hands at scones ann Sere his belt of arms. “It is done and now—we must fight !” Other yells were answering back that call from Tom Frinkle, and there was a basty scram- ble among the rocks and bushes toward the spot ,where the suspicious sound had arisen, Aud under cover of all. this, Big Horn Buck grasped the half-blood by an arm, whispering: ‘* Hold, David! A bit ago you were crazy to avoid a fight, but now— ‘“‘T was David, then, but now I am Silver- blade! We willdrink their blood while a drop remains in their veins! We will—” **Do nothing of the kind, hot-head!” sternly muttered Horton, his grip tightening. ‘“*T was mad, then, and you were the sane one. Now I am myself again, must you turn wild? I say— no fighting, boy!” ‘* Why did you cast that stone, then?’ almost sulkily muttered the half- blood, his young muscles quivering under that firm grip. ‘To keep those imps nosing about these rocks, of course,” his voice softening a bit, but his grasp remaining on that nervous arm, as be silently shifted position, heading away from the searching gang, and pickimg his way toward the head of the valley. ** Come, Davie; Vll make all clear to you, as soon as we're fairly beyond earshot of yonder coyotes,” ‘*T would rather fight, now that I see blood before my eyes!” ‘** You'll have fighting enough before long, unless I miss my guess widely,” was the grim whisper, After that Silverblade said nothing until they had stolen away several hundred yards: equal to a full mile under the light of the sun, with darkness and so many snug coverts all around t em. ‘** What does my brother intend doing, now?” at length asked the half-blood, as Horton paused ‘for a backward glance and 'bit of listen- ing. ‘Get my weapons, of course,” with a low but grim laugh. ‘‘ A man might as well be without a bead as unarmed, in these parts, Till keep your gun asa temporar y loan, but those knaves owe me a full outfit, and I mean to make them pay their debts that far, at the very least,” said Horton, then silently ‘stealing forward once more, CHAPTER IX. § , ' PLAYING WITH THE ENEMY. MAKING as little noise as possible, and keep- ing covered by rocks or bushes, or the still deeper shadows cast by the taller ever reens, the two friends picked their way along the un- even side of the frange, heading for the spot where one of their number bad so nearly met his death at the hands of his bitterest enemy. The night was still hardly born, but even this early the twinkling stars from the unclouded vault gave forth a degree of light quite sufficient to suit the present wishes of the Border Beagle. Eaough to keep him from making any awk ward misstep, or other blundering move by which the dangerous attention of that lawless gang might be drawn to their movements, Enough to warn bis keen eyes of lurking watcher, in case the enemy bad been shrewd enough to leave a camp-guard on duty. Big Horn Buck was not so very long in gain- ing a position from whence he could peer down upon the camp, where the two fires were still burning, freely enough to cast a ruddy glow along the ground beneath those scattered trees. ‘‘ All eyes open, Davie,” he muttered, as he came to a halt, keeping under cover, yet. where a fair prospect spread out before them. * Look for two-legged whelps, and if you spot any suth on watch, give me a pinch hard enough to make me forget how to cuss loud!” “Why should they keep watch here?” came from the half-blood, in the same guarded tcnes, ** How could they think that the Border Beagle would come back for the rest of the riata ?” ‘* Does look kind o’ rocky, don’t it?’.with a soft chuckle, “Still, some of ’em might be just such fools as to think it, and lay low on the odd chance of turning ‘ think? into ‘ know. » And you, Davie?” “ What else? There are no scalps vanes The words bad scarcely passed his lips when fresh cries burst forth from lower down the nar- row valley, the precise nature of which was not so easy to determine, ‘Sounds wild-catty enough, but we're up here; I bardly reckon the imps have found us, It don’t seem likely that any other honest outfit was circulating there or thereabouts, just in time to get nipped by the hungry jaws: eh, Davie?” eee oO SSeS SSS Lea Silverblade made no suggestion, He stood with inclined head, trying to read the whole truth, through his sense of