Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 743 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

- for his body, as I was told b ‘¢T think so, and you rescued Captain Hassan’s daughter too, I heard?” ‘*Oh, yes, we were captives together, and [ played my cards to escape with the pretty little thing.” ‘¢ And did it?” ‘‘Ob, yes, and led the red-skins into an am- bush that pretty well wiped my pursuers out,” ‘*So I heard; but was that ola Indian chief Ka-noon-ka killed, Buck?” Buck Taylor started, and then said slowly: ‘* Bible Bill, I do not know.” ‘* You didn’t see him among the dead?” <t No,” ‘‘[ am sorry, for somehow I believe that chief was a white renegade.” ‘* Bible Bill?” 46 Yes,” ** You are right, for the Death Hand wasa white man,” ‘*Well, if he escaped, look out for more trouble, for he will seek a terrible revenge.” ‘‘T think not, Bible Bill, and [ll tell you why. You see, I had met the chief before, and once saved his life, when he was in the mining country. ‘¢ Now, in turn, he kept the Indians from kill- ing me, and was, in fact, quite good to me. ‘ He had planned to give little Belle Hassan up for a large ransom, and | was to arrange it all, when I was to also go free; but J did not trust him, and so planned to rescue little Belle with- out a ransom, ‘With the ransom thechief intended to get out of Texas, I am sure, for he was pretty well assured that he had about come to the end of his rope. co After the battle I never thought of Jooking some of the men that he had been killed, and I could not tell you whether he was slain or not.” ** He was not.” ** How do you know?’ ** Well, I visited the Red Cliffs, the scene of the ambush, and saw every body buried there taken up.” ‘* And not one was the chief?” sé No.” ‘* But you expected to find an Indian, and he was splendidly painted,” ‘¢ No, [ looked for a white-skin.” You did?” sé Yes.” ‘‘But how did you know that he was a white renegade?” ‘‘T did not, but the one who wasin command of the little party did.” ‘** Who was it, may I ask?” ** Captain Ruth,” ‘Ah! the Lady of Sunset Ranch?” ** The same,” ‘* How did she know ?”” ‘That 1 do not know; but certain it is, ever since she heard that you were Death Hand’s prisoner, she has tried to effect your rescue,” ‘¢ Tt was most kind of her.” ‘¢ Well, what knowledge she may have of this renegade chief, or her motive tor hunting him down, Ido not know; but she is determined to know if he is dead or alive, and when the graves did not tell the secret, she sent me to you, to ask you if he was not a white man,if he was killed in the fight, or escaped.” ‘‘ Well, Bible Bill, as I should have been more particular, knowing all I did, and satisfied my- self that the chief was killed, or escaped, you can say to your pretty Captain Ruth that I will make it my business to discover the fact for ber, and whether he returned to bis Indian allies, or skipped the country for the country’s good, “Now the boys are coming into camp, and they’ll be awful glad to meet you, Bible Bill, re pire you a chance to get in @ sermon at us 00 ‘*T’ll be glad to, Buck, for you are all an un- mitigated jot of sinners, you and your boys in buckskin, and if I don’t help you, not the soul of one of you will ever be saved.” Buck Taylor laughed, and replied: “Well, Bible Bill, Tam so glad to be pards with you again, that Pll let you corral the whole lot of us to-night, and preach us all to sleep, so hunt up a text that will fit us wicked cowboys,” ‘‘ Pard Buck, lll doit,” was Bible Bill’s an- Swer. And he was as good as his word, for that night he did “ corral” the cowboys around the camp- fire, and such a sermon as he preached they bad never heard before. He pitched into them tongue and spur, rattled off appalling pictures of what they would suffer hereafter, if they did not mend their eyj] ways, sung several appropriate hymns, and ended with ia e > Buck Taylor’s Boys. a prayer which one of the cowboys remarked: ** roped in all creation.” ** Say, Bible Bill, you’ve left out the most im- portant part of the services,” said one of the men. ‘“What was that, pard?’ asked the cowboy parson, anxiously. ** The collection.” **So I did, and as you remind me of it, Pll just say that there’s a poor cowboy down in the settlement dying with the consumption, and it would gladden his latter days to have a little dust to buy good things with, so here goes for a collection for him, and as you suggested it, pard, you lead off with a Hherel pan-out of cash,” The cowboys cheered, and the man chipped in ‘a ten dollar bill, and others followed suit, until Bible Bill said: ‘* | thank you, boys, for your hearts are in the right place, sinful as you are, and the dying cowboy will bless you for this.” CHAPTER XIX. THE FUGITIVE. It was the night following the ambush of the Indians, who had pursued Buck Taylor after bis escape, and a horseman was riding rapidly along through the darkness, He had pressed his horse hard, for the animal seemed very tired, so much so that when he came to a steep range of hills, he dismounted and led him up the trail. He did not hesitate, so appeared to know just where he was going, not being at a loss to keep the trail even in the darkness, ‘**] fear this blow will destroy my power with the red-skins,” he muttered again and again, as he went along, At last he found himself in the micst of a mountain range, and still walking, while bis fa- tigued horse followed, he said half aloud: ** Another balf-hour and; [ will reach the vil- lage, and then I will see if those who were my friends have turned my foes, when they know that the white man I forced them to spare, and the little girl have not only escaped, but in pur- suing them my band of splendid warriors have been almost wiped out. ‘* Some of the braves escaped beyond all doubt, and as they went the nearest trail, they will have told all— Ha! what is that?” He paused and listened, while to his ears in the gray of early dawn came the rattle of firearms, ‘*My God! soldiers are firing yonder! ‘“They have attacked my