Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 74 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

> - ee : —————— Hawkeye Harry. great pains to rearrange the reeds to their natu- ral craft. In this manner he drew the canoe over two. rods from where the dead warrior lay, and at | last pulled the canoe into a little glade-like spot nearly ten feet in diameter, yet where the reeds and flags grew much taller, and their long, slender blades, courting the sunshine and free- dom of the opening, inclit , the edge of the glade, thus forming a perfect ‘canopy of blades and stalks overhead, and a beautiful retreat. In os place the young trapper again took his stand. intervened between them and the foe that the latter could not be seen. Here the fugitives would have to remain un- til the Indians left, or they were enabled to make their escape under cover of darkness. The day wore away, and the shadows of even- ing began to gather along theriver. Our young friends began to breathe more freely. They would soon be enabled to move from their peril, although the Indians still retained their posi- tion upon the river-bank. The wind had sprung up, and b blowing a brisk gale from the south. The sky was overcast with clouds that foretold a dark night, if not one of drizzling, autumnal rain, so common at this season of the year. Being to the windward, Harry could hear an occasional sound above the rustling of the reeds that told him the Indians were still on the river- bank, and at the moment when the young ranger was about to begin his retreat from the reeds, he heard the plash of oars in the middle of the bayou, not ten paces from where they were concealed. The red-skins were searching either for them or the absent warrior—perhaps both! The plash of oars continued along the reeds in the bayou, and finally grew more numerous but not.a word could be heard from the lips of the occupants, Finally he heard the raking of a canoe in among the reeds, and knew from the location of the sound that the Indians had found where their dead comrade had entered the thicket, and were following his trail. This fact was soon confirmed by a low exclamation of surprise and suppressed indignation, which told ; that the body of the savage had been ound, . Not a sound save the rustle of the dry reeds and stalks could be heard after this discovery; but the silence bodedill. Warning Nora of their impending peril, the young ranger put every faculty upon the alert. An hour stole by, when his keen ear detected a light plash on the water near the canoe. He fixed his eyes upon the darkness, and was not a little surprised to see two dull, scintillating orbs of fire glowing through the darkness not over three yards from the canoe, They were close upon the surface of the water, and just back of them he could see a dark, spherical object which he was satisfied was the head of an Indian, whose body was submerged in the water. Silently Harry grasped the dead warrior’s lance, with the determination of using it upon the cunning red-skin. Drawing the weapon back, he thrust it for- ward with all his strength. A savage yell.of agony pealed out upon the night-air, almost chilling the blood in Nora’s veins. Sut, like a heroine, she uttered no word of affright, but nestled closer to the form of her young protector. Harry aimed the lance so as to pierce the savage’s breast, and from the desperate tugging at the weapon he knew his aim had been true. He quickly relinquished his hold upon the lance, and seized the oars to flee, for he knew the death-wail of the savage would soon bring others i them. But, at this instant, Nora caught the outlines of a pair of long arms that were thrust outward from the reeds behind him; then she felt Harry dragged from her side out into the water with a crash, where a fearful struggle at once 8. 575 The brave and noble girl, obeying the injunc- tion of the young ranger, never uttered a sound, but with her hands clasped over her heart, she mentally prayed, with all the fervency of her ~ young soul. for the merciful Father to spare he life of Hawkeye Harry. The struggle between the youth and the un- known foe—which was a savage, of course—be- came desperate, Neither uttered a word orcry. But the floundering in the water: the crashing of the reeds; the dull thumping of the blows; the gasping, and labored breathing of the com- batants, told that it was a deadly conflict. Poor Nora! She sat alone, trembling with poses when they passed to the rear of the | t 1ed inward all around | But such a dense body of stalks now | dark was . | fear, and when she had invoked Heaven’s pro- tection on the young ranger’s life, she leaned forward and strained her eyes through the dark- ness, in hopes of seing if she could not help Harr But she could see nothing. She could only for Harry’s deliverance. Oh! it wasa fearful moment for that young irl—a moment of agonizing suspense—such as is never erased from memory. For several moments the struggle ccntinued, but, finally, the blows came fewer and feebler. Then there came a quick, heavy gasping, a low, | gurgling sound, and the noise gradually ceased. Oh, heavens! one of the combatants was drown- ing. Which one? Was it the Indian? was it Hawkeye Harry? Nora asked herself these questions, that were echoed in agony from her heart. were the victor, but her her that such an act woul danger if he were alive. She waited. Oh, what moments of tortur- ing agony! The wind had ceased rustling the reeds, as if to lend silent terror to the moment. A deep silence reigned—a silence as dread as that of the grave. Ten minutes passed by. Then to the ears of Nora Gardette came a faint sound; like that of a living creature dragging it- self through the water. It was approaching the canoe in which she sat. Was it an Indian, or was it Harry? was it either? She tried to speak the youth’s name— to ask if he were alive—but her tongue refused to perform its office; it was paralyzed with ter- ror and suspense. Motionless, and with dilated eyes, the maiden sat and listened and watched. She knew not whether she would be seized the next moment by a savage, or receive the joyful tidings of Barrys victory andescape. It was a struggle between hope and fear—the most terrible mo- ment of her young life. _ Closer and closer she heard that dragging sound approach. Then she felt a vibratory shock of the canoe, such as would be produced by a hand coming in contact with it. Then she saw a dark form rise above the rim of the re closely followed