hearing, After that first outcry, fierce and venomous enough it sounded, too, there came a sudden lull of brief duration, "Then the single voice of Dave Darnell, softened by the considerable distance, yet readily distinguishable as that of the giant leader of the gang, Even their keen ears could catch no word, and they could only give a vague guess at the mean- ing of that sudden outburst, ‘Let ’em howl, if it does ’em any good,” granted the Border Beagle, whose ee had hardl y wandered from the lighted spot further up the ‘* Keep one eve down that way, Davie, for the imps may have struck off our double and— Steady, lad!” The break was mechanical, the words meaning nothing, for Silverblade bad ‘not stirred a muscle to draw forth such an ejaculation, — One of the larger logs composing the body of the nearest fire, just then broke in two pieces, and as a bright blaze sprung up at the fracture, the increased light showed Big Horn Buck one of the objects for which his eyes were searching, Showing darkly against the weather-bleacked trunk of the tree against which Dave Darnell had leaned while listening to the sanguinary plea put forth by Tom Frinkle, be could distin- guish an irregularly shaped blotch, ‘Steady, Davie!” he repeated, in a whisper, one hand touching the balf- blood, while with the other he pointed at that dark spot. * Sight along my finger—so/ See that bunch of some- thing?” ‘* What is it?” **Part of my property, and [’m going to reclaim it,” laughed the Border Beagle, lower- ing his hand, to grip the pistol loaned him by the youthiul Shoshone, ‘‘Come a bit near- er, then you can stand guard while I go after it, Understand?” ‘*T remember, now,” nodded Silverblade, fol- lowing after the detective, ‘ Your belt of arms. Isaw them banging there, as I crept around to be in line when the horse started, but [ never gave them another thought,” ** Why should you? You bad enough on hand, without—l ll try to thank you, when I get a bit more time, Davie, lad,” ** Why waste br ‘ath? Silverblade saw a friend in trouble, He did the best he knew how, It is done, now let it be forgotten.” ‘If I didn’t know better, Davie, I'd be tempted to swear you were a genuine red-skin, just from your talk!” muttered Horton, turning to cast a curious glance into the face of the half-blood. ‘*T am all red, now, though you knew me when I was half white, Silverblade is seen and heard, His old doubts are brushed away, never more to darken his brain and turn his heart sick, There is no David Woodbridge, for the boy you knew by that name has be- come a man, and his name is Silverblade, the Ghost Dancer!” Buck Horton maintaining his searching gaze throughout that cold, yet resolute speech, both seeming to forget the perils which still, menaced them. But as the half-blood ceased speaking, the older man gave a sbrug of his shoulders as he once more faced toward the seemingly desert- ed camp-ground on the lower level. ‘*Silverblade it is, then, until there’s more room to talk it over; but ne ge can’t choke me off from calling you p or from trusting you to even-up if a sulker should be lying in wait to pop me over as I go for my outfit, yonder,” ‘¢ We wi'l both go, brother,” said Silverblade, gliding forward, ‘* With cover so plenty, it will be easy enough to cheat even the eyes of an enemy, if any such be on guard,” Fee ing that too much time had already been lost in useless talk, and beginning to realize that the half-blood, boy as he was wont to regard bim, had altered enough to render even a fr iendly argument a question of loubt, so far as the outcome was concerned, Horton gui: ino more, but bent all his energies toward recovering his belt of arms. narrow aa e They had formed part of the profits of that — important capture, and as the only one who could fairly claim them as being his chief cap- tor, Tom Frinkle, had scorned to take advantage of the fact, in his vicious triumph at the pros- pect of avenging the death of his brother, Dave Darnell had hung up the belt with its equipment, the lucky owner to be decided by lot as soon as the prisoner had paid the penalty. Moving rapidly, yet keeping well covered — throughout, the two pards pressed onward and downward, pausing to listen intently when they — + he + ee e + .. ¢ _ ‘4 - boo Wes (a) s wor * § —) = 8 ee Se °S.CC 1 @ of ig