Indian village and I am indeed a fugitive. ‘*T must seek a hiding-place and quickly, for if the soldiers do not capture and bang me the red- skins will find me and put me to death by the cruelest torture, ‘‘Tam indeed a fallen king, great yesterday, to-day a fugitive, ‘**Come, my good horse, we must seek a hiding- place, and fortunately I know of one which I defy even a Comanche to track us into,” He turned quickly back, as the sounds of firing increased, mingling with cheers, wild yells and the shrieks of squaws and children. It was the attack upon the Indian village, guided by Buckskin Sam. Quickly along the ridge went the fugitive, and as the day dawned, it showed him to be partly in Indian dress, wearing the war-bonnet of a head chief, and with his face fully stained and painted to disguise his white skin, He mounted his borse now, as the cheers re- sounded louder, and used his spurs to urge on the tired animal. For several miles he went along, and at last turned sharply to the left, and dismounting, urged his horse up over 4 rocky ridge that seem- ed impassable, But once over, he came to a trail going down the mountain-side, and this led him into a fertile valley which seemed to have no outlet. Here he stripped his horse of saddle and bridle and turned him loose, while he took some food from bis haversack, ate a little, and spreading his blankets, lay down to rest, He did not rise until oightfall, and leaving his horse still to rest and feed upon the luxurious grass with which the valley abounded, he went up the trail on foot, followed the ridge, and at last drew near the village of the Comanches, Nearer and nearer he crept, for there were no sounds reaching his ears to tell him that the red- skins were there. : **Tbey have fled to their mountain camp, and the soldiers have also gone,” he muttered, earer and nearer he crept, until at last he reached the spot where the village bad been, All was ruin and desolation there, scattered and torn tepees, the smoldering ruins of the large Council and Medicine Lodges, and a long Fa sto Gh rs 9 row of graves, where the soldiers had hastily buried the dead, A few wolves scudded away at his approach, and these told him he was the only living being in the ruined Indian camp, Straight to the rocky point, upon which had stood his own tepee, he went, ' It, too, had been burned, but he felt his way to a certain spot, where stood a bowlder weigh- gi ope hundred pounds, e placed his shoulder against it and pushed one end around a couple of feet, the act reveal- ing an aperture in the rock beneath, An exultant expression broke from his lips as he thrust his hands into the hole, and he said eagerly: ’ * All is here! [ have not been robbed at least. ‘* Yes, all | possess in the world, a few pitiful hundreds in gold, half-a-dozen disguises, in fact my entire stock in trade with which to begin life anew. ** And I will begin it anew with a vengeance, for I have a future to make now and revenge to ain. ** Yes, I live now for revenge and gold,” CHAPTER XX, THE RECOGNITION, So terrible bad been the defeat of the Co- manches, that as time passed on the scouts who penetrated into the Indian country reported that they were in hiding in the furthest fast- nesses of the mountains and appéared afraid to go out except in large bands on hunting ex- peditions, Buck Taylor, with intention to keep bis promise to find out if! their chief, Ka-noon-Ka, was yet alive, took his whole force of cowboys one day, and made a rapid sweep up into the Indian country. They surprised several hunting parties, and captured prisoners just to question them about their chief. They all told the same story, that the Death Hand had led the band that pursued the escaped captives, and they had been drawn into an ambush from which but few had escaped and then and there the chief Death Hand had been killed, for not a warrior had seen him after the battle began, The prisoners taken Buck Taylor would re- lease, upon condition that they “ talked witha straight tongue,” as he expressed it to them, Not one, warrior, squaw or child taken, told other than the same story about the chief, and so Buck Taylor felt convinced at least of the fact that the chief had not returned to the Comanches, whether he had escaped or not, the ambush, So back to his camping-place went Buck Taylor with his men, and arriving there he sat down and wrote Bible Bill a letter, telling him of his three weeks’ scouting in the Indian coun- try and all that ho had discovered about Chief Ka-noon-ka. ; This letter was sent by special courier to Sunset Ranch, and Bible Bill hastened with it to Ruth and gave it to her to read. Her face brightened as she read it, while she said: ‘*T felt that he was not killed, and that he would cross my path again.” The day after the reception of Buck’s letter, a stranger arrived at the ranch. He was an old man with long gray hair and beard, wore gold spectacles and had a stoop in his walk, His shoulders were very round, almost hump- ed in fact, and his dress was worn and faded, He had met Bible Bill on the prairie and had asked for shelter and food, and the good- hearted scout bad at once taken him to the ‘ranch to Ruth who bade him welcome most heartily. The stranger was mounted upon a sorry- looking horse, carried an old-fashioned rifle and revolver, and it was a wonder how he had gote ten through the country without molestation, He told a pitiful story of how his wife was dead and he was looking for his son, who had come to Texas some years before and had a ranch there, but just where he did not know. Ruth questioned all the cowboys ap ha their knowledge of such a_ person as the ol man deseribed his son to be, and only one re- membered to have beard the name and said that the one he knew answered the description given and lived seventy miles southwest of Sunset Ranch. Ruth found the old man a very clever talker, and sat up until a late hour talking to him; but she could not urge him to remain a few days and rest, as he said he was most anxious to be cbooks