by two dull, glowing orbs. The one she readily saw was a human head and the other the eyes. Was it Harry? She leaned forward, and involuntarily bent forward until her face almost came in contact with that of the unknown, and peered into the scintillating eyes. She started quickly back. It was the head and face of an Indian—a hideous-painted In- dian! Unable to restrain her emotions longer, nature only increase Harry’s ee — pealed from the lips of Nora Gardette. CHAPTER XII. WAS CLOUDED HEART A TRAITOR? THE morning sun arose clear and warm in a cloudless sky, and shone with unusual brilliancy upon the little Indian village of Red Wing. The villagers were astir quite early, for the chief, with a number of his warriors, was to accom- pany Old Optic and the masked stranger, Cloud- ed Heart, to the Sioux village to assist in rescu- ing their children from captivity. The chief had selected thirty of his best war- riors for the expedition, and had them “ rigged ” out in all the panoply of the war-path. Each brave was provided with a pony, and well armed for thé occasion. Old Optic provided a pony for Clouded Heart, who made his appearance soon after daybreak, muffled and masked as on the previous night. The party was soon mounted, and filing out of the valley, took their course northward through the woods in single file, with the exce tion of Old Optic and Clouded Heart, who rode side by side in the rear of the cavalcade. The old trapper was now enabled to scan the form of his masked companion more closely. He was rather under medium size, and was dressed in a half-civilized and half-savage garb. The hands and feet were small, yet the former were bronzed to the hue of an Indian. The head was still covered with a kind of hood, and the face with a leathern mask, through the pole of which the eyes gleamed like balls of re. a - — oe it. To the old trapper it was strange that this | still stranger being would not permit his face to | be seen. He wondered to what extent the man’s listen to the awful sounds and pray—pray | She longed to call cut to Harry to know if he | ees of mind told | broke beyond its bounds,and.a scream of terror | The mask was so fastened to the hood | that neither wind nor accident could displace | 11 a -_——— success in rescuing his child depended upon keeping his face concealed. In fact, it was a little mysterious to the old trapper, and he _could not, for some unknown reason, think otherwise than that the fellow would bear watching. He would not have put any confi- | dence in him at all, had it not been for the truthful revelation he had made to him of his past Jife. It was this also that forced the con- _viction upon him that his story in regard to | his child being a captive in the Sioux village was true. The two conversed as they rode along on in- cidental topics, though the masked stranger was | not overly communicative, and seldom entered | upon any new subject. At times, however, Old Optic caught his glowing eyes fixed upon him a. his mask with a strange, mysterious ight. ‘*Havé you any hopes of us recoverin children, Clouded Heart?’ the old trapper ly asked. ‘* | have, friend trapper,” replied the stranger; ‘*the majority of the Sioux warriors, under Black Buffalo, are away on the war-path now, _ and if we reach the village before their return, we may accomplish the object of our expedition without much trouble.” ‘“‘It will take nearly two days to reach their town,” said Old Optic, in a tone devoid of all his our al- former rudeness; “but, by traveling after nightfall, we would much time. Bu Clouded Heart, how did you learn that my chil is a captive among the Sioux?” “*T learned it from the lips of the destroyer of your home and a said Clouded Heart, and he fixed his glowing eyes upon the trapper with a steady, inquiring gaze. ‘Ah! then you know who it was.that won the affections of my false-hearted wife?’ ‘* False-hearted !” repeated Clouded Heart. ‘Friend trapper, you do the memory of your | wife injustice. She was not false to you.” . ‘‘Man!” exclaimed the old trapper, ‘‘ what authority or proof have you for this assertion?” ‘‘The authority with which truth endows every mortal, and the proof of many. No; your wife and child were lured from their home on the Ohio by a man whom she rejected ere she wedded you. The villain knew that you were absent from home on business, and took the opportunity for revenge upon you and your wife. He forged a letter purporting to come from you It stated that you were lying v il in the town of Nauvoo, on the Mississippi, and that you wanted her to hasten forthwith to your bedside. She started, poor deluded woman, to nurse her beloved husband. But, when near her destination, she was seized by a band of outlaws and carried away and sold to theIn- ° dians. What was the result? You returned home and found your wife and child gone, and such false evidence as convinced you that she had forsaken you for the love of another. But it was all a lie, friend trapper, a damnable lie.” ‘*And this you know to be a fact, Clouded Heart—a solemn fact, do you?” ‘‘A solemn fact,” responded the masked stranger. A ‘“‘Oh, God!” groaned the trapper. | ‘*°Tis sad,” added Clouded Heart; “ for, friend trapper, I have experienced a sorrow similar to yours in many respects.” ‘‘ Then, Clouded Heart, you have my heart- felt sympathy. But, did you say my wife and child were sold to the Indians?’ ~ ‘‘I said so, but it was only the child that was sold. Your wife—” , ‘* Where is she?” gasped the old trapper. “If you succeed in rescuing your daughter, who has grown to womanhood, they say, she will tel) you what has become of her poor, per- secuted mother, and will probably confirm all that I have told you.” ‘“‘Oh, God! is this possible? It sounds so much like a fearful dream, Clouded Heart, that - it startles me. But what surprises me most is how you know all this.” “Tt may, friend ps but, as I told you before, I learned it all from the lips of the man who destroyed your home and happiness.” ‘* Does that person live?” ** He does.” ** And do I know him?’ ** His name is Henri Roche.” A groan burst from the trapper’s lips. He _ had known Roche in the East, not as an enemy but as a gambler and profligate. A clou of vengeance thered over his face;. then he became thoughtful and silent. His thoughts were principally of the mysterious Clouded Heart, It was quite probable that he had been in some manner leagued with Roche, | and had finally become another of his victims, <a eee eee Sam "eomicbooks (E